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“Are complete idiots,” she finishes for me, shaking her head. “And so is Wade, the hall monitor turned delinquent.”
I stifle a laugh because the situation is really not funny. From what little I know of Wade, the description sounds accurate.
“Are you sure you’re ready to get mixed up with this crowd?”
I laugh but then my expression turns serious. “He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Because you were messing around with goldfish, my friend.” She places her forearms on the table and leans in. “Now you’re in the shark tank, and that is why I ask you, are you sure you know what you’re doing? Cash is a grown man with a past, and your life is just beginning.”
What she says makes sense, even if it’s not sugar coated.
“Is that what it’s like being with Jack?”
She would know all about his past and his secrets, with no dark corner uncovered.
“Jack is a killer whale,” she says ominously.
I take in her words, knowing that Cash has had a whole life that I haven’t even begun to live yet. Like I’ve told him, I’m not testing out his last name in my signature, but he is a hard person to walk away from.
“You’re a little late, Erin,” I sigh. “How could anyone be in the presence of a man like Cash and not fall for him?”
She pushes her own half eaten plate away and knits her brows together in concern. “Does he have anything to do with why you’re reluctant about the internship?” Erin lets out a breath and I can see the disappointment unfurling in her expression.
“I’m not one of those girls who gives up her dreams because of some guy,” I tell her, even if Cash isn’t just any guy. He istheguy.
She tilts her head as if she doesn’t believe me.
“I wouldn’t do that, and Cash isn’t the kind of man who would ask me to do that either,” shark or no shark.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I just want to make sure I make the right decision,” I try to explain. “My grandparents are getting older and it’s a lot of work taking care of the horses, not to mention all of the upkeep.”
“What doyouwant?” she asks me.
“I love the ranch and I love photography,” I say, “but it feels like I have to choose.”
“What if you didn’t have to choose?”
“I don’t even know what I’m worried about because they might not even offer it to me,” I say, embarrassed.
I’m worrying about something that might not even happen.
“But what if?” Erin’s question gets my attention.
“Music photography wasn’t my initial dream, but this opportunity is amazing and it can lead to other things,” I say excitedly. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is tell stories with my photos.”
“Sometimes in order to figure out what you want, you gotta figure out what youdon’twant.”
“You sound like my grandpa,” I say.
“I hope that’s a good thing,” Erin laughs.
The waitress clears our plates and I sit back in my chair, sipping my ice tea. Erin has been in the inner circle with Jack and Cash for a while now. She knows Cash better than I do. She made it clear what I was getting myself into, but he doesn’t let me in fully.
“You know Cash really well.”
Erin leans forward with a guarded expression. She’s a professional, trained to keep secrets, and whatever she knows about Cash, she wouldn’t tell me. I’m not asking her to share something that he wouldn’t tell me himself.
