“Good.” I sit next to her. “We’ll take one together.” I caress her bare legs. “Want to hear about my day?”
“Sure.”
“You New Yorkers are somethin’ else.”
She offers me a small smile.
“I’m warning you right now, Basil, the photographer, is eccentric. The whole crew is. Honestly, I’ve never felt more exposed in my life. I was practically naked on the set. And if I had to hear the word sexy one more time, I swear, I was going to scream.”
I’m yappin’ a mile a minute. The surge of excitement from the eventful day is still running rampant through my veins.
“Oh, wow.”
Her voice is flat and her blue eyes are missing their usual spark.
“Basil must’ve taken five hundred photos, but he assures me only a handful will make the cut.”
“Good.”
She seems an ocean away.
“He offered me two complimentary photos for my new website. I wouldn’t be surprised if he extends you the same favor. And, I get to keep the clothing. I’m sure it’s because they lathered so much oil and glitter on my body no one will ever want to wear that stuff ever again.”
“Good.”
“It’s nice clothing, too. They’re even throwing in the designer underwear.”
“Lucky you.”
“It gets better.”
“Does it?”
“They’re forking out the money for the dry cleaning while I’m here in New York.”
“Good.”
Enough.“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she says, averting her gaze.
I give her knee a squeeze, forcing her attention to me. “Why do I sense you’re lying?”
“I’m not. You said something about oil and glitter. Do you need to take a shower before we go out to dinner?”
“I already took one, but I most likely will take another one to make sure I wash out all the crap they put in my hair. What time are your folks expecting us?”
She lifts her gaze to the ceiling. “The concierge recommended an excellent Cuban restaurant not far.”
“What?”
She meets my confused stare. “A restaurant where they serve Cuban food.”
“Carina, do you actually think I don’t know that? Just because I’m from small town Texas doesn’t mean I’m a hick. I’m not that much of a hillbilly.” I chuckle. “Why are we going to a Cuban restaurant?”
“Because we need to eat,” she says in a matter-of-fact way.
“What happened to us having dinner with your folks?”
