Page 51 of Take It Till You Make It
Crispin checks the time on his phone. “It does. And we need to be there between 10:15 and 10:30.”
We all stare at him.
“I told you.” He shrugs. “I know a guy.”
“This is an after-hours personal tour?” I ask.
“Of course.” Crispin tosses his napkin on his plate and holds up a finger to our waiter a few tables down. “Nothing but the best for my new friends.”
Sally and I make eye contact. I waggle my brows. “Looks like we won the tour guide award.”
“No doubt.” She wipes her mouth and places her napkin beside her plate. “First the museum, now this. I’ll be spoiled for lines and crowds.”
“I guess you have to learn the ins and outs of going out in public without causing a scene when you’re as famous as you are, huh?” Brook asks.
Crispin slides a credit card out of his pocket and drops it onto the little tray the waiter is about to set onto the table without even looking. The waiter turns and leaves before we even have a chance to argue over who pays what. I can see everyone is just as shocked at the move as I am. He shrugs. “You do sort of get to know the safe public places, like this one. But I don’t mind the ruckus of signing autographs and taking selfies in a public place if it doesn’t take me away from who I’m with.”
His gaze flicks sideways toward me, and everyone else automatically looks at me too. I shift in my chair.
“Seriously, if I ever have that problem, I’m going to pick your brain for tips and tricks,” Sally says.
River squeezes her hand. “You’re most definitely going to have that problem.” Then he looks at Crispin. “How much do I owe you for dinner?”
Crispin shakes his head. “Nothing, man. My treat.”
Though we audibly balk first, we end up thanking him as he signs his receipt, and then we abandon the table together. Outside the restaurant, there’s a chill in the air that I think is only because we’re on the ocean. I pull my hoodie on and zip it up. River wraps an arm around Sally, and we all stroll leisurely down the pier toward the parking lot. The bark of sea lions accompanies us, but fewer birds vie for our attention. One funny little guy runs and hops down the pier alongside us, squawking all the while, keeping us entertained.
There are fewer cars in the parking lot. River and Crispin exchange information about where we’re going, and we get into our separate cars. I feel conspicuous climbing into the passenger seat of Crispin’s car. Like doing so will make my friends think I’m on a date with him. I shake my head, not even sure why this is a big deal to me at all. This is no different from me driving Sally or River giving me a ride somewhere.
The flutters in my chest tell me it’s very different.
“Thanks again for dinner. The food was so good, and watching the sunset over the ocean is my new favorite pastime,” I say as we pull out of the parking lot.
“I really like that place. They don’t normally take reservations, so it means a lot to me that they make that consideration for me.”
“Oh, wow. I didn’t realize that was special treatment. That’s really nice.”
“They catered a wrap party for one of my movies, shoot, probably seven years ago. I got to know the owner, and he’s been so kind to me ever since.”
I squint at his profile. “Seven years ago?”
Crispin looks at me and nods before returning his attention to the road.
“So, you were like, what, fifteen?”
I see him look up at the roof of his car, like he’s considering it. “Yeah, that’s about right. It was the wrap party forRebel State. I was fifteen when I did that one.”
“And you made friends with a restaurant owner?”
He frowns. “Is there something wrong with that?”
I shake my head. “It’s just not normal for a fifteen-year-old to make friends with an adult.”
He lets out a humorless chuckle. “There’s nothing normal about my life, Ari. I’ve worked in an adult-centric career since I was six. What wasn’t normal for me was making friends with someone my age.”
“Oh, well, that’s sort of sad.”
He shrugs but keeps his attention on the road. “It’s better now that I’m an adult.”
