Trust in Me Read online

  CHAPTER 3

  It was another long week for Jules at school. Between teaching and meetings, the week just never seemed to end. She walked into the house at five-thirty and heard voices in the kitchen. Following the sound, she walked in and saw Eileen and Paige sitting at the kitchen table along with Alice and Leslie’s niece Mary. “Hello,” she said softly.

  “Hi, Aunt Jules,” Alice said quickly, with a smile that could light up the room.

  Eileen and Mary also greeted her warmly. It was only Paige’s face that showed she wished she could be anywhere else but this kitchen.

  “How was your day?” Eileen asked smiling.

  “The usual.” She turned to Paige. “Can I speak with you in private?”

  Eileen quickly ushered the girls from the room to collect Mary’s things upstairs. “Good luck,” she whispered as she walked past her sister.

  Jules took a seat next to Paige. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, but I just want to explain.”

  Paige began to get up. “You’ve already apologized. There is nothing more you have to say to me.”

  “Wait,” Jules said clutching Paige’s arm as she tried to leave the kitchen. “I know you think I don’t deserve your time, but please just let me speak.” Paige sat back down in the chair. Her arms were protectively across her chest. “I haven’t been myself in a long time. I would never be that shallow. I know that you know the story of Eileen and my life the last two years because you seem to be good friends. It’s not just the death of my parents, but when Eileen got sick I was a wreck. The sicker she got, the more I began to want to fall apart, but I knew I couldn’t. I would listen to Alice cry herself to sleep at night because she thought her mother was going to die. I did the same most nights. I kept everything bottled up inside of me trying to be strong.”

  “And when you realized that I was a double amputee, you ran. You thought I would just be one more person to take care of.” Jules didn’t comment. “I can take care of myself and don’t need anyone’s help.”

  “I realize that, but at that moment I panicked. I’m sorry. I should have talked to you.”

  “I knew who you were that night in the club. I thought you must be like your sister who is the sweetest woman I ever met.” Paige pointed her finger. “But you turned out to be just like all the other women. You just couldn’t be with the girl with no legs.” She stood up. “I’ve been hurt by better women than you. So you don’t have to feel any guilt or apologize to me. I’m a big girl and can handle it.” Before she left the kitchen she turned and faced Jules. “You aren’t the only one whose life changed dramatically. I was a pro golfer and that ended in the blink of an eye.”

  “I know and whether you want it or not, I am sorry.” Jules sat there staring at Paige’s face.

  “Keep your “sorrys” for someone else, Jules.”

  “Boy, you’re tough,” Jules said, trying levity instead of being sincere.

  Paige couldn’t help but laugh at Jules’s words. “Yes, I am,” she said and watched as the girls and Eileen came back down the stairs together. She hugged Eileen before leaving the house.

  “How did it go?” Eileen asked once the door closed.

  “Not good,” Jules answered without looking at her sister.

  “At least you tried.” Her hand came down on Jules’s arm. “You two would have made a great couple, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Jules didn’t see Paige for weeks. Eileen had told her that Paige would only come to the house when she knew Jules wouldn’t be there. At least Eileen was getting better and she put everything else that was wrong in her life in the recesses of her mind. She was even starting to think that maybe she would find her own place to live, but the nagging ache of missing her sister and niece kept her in place. The end of the school season was quickly approaching and now Jules wondered what she would do with her summer now that she didn’t have to take care of her sister. She thought about taking a trip, but going alone held no interest for her. Jules ended up accepting a position teaching summer school in the middle school. Extra money was only one of the reasons she accepted the position. The other one was so she wouldn’t feel so lonely all summer. Jules still had friends, but she wasn’t as close to them anymore. There were just too many times she begged off spending time with them so they stopped calling. Letting out a big sigh, her sister looked at her. The worry was written across her face. “What?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t spend every night with Alice and me.”

  Jules laughed. “Are you sick of me?”

  “Of course not.” Eileen smiled. “You used to have so much fun. You were always running somewhere. Now you work and just come home.”

  “I’m fine, Eileen. I’m happy with my life,” she said lying to her sister, but Eileen wasn’t fooled.

  “Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it. Why don’t you go out with friends and meet someone.”

  The coffee that was about to go down Jules’s throat came back up into her cup. “Yeah, because that went so well the last time.”

  Eileen giggled. “Okay, I’ll give you that, but you were in a different place. What about a dating site?”

  Jules wrinkled her nose. “Just what I need,” she said throwing up her hands. “To meet a crazy person.”

  “They can’t all be crazy, Jules.” Eileen pulled the laptop toward her that was sitting on the kitchen table. “Let’s just look and see what’s out there.”

  “I’m not putting my name or picture on the site if I agree to your crazy idea.”

  “Fair enough.” Eileen began searching the site and looked through the profiles. “Hey, look at this one. She says she’s athletic and loves to play golf.” Eileen’s excitement was evident as she read on. “You used to be a great golfer.”

  Jules waved her hand dismissing her sister. “I haven’t played in so long. I doubt I could get the ball up in the air.”

