A Swing at Love Page 4

  Maybe her taste in women was changing as well.

  Tamsin walked through the streets of London a while longer before picking up her car at her sister’s and driving back to Tynebury—back home.

  Chapter Seven

  “Ladies, if you could all grab your suitcase from the bus.” Suzanna, the Lady Captain of RTGC yelled at the group of chattering ladies assembled in front of the entrance to Hotel do Golf in Vilamoura. “Leave your golf bags, as these will be driven straight to the club ready for us this afternoon.”

  Diane waited her turn until she could grab her small suitcase from the bus’s luggage compartment. She didn’t envy Suzanna her leadership position on this trip. They had only just flown out this morning and already she’d had to repeatedly yell instructions and recover a few women who had wandered off on the way to the boarding gate, as if she were herding a flock of wild sheep.

  When everyone had retrieved their luggage they made their way into the hotel lobby.

  “Maggie,” Suzanna called. “You’re with Judy, room 327. Here are your keys. Go up to your room to settle in, then meet us back here at noon for lunch.”

  “Diane and Isabelle,” Suzanna turned to them. “Here are your keys, you’re the only ones on the first floor. May I repeat what I wrote in my email: please try to keep the noise level to a minimum. We don’t want a repeat of last year’s trip to Spain, or I’ll have to separate you.” She eyed them with a stern look.

  Diane and Isabelle kept a straight face. Last year’s Ladies’ trip to Spain had ended with them being reprimanded for laughing too loudly in their room, keeping their next-door neighbours awake well past their usual nine o’clock bedtime.

  They burst out laughing when they were out of earshot in the lift.

  “This is worse than being on a school trip,” Isabelle said in between laughs.

  “Suzanna’s past career as a boarding school matron does reveal itself quite clearly on such occasions,” Diane said.

  They found their room and unpacked their suitcases. The trip was only four days long, but the room was too small to have two suitcases lying open on the floor.

  “Do you think we were put in the smallest room as punishment?” Diane asked.

  “At least we have separate beds,” Isabelle answered. “If Suzanna really wanted to punish you, she would have given us a double. Ted tells me it’s impossible to sleep next to me as I move around so much and kick him with my cold feet.”

  “I shall count my blessings then,” Diane said.

  After all the ladies had come back down from their rooms and gathered in the lobby, they had lunch on the terrace, which overlooked the golf course.

  Diane sat at one of the tables waiting for the buffet line to shrink. She stretched her arms above her head and threw her head back. “Hmm.” She gave a groan of satisfaction as she felt the heat warm her face.

  “Is this seat taken?” a voice came from above. She looked up to find Tamsin towering over her.

  “No, please sit so you get out of my sun.” Diane smiled as Tamsin deposited a plate, filled with various salads and a few pieces of cured meat, on the table. “Not eating?”

  “I am,” Diane said. “Just letting the vultures grab their food first. I hate waiting in line.”

  “Queuing up is below Diane Thompson, is it?” Tamsin said playfully.

  “Of course it is. Don’t they know who I am?” Diane went along with the teasing.

  “How’s your room?” Tamsin asked. “I couldn’t help but notice a hint of reprimand in Suzanna’s tone when she was distributing the room keys.”

  “Oh, don’t mind her. She enjoys treating middle-aged ladies like boarding school girls.” Diane smirked. “Our room is tiny, but adequate. How about yours? Who did matron assign you to share with?”

  Tamsin’s lips expanded into a wide smile. “I have a room to myself. I suppose being the new girl has its perks. Or maybe she wants to keep some distance between teacher and pupils. This being more of a school trip in her mind.” Tamsin’s smile turned into a grin.

  “Lucky you,” Diane said.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this trip very much,” Tamsin said, gazing out at the view in front of them. “In my previous club they never organised these kinds of excursions. Beats teaching in the British drizzle.”

  “Then we will try to behave ourselves to make this trip pleasant for you in every way.” Diane gave Tamsin what she hoped was an angelic smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, the crowds at the buffet have dispersed so it’s my turn to go serve myself.”

