by Ivy Jordan
I moved closer to her and put my arm around her pulling her close. She smiled up at me. It was the perfect scene for photos. Two lovers out in the water, embracing each other. I couldn’t have planned it out better if I’d tried. The water was cold, so it felt nice having our warm bodies close together. She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me closer.
“Are you having a good time?”
“The best; what an awesome day. Thank you.”
“Do you want to go in and dry off?”
“Yes, I do. Maybe we can have another glass of champagne.”
“Sure, anything you want. I can grill us up some dinner, too, if you want.”
“That would be great. I should probably eat something with all I’ve had to drink.”
I laughed, “No problem. Let’s go in.”
We started walking back to the beach, and she shook off her feet after we got out of the water. It wasn’t long before our feet were covered in sand. I noticed people staring at us and taking pictures, so I pulled her close to me for a hug and squeezed her tight. She giggled and let me hug her – we were supposed to be lovers after all. It felt good to hold her close, and I warmed up her skin that had cooled from the water.
I knew we were getting our photos taken, but I tried to act as casual as possible. There were times when it felt awkward to be that close to her. After all, I barely knew her, and this was a scene that was more romantic than sexual. I was totally out of my element. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had even taken a girl out on a date.
Hailey was definitely drawing in all the attention I needed for this new change of lifestyle. I could imagine that the news would have a field day with these pictures. The sooner word got out about us, the better it would be. Then maybe we could start having a little bit of fun.
A girl approached and asked for my autograph. I was more than willing to oblige. I let go of Hailey, and she turned and smiled at the girl. She was completely sweet and gracious as a few people approached us to talk. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to show her off to everyone. As I signed autographs, one girl piped up and asked, “Are you guys dating?”
I smiled. “This is my girl, Hailey. So, you’ll be seeing a lot more of her around. I’ve decided to give up my party ways and try a new way of living, and this girl has been beside me the whole time. I’m ready for something better.”
“No more party videos,” one girl said with a pout.
I laughed, “Sorry, those videos are behind me. My only goal right now is winning the majors. It’s going to be a hell of a year.”
There was some clapping as the group before us got bigger. Everyone had their phones out, and I wasn’t sure who was taking pictures and who had videos going on.
Hailey looked up at me and smiled just the way a girlfriend would who was proud of her man. I grinned down at her, looking forward to sitting on the patio with her and making some dinner. We would be on the covers of magazines the next day, for sure. I would be surprised if they weren’t already posted online.
I felt like I might be overdoing it a little bit, but I had to do what it took to get noticed right now. I had a lot of negative attention on me and needed to turn that around as soon as possible. This was the way to do it, and I knew as soon as Aria saw the pictures, she wouldn’t be able to stop grinning. She might even hire me to be an underwear model – she really should after all she was putting me through. I should probably suggest it after the pictures went live.
There were a few squeals, and a couple of people asked if they could take pictures of us together. Hailey agreed, and we posed for a couple of pictures. It was perfect, and I knew that we would be the talk of social media that evening.
Things were finally starting to go my way. It would be nice to get my father off my back for a while. Dealing with him could be so exhausting at times. He acted like he never partied a day in his life, but I had heard some of the stories of his youth. He was no angel, that was for sure.
“She’s so pretty.”
“Aww, thank you,” Hailey said.
“Well, we have to get going. I promised my girl that I would make her some dinner.”
They backed away as we headed towards the house. I took Hailey’s hand in mine, and we made our way back up onto the porch. I turned and waved to my fans, and they returned the wave, calling out that they loved me. I chuckled as we started climbing the stairs.
Once we were on the porch, Hailey laughed, “Wow, that was intense. So, that’s your life, right?”
“I guess so. You might want to get used to that if you continue to further your acting career.”
She smiled, “Yeah I guess you’re right.” She seemed lost in thought for a minute there. She didn’t talk much about her career, and I didn’t want to pry. I started to brush the sand off my feet with a towel before I went into the house.
“Have a seat. I’m going to get another bottle of champagne and get the grill heated.”
“Thanks.” She took a seat as I went to the BBQ and turned it on. I let it heat up as I went inside the house.
I went to the fridge and took out some chicken. I took it out of the wrapper and seasoned it for the BBQ. I quickly chopped up some vegetables that could be grilled, as well. I didn’t want to leave her out there for too long on her own. Chicken and vegetables was a nice light dinner for a hot day. I left the food inside while the BBQ heated and grabbed another bottle of champagne from the fridge and headed outside.
I poured us both another glass.
“Everything okay in there?”
“Yes, I just got some chicken and vegetables together.”
“Oh, cool. Do you need any help?”
I smiled, “No, I have things under control, thanks.”
She nodded and looked out at the water. In the short time I had known her, I had never seen her looking more at peace and genuinely happy than she did right at that moment. She was beautiful in any light, but right then, she was stunning. I sat down beside her and sipped at my own champagne. Things were going amazingly well, and I felt almost blessed to have her there to help me with my bad reputation.