  “I’m sure it wouldn’t take you much to get back to where you were before. We used to play with dad all the time.” Eileen was becoming so excited. “It’s also a great place for you to meet women.” She ignored her sister’s indifference. “We still have dad’s membership to the club.”

  “What does she look like?” Jules asked without enthusiasm.

  “I don’t know. Her profile picture is of a golf course.”

  Jules cackled. “She must be pretty ugly if she didn’t put up a picture.”

  “That’s not true. Sometimes people don’t want the person to fall for looks first.”

  “How do you know this stuff?” she asked looking at her sister skeptically.

  “I have friends,” Eileen said indignantly. “Write her and see what happens.”

  Jules stood up. “I have papers to grade. I’ll think about it.”

  As soon as Jules left the room, Eileen began to type. “Hi. I love golf too. I’m out of practice, but I used to play well. What other things do you like to do?” Eileen hit the send button and hoped that the stranger would write back soon.

  Eileen gave up hope after not hearing back from the woman. So she tried a new tactic Saturday morning. “Jules, why don’t you go down to the club and go hit some balls. You need to get out of this house. Who knows, you might meet someone there.”

  “I don’t feel like it.” Jules answered, washing out her coffee cup.

  “Alice and I have plans today. I don’t want you sitting around the house all day,” Eileen insisted.

  “What are you my mother now?” Jules turned around and glared at her sister.

  Eileen giggled. “Yes. If I have to be. Go shower and go to the club.”

  Jules knew her sister wasn’t going to shut up so she shook her head and agreed to go hit a few balls. If nothing else, she could take her frustration out on the balls.

  She pulled up to the club and walked over to the driving range with her golf bag. The shoes Jules put on felt tight and she knew she’d have to get used to the cleats. After purcha
sing a basket of balls, she placed one on the tee and took out her driver. The club felt odd in her hand and she took a few practice swings before she approached the ball. Her first swing was terrible because she sliced the ball to the right. That sucked. Jules lifted the club over her head and stretched. Again she swung the club. This time the ball went straight, but didn’t have much distance. After half the bucket was gone, a man walked up to her.

  “Hi. You’ve got a nice swing, but it needs a little work.”

  “I know,” she answered without looking at him and placed another ball on the tee.

  “Our pro just had a cancellation if you’d be interested in a lesson.”

  Jules finally looked at him and thought for a moment. “Sure.” He disappeared back into an office and she waited for the pro before taking another shot. Her eyes opened wide when she saw who walked out of the building. She was wearing a big smile, but Jules knew it would disappear the moment she found out who her client was. Sure enough, Paige approached and stopped in her tracks. The smile she had been wearing was replaced by a scowl.

  “What are you doing here?” Paige asked approaching her.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” Her shoulders came up in a shrug and she kept the smile plastered to her face.

  “Are you my client?” Jules asked looking around, hoping it was someone else.

  “Unfortunately. I didn’t know you were the pro that that guy was talking about. Do you want me to tell him I changed my mind?”

  Paige ignored her question. “Jim said you have a nice swing, but you need work.”

  “Yeah. It’s been a while since I played.”

  “How long?” Paige asked looking at Jules’s golf clubs.

  “At least two years.”

  Paige now approached Jules’s side. “Let me see you swing,” she said placing a ball on the tee. Jules addressed the ball and swung at the ball. “Good, but you are off balance.” Paige stood next to Jules. “You lean forward after your swing. Try it again, but keep your body perpendicular to the ground as you finish the stroke.” Paige placed another ball on the tee and watched as Jules took a deep breath and let it out before she hit the ball. “Better.”

  By the end of the hour, Jules was hitting the ball better. “I can squeeze you in next weekend if you’re interested?” Paige asked picking up the empty basket and dropping it off to be refilled.

  “What day and time is good for you?” Jules hoped spending time with Paige would give her an opportunity to make up for her first impression.

  “Saturday morning at eight.”

  Jules chuckled. “I don’t even know what this is going to cost me.”

  “Go in the office and Jim will explain my fees to you. Then if you’re interested in continuing with the lessons, Jim will mark you down.” Paige turned and left the area.

  *

  Jules walked into the house and Eileen met her in the living room. “How was it?”

  “Good,” Jules answered looking at her sister. “Did you know that Paige is the golf pro at the club?”

  “Yes,” Eileen said hoping the two women would meet again. “Why?”

  “She gave me a lesson.” Jules watched Eileen’s reaction, speculating if her sister had planned this whole thing.

  “She did?” Paige asked innocently.

  Jules looked at her suspiciously. “Yeah. It’s kind of expensive.”

  “You have the money, Jules. We both inherited money and you’ve spent nothing on yourself. I know that you used some of that money toward my care. It’s about time you spend some on yourself.”

  “I have another lesson next Saturday morning,” Jules admitted without meeting her sister’s gaze.

  “Good. You deserve to have some fun yourself.”

  “I don’t know if having golf lessons qualifies as having fun. Paige is a tough teacher. My arms and back are sore.”

  “You sound like you’re fifty instead of thirty-five.”

  “Well, some days I feel like fifty and today is one of them. I’m going to stand in a hot shower.”

  “Go on and I’ll make you a sandwich for lunch.”

