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But I can already tell my dad isn’t buying it.
“Well, that’s a little weird.”
“Yeah, but Coach says it’s what I gotta do after what happened.” I sigh, fighting the urge to run my fingers through my freshly styled hair.
I made it a point to dress nicely for the evening, given that Nila seems to think my normal wear is drabby. I chose a pair of new dark-wash jeans and a black button-up dress shirt. It’s not my style, but I do match Nila ... so there’s that.
“So, you were hired to … take pictures of him?” Dad looks confused as he turns to Nila.
I haven’t told him anything about this new arrangement. My dad doesn’t even know how to use the browser on his phone, let alone understand how social media works.
“Sort of,” Nila says to him. “It’s more about controlling the narrative. The press is running a bit of a smear campaign, so we’re trying to drown that out by giving fans and speculators an up-close and personal perspective from the subject himself. We’re trying to show a softer side to the world, to hopefully draw attention away from the stories floating around.”
Man, she sounds so ... professional.
“I see.” Dad nods, a smile breaking out across his face. “You must be one of the best then. I know they’d only hire the best to deal with Cam. He can be quite a handful.”
She giggles. “Thank you. So far, it hasn’t been too bad. Most of my work has been done from the stands—there hasn’t been as much personal interaction.”
Thank goodness for that.
She’s enough of a distraction as it is. Every single practice, I catch myself looking up at her and wondering what she’s doing behind the screen of her phone.
“Well, he better be treating you like a gentleman.” Dad eyes me as the hostess returns to the podium.
“Table for three?”
“Just two plus a shadow,” Dad answers, bursting into a cackle.
I facepalm myself. This is why I didn’t tell him Nila was coming. Lord knows what kind of jokes he’d have up his sleeve if he’d had time to prepare.
I glance over to Nila, whose eyes are wide. “Get used to it,” I tell her. “It’s only gonna get worse from here.”
Chapter Five
Nila
“So, you came from New York City?” Carl says to me as he forks a bite of fettuccine into his mouth.
I nod. “That’s right. I have an apartment there. I grew up in northern New York, though. That’s where my family’s from.”
“I see.” He nods. “What do you think about Atlanta?”
I shrug. “It’s a nice change of pace. I only have qualms with the humidity in the summer months.”
He laughs, deep and heartily. “That’s what my wife used to say. She was always making comments about the humidity and her hair. I swear, it never looked bad though.” His eyes glisten with an air of distance, and my heart squeezes at the recognition of grief.
Cameron clears his throat. “My mom passed away from breast cancer seven years ago.”
“She would’ve been real proud of Cam.” Carl beams, and I can’t help but melt at the pride in his voice.
To have a set of parents that care like that...
It must be nice.
“Anyway.” Cameron looks at me, making an embarrassed face. “You haven’t taken any pictures.”
“Oh, right,” I say, setting down my fork and grabbing my phone. “I was too busy enjoying the food.”
