Cassie standing in the parking lot, bawling her eyes out. One glance and he knew.
The Range Rover was gone.
Rhett parked his SUV and got out. As he walked toward Cassie, she took all her anger out over the car being gone on him.
“I can’t believe you’re checking up on me. Did you just happen to be in the neighborhood? Okay. Get it over with, Corrigan. Just fire my ass now.”
“Actually, I was in your neighborhood. A few blocks from here. With my sister.”
Her blue eyes flashed fire at him. “Right,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice. “Well, you trusted me with your precious Range Rover, even though I warned you, and just like that—poof! It’s gone! So fire me and let me call the police and we’ll file whatever report needs to be filed, and then I’m out of your life. Permanently. Okay? Knocking two Corrigan cars out of your rotation in a week is my limit.”
She pulled out the cell Rhett gave her yesterday. “Is this emergency enough to call 911 or do I just dial the operator?” She frowned. “I don’t even know the license plate. Or what year it is. Or who your insurance company is. I hate this!”
Cassie dissolved into tears again. Rhett enfolded her in his arms as sobs racked her body.
“I will never, ever get ahead here. I’m moving back to Texas. Everyone will know I’m a failure at twenty-seven.”
“Shhh.” Rhett stroked her silky hair, trying to quieten her.
“I’ve tried. Lord knows, I’ve really tried. Nothing’s worked. Acting proved a huge disaster. They said I’m not tall enough. I’m fat. My boobs aren’t big enough. Plus, I wouldn’t sleep with any casting directors. I don’t do drugs. I don’t have enough talent. I don’t have any talent. Trying to go the talent agent route was even worse. I suck. Totally suck. At everything.”
Rhett glanced down at her. “You’re what, five-six? About one-thirty?”
Cassie sniffed. “Right on the nose. You’ve got a good eye, Corrigan. Must be all those cop roles you’ve played.”
“You’re plenty tall. And you’re not fat. Plus, you’ve got amazing calves.”
She looked slightly mollified. “I run a lot.” She shrugged out of his arms and put a little distance between them.
“Pardon my observation but your boobs look in proportion with the rest of you. Besides, sleeping with casting directors is vastly overrated. No matter what they say, it usually doesn’t lead to landing the role.”
Rhett sighed. “I know you’re talented enough to run Manny’s agency while he coked up. You’ve already got my household perking along after one day. I can’t wait for you to start reading scripts for me and running lines with me. I think you’ve got plenty of talent, Cassie Carroll. Don’t go back to Texas.
“Move in with me instead.”
She gasped. “What did you just say?”
“You live in a terrible neighborhood, Cassie. You know you’ll have to put some long hours and days in on the job. Wouldn’t it be easier if you were in Brentwood?”
Her face couldn’t hide how her mind whirled as she mulled over his offer. Her hesitation made him plunge ahead.
“I guarantee you would have your privacy. I have a gatehouse on the property, behind the cabana. It’s where Breck started out but he wound up moving into the big house with me. The gatehouse has two bedrooms, both really spacious, and it’s just a short walk to the main house.” He flashed the famous Corrigan grin, certain it would seal the deal. “You can’t beat a commute like that.”
It startled the hell out of him when those luscious lips of her spit out a very strong, “No.”
Rhett frowned at her. “Why not? Don’t tell me you’re attached to this place.”
“No. It’s Jolene. My roommate. I can’t leave her, Rhett. She waits tables, barely makes enough to get by, and hits the comedy clubs at night doing stand-up. I pay her share of the rent half the time and then juggle the rest of the bills. Without me, Jolene would starve. I can’t turn my back on her, no matter how generous an offer you make me.”
Rhett took a deep breath, admiring her loyalty to her roommate. “You’re saying it’s a package deal. Both or neither. Right?”
Cassie smiled through her tears. “I suppose you could say that. Plus, my cat. TJ. He’s the deal maker or breaker, I guess.”
“Then I suppose you two ladies and Mr. TJ will need a little time to get packed.”
◆◆◆
Hesitation flickered inside Cassie. Jo was a fiend of a gossip. Could