Page 6 of Adam

He looked from her to the attendant and arched a brow. “Is everything okay?”

The attendant looked as if he’d seen a ghost and stammered. “Mr. Primis…I…um” Adjusting his collar, he tried to find words and Ella stood dumbfounded by his reaction. “It’s just that…well… I mean—”

She rolled her eyes. This man was terrible at thinking on his feet. Ella interjected, “I get a little queasy when an elevator stops, he was helping me get my feet back on solid ground.”

Adam laughed. “I hear that happens to a lot of people. Let’s hope the helicopter doesn’t have the same effect on you.”

He held out his arm, and she happily linked arm with him and gave the attendant a smile as he retreated to his station. They walked out of the lobby and into the bustling morning streets of Los Angeles. Everyone was buzzing, like the entire city was hyped on way too much caffeine. She didn’t miss those types of mornings. Running to the bus, getting to work just in the nick of time, only to have bosses breathing down your neck all day, only to get up and do it all again the next day. But compared to the small town she lived in, this was chaos times a thousand. So many people running in so many directions. She felt winded just watching them.

Adam tugged her through a small crowd to a parked town car waiting for them. He helped her inside and then quickly followed behind her. Inside the car, Ella finally felt like she could breathe again. The inside of the car was like stepping into a different world from the busy street. The temperature was perfect, Ella wasn’t sure what the perfect temperature was, but this was it. The smell of fresh brewed tea tickled her nose as Adam handed her a cup from DeLux Cafe. As he sat back next to her, he took a sip of his coffee and smiled.

“Is it always so busy in the morning?”

He nodded. “Everyone in this town always has somewhere to be.”

The scent of bergamot tickled her nose as she inhaled deeply. A smile spread across her lips. “Earl Grey, How did you know?”

He shrugged, “I asked the girls at the cafe what you ordered last night.”

“Well, thank you. It’s my favorite.So why does everyone in the hotel look at you like you’re someone important?”

He chuckled. “Because I own the place.”

“You own the Chalice Hotel?” Her jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Yep.” He took another nonchalant sip of coffee as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell.

Ella blinked. “Why didn’t you say anything last night?”

“Well, I don’t like to start off by saying thanks for paying money to sleep in my hotel.” He glanced over at her and winked. “It might come off as a little rude.”

She laughed. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Besides, it’s just a side business, more like a hobby.”

She brought the cup to her lips and took a drink before coughing on her Earl Grey tea at his response. “Wait, owning a million dollar hotel is a hobby for you? What do you do for your actual job, then?”

He shrugged again, this time with a bit of tension in his shoulder. “I don’t really like to talk about, it’s just work that needs to be done, and I’m good at it, but the hotel is what makes me happy.”

She nodded. “I’m glad you have something that makes you happy.”

In an obvious effort to change the subject, Adam asked, “Are you excited about the helicopter ride?”

Ella felt like her teeth might chatter from the building anxiety. “I’m actually really nervous.”

He arched a brow. “What’s got you so nervous?”

“They just look dangerous, like am I gonna fall out if we take a hard turn?”

Adam laughed and shook his head. “You won’t fall out, my pilot is one of the best and I will hold on to you every minute we’re up there.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she could feel the rush of blood that must be coloring her cheeks. “I’ve never flown.”

“If you don’t want to go, we can find something else to do.”

Shaking her head, Ella clenched her hands for a moment. “No, I’ve gotta do this. It’s on the list, and I don’t want to die never having at least went in the air once in my life.”

She could see something pass over his eyes…sorrow, sadness? Maybe it was pity. Putting on her best smile, she turned her attention to her morning tea just as the town car turned into a gated facility with a helipad squarely in the middle of the complex.

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