Page 40 of Even Ground

I huff out a breath. “You’d better behave. I’ll tell on you to Cal and Ros if you don’t.”

A gentle breeze fills the car as Pania puts down her window a little. “I’m always good.”

“I’m not commenting.”

She laughs, reaching for the hand hold above the door. I make a few turns until we’re on the freeway. It’s clear she has no idea where we are as she looks around, but I make my way to the end of Ledgewood Drive.

“This is my favourite spot to look at it. It’s maybe a three minute walk from here.”

Pania grimaces. “I’m not hiking. Don’t you have some movie star pass to just drive up there?”

I laugh. “Not that I know of. It’s not far. Let’s go.”

Pulling over to the side of the road, I open my door and step out of the car. She joins me at the front of the car, and I lock it before we walk up the road.

She grumbles the whole time. “I thought we were just going for a drive.”

“Do you want to get photos?”

Her lips curl. “My mum would love it.”

“Do it for her, then.”

She comes to a halt and gasps. “It really was a three minute walk.”

“Told you.”

It’s the weirdest thing. I guess when I moved to LA it was a novelty to see things like the Hollywood sign, but it’s just a part of my daily life now. Seeing Pania smiling and taking photos makes me look at it again through fresh eyes.

Maybe that’s symbolic of the choices I make in my life going forward.

It’s not always easy to leave the past behind, but it might be time to do just that.

* * *

It’s a little after four when I approach Josh’s house and slowly pull into the driveway, maybe too slowly, because I’ve enjoyed the day so much. I’m not sure I want it to end.

“Thank you for today.” Pania looks at me from under the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen. How did I not notice those before?

“You’re welcome. I enjoyed it. Next time, we might even get out of the car a bit more.”

Pania laughs. “To be honest, I’m still tired from the wedding. Staying inside the car for most of it was fine with me.”

I suck in my bottom lip as I draw the car to a halt and switch off the ignition. “Josh has this pizza place he recommended. I thought we might try it for dinner. He feels comfortable enough to take Delaney and Amelia there, so it should be okay.”

“Sounds great. I’m pretty hungry considering how long I haven’t moved today.”

I laugh. “We moved. Just not on our feet.”

“Good point.” She takes a deep breath. “We should probably head in and let Ros know before she starts cooking dinner.”

Opening my door, I stretch my leg out. “I might have a shower and get changed too.”

“Why? You don’t smell bad.” Her eyes meet mine, and her cheeks flush. “How do I smell?”

Pania’s tilt of her head makes me lose focus. “You smell pretty good to me. That’s impressive given we’ve been trapped in a car together for hours.”

She opens her door and steps out, and I’m not quite sure how today went. We talked a lot, laughed, and I smile at the thought of how enthused she was in a city that drains me sometimes.

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