Once and Again Read Online Free PDF

just arranged to buy it and then came for a look. What he found hadn’t surprised him. The place hadn’t changed a bit, except for the fact that it and the members were older. But there were the same slim women in their tennis whites and preppy men in their polo shirts.
    Eastbridge hadn’t changed, either. Same rich bankers heading off to their cushy New York City jobs, same perfectly groomed children heading off to school—“one of Connecticut’s top-rated districts,” his real estate agent gleefully told him when he bought a place in town—and same class divide. And although he had plenty of money now, the way people looked at him was proof that no matter how much time had passed, he
still
didn’t belong.
    But Carolyn did.
    As much as it killed him to admit it, she was everything he would go for in a woman…if that woman weren’t her. She didn’t have a wedding or engagement ring on her finger—he’d noticed that right away—but time had treated her well. That suit hugged her body in all the right places, and those heels made her long legs look even longer. A few light laugh lines now only added to her attractiveness. So did the world-weary look in her eye. She was more real and less like the untouchable princess she used to be.
    But she still had those big, deep violet eyes.
    And she still wore those fucking pearls.
    Link handed off his driver to his caddy and walked back to him. “Sorry I missed the staff meeting earlier this week.”
    “No worries. I knew you wouldn’t be able to get here until today.”
    “So,” Link said, clearing his throat, “a little birdie told me the members of the Board of Trustees flipped their wigs when they found out you were behind the bid.”
    How Link managed to get information so fast was a mystery. “Who?” Jake demanded. Link just smiled. “Oh, so we’re doing the staff thing already? I see where your loyalties lie. You work damn fast, Link.”
    “So do you.” Link shook his head. “Don’t know how you managed to pull this off.”
    “I had help.” Preston North, a friend from business school, had done the honors, representing the anonymous buyer—him. Press had an impeccable reputation, and no doubt the Board thought they were getting one of his kind, a Manhattan mogul looking to branch out his real estate holdings, not a grubby townie who couldn’t appreciate the beauty and value of a century-old club. But Jake and Press had an agreement that as soon as the papers were signed, all rights to ownership would revert to Jake.
    Those arrogant bastards on the Board tried to revoke their acceptance of his bid, but the deal was already done. Jake’s lawyers were the best at what they did and his contracts were airtight. They always were.
    “How do you plan to turn this place around?” Link asked. “Two decades ago, this club hosted five PGA tournaments in a row, but like you said, it’s been hemorrhaging money for the past few years.”
    “Modernize. The course has to be done first. That’s the big draw. Then the clubhouse, and the boathouse, for sure. I’ve been thinking about adding some other amenities, too.” Like a state-of-the-art spa and maybe, just maybe, some luxury homes on the vast property. The goal wasn’t just to restore this place to its former glory, but to drag it, kicking and screaming, into the twenty-first century. Though Jake knew without a doubt that the Board wouldn’t see it that way.
    “Renovating the course’ll be a good start. You’re doing the back nine first?”
    Jake nodded. “Then the front nine. Gotta keep the members pacified while the work’s being done.”
    “I don’t know how you managed to snare Walter Williams to do the job. I’ve played his courses all over the world. He’s the best designer to come out of America in a century.”
    “Connections.”
    Link eyed him. “Some connections. Heard he’s booked through for the next seven years. What strings did you have to pull?”
    “Let’s just say that