Page 47 of Unexpected Shot
“And playing with Shelby? Who’s PR decision was that?”
I’m not sure if she’s interviewing me, or just making conversation, but I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn by telling her this. “My agent. Well, our agent. You know what I did last year. Shelby’s coming back from an injury. He figured it was a good place for both of us to get our first round in before our tours really get underway.”
“Makes sense,” she agrees as she accepts her drink from the bartender. “The growing up together angle is a good one. Whoever Ethan has on his PR team were geniuses for playing that angle.”
“Yeah,” I say, only because I don’t know what else to say. Also, kudos to her for knowing my agent’s name.
“So what’s up with you two?”
“Two who?”
“You and Shelby.”
That gets my attention.
“Why are you asking?”
She shrugs as she sits back in her chair, taking a sip of her drink. “Call it a reporter’s curiosity.”
I lift an eyebrow. She might be a reporter, but everything about her relaxed demeanor is telling me this has nothing to do with a story she’s working on. “Is this on or off the record?”
She gives me a coy smile and sets her drink back on the bar. “A little bit of both.”
“What does that mean?”
She doesn’t say anything else, just stares at me like I should be able to read between the lines of her questions. Well, newsflash to her, I’m five IPAs and three shots of Crown Royal deep. I can’t read shit.
After ten seconds of silence, Courtney’s face goes from inquisitive to complete shock. “Oh shit. You don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” Now I’m getting angry. “Just spit it out, Court.”
She laughs, adding a few claps. Like she’s thinking of the funniest joke in the world. “You’re in love with Shelby.”
Growing up, when I’d see people spit out their drink in shock on television, I always wondered what could cause me to do that in real life. I didn’t think anything could shock me that much.
I was wrong.
“Hilarous, Courtney. Fucking hilarious.” I grab some cocktail napkins and wipe off the bar and my face. “I don’t know where you came up with that, but if that’s the story you’re running with, your next job should be with a tabloid. OrThe Onion.”
“No fake news here, Devereaux,” she says, back to her relaxed state, that now looks a little smug. “I watched you today. I saw your eyes now. You’re in love with her.”
I flag the bartender down, needing to sign my tab and get the hell out of here. “I don’t know what you think you saw, but you couldn’t be more wrong. We hate each other. Have since we were kids. Today we played nice. That’s it.”
“You think you do,” she says as I stand up, not looking at her as I tip way too much because I don’t feel like doing math. “I went back and watched the video. The way you look at her, that’s not someone who hates another person. How you jumped in to take a question when you knew she was struggling with her answer. The true smile when you two were talking about each other. That’s not hate, Beau. Not even close.”
I keep my mouth shut, not wanting to provide any more ammunition to her ridiculous theory. But before I walk away, she says one more thing.
“They dated.”
That stops me in my tracks. “Who?”
“Shelby and Mike. Worst kept secret in the pressroom.”
Well, at least I was right about one thing today. “Isn’t he married?”
Courtney nods her head. “Yep. And he’s a dick. Has hit onme more times than I can count. Never wears his wedding ring. So much so there isn’t even a tan line where it should be. I don’t know how it ended between him and Shelby, but I know it did. And I think it was right before she moved.”
I wanted to kill him before. Take him out with a sand wedge, maybe a vehicle. Something impersonal that wouldn’t get my khakis dirty. Now I want to murder him with my bare hands. Men who cheat are the lowest form of the species. And cheating with Shelby? The woman who hates cheating more than anything else? I can only imagine the rage she took out on him. Honestly, I kind of wish I was there to see it.
