Page 141 of Unexpected Shot
As if talking about him conjured him from whatever sycophant corner he was hiding in, I catch Chadwick Ashcroft walking into the ballroom out of the corner of my eye.
“That’s the guy?” Kat whispers to Shelby, but it’s loud enough that we all overhear it. “He’s look like a fucking douchebag.”
Shelby laughs and clinks her champagne glass with Kat’s. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about him.”
The four of them go back to talking, but I don’t take my eyes off of Chad for a second. Neither he nor his family are members here—much to his father’s disappointment—so I’m wondering how he got invited tonight. If you don’t have the money to pay for the membership to get invited, you have to be part of the tournament by either golfing or…
“Fuck,” I mumble.
“What?” Shelby asks.
“He’s caddying for someone. It’s the only way he’d be here,” I say, scanning the room. “Who the hell would hire him?”
Shelby and I start looking around the room, but no one sticks out. The golfers I see have had the same guys on their bags for years. There are a few newcomers, but none of them work with Chad that we know of.
“There!” Shelby says, pointing her finger across the room. “Ricky Robson. He was one of the guys who vouched for Chad. It has to be him.”
We watch as Chad heads over to Ricky and shakes his hand, the two exchanging a bro hug like they’re the best friends in the world. When they separate, Chad turns toward the crowd, locking eyes with the five of us, a smarmy sneer along with it.
“Do you think he knows?” Kat asks. “Or does he always look that douchy?”
“Always that douchy,” Shelby groans. “Now I’m even more pissed that I wore this dress.”
“Why?” Grayson asks.
“Because it’s too tight for me to get in a proper knee jab to his dick.”
Kat and Grayson nearly spit out their drinks, but all Ethan can do is smack his forehead.
I can’t help chuckling. “See? This is why we can’t be left alone, Shelby. This is why we need the babysitters.”
“Oh you hush,” she says, playfully smacking my chest. “I wasn’t really going to do it. I was just thinking about it.”
She and Kat share a knowing wink, though, and my heart warms at the realization that my wife has a new friend. And both are equally terrifying.
“Why is he smiling at us?” Grayson asks. “He has to know the article is coming. He was called for comment, whether he gave it or not. And he has to know you two have something to do with it.”
“I guarantee you he thinks he killed the article,” I say. “He said no comment because he thinks money can buy him out of anything he doesn’t like. Or he’s delusional and thinks his name carries that much weight.”
“Oh, he’s one of those kinds of assholes,” Kat says. “Good. I can’t wait to smear him.”
“Now those are words I like to hear,” Shelby says, locking her arm with Kat’s. “Care to come with me to get a drink?”
“Old fashioned?”
“Is there another option?”
As the two smile and walk away, I feel a hand on my shoulder.
“We’re in trouble with those two, aren’t we?”
I laugh at Grayson’s words. “We’re past trouble. We need to just accept our fates.”
I’ve been trying to keep my promise to Shelby of getting out of here early for an hour now. Unfortunately, there are two problems with that plan:
The first is that every boring businessman wants to talk to me. And they love to talk. Which means I have to stand there and nod even though I’ve zoned out no less than five times.
The second? When I’m not being kissed up to by grown men, I can’t find Shelby.
