A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity

by Lieske, Victorine E.

  Watch out for snakes lying in the grass. Some of them are poisonous. Get well soon.

  Austin read the message over again, a strange feeling creeping over him. This wasn’t from anyone on the team. Who sent these? And what did the message mean?

  He read it a third time, then chuckled, realization dawning on him. Sounds like something Gregg would do, send flowers with a creepy note. He’d been friends with Gregg since middle school, and lame jokes were his specialty. He probably sent the flowers and weird note trying to be funny.

  Still, it kind of creeped him out. He crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash. Before he could leave, the door opened and Dani walked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw the flowers. “You got me flowers?”

  Well, crud. He couldn’t lie and say he’d gotten them for her, could he? But how awkward would it be if he said they were for himself? Then he’d have to show her the odd note, and she might take it wrong. He didn’t want to creep her out or anything.

  He debated for a quick second, then thought it was best just to let her assume, and handed them to her without saying anything. That way it wasn’t exactly a lie, right?

  “Oh, my goodness, that’s the sweetest thing. Thank you. I can’t believe you got me flowers. They’re beautiful.”

  She continued to gush for another minute before the guilt rose so much, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Let’s go do something. I’m going a bit crazy sitting around all day.”

  “Sure. Can it involve food? I’m starving.”

  “Not surprising. You’re always starving.” He hadn’t meant for it to come out like that, and he waited for her to get upset at him for implying she was always eating.

  She put her hand on her stomach, her face showing she took it in jest. “Yeah. I am.”

  “How about we grab something to eat and then look for something fun to do.” Anything to take his mind off the gnawing boredom he was facing.

  “Sure, let me quickly get changed.” She pointed to the housekeeping shirt she wore.

  He nodded and sat down on the couch while she gathered clothes and then headed into the bathroom. It didn’t take long before she came out. She’d changed into a light blue T-shirt that she’d tied a knot in by her hip.

  How she managed to look cute in clothes purchased from SaleMart, he wasn’t sure, but she pulled it off. Maybe they should hire her for their advertising posters. They’d probably sell a million T-shirts.

  Dani curled a piece of hair behind her ear. “There’s a miniature golf place down the street. Does that sound like something fun?”

  “Sounds perfect. I minored in miniature golf.” He winked at her, and then immediately felt dumb. He was so lame.

  Dani laughed and then stopped and turned to him at the door. Her gaze traveled over him, and she squinted. “Wait, how good are you?”

  He smiled, relieved she didn’t react to his stupid wink. “My uncle owned a miniature golf place growing up, and he let me play as much as I wanted for free. So, when I wasn’t practicing football, I was practicing my putt-putt golf skills.”

  Football. Why did he mention that? Part of him didn’t want her to pick up on what he’d said, yet another part of him wanted to just get it over with and tell her the truth. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to notice, or at least didn’t comment on it.

  “Hmm. Maybe we shouldn’t go then. I don’t want you to totally cream me.” They left the room and turned to walk on the sidewalk. She tossed him a frown, which he could totally tell was fake.

  “You’re not afraid of some friendly competition, are you?”

  “What if you get bored waiting for me to get the little ball into the cup thingy? I could take a while.”

  Bored? Hardly. He wasn’t worried about being bored when he was with Dani. She’d proved to be a much-needed distraction. He was more worried about becoming too enamored with her. A problem which was quickly becoming reality. He grinned at her. “I can cope.”

  “All right then. If you promise to go easy on me.”

  “I promise.”

  * * *

  Dani calculated the space between her ball and the wall she needed to hit in order to make the shot. She had to keep control or she could hit it too hard and miss the hole. After a couple of practice swings, she hit the ball with her club. It sailed perfectly, striking the wall and winning her a hole in one. “Ha. I got another one.”

  Austin rolled his eyes and pointed at her. “You totally hustled me.”

