Page 114 of Putting Out
“Did I call that?I so called that!” Kenny shouted as he reached for his beer in front of him.
They were back at the house in Savannah, everyone gathered around the dining room table to celebrate Reilly making the cut and to cheer up Luke for missing it. Pierce and Odie congratulated themselves on their female Frankenstein and Mark was clearly happy to be there to see it.
Kenny was having fun taking all the credit for the miraculous birdie on eighteen.
“One more birdie and I would have been there,” Luke told her. “I just got it going too late.”
“I know. I saw your back nine,” she told him. “You haven’t lost anything, you know. You could go back on tour in a second and pick up right where you left off.”
“And miss being on TV? What would my fans do without me? Besides, I’ve got bigger to fish to fry these days.” He smiled at her and she smiled back.
“Reilly,” Mark said, dragging her attention away from Luke. “I have to be honest. I didn’t see anyone suspicious following you over these last two days. Obviously, the crowd around you has been huge, but so far no one has done anything to draw my attention. However, I’m going to say I think we still need to be cautious at this point.”
“Right,” Kenny drawled. “Cautious enough that guarantees Mark a ticket through the weekend.”
Mark laughed. “Exactly that cautious. I’m not going to lie. This has been the best unofficial job I’ve ever had. You should also know I’m not slacking. I promise I am checking everyone out. Even the little old men with the fold-up seats. Nobody is above suspicion.”
“What about after it’s over?” Luke wanted to know. “Your vacation I assume runs out at some point.”
“Technically speaking my vacation is over on Monday. I will need to get back to Atlanta. The way it is with these people, though, once the limelight is over, the obsession fades. We’ve seen it before with stalkers going after actors nominated for an Oscar only to lose all interest when the actor doesn’t win.”
“If I do win?” Reilly asked with a twinkle in her eye. “What then?”
“Then we wait and see. There’s not a whole lot else we can do. Be grateful whoever he is, he’s letting you play in peace.”
“A sports-friendly stalker,” Pierce joked. “They’re the only kind to have.”
“It’s all nonsense if you ask me,” Odie stated, patting his belly now full of steak. “Silly people doing silly things.”
“The ball mark wasn’t silly. The letters weren’t silly. They were creepy,” Luke pointed out. “This guy has been hunting her. There’s no other word for it.”
“You have to realize a lot of times these people don’t want to make actual physical contact. The stalker prefers to live in the fantasy world. If he met Reilly and he was rejected, it would crush the fantasy.”
“Or she,” Kenny pointed out. “Reilly couldn’t identify the person in her room and I didn’t get a clear look, either. It could have been a woman.”
“The voice from the phone messages was deep,” Reilly reminded him. There were times when she put the voice together with the person who had been in her room. The strange mask, the deep voice and the idea he wanted something from her, chilled her in a way that she didn’t want to admit to anyone.
“Deep can be faked,” Kenny said. “Let’s face it. You’re on the LPGA tour. Not a whole lot of men are into that scene, but as for the women… enough said.”
“Wow! Reilly is potentially being stalked by a lesbian,” Pierce interjected. “Cool.”
The doorbell rang, which caught everyone’s attention. Technically, no one should have been able to bypass the gate, but both the stalker and Mark had already proved how easy it was.
“I’ll get it.” Mark jumped up in instant alert, his hand reaching toward the gun holstered on his shoulder. The group held their collective breath.
“You think he’ll shoot first and ask questions later?” Luke asked sarcastically once he was out of earshot.
Reilly glanced at him surprisingly. “What was that for?”
“I’ll get it.He sounded like a bad version of John Wayne.”
“Somebody’s jealous,” Kenny sang. “Hey, Luke, just because he’s handsome and smart and works for the government and carries a gun doesn’t mean you should hate him.”
“No? Well, then can I hate you for being an ass?”
“Boys, boys,” Reilly calmed them. “Play nice. Mark’s a fan. That’s it. Currently, I’m deciding whether or not I’m going to be with Luke. You know, until we combust and break up, tragically ending our lifelong friendship forever.”
Mark appeared back in the dining room with a shrug. “She says she’s a friend, but she doesn’t want to come in. Erica Kim?”
