8. Beau #3
“I didn’t win,” I whisper to him. “Shelby beat me by a stroke. I checked the scorecards. I signed off on them. This isn’t right.”
I’m shocked when I see him shake his head. “Oh, son, no need to be modest. Now put on a smile and accept what’s rightfully yours.”
I’m shocked silent. Rightfully mine? What does he mean?
I try to figure out how to get out of this, and I’m barely listening as Dr. James praises me for my accolades, and the tremendous round of golf I played today.
But I’m not focused on him. I need to find Shelby.
I need to somehow convey to her that I’m going to fix this. Because I didn’t win. She did.
Except, then I see her. She’s walking toward us, the smile on her face—the beautiful one that no one ever sees—slowly fades away. Her eyes are wide, just as confused as mine.
I want to run to her and tell her I didn’t do this. That I don’t know what happened. That this is all a huge misunderstanding.
But I can’t. Because the trophy is being placed in my hand, and like the good, well-trained puppy I am, I smile. I shake Dr. James’s hand. I hold it up in the proper posed position.
And then I watch Shelby run away.
“Holy shit…”
The words come from Theo, but judging by the look on everyone’s faces, they're all thinking the same thing.
“Let me get this straight,” Maddox says as he shakes his head like he's trying really hard to process everything I just told him. “She has thought for twenty years that you cheated in a golf tournament that gave you a $5,000 scholarship instead of her.”
“I’d hate you too,” Asher says.
I’m not sure if he’s joking, but I ignore the comment.
“And you’ve tried to talk to her about it?”
I know Theo’s just trying to cover all the bases of the story, but I hate that I even have to answer that.
“I did. I tried for weeks—months—after the tournament to get her to believe that I have no idea what happened. Still to this day, I’m clueless.
I turned in my card with her scores on it.
It was signed. Next thing I know, I was being handed a trophy and a check. ”
I’ve often wondered what would’ve happened if I had spoken up.
Loudly protested. Would it have done any good?
I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that I’m the villain in Shelby’s story.
And no matter how many times I declare my innocence, it doesn’t help.
If anything, every time I try to defend myself, it only makes things worse.
“Okay, so we now know why Shelby hates you. And frankly, I get it. Team Shelby on that one,” Theo says. “But why do you hate her so much? Is this a give-the-same-energy-back kind of thing? If so, that makes you a little petty, my guy.”
“I’m not being petty,” I defend. “She won’t even hear me out.
I didn’t cheat. So if wanting her to believe me makes me petty, then so be it.
If she wants to treat me like the devil, then fine.
I’ll be her devil. But until she agrees to hear me out, actually talk to me about what happened that day, I’m going to continue to piss her off by simply existing. ”
All of that is the truth. Every word. But what I don’t say is that my attitude toward her is also my life preserver. Because before she hated me, she was still my sister’s best friend. The girl I watched grow up. The girl who’s been through it.
Which means I can’t look at her and think that she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I can’t think about how she felt when I stood behind her the other day, helping line up her shot. How her drive and passion for the game turn me on more than anything else a woman could do.
So yes, I need to continue to hate her. Because if I don’t, I’ll have to deal with the fact that she could be something special to me, but I’ll always be Beau—the boy who ruined her life.
“And now you two have to play with each other?” Asher says with a laugh, bringing the conversation back to where it started.
“Yes. We also have to not kill each other, which might be the hardest part.”
“I have no idea what my spring training schedule is, but somehow, I’m going to be watching every minute,” Theo says.
“I might even have to tune in,” Asher says. “I’m on the road all next week. It’ll give me something to watch when I’m in the hotel.”
“And if it’s not aired on television, I’ll make sure to send it to you,” Maddox says with a grin. “I’ll catch everything in 4K.”
“4K? What the fuck does that mean?”
Sometimes I forget that Maddox is twelve years younger than me. Fucking youngins’ and their damn lingo.
“It means, I’ll be there. Live and in living color.”
“You’re what?”
“Gabi didn’t tell you? We’re going. Bringing the baby. Your parents are coming too.”
“Fucking wonderful,” I groan out, clenching my fists before reaching over for my now proofed sourdough. “I’m glad my nightmare is now the family vacation.”
“Oh come on, think good thoughts,” Maddox says, walking behind me and slapping his hand to my back. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
When it comes to Shelby? I have no damn clue…