“I just want to thank you for being here.”
She looked up in surprise.
“I mean, I know this is a job for you, but I think you are doing a fantastic job already. I just want to thank you.”
She grinned. “It’s no problem. I’m having a great time, so it makes this job very easy. I’m glad to have this opportunity. It’s all very exciting for me.”
“Great, I’m glad it’s not torture for you.”
“Of course not.”
“Do you want to go have a few drinks later? After we eat?”
She giggled. “I guess we will have to see how I feel after this. I don’t want to get too wobbly.”
I laughed, “I guess we have been drinking all day already. How about we hit up a restaurant and have coffee and dessert, instead?”
She smiled. “That sounds perfect, actually. Let’s do that. Are you sure you don’t just want to stay here?”
“No, let’s go in public. That’s what we’re doing together, after all, isn’t it?”
“Sure, no problem, whatever you want. You’re the boss.”
I frowned. Yes, that was true. There was nothing more between us than that. I could live with that; it really wasn’t a big deal. I just wanted us in the limelight as much as possible that day so that the word would get out fast that I was making changes and had a girl in my life.
Once that happened, people’s opinions of me would start to change. Not only that, but Under Armour would take notice and then they would get off my back. They might even increase their sponsorship, they would be so happy with me.
I went about putting the chicken on the grill and adding BBQ sauce to the pieces. The vegetables were in a separate container with spices and olive oil. The meal would be quick, but delicious. When things were ready, I served them up on plates and handed her one.
“This lo
oks great. A chef in the making.”
I laughed, “Hey, what can I say? I try.”
I could tell that she was hungry when she dug in. Maybe I should have cooked for her the moment we got to the beach. I was just so excited to have her there and to get the media going at us. I was already a terrible host, and I would have to check myself for the future. She deserved to have a great time, and it was my job to provide that for her.
She smiled at me as we ate, and I couldn’t help but smile back; it was infectious. I started to formulate a plan for that evening; word had probably already got out, so there was no need to do anything crazy...but maybe crazy was what we needed. I couldn’t help but smile again.
Chapter Sixteen
Hailey
We returned to the hotel so that I could change out of my bathing suit. I hadn’t thought of bringing a change of clothes because I didn’t think we’d be going out for the evening. The day was starting to get to me. I had already been tired when I’d arrived, and adding sun and champagne to it, I could have fallen asleep immediately.
I left Caleb in the lobby to have another coffee; he never seemed to want to come up to my room. Maybe he assumed I wanted some privacy. It didn’t matter to me either way. I just found it a little odd.
Caleb seemed to want to make the most of my first day there. I could hardly complain, it was why I was there, after all. Tomorrow, I would have a chance to relax and look for an apartment with Matt for my sister. Hopefully Caleb had nothing planned for us, so I would have a chance to collect myself a little bit.
Mandy would be arriving in town on Friday, and I needed to make sure that everything was settled by then. It didn’t leave us with a lot of time, so looking for an apartment had to be a priority. That was why I asked Matt to let Caleb know right away. Hopefully, he didn’t mind that I was taking some time to figure things out on my own.
Mandy was adamant about not staying at the estate. She didn’t even think that I should be staying there. She thought it was weird considering we had just met, but there was no arguing with Caleb about it, and I didn’t want to risk the job. Besides, I could go stay with her anytime I wanted to – it wasn’t like I was a prisoner at the estate.
I was looking forward to having my sister there. At least I would have someone to talk to about all the madness around me. The day had been a full one, and I could just imagine the social media posts at that point. I hadn’t had a chance to check myself, but it would be something to see my picture all over the place.
Hell, that was a good thing, right? More exposure certainly wouldn’t hurt my career. I would have to talk to Jillian about that and see if there was a way that we could use the exposure to my advantage. Maybe I would have a ton of jobs lined up by the time I returned home.
I got into the hotel room and started stripping out of my clothes. I didn’t have time for a shower so I just toweled off as much sand as I could from my body, though it seemed to be just about everywhere. Thankfully, my hair didn’t get wet from the water as I had it up. I slipped into a pretty yellow sundress and stepped into a casual pair of strappy sandals. I let my hair down and brushed it out. Looking in the mirror, I noticed I’d got a little color that day and my skin seemed to glow. Polishing up my makeup, I took another look and felt ready to go.
I wondered how the evening would go and who we would meet. Things had already been a little crazy, and I felt the madness had only just begun. Once people realized that Caleb had a girlfriend, it would be a feeding frenzy. They would be on us all the time to get the latest scope on the relationship. It was certainly news since Caleb hadn’t had a real girlfriend in years.
When I returned to the lobby, I was surprised to find Caleb surrounded by a group of guys. He saw me coming and smiled, waving me over. It was showtime, so I put on my best smile and joined him. He pulled me close to him and smiled down at me.
“This is my girl, Hailey.”