  “Thanks, Eileen,” Jules said going up the stairs.

  CHAPTER 5

  Saturday morning, Jules carried her clubs toward the office for her next golf lesson. When she approached the office, she noticed two other women standing there. “Hello,” she said as she approached. The women returned her greeting and then Jim walked out to greet them.

  “Good morning, ladies. It’s a beautiful day to play golf.”

  Jules raised her eyebrow wondering if they would be playing golf this morning instead of receiving a lesson.

  “Paige will be right out.” He began to guide them to the golf carts. “Let me introduce you to each other.” He turned toward the women. “This is Sandra,” he said pointing toward a tall woman in her fifties. Now he looked at Jules. “Ladies, this is Jules and this is Tina,” he added, pointing toward a petite woman in her thirties. “All of you have the same skill set and Paige wants to see how you all do on the course.” Jim turned. “Here she is now.”

  Jules watched as Paige approached wearing a light pair of cotton pants and a light short sleeve sweater. “Good morning, ladies. Are you ready to begin?” The women all nodded. “Tina, ride with Jules and I’ll go with Sandra.”

  The two carts pulled up to the first tee. “Okay, Sandra, show these ladies what you’ve got.” Sandra took her driver from her bag and lined up her shot. The ball remained straight although it didn’t have the distance. “Good shot,” Paige said smiling. “Tina, you go next.” Tina’s shot hooked slightly to the right, but the distance was better than Sandra’s. It was now Jules’s turn. Her shot went further than the other women and was just short of the green. “Nice, Jules,” Paige commented as they went back to the cart. Each woman approached their balls and worked their way to the green. The whole time Paige gave the other two women pointers.

  Jules stood there waiting for the other women to make it to the green. She watched as Paige worked with each of the women. By the fourth hole, Jules wondered what she was doing here. Paige obviously had no interest in instructing her and decided that she wouldn’t waste any more money on this stupid arrangement.

  At the ninth hole, Paige turned to the women. “Nice game, ladies. Jules paid for a private lesson for the next hour,” she said without looking at Jules. “I’ll see you next week for your private lesson.”

  The women said good-bye and left in one of the carts. “I didn’t pay for extra time,” Jules said harshly and walked back to the golf cart.

  “I know you didn’t, but I spent more time teaching them. You didn’t need the attention they did,” Paige sighed. “Let’s finish and see what I can help you with.” Jules nodded and Paige drove them to the next hole.

  By the time they finished the course, Jules had more confidence in herself. She was surprised by her final score and she smiled looking down at the number Paige showed her. “I haven’t shot that low in so long.”

  “You’re very good, Jules. A little more practice and you will improve that score.”

  “It was the suggestions you made,” she said casually.

  “You have a natural talent for the game. Have you ever thought of entering any competitions?”

  Jules laughed. “No. I’m not going to make a fool of myself.”

  “You would do well in the amateur competition. You are already better than most of the women that enter the competition.”

  Again Jules laughed. “I doubt that very much.” She removed her gloves and placed them in the golf bag.

  “There is a tournament at the end of August. You should enter.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Jules said walking back to the golf cart. There was no way that she would embarrass herself in that way. The only reason she didn’t say no was she didn’t want the smile to disappear from Paige’s face. She had been smiling all day and even directed it at her a couple of times.

  “If you w
in the tournament, you will qualify to play the tournament in September. That one involves playing with a pro as your partner.”

  Jules laughed out loud. “Yeah, right. All I have to do is win the one tournament. You’re nuts, Paige.” Jules was shaking her head thinking Paige had lost her mind. There was no way that she was good enough to enter an amateur tournament, let alone a pro/amateur.

  “You can win, Jules. Now that the school year is ending, we could play when I don’t have a client.”

  “I’m teaching summer school.”

  “Is that all day?” Paige asked, not letting Jules off the hook.

  “No, but…”

  “So we can play some afternoons. By the time August arrives, you will be ready to win the competition.”

  Paige’s excitement was infectious and Jules found herself weakening, but she couldn’t stop laughing. “Okay, I win the tournament. Who am I going to play with in the pro/am tournament?”

  “Me,” she answered as if the answer was obvious.

  “You?”

  “Yes, me. Besides, you don’t have to win. You just have to come in second or third to qualify.”

  Once they arrived at the clubhouse, Jules removed her clubs from the back of the cart. “I think you are completely out of your mind, but I’m willing to play some rounds with you and see how I do.” Jules watched as Paige smiled. “Call me and let me know when you’re free for a round.” Jules turned and walked toward her vehicle without another word.

  CHAPTER 6

  Jules didn’t even tell Eileen about the plans she and Paige had made. She was afraid if she told her she was thinking of entering a tournament, Eileen would laugh at her. So she kept the information to herself.

  The school year ended and Jules had a week off before summer school began. She looked at her phone when it signaled that she had a text. “Are you free tomorrow at four for a round of golf?” Jules looked at the phone shaking her head. She’s nuts. Jules picked up her phone and began to answer the text. “I’ll meet you at the club at four.” Jules went down the stairs and found Eileen in the kitchen. “I won’t be here for dinner tomorrow tonight.”