Page 79 of Forever Wild

“I’ve been on the phone with the newspaper since they sent a request for comment this morning,” Erica replies smoothly. “Apparently, everything in the story has been confirmed, so they are running it, no matter what pressure I put on them.”

I growl into the phone, “Can one of you forward me the goddamn article so I can see what the fuck we are talking about?” I know Jon and Erica are on my side, but I’m about to lose my mind if they don’t tell me what’s happening.

“It’s coming through now,” Erica responds as my phone buzzes.

I put them both on speakerphone and open the link Erica sent me. It’s an article for a gossip magazine, but one that has enough legitimate information that it won’t be dismissed out of hand. The headline reads “Is Business Professional the New Black Dress? One Woman’s Unusual Path to Fame and Fortune.” I run my hand through my hair, letting loose a deep sign. My stomach churns as I scroll through the article, my eyes narrowing in disbelief.

The story starts out explaining how Bryn and I have been spotted at various events, and our relationship was confirmed a few months ago. It includes a picture of Bryn and Lila watching me play at Las Vegas. It outlines my current commercial deal with Hungry Guy, suggesting there are “speculations about her motives and the potential deals that took place to land someone like Jameson Walker at that price.” They quote an anonymous source saying that Bryn was an integral part in making that deal happen. The article then details Bryn’s previous relationship with Peter, who it turns out is Peter Easley, the son of a billionaire shipping mogul. They’ve even dug up photos of her with her billionaire ex, looking all smiles and expensive clothes at some big event. The next section shows her shaking hands with Conrad Ferguson outside some restaurant. It speculates that Conrad is her next conquest in a line of men she’s used to propel herself to the top.

It ends with a quote from a woman about seeing Bryn and Conrad together and how devastating it will be for me to have this happen again.

I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

Fury bubbles up inside me, and I clench my phone so hard that it creaks in my grip. How could I have missed the signs? I should’ve seen this coming.

“Fuck,” I sigh, not caring that another group of golfers is nearby, having just finished their own rounds.

I bang my head against the side of my locker, trying to keep myself under control. To maintain my focus. I can feel JT’s eyes on me, but I don’t care. All I can think about is Bryn.

Erica’s voice comes through my phone again, but it sounds distant, like it’s coming from another world. She’s probably saying something about damage control, since the article is coming out online in less than an hour, but right now, I can’t bring myself to care.

I drag my hand through my hair. “Look, this is what I pay you a shitload of money to deal with. So please, just deal with it. I can’t let this derail this tournament.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Jon says before ending the call.

I turn, throwing my phone back into my locker with more heat than I intended. The screen shatters, a broken spiderweb covering the image of Bryn and me from my lock screen before the whole thing turns black. “Oh, Jesus fuck,” I mumble, reaching back in to grab the destroyed device, desperate to turn it back on.

When the screen refuses to light up for even a second, I hang my head between my legs and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. But the anger lingers, festering like an open wound. How could I have been so blind, so naïve? I should’ve known better, should’ve seen this coming.

“You okay, man?” JT asks, concern etching his surfer-boy features.

“Yeah…no…I don’t know.” I rub my eyes, rallying my energy to get off this bench and go back to my hotel room. “I’ve got to get my head on straight before tomorrow.”

As I stand, I ask JT, “Did you know that Bryn’s ex-boyfriend was Peter Easley, like the son of the billionaire Easley? Or that she was meeting with Conrad Ferguson?” God. I should’ve listened to my own warning when I told JT that doom was approaching. It had all been too...easy. Smooth. That’s not how life is.

Luckily, I can already feel my brain blurring the edges, forcing me to focus on the goal that is right in front of me—golf.

His face grows more concerned at my question. “Um, no. But it’s not like we are that close. We only hang out if you are there too. I’m sure she...well, I’d think she...” He trails off, clearly unsure if he’s willing to stand up for Bryn.

“Yeah,” I say, sliding into that tunnel vision of focus that has pushed me into the upper echelons of the golf world.

I walk away from the clubhouse and slide into my waiting car before sinking back into my seat. As I stare out my window, my mind is fully on my game, on what I need to change for tomorrow, except for the one thought that breaks through any time I lower my mental shields: She’s not going to get away with this.

Chapter forty-one

Bryn

Me

Are you okay?

Jameson finished his practice round over an hour ago and I still haven’t heard from him. Considering I had an early-morning meeting, it's likely the longest we've gone without talking since we started dating. We didn’t specifically agree to talk tonight, but it’s still unusual for him to not respond within an hour of me sending a text when he isn’t playing.

Now, I’m sitting in Kelsey’s kitchen, pounding a burrito bowl with extra hot sauce, replaying every minute of the meeting I had last week with Conrad Ferguson and his brother, trying to figure out where I went wrong.

Me

That big plan I had to try to save my promotion…didn’t work.

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