Wouldn’t that look great on a resume? One day on the job as Rhett Corrigan’s personal assistant.
Instead, Randi smoothed the oil over her bare breasts and shocked Cassie by saying, “I need a birthday present for my mother. Pick a gift up today, Callie. Just a little something. Not too flashy. Classy, instead.”
Randi continued slathering on tanning oil, focusing on evenly distributing it, never bothering to look Cassie in the eyes.
Cassie grabbed the bottle from the model’s hand and slammed it onto the table.
“I’m not Callie. It’s Cassie. Cassie Carroll. And no, I draw the line. Presents are personal, especially when it’s your mom we’re talking about, and you should put some thought into buying her a gift that comes from your heart. I’m not your assistant. I’m Rhett’s. He’s paying me to work for him. Not you. Go buy your own present.”
Randi glared daggers at her. “We’ll see about that. You are so fired.”
She hated herself for blowing an ideal job on day one yet she was proud she’d stood up to this horrid woman.
Cassie turned and ran smack into her new boss.
◆◆◆
Rhett caught her elbows and steadied her. “I need to see you right away, Cassie. Come inside, please.”
“Rhett? We need to talk.” Randi’s tone let Rhett know serious trouble brewed between the two women.
“Not now, Randi. Later.”
“But Rhett—”
Rhett ignored his girlfriend’s pout and accompanied Cassie back inside. Shep awaited them in the kitchen. He gave the dog a quick pat and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for both of them and sat. Cassie stood.
“Getting a lot done?” he asked as Shep wandered over to Cassie and she began petting the large dog.
“Not exactly. I did meet Breck. He showed me around. I can at least find my way from the kitchen to the pool since I’ve made the trip numerous times already.”
Rhett hid a smile and wickedly decided to push her. “Really?” He didn’t think he could sound more innocent. He watched Cassie’s temper flare.
“I did not hire on to be at the beck and call of your Playboy Bunny, Corrigan. I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend. But I can’t do for you while I’m playing servant girl to her. I’m surprised she hasn’t already had me pay her bills online, take her poodle to the vet for a clip, and exchange a pair of Manolos because she didn’t like the color anymore.”
“If you give Randi time, she’ll see you get all of that done by five this afternoon.” Rhett grinned at Cassie’s heated glare. “And Cassie, Randi has a maltipoo. You might want to remember that in the future when you shop for the dog’s clothes.”
She almost growled at him. Rhett burst out laughing. “Calm down. I’ll be sure Randi’s clear that you’re my assistant. I have plenty to keep you busy. She won’t ask you again to run her errands. Or fetch her drinks. I promise.”
Cassie sniffed. “I’ll bet she never took advantage of your sister like this.”
Rhett’s eyes twinkled. “Hell, no. Carreen wouldn’t have put up with that.” He paused. “You shouldn’t either.”
Cassie nodded her approval and took a seat at the table. “Let’s get started.” She whipped out a pad and pen from her purse and looked at him expectantly.
“Okay. My publicist, Becky Bloss, is set to call you around three-thirty. You’ll need to coordinate my upcoming calendar with her. Carreen had a few things marked already. I’ll do anything the two of you deem reasonable to promo the new movie—radio, TV, print, whatever—through December twenty-third. I’ll want to spend some time with my family, so don’t book anything until after the twenty-eighth.”
Cassie finished scribbling. “What else?”
“I need to go see my sister this afternoon so you’ll be on your own. I can show you Carreen’s computer and call up a few files for you to peruse. Just get yourself familiar with things.”
“Breck told me Carreen has cancer. I’m so sorry. I lost my dad to it.” Cassie swallowed at the painful memory. “Medicine has advanced so much more now. I know she’ll beat this.”
He felt his eyes misting. “I hope so, too. What kind of cancer did your dad have?”
“Lung cancer. Unfortunately, he was a heavy smoker. Two packs of Camels a day. I was only seven when he died.”
Rhett took her hand. “That’s rough on a kid.” He gave it a squeeze and released it. “Carreen’s got two little ones. Six and four. Fortunately, they caught it early. The doctor expects a good outcome. It’s rough seeing her go through the chemo now. She’s lost most of her hair and her appetite’s nonexistent.” He chuckled. “Unlike me. I’m always hungry.”
“Why don’t I made you a sandwich or salad or whatever you normally eat, and you can head over to see her?”
Cassie walked over and opened the refrigerator, Shep following on her heels. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she said flatly.
Rhett glanced inside and saw the bare shelves. “Yeah, I’m kind of low on things.”
“When is the last time your housekeeper bought groceries? Or your cook? And where is the rest of your staff? I thought Hollywood superstars had tons of people.”
Rhett loved the curiously demanding tone in her voice. “I am staff-less at the moment. My housekeeper, Consuelo, has gone back to Mexico for the holidays. She took her daughter, Maria, her two nieces, and her two sons with her. Maria cooks like a dream, the nieces clean under Consuelo’s watchful eye, and the boys are my groundskeepers. They maintain the yard and the pool.”
“It’s only the first week of December,” Cassie pointed out. “How generous are you with time off? Not that I need a vacation right now.”
Rhett knew this would be tough to explain. “Consuelo is the best but she has a habit of taking off on the spur of the moment to visit relatives in Mexico. This time, she left right before Thanksgiving.”
“And you let her? You keep hiring her and her family back even though she leaves you high and dry?”
He nodded sheepishly. “What can I say? She takes good care of me. They all do. I always say I’ll fire her but then I take her back every time.”
“So what do you do during the in-between times?”
Rhett shrugged. “I get by. Order out a bunch. Breck stops for pizza a couple of nights a week. I’m not too messy so things don’t get too bad.”
Cassie cringed. “I can see it now, a new headline on the TMZ site—Sexy Star Showers Amidst Fungi. They’ll have you dead from black mold, Rhett. I know these tabloids.”
“What do you suggest I do? And remember, Maria makes the best damned enchiladas west of the Mississippi. I refuse to give those up. If Maria stays, they all will stay.”
“First of all, I wouldn’t rehire any of them again. But seeing the look on your face, that’s not an option. So we’ll pinch-hit for now. I’m a Texas gal so if it’s Mexican you like, I can do it all—fajitas, chili, nacho casserole.”
“My mouth’s already salivating.” Rhett glanced down at his sheep dog. “Even Shep’s up for whatever you can make.”