I smiled and said hi to the guys around him; they seemed to know him so I knew they must be buddies from somewhere. I was a little offended by his use of “my girl;” it was the second time he had used it. Was that the same as being someone’s girlfriend? I wasn’t so sure. I had never had any of my previous boyfriends refer to me in that way, so I found it a little odd for Caleb to be doing it. Did he not consider me to be his girlfriend yet?
I tried to shake it off – it was ridiculous for me to even be thinking like that. It was all fake; it didn’t mean anything, so what was I getting worked up for? I would let him play it however he wanted to as long as he got the attention he was looking for.
In the long run, none of it would matter as I would be gone in three months and there would be a breakup story for the papers to print. But by then the majors would be over, and he would be a champion. The sponsors would be happy, and Caleb could go back to…well, being Caleb. I needed to focus on the script and not worry about whether “my girl” meant anything at all.
I smiled and nodded as the guy talked about the majors, and then just like that, Caleb swept me away to the car waiting outside. The next stop was his apartment in the city, where he could change, as well. I was curious about his personal space. He must take the apartment as a means of escaping his parents from time to time.
When we entered his apartment, I could already tell that it was a lot different from his parents’. It was less polished and more modern.
“Make yourself at home, Hailey. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure, take your time.”
I moved around the apartment, taking it all in. He was a minimalist, to be sure; there were no random knickknacks or items there just for show. I walked into a room that could only be his study and found framed pictures on the shelf. I moved to take a closer look and smile. They were of him and his parents, some of him and his father. They looked a lot alike. It was obvious where Caleb got his good looks from.
“That picture was taken last year at the tournament. He’s always there at the majors to see if I win.”
Startled, I turned around. Caleb stood there in the doorway, fresh in jeans and a t-shirt looking as handsome as ever. “He’s a handsome man, just like you.”
He smiled. “Thanks. He’s a hardass, though. He definitely has his opinions on how I should be living my life.”
I smiled. “I think all parents are like that.”
“My father won every Masters he was involved with. He was a force that couldn’t be stopped. People were probably relieved when he finally retired so that he could give someone else a chance to win.”
I laughed, “He sounds like quite a guy.”
“Yeah, he’s a legend,” he agreed softly.
“Those have to be some pretty big shoes to fill,” I said looking up at him. The weight of him wanting to be like his dad was literally pushing down on his shoulders. He was trying to stand tall amongst it all, but it was clearly weighing heavily on him.
“You have no idea.” He said it with a laugh, trying to joke around about it. I didn’t want to push him too much. If he wanted to talk about things, he would. I didn’t want to pry into anything that was none of my business. We didn’t know each other that well, and there may be a better opportunity later to talk about things when I was around for a little longer.
He sighed and changed the subject. “Well, shall we go?”
“Of course.”
We headed out of the apartment, and Caleb drove us to a popular restaurant in the downtown district. I was excited to see what the nightlife was like, even if we were just going for dessert. I still had a solid buzz on from the day, so I didn’t want to do any more drinking. It would be embarrassing if I was tipsy in front of cameras – that was the last thing Caleb needed.
He was all smiles as we walked into the restaurant, introducing me to people as we went along. The hostess brought us to a table, and I could tell by the number of people inside that it was a very popular place. We sat down, and the waitress brought us a dessert menu.
“Can I get you anything t
o drink?” she asked.
“Yes, I will take a coffee; cream and sugar,” I said and then looked to Caleb.
“I will take a coffee, as well, but put Bailey’s in mine.”
The waitress nodded and left us alone. I glanced at the menu, noticing that there were so many delicious desserts to order.
“What do you say we order a couple of them and share?” Caleb asked.
“Sure, that sounds great.”
We decided on a caramel cheesecake and something that was called a chocolate explosion cake. Both sounded divine, and I couldn’t wait to dig into them.
“So, are you happy to be back?”
I smiled. “Yes, I am. I’m exhausted, though; it’s been quite a day.”
He chuckled ruefully. “Maybe I should have let you rest before throwing you to the wolves. I’m sorry, I got overeager.”
“It’s okay; it’s not the end of the world. I’ll have time to relax tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I promise to let you have some time off tomorrow.”
Our coffees arrived, and I took a sip of the hot liquid. It was the best coffee I had ever tasted. Did the rich have the best of everything? I had to wonder if it was true. I noticed Caleb was glancing around the room to see who was watching us. He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it. The act caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it, and it felt a little weird.
I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t real. Caleb just wanted someone to play the part with. Which was fine with me. That was truly the only reason that I was there. I wanted nothing more from the situation than a job, and I knew that he felt the same way. He just wanted to get people’s attention – and it was certainly working.
Just as I was taking another sip of my coffee, a few people that knew Caleb came to the table. I was introduced one after the other, and he always used “my girl” to introduce me. I tried not to roll my eyes. It was a job, after, all and it was only for three months. Then I would cease to be “his girl.”