  Dani laughed and picked up her ball, enjoying the evening. They’d found a small out-of-the way restaurant that had amazing burgers for dinner. And now they were on the fourth hole of a well-lit course, the night breeze carrying the smell of the nearby sea. She elbowed him good-naturedly in the ribs. “Maybe.”

  He gave her an incredulous look. “How is it that you’re better at this than me? Surely your uncle didn’t own a miniature golf place as well.”

  “No, we have a small course on our property. I spent a lot of time on it, trying to perfect my game.”

  “Ah, well, then I don’t feel so bad. You’ve obviously practiced more than me.” He swung his club onto his shoulder.

  “Yeah. I had many hours to myself growing up.” She tried not to make it sound too depressing, but the way Austin raised one eyebrow gave away that he’d picked up on her tone.

  He set his ball down on the starting spot of the next hole. This one had a tiger in the middle of the green and you had to hit the ball into the mouth. The tail moved back and forth, and if you didn’t catch it at the right time, your ball would spit back out at you. As Austin lined up his shot, he glanced at her. “It must have been difficult, being the daughter of a famous person.”

  She frowned. No one really understood. If she complained about her life, most of the time people would get angry at her, or tell her to stop griping. She had all the money anyone could want. Everyone assumed that equated to happiness.

  Dani wasn’t sure exactly what to say to him. He didn’t seem like the type to tell her to suck it up because she was an heiress. He seemed sincere. She finally nodded and glanced away. “Yeah, it was.”

  He hit the ball and it sailed into the mouth. She waited to see if it would come out the other side. He’d hit it a bit early, from what she could tell, but hoped the mechanism inside didn’t block him. The tail moved and the ball shot out, rounded the corner, and clipped the hole but didn’t go in. “Aw, man,” Austin said. “Near miss.”

  His voice was light, but when he turned his gaze to her, she could see something deeper in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything else and she ignored the heavy look. “Too bad.”

  Dani set her ball down and took a minute to assess the angle. After she hit the ball, it went through the tiger and came out the other side with a hole in one. She lifted her arms. “I made it.”

  “How did you do that? You hit the ball exactly the same way I had.”

  “This one is all about the timing.” She explained to him how she knew when to hit the ball by how the tail was positioned.

  He shook his head at her. “And you think you’re not smart.”

  Dani froze, his words hitting a nerve. What exactly was he saying? He didn’t look like he was making fun of her. She wasn’t sure how to respond, so she decided to shrug it off. “I’m not. I’ve just played a lot of miniature golf.”

  He walked past the tiger and got ready to make another try at getting his ball in the hole. “In order to be good at this game, you need to know a lot about angles, velocity, and momentum.” He glanced at her. “Physics. Not everyone can understand that stuff.” He tapped the ball and it went into the cup.

  “I don’t know anything about physics. I just know how hard to hit it to make the ball do what I want.”

  “Whether you know it or not, you’re using physics to…how did you put it? Cream me?”

  If he was set on thinking she was smart, she wasn’t going to stop him. “I think the loser needs to buy the winner dessert.”

  He
raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you do, do you?”

  She laughed at his expression. “Yeah. There’s a chocolate shop up the street.”

  “Okay, I see where this is going.” He pulled his golf ball out of the hole and pointed to the next flag. “You’re on. I’m upping my game. And this time you’re not going to—”

  “Austin? Is that you?”

  Dani turned to see a woman picking her way across the course in extremely high heels. She wore a cute little empire dress with spaghetti straps, and Dani suddenly had the urge to hide. Why did she have to be wearing frumpy discount clothes from SaleMart?

  Austin’s mouth dropped. “Claire?”

  Of course she had an adorable name like Claire. Why did that make Dani want to dislike her?

  “Oh, my goodness. It is you. I can’t believe I’ve run into you on the Cayman Islands, of all places.” She gave Austin a hug, which further irritated Dani.

  Austin seemed unable to speak for a moment. He just stood there, staring at Claire, his mouth opening and closing. Finally, he said, “What are you doing here?”

