He preened proudly. “Was there ever any doubt?”
“I mean, yeah. Lots of them. I literally still can’t believe it.”
He laughed. “Well, shows what you know.”
I liked this side of Carter. The rough, boyish, laid-back side. Maybe he really should have been a repairman. He seemedhappier doing this than I had ever seen him. Which made him even more attractive somehow.
I was considering sleeping with the enemy when his phone rang, shattering the bubble we’d been in.
He answered and left the laundry room, like he wanted privacy. I went back to the kitchen to keep my pork chops from burning up like I was.
CHAPTER 12
CARTER
“This better be important,” I growled into the phone.
It was someone from Allory, which was the only reason I had answered it. Even then, I had considered smashing the phone with a hammer. Shelby and I had been vibing until the ringing killed the mood.
It had taken me over a week to open up a slight crack in the walls she had built around herself. She was finally starting to see me asmeinstead of a carbon copy of my father. Yes, I ran Allory now, but I was trying to do things a better way. Shelby was finally starting to come around, and I hoped this damn phone call didn’t set me back again.
I paced in her hallway, awaiting an answer. “It’s Brian, from the PR team.”
“Start talking, Brian from the PR team. I’m in the middle of something important.”
“Yes, sir, of course,” he said quickly. Nowtherewas the respect I was used to people showing me. If anyone back at the office in LA saw Shelby bossing me around, they would lose their minds.
I let Shelby do it because she was cute as hell. My family also owed hers a debt, and I didn’t mind crawling through some muck if that was what it took.
“We wanted to let you know the social media team will be flying out to Kentucky in two days,” Brian said.
It took a moment to process the information. Spending time with Shelby, I kept forgetting why I was even in this godforsaken corner of the universe. There were supposed to be some short videos showing me out here, connecting with the people. There would be a social media push to counteract the bad buzz we’d been getting.
So as much as I wanted to drag Shelby to bed and apologize to her in a primal way that didn’t require words, what I really needed from her was public support. Spending time with her felt like pleasure, but it was very much business.
Brian gave me some details about the social media team. I was supposed to meet them at the airport in the city and bring them back to Ferris. We didn’t want them getting lost like I had. It was unlikely another Shelby would come along to save them.
“Also,” he said as we were wrapping up. “We’ve got some people looking into the account that was trashing us online.”
“Are they still posting new smear pieces?” I asked, running a hand through my hair.
“No, but we’re still trying to figure out who they are. We think if you make peace with them on the same platform they used to trash us, it’ll be a lot more convincing. I will let you know the moment we figure out who they are.”
I thanked him and hung up. Amazing smells were wafting from the kitchen and my growling stomach wouldn’t let me concentrate on PR nonsense.
“What smells so good in here?” I asked, walking into the kitchen.
Shelby was just taking a pan off the stove. “Pork chops. Also mashed potatoes and cornbread.”
“Mother of God,” I said breathlessly, gripping the doorframe as if my legs had gone weak.
She laughed and shook her head. “Do you get a lot of homecooked meals back in LA?”
“Nope. I’m never home and I never cook.”
She served food for us both and took the plates over to the kitchen table. “Well, this isn’t fancy. No tire companies have given me awards for my cooking.”
“Tire companies?” I asked.
