The Greyhounds | Jamie Tartt

Chapter 6

Lining up at Hole #1, Ashley and Jamie were both finally in a good mood at the same time. Things were shaping up according to Jamies plan. Maybe Ashley was coming around to him at last. He had hoped she would eventually. And today was looking perfect. 

"Ladies first," Jamie gestured a chivalrous bow as he placed the ball on the marker. Ashley playfully rolled her eyes and lined up, ready to take her first Footgolf shot. She launched the ball with careful precision, almost hitting the first goal. 

"Nicely done, Lucciano!" Jamie reassured her as he clapped slowly. She swatted off the compliment and took an arrogant bow. 

"Alright, so we're off to a good start. Don't fuck this up for me, Tartt." Ashley said as they made their way to the ball for the second shot. Jamie chipped in into the first goal, and they found themselves under par and ready for Hole #2. Another team had preoccupied the hole, so Jamie took it upon himself to try for some real small talk with Ashley. 

"So, you mentioned you liked Goodfellas?" Jamie recalled what Ashley listed as great things from America. 

"Oh yeah. Almost every Italian American loves the three G's: The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Gabagool," Ashley said with a chuckle, "You know one time I ran into Robert DeNiro at Nobu in Los Angeles and he invited me to have a drink with him last summer?"

"No way. I don't believe you. You're making that up." Jamie responded. He decided that he liked the sparkle in her eye she had when she talked about something that excited her. 

"No. I'm not. Why would I lie? I have proof right here..." Ashley fumbled around grabbing her phone out of her shorts pocket. Her expression changed when she saw the dozens of notifications coming on her screen.

9 MESSAGES-GRAYSON MCGRATH: 

-You saw it right?

-It's not true. 

-I can't believe this is happening. 

-I don't know what to do.

-Babe?

-I know you're probably busy but I need to talk to you. 

-Babe..

-Would you be able to make it over to Holloway tonight? I've barely seen you and I need support right now.

-Ashley?

2 MESSAGES-LAURA CONNELLY (PUBLICIST)

{Article Link}

I think you might want to check this out. 

Ashley clicked on the link her publicist sent her and was shocked to read: 

GRAYSON MCGRATH ACCUSED OF USING PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS: INVESTIGATION TO FOLLOW

No, Ashley thought. This can't be happening. There's no way Grayson would do something like that...right? No matter if it was true or not, Ashley needed to find her way to him. She needed to get out of this Footgolf tournament as fast as she could. 

"There it is. Right here! Look! Me and Robert DeNiro" Ashley showed Jamie the picture of her and the iconic actor, terse and hurried. Her demeanor was no longer pleasant. She looked bothered and worried at the same time as her eyes darted around the field. 

"Jamie, how long do you think this is going to take?"

"My guess is one or two more hours."

That's not what she wanted to hear. The sooner she got to Grayson, the less time he would have to catastrophize and derail. Moreover, Grayson's time as a professional footballer could be over soon, so she'd better be there for him no matter what. They were planning a future together, and she would not let a scandal affect her feelings for him.