Page 106 of Putting Out
Reilly managed to giggle. “This old thing? Why, Mr. Smithfield, you know I couldn’t possibly play in this outfit. No, I only wear this when I’m traveling or when I’m home in my kitchen cooking.”
The last comment was for Sinjin who sneered at her. Reilly realized Kenny had been wrong about one thing. This man didn’t want her. He did, however, hate her.
“Looking forward to seeing you out on the course, Mr. Rye. I understand your game is rather impressive.”
“The only thing you’ll be seeing is my back, Ms. Carr, as I walk by you on every teeshot. Enjoy the show while it lasts. I don’t imagine you’ll be here long.”
“The goal of course is to make it to Sunday.”
“If you make it to Sunday I’ll eat my golf shoe,” he snorted.
Reilly beamed. “Yikes. I do hope for your sake that the spikes are removable. I hear they’re hell on the way down. Mr. Smithfield, if you would be so kind to let me know where my caddy and I can change. I have a ten a.m. tee time I don’t want to miss.”
“This way.”
Mark, Kenny, and Odie caught up with Reilly at the top of the stairs, but Odie and Mark were prevented from going on with her. “Caddies only,” Smithfield said.
Odie shrugged. “Guess my job is over now anyway. I’ll see you on the range. After that I’m going to check out the competition.”
Reilly nodded, but when he turned to leave she reached for his arm. “Thanks, Odie. For everything.”
“You just give’em hell, lil' girl. That will be thanks enough for me.”
“You have a problem if I do a little reconnaissance? I want to see how many possible entrances there are to the course and talk with security about their routine. That means you don’t leave Kenny’s side.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Kenny added. Reilly nodded and Mark took off.
“Concerned with your safety, Ms. Carr?” Birdie drawled. “I assure you, the players don’t bite.”
“I know one of them that does,” she mumbled under her breath.
Kenny nudged her arm and she laughed. Together they followed the chairman to the clubhouse. In her dreams had she ever imagined she would be walking up these steps and through the doors? No. Her dreams were never that fanciful.
“Can you believe this?” Kenny whispered to her. “No.”
“Good thing we’ve got a few days to get over the shell shock. By Thursday this will be old hat.”
The American. Nope, it was never going to be old hat. But she figured it was best to keep Kenny calm.
“Yep. Let’s go change.”
They followed Birdie through the hallowed halls of the clubhouse. The smell of old wood and the shine of polished mahogany assaulted her. They passed the locker room where she could see past winners emerging and current favorites entering. She thought of the history in the locker room and the great golfers who had passed through it year after year. A sense of surrealness threatened to choke her.
“Kenny,” she gasped. “I think I’m going to hyperventilate.”
Kenny faced her but he was as pale as a white sheet, his eyes fixed on the door to the locker room. “Did you see who came out of there?”
Okay, Kenny was lost. It was going to be up to her to maintain her grip on her composure. Determined to be cool when she faced the men, Reilly stopped short of the door expecting Birdie to lead her inside. She imagined she would get a row to herself for privacy reasons, but she didn’t imagine she’d be banned from the locker room entirely. But Birdie was still walking.
He made a few more turns down a hallway and stopped by a door labeled as a handicap bathroom.
“Here you go. You understand, of course, why you need to be isolated from the men?”
“Of course,” Reilly said. “Wouldn’t want to contaminate them with my girl cooties.”
He didn’t laugh but he did retain his smug smile. “You’ll want to knock before entering as this will be used by our handicapped guests. But it locks from the inside so you’ll have all the privacy you need. Only players and members are allowed inside the clubhouse. You should find this hall moderately quiet. ”
“Thank you so much.”
