Page 26 of The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck

“It’s fine, I suppose,” he says with a faint air of disdain. “If you like that sort of thing.”

“By ‘that sort of thing,’ do you meancheese? Because I like cheese.”

He lifts the fingers of one hand from the wheel. As if he’s waving the subject adieu.

“There’s nothing wrong with Monterey Jack. It’s a wonderful cheese.”

“Whatever you say, Lilah.”

There’s something in the way the Santa Ana wind tousles his dark hair that works for me. Makes it hard to look away. Though he is alluring with or without the weather.

“You’re staring at me,” he mumbles.

“I want to commit what a Monterey Jack hater looks like to memory. That way, I can avoid your kind in future.”

His smile is a split-second sort of thing. Like it escaped him for a moment. “Bold words from a Pop-Tart-phobe.”

“I never said I hated Pop-Tarts. Just that there is no way they compare to a breakfast burrito.” I wait for a while. “What’s up, Ali? Nothing to say in your defense?”

“I just thought I’d let you sit over there and dwell in your wrongness for a while. You seem like a bright enough lass. I am sure you’ll come to your senses eventually.”

I snort.

We’re heading northwest, and there’s little to see until we join the Pacific Coast Highway at Santa Monica. The gods of traffic smile on us and we make good time. A handsome man in a sedan tries to catch Alistair’s eye at a red light, along with several women in an SUV. Who can blame them?

“What?” asks he of the dark tousled hair and chiseled jawline.

“Hmm?”

“You’re still staring.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. What’s on your mind, Lilah?”

I sigh. “I was just thinking...”

“About?”

“How wonderful this is. The sun is shining, music is playing, and this car is a dream. Thank you.”

“You already thanked me.”

“And now I’m thanking you again. You put yourself out for me. A veritable stranger in a sticky situation,” I say. “You’re a good man, Alistair Lennox. Even with the whole cheese thing.”

He grunts.

“What else would you like to argue about?”

“I suppose we could move on to lunch. I grabbed a burger. What about you?”

“Brunch was late, so I didn’t bother.”

He just nods.

It is a spectacular day for a drive. The endless blue of the ocean disappears in the distance. There are gorgeous beaches with expanses of sand, rugged cliffs, and rock formations. But it’s the cool salty air rushing past that makes it sublime. My scarf is wound around my neck, and the ends flutter in the wind. I want to imprint this moment in my memory so I can play it back at will whenever I need a hit of happy.

I clear my throat and announce, “Back to my wish list. I decided not to attempt riding a mechanical bull.”

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