says, taking a sip of water. “Smash and go.” I shake my head, thinking that is exactly what I do. The rest of the meal is quiet. When she’s finished, she gets up, rinses her plate off, and then opens the dishwasher to find it empty. “You cook; I clean. It’s the universal rule.”
“Wow, I’m just learning all kinds of things with you,” I tell her. Laughing, I pick up my plate and place it in the dishwasher. The doorbell rings, and I look at her and then at the time. Walking to the door, I see it’s the photographer for the shoot today. “Hey, come on in,” I tell him, and he walks in.
“We lucked out with the weather,” he says to me and then walks in the house and stops when he sees Erin in the kitchen. “Was I interrupting anything?”
“Nope. She’s my PR girl,” I tell him, then look at Erin. “Want to stay and take pictures for my Instagram?” I ask her. For some reason, I’m hoping she says yes and am shocked when she nods her head.
Chapter Six
Erin
I should go. I should make an excuse and get out of here because my nerves are all over the place. I’m okay with him being an asshole, but I’m not okay with him being that nice guy who cooks for me and then tells me I’m the only woman who has ever been in his house. Why? I’m rinsing off my hands when I see a man walk in carrying two huge bags in each hand. I hear him talking to Carter who just smiles at him. I can tell right away from the look in his eyes that his guard is down, and this is the real Carter.
“Was I interrupting anything?” the man says, looking at me and then looking back at Carter.
“Nope. She’s my PR girl,” he tells him, slapping him on the shoulder. He looks at me with a genuine smile on his face. “Want to stay and take pictures for my Instagram?” I should say no. I should take this as my cue to leave, but instead, I nod my head.
“Great,” Carter says. “Ralph, this is Erin. Erin, this is Ralph, my main man.”
Ralph laughs. “Not main man. I’m the one who makes his ass look super sexy in pictures. It’s a hard fucking job, too. I mean, look at this slob.” He points at Carter who just flips him the finger. “I’m going to get set up. You still want to take the pictures on the beach?”
“Yeah,” he says, nodding his head. “I’m going to get my stuff, and I’ll be right back.” He turns and jogs up the stairs, and I see him walk into what must be his bedroom.
“So you are the new PR girl?” Ralph asks me, walking toward the back door, and I follow him after grabbing my phone.
“You coming on the beach with those?” He motions with his head at my stilettos. I kick off the shoes and follow him down the paved path toward the stairs leading down to the beach. We come upon a metal gate, and he presses the button and you hear a click as it unlocks. He walks out onto the beach, and I realize how windy it is when my hair blows in my face. My feet sink into the hot sand, and even though it’s sunny, the wind makes it a bit chilly. I walk beside Ralph.
“Who do you work for?”
“Hillcrest,” I tell him as we walk closer and closer to the water.
“No way,” he says. “So are you here to make sure we get some good shots to use?” He stops right before the sand gets wet.
“No.” I shake my head. “We are rebranding him.”
“Jesus, that almost sounds like you are herding in cattle.” He laughs while he starts setting up his stuff.
I laugh. “Not that bad.” Pushing my hair back, I say, “Just revamping his image.”
“There is not enough time and money in the world to accomplish that impossible feat,” he mumbles. “It’s just who he is.”
I don’t bother answering him. Instead, I sit on the sand and watch the waves crash against the shore. I wish I had brought my sunglasses, I think to myself. I put my hand over my eyes and see that just a couple of people are in the water.
“Hey.” I hear Carter next to me and look up and see him in black swim trunks and a white shirt. His hair looks