The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 103

The entire island was a massive residential development owned by the Harper family, housing tens of thousands of people. It functioned like a self-sufficient town, complete with schools, hospitals, malls, parks, and recently, a newly connected subway line.

As Garnett drove, he gave them a brief tour of the area.

Once they arrived at the golf club, he instructed the manager to outfit Saul and Charley with whatever apparel they needed and put it on his tab. Meanwhile, he took Lavinia to the indoor driving range to practice her swing.

Lavinia had no idea how to play golf; every time she came, she treated it like a scenic walk. But today, Garnett was suddenly hit with a rare bout of patience and insisted on teaching her.

"Lavinia," Saul's voice called out from behind.

She turned to see Saul and Charley walking out in their new golf attire. She practically skipped over, circling Saul with bright eyes.

"You look so good in this, Saul! You need to stop wearing those boring polos and jackets all the time. You're actually really handsome, but you dress like an old man. No wonder you're single."

Saul reached out and pinched her cheek. "You talk too much."

Garnett's eyes swept over Charley, lingering for a fraction of a second longer than necessary.

They hopped into the golf carts and headed out to the course. The weather was perfect—mild with a gentle breeze—and Lavinia was in high spirits.

They teed off. Garnett hit a solid drive. Saul's shot hooked wildly off course.

When it was Charley's turn, he stood over the ball, taking his time to line up the shot. Garnett assumed the guy had no idea what he was doing. Golf was a country club sport, after all; not everyone had the luxury of growing up with it.

But then, Charley swung. The white ball launched into the air, carving an elegant arc against the sky before landing softly on the green. It rolled smoothly and dropped straight into the cup.

A clean, effortless hole-in-one.

A heavy silence blanketed the tee box.

Garnett raised an eyebrow. "Have you played professionally?"

"Just lucky," Charley replied with a faint smile.

As they moved through the course, Lavinia started to trail behind. Bored with the game, she hijacked one of the golf carts.

Saul didn't care much for golf either, so he hopped into the passenger seat and started teaching Lavinia how to drive it. The two laughed loudly as the cart swerved in chaotic, wobbly zigzags across the grass.

Charley didn't look back. With a casual, almost dismissive swing, he sent the ball flying for another flawless birdie.

Watching from afar, Garnett's eyes widened in shock.

The caddy jogged over with the scorecard. "Mr. Harper, Mr. Sheffield is up by six holes, with five left to play. Would you like to continue?"

Garnett's pride couldn't take the hit. "We're done. My wife and Saul don't know how to play anyway. Let's switch to tennis."

He turned to Lavinia. "Want to play tennis?"

Surprised that he was actually asking for her opinion, Lavinia nodded. "Sure. Saul's pretty good at it."

Garnett offered a faint, confident smile. Back in college, he had been the amateur champion of the Blossom City tennis tournament.

***

The tennis courts were on the other side of the clubhouse, enclosed by tall manicured hedges that created a private courtyard. The red clay surface glowed warmly under the sun.