"Luke, just sit down please." Kerri begged.
I stopped pacing the floor for a moments time before plopping myself in a chair across from her desk. Giant floor-to-ceiling windows lined the walls of her office in downtown Nashville. I stared out the one to my right, watching the cars zip by.
"They're out to get me!" I exasperated, referring to the media. "Every little thing I do is scrutinized, even the things I don't do are judged!"
Kerri sighed, "Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten into that little misfit, we shall call it, in that bar."
"The drunk bastard is the one who hit me! It was self defense!"
My head was thumping and I brought my hand to my temple to try and soothe the pulsing reverberating throughout my head.
"Yes, I get that," Kerri began. She moved around the desk so she was in front of me. "But I'm sure tapping that guy upside the head with your microphone at the Charlie Daniel's birthday show didn't help your case."
"He flipped me off, had a disturbing sign, and was bugging the women around him. He deserved it. That tap couldn't have hurt a damn fly." I grumbled.
"Yah, well, the media doesn't see it that way," She said, "That's why I've hired someone to fix your reputation. They'll be following you day in and day out for a month. This means they'll be living with you and watching your daily activities, reporting on them. At the end of the month, they'll write an article about their experience with you. Don't screw it up."
"Wait, don't I get a say in this?" I asked, standing up.
Kerri made her way to the door at the sound of a knock. "Nope. She should be here anyways."
"She?" I said abruptly. "No, no, no, she'll be all over me. Kerri, I'm Luke Bryan."
"She has no idea who you are. That's why this will work. She has no prior knowledge of you as a person. That's why I said don't screw it up."
"But-" I began to say, but Kerri reached for the door handle and flung it open.
My jaw dropped open. Of all the people Kerri could have chosen, she chose this woman. She was a masterpiece and all she was doing was standing in the door way. Her blond hair cascaded down her back in soft curls. Her eyes were soft and so ice blue. I'd never seen someone so breathtaking.
"Hi," Her voice rang out softly, a soothing melody. "I'm Caroline."
I should have known such a beautiful woman would posses such a beautiful name. "Hi-," I stuttered. "I'm Luke."
