Page 117 of David

“She’ll go to school next year.”

“How old is she?” I ask, trepidations falling through my frame.

“She’ll be nineteen soon.”

“Uh… What??”

He looks at me and nods before focusing on the road. I must look like I just swallowed a bee hive, and my lips got swollen.

“You thought she was older?’

“Is that legal?”

Shaking his head slowly, he flashes a smile.

“Legal for waking me in the morning? Working for me? Having a special relationship with me?”

“How special is her relationship with you?”

He shrugs a shoulder.

“You’ll find out if you ever work for me,” he tosses casually, and again, I wonder whether he’s serious or not.

“I have a job right now.”

I tell him about my part–time retail job.

“Then you’re all set.”

“Is her job paying well?” I ask after pondering for a second.

“Mm-hmm. I’m a generous boss…” he says in a flirting voice that sends tingles down my spine.

A few moments pass, and the car stops at the top of a hill in a lookout area.

The evening has darkened the valley, so the lights start to come on.

He turns the engine off.

“I thought you might want to see this. I noticed your gaze when we left James’ place. The view is perfect at his house, but so is this,” he says thoughtfully.

I glance at him, grappling with surprise.

People never notice these things.

Chloe has had a hard time spotting the nuances this evening.

I couldn’t agree more about the view.

We take it in for a few long, silent moments.

“Are you actually living in that hotel?” I ask at some point.

“For now, yes. I’m here for work. The hotel room comes with the job, and it’s great, so there’s no point in saying no to it.”

“So you’re really here temporarily?”

“We’re all here temporarily,” he responds softly.

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