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“Have you come from the golf club?”
“Yes.” She smiled at his confusion. “I’m living up there. They have staff accommodation.”
“Oh, right.” He shifted his weight, then extended his arm towards the door, seeming painfully nervous as they walked inside.
The young barman greeted them cheerfully and Hugh seemed to relax as he introduced them.
Jack wiped his hand on his jeans before offering it to Allie across the bar. “We’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other if you’re working up at the golf club.”
“You golf?” she asked, pleasantly surprised.
Jack’s eyes widened. “No. Sorry, I was being sarcastic. I thought it would be obvious from looking at me that I don’t play golf.”
Allie felt her brow crease as she tried to decipher the comment.
“The only reason I could afford a house around here was due to a compensation claim after I had an accident,” Jack told her. “And I only got that because I have a friend who’s a lawyer.” He glanced along the bar to where a guy had his head in his laptop. Briefly, he looked over the lid to offer Jack a quick salute of acknowledgement, then tipped his chin at Hugh.
“You kind of lost me somewhere,” Allie said with a polite smile.
“Yes.” Jack rocked on the balls of his feet. “That was confusing. My point was I don’t have a lot of money.”
Allie’s lips pulled to one side. “Right. Okay.”
“That’s why you won’t catch me playing golf.”
She nodded as things clicked into place. “You think only rich people play golf?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a common misconception,” Allie told him. “But really anyone can play.”
“Not really.” He leaned forwards as though he had more to say on the subject, but Hugh interrupted the conversation, asking what Allie wanted to drink.
She ordered a gin and tonic and wondered how weird it would be if she brought the conversation back to golf. In the end, she couldn’t help herself. Besides, it seemed natural since Jack was making drinks right in front of them.
“Golf really isn’t just for rich people, you know,” she said.
He smiled broadly. “Now that’s a common misconception held by rich people.”
“It’s not,” she insisted, endeared by his sense of humour. “Have you ever even been to a golf club?”
“Yes,” he replied excitedly, while pouring the tonic. “I’ve been to Thurley Beach. But only once because I can’t afford it.”
Allie didn’t actually have a clue how much they charged for a round. She’d assumed it would be an average rate but perhaps they were overpriced. “Is it really that much?”
“No, it’s not,” the guy at the end of the bar piped up. “Jack just has a chip on his shoulder because one of the staff was rude to him.”
“It’s not just that,” Jack argued. “I can afford the price of a round of golf, but there’s also the price of renting clubs and buying ridiculous golf clothes.”
“You can wear whatever you want,” Allie said adamantly.
“Maybe at some clubs, but not at Thurley Beach.” Jack placed the drinks on the bar. “Max took me up there one time. I wasn’t even wearing jeans,” he said enthusiastically. “I’d put my best khaki combats on specially.”
“And that wasn’t okay?” Allie asked.
“Kevin looked me up and down, then suggested I might want to start with the driving range. Tucked us away at the far end, out of sight.”
Max looked up. “To be fair, it might not have been the worst suggestion.”