  “Ladies,” Tamsin shouted, “please grab whatever club you use for a low chip close to the green. You’ll need three balls each.”

  They were gathered next to the practice green of the Vilamoura Golf Club. Everywhere Diane looked, the grass was manicured to perfection and every bunker seemed to have been freshly raked. The clubhouse walls were covered in bright pink blooming bougainvillea. It really was an idyllic spot to spend a few days.

  Diane had her eight iron in her hand. This was a part of her game that was still pretty strong, so she hoped Tamsin would be organising some form of competition between the ladies.

  “As you can see, I have lined up markers on this side of the practice green.” Tamsin gestured towards the row of little flags about six feet apart from each other. “Choose one and then hit three chips towards the hole. When everybody is done, we’ll all move to the next marker. After that we’ll do the same thing with one ball, but you have to place the ball within three feet of the hole.”

  Several of the ladies with a higher handicap gasped and started protesting.

  “Now, now,” Tamsin said. “You get to practice beforehand; I’m not that mean.” She smiled at them. “Every time you manage to get your ball in the target zone, you get a point. The person with the highest score at the end of it will get a drink at the bar tonight, on me.”

  Diane took a spot next to Isabelle at one end of the row. She hit the first practice ball and watched it end up just behind the hole.

  “Nice shot, Diane,” Tamsin shouted.

  Diane played her next two shots in quick succession. The balls ended up on either side of the hole, but still a respectable distance from it.

  She looked up to see if the others were finished. Most of them were concentrating so hard that they were still only on their second ball.

  Diane snickered.

  “What are you laughing at?” Isabelle asked from behind her.

  “They’re all taking this so seriously,” Diane whispered. “Look at everyone, it’s like their life depends on getting this shot right. It’s only a bloody practice shot for goodness sake.”

  “Or maybe they really want to impress our new teacher,” Isabelle said, looking at Tamsin.

  Diane also moved her gaze towards Tamsin. “That’s probably it. The way a few of them came fluttering up to her to chat about inanities when we were having lunch, you’d have thought she was some hunky PGA Tour pro.”

  Tamsin was showing Maggie where to place her feet when she was lining up the ball. Tamsin’s bright blue shorts showed off her toned calves. The short sleeves of her white RTGC embroidered polo shirt revealed quite impressive arms. Of course, it made sense that she would have an athletic figure. She was a sports professional after all. But there was something else about Tamsin that gave her the kind of charisma that both men and women alike were drawn to. Diane wasn’t quite sure what it was. Maybe her boyish short hair. Although could the term boyish really be used to describe a forty-year-old’s hairstyle?

  Diane was woken from her reverie by Isabelle bumping into her shoulder. “Move over,” Isabelle said, “time for the next station.”

  Diane hurried to pick up her balls from around the hole and made her way to the next marker. This time her balls all ended up a few feet past the hole. She cursed inwardly. She had better concentrate a little more if she wanted to be the one to earn that drink later.

  Chapter Eight

  “What can I g
et you, Diane?” Tamsin asked. It had been a long day of travel followed by the chipping and putting competitions and most of the ladies had retired for the night. Only Diane and Isabelle remained.

  “This Portuguese wine is delicious,” Diane said. “So I’ll gladly have another one of these.” She lifted her near-empty glass.

  “Isabelle? Same again for you?” Tamsin asked.

  “I wouldn’t dare,” Isabelle said. “I didn’t earn it the way Diane did.” She stretched her arms above her head. “I think I’ll turn in. Long day and all that.”

  “That’s Isabelle’s way of saying she’s feeling her age,” Diane joked. “I’ll be quiet as a mouse when I come up.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Tamsin headed to the bar to place her order.

  While the bartender poured their drinks she glanced backwards and saw Isabelle kiss Diane on the cheek. Even saying a simple good night to each other was a chatty affair for these two.

