Idolized (Hollywood Stardust Book 3) (55 page)

ROXY

(Intertwines their fingers)

I’m his.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

HUNCHED OVER HER ENEMY, Cora pulled the club back and took a swing.

Once more, she was bested. The stupid little white ball traveled maybe three inches off the tee. She threw her club down the driving range. The damn thing went much further than any of her balls. “Ryder!”

Ryder dashed over, picked up the club and put another ball on the tee. “You can do it, baby.” He gave her back the tool of mass destruction.

“Golf hates me.” She ground her teeth together and got back in position. Where on earth she got the idea that accepting George’s golf invitation would result in her magically being able to play the game and getting some business done was beyond her. More than anything, she couldn’t miss this. Both Albert, her competition, and Dane, the head of the studio, would be here along with George. She had to play with the boys.

“No, golf loves you, it wants you to meet it half way, relax and just hit the ball.” Ryder walked around and stood in front of her. “Slow, even strokes. You’re excellent at that.”

She glanced over in his direction. From her position, she was now face to face with his crotch. Early morning training did have some advantages. Perhaps they shouldn’t have waited until the day of the actual meeting to truly practice. Her mind was all muddled with Ryder and babies and wedding talk. Though nothing was official, it still got all her female atoms firing off. At last, she accepted she was a girl.

“I see where you’re looking and it’s all yours as soon as you become the pro golfer I know you are meant to be.” He chuckled.

Heat overtaking her, she returned her focus to the ball.

“You can do it.” He lowered his voice.

Not wanting to disappoint the man she was possibly going to marry, she inhaled and took another swing, this time missing the ball altogether, and nearly spinning around.

Rather than throwing a temper tantrum, she simply dropped the club and turned her back to the man who she wasn’t sure was her fiancé or not.

“All right, this calls for an emergency contingency.” He came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders

“I’m going to call and tell them I broke both my legs. Hopefully someone at the studio can hook me up with some fake casts.” Unable to look at anything, especially her own failure, she put her hand over her eyes.

“Cora, look at me.” Ryder put his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. “I want you to have an open mind.”

She let her arm fall and gazed into that face. “What?” Now that she thought about it, she was never good at sports.

“I’m going to do the golfing.” He punctuated his sentence with that smile. That smile on that face.

“If you’re golfing what am I doing?” she asked, confused. The man spoke his own language. “I have to be there.”

“Oh, you will be there.” He pulled her into his arms. “As my caddy.”

And here was the man she was going to marry, at least she thought so. That man and the man who just suggested she be a caddy were the same man. “Please tell me the punchline.”

“It makes perfect sense. You can’t golf, I can golf, you need to be at the meeting, this will give you a chance to concentrate and, dare I say, give you the edge by having some extra star power behind you.” He raised his eyebrows.

For a second she considered his proposition. It would be so easy to have him do the golfing. “I can’t bring my…my…you.” She pushed him back, picked up her club, put another ball on the tee and went for it.

This time the club slipped out her hands, knocked into the tee and the ball actually rolled backward.

Ryder plucked up the rolling horror show and held the ball up between two fingers.

“So this caddie thing, how exactly does that work?” As she walked by him, she tapped the ball out of his hands.

He gathered up the clubs and guided her into the clubhouse of the country club. “Well, first we have to look the part. The main thing about this is we have to own it and make it believable.”

Twenty gasps, several pictures, and an endless amount of irritation later, she and Ryder emerged from the small clothing store at the clubhouse in matching purple golf shirts and khaki shorts.

As if they could be private at all, she pulled him over to a corner and spoke between clenched teeth. “I feel stupid.”

“That’s impossible.” He leaned back and did that hand frame thing as if he were taking her all in.

“How can it be impossible, if that’s what I feel?” She glanced down at her clothes and then over at Ryder. They looked like they were ready to attend a bad golf themed prom. All she needed was a corsage.

“Because you are the smartest woman in the world, which in turn, makes me the smartest man in the world.” He put a khaki hat on top of her head.

Well, it wasn’t a corsage, but it was just as obnoxious, especially when he put an identical one on his head. “I don’t know how to caddie.”

“I figured that when you didn’t know how to golf.” He kissed the top of her head. “Just do your business stuff and let me break some balls.”

Before she had a chance to wrap her head around all of this, George, Albert and Dane entered the pro shop.

“There’s our fourth.” Huge smile, George came over, shook her hand and tilted his head at Ryder.

“Actually, here’s your fourth.” If she were going to do this, she was going to do this one hundred percent. “Mr. McIntire may I present Ryder Scott, my—” Not knowing what title to give him, she stopped. “Star of the
Hollywood Stardust
Series.”

“And fiancé to one Miss Caine.” Ryder held his hand out.

With Ryder’s words, Cora gave a quick glance to the floor to see if her jaw dropped down there somewhere.

“Well then I say congratulations are in order!’ George shook Ryder’s hand and gave her a hug.

Dane and Albert gathered around.

“Congratulations.” Dane parroted George’s action, as did Albert.

“Well, not everything is official, so we want to keep it a little quiet.” Somehow, she found her voice. “I think it’s almost tee time.”

“It’s good to finally meet you.” Dane looked Ryder over. “I missed you at our last meeting.”

She felt that jab. Were they going to box or golf?

Ryder grinned at him. “Well, I always like to come in for the grand finale.”

“You’re not golfing, Cora?” Though Albert’s facial expression remained stoic, Cora swore she saw a twinkle in his eye.

“Sometimes you have to know when to play a ringer.” Something about this man made her claws come out. Most likely, it was the competition between them, but she felt that way since the first time she met him. Now wasn’t the time to focus on Ryder and his newly dubbed title, though she didn’t know how she wouldn’t think about it.