  “Playing golf, of course.”

  “By yourself?” Austin’s forehead wrinkled.

  Claire laughed, a twittering sound like tiny silver bells. “Lame, right? I’m just on vacation and wanted to see what the local attractions were. This strip along the beach is fantastic. I ate at the best seafood place.”

  Austin smiled. “The Shrimp Next Door?”

  Claire’s hand flew to her mouth. “How did you know?”

  “We ate there a couple of nights ago.”

  At the motion toward Dani, Claire’s gaze finally landed on her. Her smile didn’t change, but the mood shifted and Claire’s eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. “Oh. Who is this?”

  “I’m sorry, how rude of me. Claire, this is Dani. She’s…a friend.”

  Dani flinched. It wasn’t the way he’d said friend. She knew she had put herself firmly in the friend zone when he’d subtly asked if she was taken, and she said yes. No, it was the way he’d paused before he said it, like he wasn’t exactly sure what to call her. Like he was uncomfortable being caught on what looked like a date with her.

  Claire continued to smile, although it was now forced. “A friend? How sweet.” She sounded like she was talking to a three-year-old. She blinked, then took a step back. “Wait, I know you. You’re Danica Jordan.”

  All Dani could do was nod and wait for whatever reaction this woman would have. She was used to all of them. There was the instant friendship kind. Those were the people who wanted something from you, or wanted to be seen with you. Those people would suck up to you until they sucked you dry. And then there were those who hated you just because of your name or money. She could usually tell from the hardening of their gaze. But Claire hid her reaction quite well behind a mask of carefully controlled expression. “How nice.”

  Austin rubbed the back of his neck and gave Dani a look that she couldn’t quite interpret. “Claire and I went to the same high school.”

  Claire wrapped her hand around his arm. “He’s being shy. We were high school sweethearts.”

  Of course they were. Dani tried not to react, but she couldn’t help but feel like Claire had just hit the side of her head with her golf club. “How nice,” she found herself saying, echoing what Claire had said moments before.

  Chapter 15

  Austin tried to swallow the brick-like lump in his throat, but it wouldn’t go down. What was Claire, of all people, doing there? He hadn’t thought about her in years. How odd to see her after so long. But she was now clinging to him, and he definitely didn’t want to give Dani the wrong idea about them. There was nothing between him and Claire.

  There hardly had been back in high school as well. He’d liked her for a couple of weeks, but after he got to know her better, he realized she was not his type. At all. He took a step back from her and she had no choice but to break contact. “We dated,” he said, then added on a quick, “A few times.”

  He glanced at the group of teens who were now waiting for them to get done with this hole. “Well, we’d better get going.”

  Claire’s smile cooled. “I haven’t seen you in so long, and I feel a little silly here by myself. Mind if I join you two?” She put her hand back on his arm. “That is, if this isn’t a date.”

  Was it a date? He glanced at Dani. If he had his choice, it totally would be a date. But she’d made it clear yesterday that she was taken. No matter what he wished, he couldn’t put Dani in an awkward position and lie to Claire.

  “No, i-it’s not a date,” he stammered. Oh, boy. The last thing he needed was to start stuttering again. He’d really look like an idiot. He’d had a stutter all through grade school, which had made his life a living nightmare. Thank goodness he was able to drop it after speech therapy. At least, he didn’t stutter anymore unless he got flustered. Which was happening right now. He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

  “Perfect,” Claire said, looping her arm through his. “I’m excited to catch up.”

  This wasn’t going to go well, he could tell right now. Claire had always been strong-willed. If she put her mind to something, she always got it. Back in high school, he’d been the object of her designs for a couple of months until Jake broke the school’s record for the highest-scoring basketball game, and she turned her affection toward him.

  Where was Jake when he needed him?

  “Which high school did you guys go to?” Dani asked, trailing behind them.