  “Here you go.” Tamsin deposited Diane’s fresh glass of wine on the table in front of her. “Do you mind if I sit?”

  “I certainly don’t want to drink my victory drink alone. What would be the point of that?”

  Tamsin sat down opposite Diane and held up her glass. “To your chipping skills.”

  “Thank you.” They clinked rims. “Do you have any other games in mind for tomorrow? I’d like to prepare myself psychologically.”

  “Please give the others a chance.”

  “I can’t let you buy anyone else a drink now, can I?” Diane held her gaze, making Tamsin wonder how many of these glasses of wine she’d had.

  “I can’t discriminate, you know that.” Tamsin played along.

  Diane pursed her lips. “A contest automatically excludes discrimination, that’s the beauty of it.”

  “You’ll just have to do your best then.” Tamsin sipped from the wine. It was, indeed, delicious. She let her head fall back. “It’s great to be away for a few days.”

  “It is for me,” Diane said. “For you, this is work, though.”

  “Teaching golf has never really felt like work to me. More like a dream come true.” Tamsin counted her luck every single day—except that one day when her previous club had all but kicked her out.

  “It’s great when you love what you do,” Diane mused.

  “To me, there’s nothing more important.”

  “You must come across a really annoying pupil sometimes, though?” Diane inquired.

  “Well, there’s this woman at my new club. Diane something.” Tamsin winked.

  “I hear she’s a nightmare. So full of herself, and always wanting to win all the competitions, even the most insignificant ones.” Diane glanced at Tamsin over the rim of her glass.

  They both chuckled. It was hard for Tamsin to remember when she’d last had a laugh like that, with someone who didn’t take herself too seriously. Definitely not with Ellen, who was at an age where everything was deadly serious—especially seducing her golf teacher.

  “Do you enjoy your job?” Tamsin asked, to get her mind off Ellen as quickly as possible.

  “It’s numbers all day every day, but I do genuinely enjoy it,” Diane said, before taking a sip from her drink again. “Which reminds me, come by my office after this trip. I don’t charge for an introductory visit.”

  “How nice of you.” Tamsin had wanted to make an appointment but had hesitated because she’d be laying out her entire financial situation to one of her pupils. She wasn’t sure she wanted to do that and had considered looking for an accountant who wasn’t a member.

  “Anyway, enough shop talk. For once, let’s not talk about golf or the, admittedly, very fascinating secrets of accountancy,” Diane said.

  “Agreed.” Tamsin nodded.

  “If golf is your job, what do you do for relaxation?” Diane asked.

  “Golf being my job, I don’t need that much relaxation. There’s nothing like being outside playing on a beautifully designed course. The green grass. The wind in my hair. Bird song.”

  “All of that might be true, but you must do things that are not golf-related.”

  Browse on Tinder. Go on dates with women I’ve no future with. “I have a passion for vintage furniture,” she said, pushing thoughts of other women to the back of her mind. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to move to the countryside. To have room to work on some projects. My small flat in Croydon didn’t really lend itself to it so I always had visit my dad up north if I wanted to work on something. Quite a hassle, although a good way to stay in touch with my father.”

  “Ah yes, city life and all its conveniences.”

  “My previous club was only a twenty minute drive from where I used to live, and I was out in nature all the time. Best of both worlds, really.”

  Diane nodded thoughtfully. “Why did you say you left your former club again?”

  Tamsin tried to remember if she had said anything to Diane about that. She certainly wouldn’t have divulged the real reason. “Sometimes you need a change.”

  “I guess you can’t keep on teaching the same old people.” Diane offered a supportive smile.

  The golf world was a small one. It would only take one member-in-the-know at Chalstone to say too much and rumour would spread like wildfire—quite possibly, as rumours went, with a few salacious details added in the process.

  “You might think the RTGC is homophobic, but if they really are, they’ll have to fire me soon.” Oops. Maybe Tamsin had partaken of the wine a bit too much herself. But Diane had given her an opening when she’d shown her outrage about Isabelle’s son-in-law. Surely she must believe in equality.

