Chapter Thirteen
Caleb
It was good to be back in the tournament. I was stretching my legs and getting back into the groove of things. Despite the fact that I was doing well so far, I was feeling distracted. I could barely concentrate on the game because all I could think about was Hailey. She had haunted my thoughts for days, and I wasn’t really used to that.
Hailey was arriving that day. I had spoken with her the night before, and she had told me she would arrive sometime on Wednesday. Knowing that she would be arriving soon kept me on edge. It made me feel good about my life. Things were going to start getting back to normal, and I would be able to enjoy my life again.
I had not seen her after the night at the club. She had stayed in the hotel and disappeared back home the next morning before I could even call her. She was one mysterious girl. I had called her and gave her all the information she needed to make arrangements to move out here.
She mentioned that her sister would be accompanying her later after she secured some accommodations for her, and it was something that I could totally understand. It would be nice for her to have someone in the city that she knew because he wouldn’t always be available to entertain her. This way she would have her sister to keep her company, and they could tour the city together. It actually made the whole situation a lot better for both of them, and if I could help in any way, I would.
I had suggested that Mandy stay at the house, but and Hailey was quick to dismiss that, stating that her sister would not feel comfortable with that arrangement. I guessed I could understand that. She didn’t know me from a hole in the ground, and it wasn’t my goal to make anyone uncomfortable. It wasn’t like she was working for me; it was Hailey who I expected a little more of, and that’s because she was being paid.
I was standing on the green surveying the situation, and everything looked good so far. I looked back at Matthew, who handed me a driver. He knew exactly what I needed every single time, and I trusted him with everything.
“It’s a long hole and the wind is pulling to the east so watch out for that. You have a sand trap also that you may want to avoid,” he said with a smirk. There was nothing better than having your best friend always looking out for you, making sure that you never made a mistake.
I nodded as I took the driver and steadied myself on the green. I glanced out a few times before taking a breath and swinging. The ball shot out, and I smiled as I watched it drop and bounce along. I handed Matthew the driver and watched him put it away. We watched as the other players took their turns and then we moved towards the 9th hole.
It was a warm day, and the weather was holding up for the tournament. We couldn’t have asked for a better day with the sun shining. I was looking forward to having beers with Matt after the game was over. I had a good sweat on already; a cold beer would be amazing.
“So, Hailey is coming in today.”
“Yes, I know you mentioned it about eight times. Remember, I will be picking her up at the airport.”
I laughed, “Don’t be a dick. I’m just saying I’m anxious for her to get here. Her things are being shipped down, and I told you she was bringing her sister, right? I think she’s thinking about getting her own place, but I wouldn’t even care if she stayed in the guest quarters.”
“Do you know anything about the sister?”
“She’s a freelance writer, so she works from home. Definitely convenient if she just follows her sister around all the time. I guess they are really close.”
“Cool.”
We got to the next hole, and I stared off into the distance. “I think this is pretty good, right? It’s going to work out.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. He was becoming frustrated with me; I could see it all over his face. “Caleb, we can talk about Hailey over beers later. You need to focus on your score, because clearly you’re not.”
I scoffed and waved him off. “I’m doing incredibly well today; it’s my best day yet. Don’t worry about the scores.”
Matthew stayed firm, though. “Yeah, you may be doing well, but you stay focused. We’ll worry about Hailey and her sister later. Let’s just focus on the tournament right now. Got it?”
“Sure thing, Dad! You do realize that I’ve already been invited to the Masters in April, right? So, relax.”
“Whatever, man. Just take your shot.”
“I get what you’re saying, Matthew, but this is the time for me to brag. I’ve gotten into the Masters; this is all just additional money in the pocket and the chance to show off. I got this stuff down pat. I could practically do it in my sleep.”
I turned from him and approached the green, thinking about my shot. I looked off into the fairway and planned my swing. It was going to be a good one, but I thought I had it in one shot, I was that confident about it.
I didn’t know why I couldn’t feel that confident when I was in the majors. That was the time when I usually choked, and I hoped again that I would be able to get passed it that year. There had to be a reason for it. I was determined to overcome it this time. I would not let that stupid feeling to take over me. It was not going to control my life forever – I had it in me to be truly great, and that’s what I wanted.
