Page 39 of For Butter or Worse
“You’re quite good at that, too, yes.” He smiled back at her.
The smile sent a flutter through her, and she shoved down the feeling.
“I’m guessing you hike regularly?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I’m more of a runner. But my dad took my brother and me on a hike every Monday when the restaurant was closed. We’d see the sun coming up and we’d spot lots of coyotes and deer. I think it’s peaceful.”
A car blasting EDM whizzed past them. “As peaceful as LA can get, anyway.”
By the time they made it to the mountain and began to climb, Nina knew she’d made a huge mistake in agreeing to this. She was on her feet a lot for work, but hiking exercised a new group of muscles.
Leo wiped the back of his hand across his brow, so she must not bethatout of shape if even he was feeling the burn. Then he peeled his shirt off and over his head.
She did a double take. If she’d had a mouthful of water, it would’ve been a spit take. Leo was shirtless. She stopped moving. She couldn’t tell if she was horrified or mesmerized by the sight of his abs, which looked like a waffle iron, minus the syrup. She’d imagined that underneath the starched and boring button-downs was a stack of white dinner plates in the shape of a human form.
But there he was, half-naked and absolutely real. “Everything okay?” He turned to look back at her. “Has my Adonis-like physique stunned you speechless?”
She wasn’t going to let him get away with a compliment to himself. “I’m just a bit dumbfounded. I didn’t realize people are still doing spray-on abs.” She couldn’t not acknowledge the abs. She didn’t want to be rude to them just because they were attached to Leo.
“I sure hope that’s what the man in the van was doing when he told me to close my eyes.” He stretched his arms above his head, which made his chest look even broader and trimmer than before.
Show-off. Though, she admittedly did not mind watching the show. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to take spray tans from strangers?”
“I must’ve missed that class in business school. Now come on, it’s not much farther to the top.”
He waved for her to follow, and she moved surprisingly quickly. The draw of those abs was powerful.
Hours had passed. Okay, probably more like five minutes had gone by, but Nina had had just about enough of climbing up mountains.
“Are we there yet?” Her breathing was ragged, and she could barely complete a sentence.
“Actually, yes.” He handed her his water bottle, which she eagerly gulped from.
They slowed and stood at the lookout. The sun was beginning to drift lower in the sky, the colors fading to a golden hue. The air was cool against her hot skin, and downtown LA was in the distance, the soaring skyscrapers clustered together like a cup filled with knives.
And then she noticed a man leaning against a tall tree. He was dressed inconspicuously, but the long-lens camera he held told her exactly who he was and the moment he was waiting for.
She looked down. Her sneakers were firmly planted to the earth, but her body swayed slightly. When she looked up, the trees were fuzzy, like a film had been placed in front of her eyes. She tripped, and Leo caught her by the elbow.
“Whoa, you okay?” He sounded like he was talking through water.
Her hand trembled. Maybe she was dehydrated, or the long hike had exhausted her. She hadn’t eaten a proper lunch. Did she need to sit?
She blinked, trying to stop the skyline from vibrating. She wasn’t going to faint—right?—but she didn’t feel steady on her feet, either.
“I’mnotgoing to faint,” she said out loud, and mainly to herself.
His grip tightened on her elbow, while his other hand held her waist steady. “People who have to say that are usually about to faint.”
“Tom said there’s no crying at the Sunset Grande.” She didn’t want to cause another scene. First, she’d been photographed crying, next she’d be photographed fainting when they were supposed to be looking sexy together. This wasn’t good for her or for Lyon. If customers didn’t want to eat at a sad lady’s restaurant, the fainting lady wasn’t going to be reeling them in, either.
“Trust me?” He spoke low into her ear, the hum of his voice like a soothing sip of tea.
She nodded, surprised to realize that she really did trust him. Because she’d felt a kind of shift in their dynamic. She hadn’t opened up to anyone other than Sophie and Jasmine about her mom. And, for some reason, she felt safe in revealing part of herself to Leo. Maybe because he’d lost his dad, too, or perhaps the combo of wine and fries had played a role. Either way, their relationship had changed. And apparently, she now trusted him.
Leo brought Nina’s back against his chest, holding her from behind, his arms securely under hers, keeping her steady against him. “Take slow sips of this water and lean against me. I’ve got you.”
Nina took a slow sip, then a deep breath.