  Diane arched up an eyebrow. “So you’re gay.”

  Tamsin gave a slight nod. “As is many a lady golfer.” She found a joke always lightened the mood when she delivered the news.

  Diane giggled. “I can’t possibly imagine Chalstone fired you simply for being gay. That would be against the law.”

  “I wasn’t fired, just encouraged to leave. And it was a little more complicated than that.” Tamsin sighed. “Everyone knew I was a lesbian. I came out not long after I started, which is not a given in a traditional golf club.” She took a sip of wine and noticed her glass was almost empty. “But I thought it was important to be honest, and it was.” At least it gave Ellen the strength to come out, she thought.

  “I wholeheartedly concur,” Diane said, her lips drawn into a soft smile.

  “Tell me truthfully.” Tamsin leaned forward. “Have you heard any rumours about me?”

  “How about I tell you all I know over another glass of wine? My shout.”

  Tamsin nodded eagerly. She wanted to know what was being said about her and Diane was the closest thing to a friend she had at her new club.

  After Diane had presented her with another glass of wine, she slanted over the low table between them, and whispered, “One of the things I heard was that you might be a lesbian.” Her glance skittered away from Tamsin’s. “The other is that you got it on with the daughter of the club’s president.”

  “I’m impressed by your sources.” Tamsin hoped the smile on her lips wasn’t too wry.

  “Are you saying the rumours are true?” Diane’s voice shot up a little.

  “Ellen and I were in love. And she was twenty-six at the time. Hardly someone who can’t make her own decisions.” Tamsin knew she sounded defensive, but she was so sick of having to explain herself.

  “Twenty-six,” Diane said under her breath.

  “The only unfortunate thing about our relationship was Ellen’s father.” Tamsin shook her head. “I wasn’t a man and didn’t come from enough money—I didn’t pay an astronomical fee for the privilege of playing at the club; instead I got paid for teaching there.” It wasn’t as black and white as that—nothing was—but after a few glasses of wine Tamsin refused to see the grey areas.

  “That must have been hard.” Diane’s eyes had found hers again. Her gaze was soft and almost comforting.

  “Acco
rding to my sister I don’t do myself any favours by falling for women in their twenties.” Tamsin furrowed her brow. “I hate to admit she’s right, but…” She threw up her hands. “In this case, she just might be.” She chuckled. What else was she going to do? And she wasn’t still that hung up on Ellen. Deep down, perhaps she’d always known they didn’t have much of a future, because Ellen still had so many mistakes to make, so many youthful adventures to have, while Tamsin was more than ready to settle down. “Thank you for not judging me,” Tamsin said. “You’ve no idea how much that means to me.”

  “We only just met a few weeks ago,” Diane said, “but you really don’t strike me as the type to take advantage of someone’s youth.” She ran a finger over her chin.

  “Then you already know me better than the president at my old club ever did.”

  Chapter Nine

  Diane pondered Tamsin’s last comment as she sipped her wine. She wanted to believe that Tamsin would not have acted inappropriately in any way. However, she couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback by the age of Tamsin’s previous love interest.

  “Do you always fall for younger women?” Diane asked. “I don’t mean to pry, and you don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

  Tamsin stayed silent for a moment. Then she said, “I suppose I do tend to go for women who are younger than me. Looking at my dating history, I can hardly deny it.” She gave Diane a rueful smile.

  “Hm, interesting,” Diane said. “Do you know why that is? Are you hoping their youth will rub off on you, or that your maturity will rub off on them?”

  “Are you turning into a therapist?” Tamsin let out a chuckle. “I didn’t know accountants were trained in psychology as well as numbers.”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Diane said. “It’s the wine catching up with me. I seem to lose sight of proper social boundaries when I’ve had a few glasses of vino.” She held up her glass, which was close to empty. “Speaking of,” she said, “can I get you another one?”