Larson listened to the soft clicking sound of the cleats on his golf shoes as he walked across the thin strip of pavement that led from the clubhouse to the first tee. Dressed in a black-and-beige Greg Norman shirt and crisply creased golf slacks, he looked every bit the prosperous country-club member. If these three guys getting ready to tee off with him in the late-summer sunshine only knew the financial trouble he was in . . .
Playing a round of golf was a great way to do business. The camaraderie grew as the foursome traversed the lush green fairways. There were plenty of opportunities to back-slap after the great shots and commiserate after the duds. Today Larson planned to lose and he would graciously and effortlessly peel off the bills from his sterling money clip to pay off his bet.
But after the eighteenth hole, when they sauntered into the Members’ Grill for drinks, Larson desperately hoped he would be able to accomplish what he must do. The oncologist, periodontist and divorce attorney had deep pockets and they were always looking for ways to make them deeper. With just the right approach, careful not to push too hard, Larson’s goal was to get them to commit to investing in his business.
Of course, he wasn’t going to tell them the business was hemorrhaging.
He carefully positioned the round white Pinnacle on the wooden tee and lined up to take his first shot. As his club made contact he knew the shot would be good and he watched as the ball flew a respectable two hundred yards straight down the fairway. A positive sign of things to come today.
While he waited for the others to take their opening swings, his mind wandered from his business worries to a much more pleasurable subject: Eliza Blake.
God, she was beautiful. And wealthy. He had read in the Wall Street Journal about her new KEY contract. Big bucks.
While Eliza hadn’t shown him the interest he had hoped for at the Feeneys’ barbecue last night, Larson felt confident he could bring her around. There was always some way to get what you wanted. You just had to figure out how.
Larson handed his club to the caddy and climbed into the golf cart.
How to reach Eliza?
As his foot pressed the pedal, he smiled at the answer to his question.
The kid.