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“Good night!” Adalyn called, disappearing.
I let myself into my hotel room and dropped my bag and cases near the door. I pulled out my phone and lay back on the bed.
Me:What’s the dress code for this outing?
Rhett:Comfortable. We won’t be going anywhere that you’ll be seen.
Huh. Not going to be seen because he wanted to avoid fans, or because he didn’t want to be caught publicly with me? I knew this weird limbo stage we were in couldn’t last forever. At some point it would either need to become official between us or die away, but it was too soon to pose the discussion topic to him. I couldn’t shake the twinge of discomfort, though, that wriggled in my mind with the constant question: was Rhett being authentic with me? I’d seen his acting. I knew how talented the man was. I also knew how easy it was for men to get bored and move on without the need to ever check in again.
I wasn’t just being dramatic, either. My own father hadn’t even wanted to rekindle any sort of relationship with me when my mom finally located him after my father-daughter dance meltdown in fifth grade. He was happy in Ohio with his new wife and son and didn’t know what to do with a gangly ten-year-old girl or a woman he didn’t love anymore pestering him. He was proof that men couldn’t be relied upon, and man after man in my life had reinforced my conviction that they didn’t stick around, and they didn’t fight for me. Sure, Liam was incredible, and he made Charlie happy. Charlie’s dad had been there for me when I really needed it too, a handful of times. He’d been the one to teach me how to change my tire in the rain on the side of the freeway because my mom was on a flight when my tire had blown. But I wasn’t the reason either of them stuck around. Our relationship was a byproduct of their love for Charlie.
I was the opposite of a magnet for solid, trustworthy men. I was the wrong side of a magnet, repelling everyone who tried to get close. The problem was, I didn’t know what about me was so repulsive.
And now even Rhett wanted to keep our relationship—whatever it was—a secret. I drew in a shaky breath and looked down to find another text waiting for me on my phone.
Rhett:I do recommend sandals though.
A gentle smile spread over my lips. Maybe I didn’t need to have an answer quite yet. If this thing between us had an expiration date, I wouldn’t waste too much time stressing about the future. For now, I was enjoying his company, however secret it was. And evidently, we were going to the beach.
***
I had been correct. My feet sank in the powdery sand on the empty beach. It was so late, the parking lots were closed, but we walked onto the empty stretch, and Rhett took my hand, guiding me toward the rumbling waves. Warm wind tickled the small hairs that had escaped my braid and danced along my cheek. My sandal straps dangled from one hand while Rhett held the other.
We walked closer to the surf, and the water cascaded toward us, wetting my toes.
Rhett inhaled deeply.
“Need to cleanse yourself after that date?” I asked.
“You have no idea.” He let out the breath in a rush. “She was, like, twelve.”
“Adalyn assured me she was eighteen.”
“I’m sure she was. We vet these women so rigorously.” He shot me a glance, and his eyes shone beneath the brim of his blue baseball hat. “But she didn’t act like it.”
“I’m sure you’re all over her Instagram now.”
“Yippee,” he said with no enthusiasm.
I laughed, the sound disappearing into the wind.
“Dating her felt no different from dating Karina.”
Karina. Yay. My favorite topic of conversation. “How is that going now that you’re not in the same city?”
“I can breathe again. I don’t really understand why Bridget is pushing it so hard or how Karina could even help my situation, but she does know better than me.”
My heart ticked up a little at his mention of the ultra-secret situation. We were completely alone, and usually when it was brought up, he became very quiet or whispered with whomever he was talking to. But the person he was talking to wasme. Was he finally ready to trust me? I had signed the novel-sized NDA, so it wasn’t like I would turn around and share his secrets with anyone.
I tried to sound easygoing. “Your situation?”
“Yeah.” His fingers tightened on mine a little, and I wondered if he realized he was doing it or if it was his nerves. He could trust me, though. I would never tell a soul. Ihadknown this secret for days now, and I hadn’t told anyone.
Rhett ran a hand over his face. He lifted his hat and put it back on his head, then sent me a tight smile. “I need some good PR.”
Hmm. Not the details I wanted to hear, exactly. “I kind of figured that’s what this whole charity tour was about.”
“Well, it’s more than that. I’m going to look really bad soon, and as I’m sure you’ve heard Bridget say, the better I can make myself appear in the media right now, the better it will go when I don’t look so good anymore.”
