Page 122 of The Lair

I waste no time nodding.

“I’ll wait in the car outside,” he tells me, suddenly sounding a little shy. “Take as much time as you need. I’m in no rush.”

As he shuts the front door behind him and I head back to my room, my heart pounding, I wonder if this would count as our first date.

January in Los Angeles isn’t exactly cold, especially compared to the East Coast, but the light breeze makes me hug my jacket tighter against my front all the same. Maybe it’s just nerves.

Travis is waiting for me in the car as he said he would. Right as I’m closing the front door behind me, he steps out into the driveway to open the passenger door for me—which melts my insides but also isn’t helping my first date suspicions. Is that what this is? Or does he just want to spend time with me as a friend?

I could always ask, but I enjoy torturing myself.

“Thank you,” I tell him shyly, pretty sure my cheeks are bright red.

If they weren’t before, they sure are now that he’s smiling down at me in that handsome way.

“Where are we going?” I ask him once he’s behind the wheel again.

He starts the car and checks the rearview mirror before pulling out of Jada and Paul’s driveway. “First, to get food.”

I smirk. “That doesn’t sound vague at all.”

“This is about getting to know each other, isn’t it?” He starts down the residential road, my eyes falling on his hands as he drives. God, I’d forgotten how attractive he makes everything look. “Tell you what, I like surprises.”

My eyebrows shoot up at that. “You do?”

“You sound shocked.”

“I just thought…”Honesty, Allie. Speak your mind. He won’t be offended.“I’ve always thought you were kind of a control freak, and they don’t usually like surprises.”

“You’re not wrong. I like to keep things under control,” he concedes as he takes a turn. “What I meant is that I like surprising people. Those I care about anyway.”

“What’s the biggest surprise you’ve given Uncle Neil?”

“Other than that one time I went home with my hair cut in odd places, like he told you?” I nod, the reminder of our conversation making me laugh. I’d give anything to see a picture of that. “I got him a car a few years ago. Told him it was mine, sat him behind the wheel so he could try it out, and then gave him the keys and told him it was for him. He almost cried. He will deny it if asked, but those eyes were glassy.”

And I thought this man couldn’t get more attractive. “That’s the sweetest thing ever, Travis. How about getting surprises yourself?”

He shrugs those massive shoulders. “Only if I trust the person who’s giving me a surprise.”

“Makes sense. So, food. I don’t know what you had planned, but I want us to eat your favorite food tonight.”

He sneaks a quick glance at me. “My favorite food?”

I hum.

“What if you don’t like it? Today is for you as much as it is for me,” he says with a hint of worry.

“I’ll like it,” I tell him with conviction. “And if I don’t—which I doubt because I’m not a picky eater—then I’ll never eat it again. Simple. But I want to know this about you. Pretty please?”

He shakes his head, the corner of his lips tilting upward. “Can’t say no to you.”

We end up getting Chinese takeout. I haven’t had it in years, and I don’t remember if I liked it or not, but the car is filled with the most heavenly smell as Travis drives us somewhere else—another surprise.

Twenty minutes later, he stops the car at a place I haven’t been to before. Perched on a hill, the imposing cupola of the observatory offers a clear view of the Los Angeles skyline. Paired with the sun that’s starting to disappear on the horizon, giving the sky an orange-pink glow, it takes my breath away.

Travis grabs the takeout bags and something else from the trunk, but I’m barely paying attention. My eyes stay glued to the horizon, and before I know it, my throat clogs up.

Los Angeles has never felt like home to me. Home to the worst years of my life, sure. Home to fond memories, happy times, and freedom? No. Not at all. I couldn’t wait to get out of here when I was younger, and I swore I’d never come back.

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