I took position on the green as Matthew handed me a 2-iron club. I swung the club, and the ball went flying. Just like that, it bounced along and went right in the hole.
I turned to him and said, “See what I mean? I got this.”
He gave me a high five, but didn’t give me the benefit of a smile.
I left the tournament with a huge grin on my face because I was the victor. It felt good to be back on top, and it was the one thing that I truly loved about tournament time. It was the leat stressful time to be a golfer; I didn’t even have to worry until I got to the majors. I considered this to be playtime for now. Matthew sometimes got on my back, but I wasn’t the least bit worried now – things were going as planned.
We sat down and waited for our beers to arrive; the waitress wasn’t long before she came with the beer. There was nothing better than having a cold beer after a long game out in the sun, and I almost wished we could have beers during the game.
“Well, congrats, man; you had a great game out there. So far, so good.”
“And you were bitching about my score.”
Matthew laughed, “I’m doing my job. It doesn’t matter how good your game is – if you don’t watch that score, it can turn around in a blink of an eye.”
“Yeah, I know. But right now, it’s not a big deal.”
“It’s always a big deal. Don’t get cocky.”
I laughed and took a sip of my beer. The day was great, I couldn’t have asked for better weather, a better game, and now we were celebrating with beers. Life was good.
“So, you have been talking to Hailey?” he asked.
“Well, we talked last night. She just let me know when she was arriving. I sent you her itinerary.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to seeing her.”
I laughed, “Are you, now?”
“Well, she’s a cool chick, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I do; we get along really well. It was more than I could hope for in a situation like this. I really like how mature she is.”
“A wild difference from you, right?”
“Easy there, I’m doing alright these days.”
“Cheers to that.” We clinked the mugs of beer together.
“I’m glad things are going well for you, Caleb; I think this is going to be your year, and Hailey is definitely a great addition to help you along.”
“I agree.”
Just then, Matthew’s phone went off, and he looked down at it. “Oh, shit. Hailey is here.”
“She has your number?” I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. How close were these two getting? I watched as he texted her back and wondered what they were talking about.
“Weren’t you supposed to pick her up?”
“Yeah, I thought so, too. But she just messaged that she got in early and is headed to the Hilton. She didn’t want to rush me away from the tournament. So, I guess we have time for another beer.”
“Sounds good.” I was getting no texts from Hailey and wondered why. I wasn’t expecting her to text me, but now that she was texting Matt, I couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t feel comfortable enough to send me a message as well. Maybe it was because she still thought of me as just a boss. I was her boss, but I had no problem with having a friendship with her as well; it would help us if we felt comfortable around each other. Maybe I would mention it to her to make her aware that we didn’t have to behave like it was all business just because I had hired her.
The waitress arrived with another round of beers, and we got back into talking about the tournament. It wasn’t long before Matt was talking about Hailey again, which totally irritated me. He started in again after he got another text message from her.
“We’re going apartment hunting tomorrow.”
“Who’s we?”
“Hailey and me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Hailey is looking for an apartment for her sister. She won’t be arriving until she has some place to live. So, we are going to find a place for her and get her settled.”
I couldn’t even believe what I was hearing. I was definitely not cool with Matt just taking care of all of Hailey’s needs. Shouldn’t that be my job? I knew we weren’t really dating, but I was the reason she was here, so why wasn’t she leaning on me at all for help. I took a sip of my beer, lost in thought and clearly ignoring Matt.
“Do you have a problem with this?”
I looked over at Matt. “Are you joking? Of course I do. It’s not cool.”
“Why? What’s the big deal? It’s another errand. I thought you would send me on it, anyways.”
“I want to go with her instead. She’s here for me; we are working together.”
Matt laughed, “Already getting possessive, aren’t you, Caleb?”
I didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure why I felt possessive of her – she was in no way mine. I just didn’t like how close the two of them were getting; it was a little weird for me. It was about time I started putting my foot down.
“Tell her to stay at the airport. I’m going to get her, just don’t let her know it’s me.” I got up without waiting for a response and left my beer behind.