  “Knotwood High School,” Claire answered without turning to look at Dani. She patted Austin’s hand. “Ooh, look, it’s a loop-ty-loop thing. Can I try it first?”

  Before he said anything, she plopped her ball down and whacked it. It shot off the green, flew between the bushes, and landed on the mulch between holes. She put her hand up to her mouth and giggled. “Oops. I guess I need more practice.”

  “That’s okay,” he said as he walked to her ball and fetched it. “You can try again. Just take a moment to aim before you hit it.” He bent next to her and placed it back on the starting point.

  Claire leaned over her club, sticking out her bottom. She stared at the loop. “Hmm. I’m not sure I can make this one. Maybe you should show me how to do it.”

  Before he could react, she grabbed him and tugged him behind her, so his arms were around her and he was pressed up against her. He jumped back, his face heating. The last thing he wanted to do was show Claire how to hit the ball.

  “Actually,” he said, trying to stall so he could think of something to say. Brilliance hit. “Dani’s much better at this than I am. She can give you pointers.” He shoved Dani toward Claire.

  Dani looked a bit stunned at first, but she took her place behind Claire. “Sure. I can show you.” She leaned closer and put her hand on Claire’s club, moving it closer to the ball. “You just need to—”

  Claire pushed Dani away and made a guttural noise in her throat. She wiped her palm off on her dress, as if touching Dani had offended her. “No, thanks. I can figure it out myself.”

  She once again took position and this time hit the ball through the loop. It went around the circle, coming out just inches from the hole. She smiled. “There. Your advice worked, Austin.”

  He wanted to roll his eyes but refrained. He was taught to be polite to women, no matter what. So, that’s what he would do.

  Claire walked over to her ball and hit it into the hole. Then it was Dani’s turn. She took position and after looking at the course for a moment, she hit a hole in one. A small smile crossed her lips, and Austin couldn’t help his own smile from showing. “Nice hit,” he said.

  “Thanks.”

  Austin placed his ball and took a minute to assess the loop. Then he turned to Dani and motioned to her. “Will you show me your pointers? How did you get this in one shot?”

  Dani brightened and nodded. “Sure.” She put her arms around him and without even looking, Austin could feel the heat from Claire’s stare,
but he didn’t care. Dani’s touch was light and sent a wave of attraction through him.

  “You’ll have to hit the ball hard enough to go through the loop, but not too hard that it will shoot past the hole. Aim for the center of the entrance. That will give you the best chance for a hole in one.”

  She showed him how far back she would pull the club and then she stood back to let him take the shot. He concentrated and did as Dani had said. The ball went into the center of the loop and came out the other side, making a hole in one.

  Austin raised his hands in the air. “It worked!”

  Dani laughed and put her club under her arm so she could clap for him. Claire, on the other hand, looked like she’d swallowed a gnat. She stalked across the green, her movements clipped. She grabbed his arm and cooed, “Ooh, good job. You’re so talented.”

  “It’s Dani’s coaching. I tell you, she’s the best.”

  Claire shot him a look. “Come on. Let’s go to the next one. It’s the windmill. I always have trouble with this one. Maybe you can help.”

  Austin tried to get Claire off him, but it was impossible, so he just let her hang on him for the rest of the game. He couldn’t tell if Dani was upset by this or not. She seemed guarded. Relief lifted his shoulders when they finally reached the last hole where your ball was eaten by the clown. He didn’t even wait to let Claire shoot first. He plopped his ball down and shot that sucker into the gaping hole. “Got it,” he said.

  Claire grinned at him. “I knew you’d do it. You were always so talented. Even in high school. I knew you’d be a professional football player when you grew up.”

  Austin froze. He had been holding his breath, waiting for the game to end so he could send Claire on her way before she could say something like that. But now she’d said the one thing he was dreading. His heart beat loudly in his eardrums. He didn’t know what to do.

  Had Dani heard? She stood there, looking at him funny. Time slowed. He had to do something. Anything. “Your turn,” he said to Claire, motioning to the clown.