“Well, if you don’t know how to play.” Laughing, Albert made a huge deal of putting on his golf glove.

“I can play with the best of them, Albert. One of the first rules of any game is playing your strengths, so today I’ll play the role of caddie.” Behind her, she heard a couple of the men chuckle. “Shall we get to our cart, gentlemen?”

“We abide by tradition here.” George guided her out to where they country club kept the bags of clubs.

“Tradition?” Yes, she knew golf was steeped in tradition.

Ryder got their bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Dane took the bag from Ryder and handed it her. “We walk the course, and caddies carry the bags.”

The weight of the bag practically toppled her over. What the hell was in there? Rocks with a boulder? She looked up at her…whatever, she looked up at Ryder.

“Let’s buck tradition.” He reached for the bag.

“No, I’m fine, just golf fast,” she lied, then hoisted the bag up further on her shoulder, and slid her own personal ammunition out of her pocket, typing in a hurry. Thank god she had good Internet connection.

“You all right, Cora? Maybe we can get you a caddie?” Albert chuckled.

The men grabbed their bags walked toward first tee.

“I’m fine.” She walked ahead of the men. “Isn’t this great? Did you know that you burn off over seven hundred calories walking a course rather than just over four hundred by riding in the cart?”

“I suppose sometimes it’s important to know when to bring in someone with more skill.” George put his bag down.

“A little technology doesn’t hurt either.” Cora practically dropped their bag. Actually, if she had the strength she would have kicked it. When no one was looking, she did flip the thing off. She would get the best of the golf bag of terror. However, she did wonder how many calories she just burned walking the few feet to the first hole. If she were going to fit into a wedding dress, she had to consider these things. Wait. No one said she was getting in a wedding dress. Ryder could have just been playing along.

The men all congregated around.

“There’s also something to be said for knowing every aspect of your business.” Albert said, and followed George to the tee. “Not everything is technology and gadgets.”

Fine, that was a direct shot at her. She watched the men choose their respective clubs, then she stared at the heavy collection in her and Ryder’s bag. All she knew about being a caddie was she had to give Ryder a club. Maybe she could weed some of this out and just toss the unnecessary clubs in the garbage. Once more, she turned to her phone. She had three choices. The putter, she knew that wasn’t right, the irons, also a no show, and the woods. However, not knowing how Ryder really golfed, beyond the way he held her from behind and helped her take a swing, and even after all her research on golf, she couldn’t garner a guess.

“Better not let those technology and gadgets get in your way at over at News Now,” she said. “Is the company’s slogan, ‘where news and technology converge?’”

Albert stepped back. “Back in the day, someone didn’t get a job until they could do every job underneath them.”

“Very true.” George put his ball on the tee.

Ryder came over, wiped his hands on a little towel hanging there, and pushed one of the clubs at her, or should she say her fiancé basically bailed her out? He peered at her over his sunglasses and winked. “Get him.”

With Ryder’s guidance, she swiped the club out of the bag. “Next year I must be turning pro, since I’m starting off as a caddie.”

Even through his sunglasses, she felt Albert’s glare.

They all got quiet as George took his shot. The ball traveled down the fairway. When he did it, the act seemed so easy, but she still didn’t see the allure of the game.

Dane went next much to the same result, as did Albert.

At last, Ryder approached the tee. With a swagger only he could possess, he put the ball on the tee, got in position, and without any pause, the other men showed, pulled back and made his hit. The man was a stock photo for a perfect swing and his ball sailed through the air. Once it landed past George’s ball, Ryder shrugged. “I need to practice more.” He handed her back his club and helped her with the golf bag.

“Maybe you need to film more as well.” Albert picked up his bag.

They all took off toward their balls.

“I was wondering how you and Ryder had time to come out here this morning.” Dane walked alongside her.

All right, apparently this was haze the new girl. She knew they only invited her golfing because of the political situation with the position opening up, and she only accepted because she knew they weren’t expecting that move. Right then and there, she swore if she was selected as CEO she would open up a sewing circle or menstruation club or something else that traditionally the males didn’t attend and ask the men to come.

“The script needed some adjusting, it’s not unusual,” she said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryder’s jaw tighten. Dare she admit she liked his protective side?

Fine, she would just come right out and say it, well actually think it. She liked him being all protective, but also appreciated he didn’t say anything.

“Right, how’s your timing with Erin Fulton’s pregnancy? Dane hadn’t let up. “I know that was a concern.”

“We’re fine and working around her changing figure. Ryder and Logan are good at camouflaging her.” Trying to talk with the bag in tow was becoming increasingly hard. Of course, this conversation wasn’t helping, especially since he already knew the answers to everything he asked. She decided to call his bluff. “I would be more than happy to not only show you the shooting schedule, but also show you some of the shots so you can see Erin’s condition is in no way affecting the quality of the movie.”

“I may take you up on that.” Dane lobbed it right back to her.

“I think you should. You can take in how well everything runs now that we got rid of the rock in our millstone.” She threw it back in his court and wished they were playing tennis instead, not that she knew how to play that game either. Maybe Ryder could play.

Finally, they made it to their respective balls. Thankfully, Ryder’s was ahead of the rest and it gave her a moment to put the bag down. Between the interrogation and the weight of the game, literally and figuratively, she was out of breath by the time they stopped.

Ryder chose a club. “Which one of those assholes would you like me to beat up first?”

“I think they’re just hazing me.” Though part of her wanted Ryder to beat them up, she had to remember who she was, why she was here. While Ryder did the golf thing, she continued her research thing.