Page 127 of Putting Out
“I thought so. You’re going to have to make up your mind about us.”
“I suppose. But not tonight,” she sighed. She felt his arm wrap around her waist, his mouth nuzzle against the back of her neck.
“No funny stuff. I’ve got to get some sleep.”
“I know. You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”
Reilly sat up, forcing Luke to roll onto his back. “Oh, my God. Tomorrow is Sunday. I’m playing in the American on Sunday and I don’t have a caddy!”
“You have a caddy,” Luke assured her.
Reilly looked back at him, her heart pumping with a sudden surge of anxiety.
“I do?”
“It’s all been arranged.” He tugged her down onto the bed next to him.
“It has?”
“You’re going to love him,” he said, once again spooning her body from behind and wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and safety. “Trust me.”
Trust him. It seemed like an easy thing to do. As tired as she was she was all about doing the easy thing. Thoughts floated through her head like so much driftwood as her mind settled into sleep.
The first birdie of the day. The crowd. The finish. The attack. The shooting. The screams. The chaos. Kenny on the ground. Kenny bleeding.
The angel told me I had to do it.
That’s what Neville had insisted. But an angel wouldn’t tell him to kill, Reilly’s drowsy mind told her. Angels were after all…angels.
* * *
Sunday…Dayfour
“Welcome back,ladies and gentlemen to our continuing coverage of this historic and now infamous American tournament.”
“You can say that again, Steve. The players’ heads and their game must still be reeling from the surreal events of yesterday afternoon. As many already know, the caddy in question is Reilly Carr’s brother. It stands to reason her game is suffering the most.”
Steve shook his head and strived for a look of sorrowful disappointment for the camera. “Three bogies on the front nine. The rest pars. Nothing like we saw out of her yesterday.”
“No, she’s definitely struggling. And she’s just about taken herself out of contention. Nobody can blame her. It seems between the pressure of playing this event, the attack yesterday, and now working with a new caddy there’s really no way anyone could have expected her to come out here and perform well today. If anything, at three over, I think she’s handling herself remarkably well. She could have opted to withdraw. According to the few people I spoke with in her camp it wasn’t an option for her or her brother, who is watching her from his hospital bed.”
“On a lighter note, did you ever think you would see the day Luke Nolan carried a bag for another player?”
Dave laughed appropriately.
“Luke on the bag instead of playing the course is quite a sight. Just one more reason why this will be an American for the ages. So far no amateur caddy mistakes. He seems to be holding his own.”
“When he isn’t arguing with Reilly over her club selection.”
Dave chuckled again.
“There have been a few squabbles, but so far I think she’s had the upper hand. Let’s get back to the action.”
* * *
“You are sucking it up today,”Luke proclaimed.
Reilly glared at him.
