Instead of heading toward the stretch of businesses, Alix took them to a tucked-away shady alley. “I borrow Phyllis’s when I need it, but everything I need is close enough to ride to.”
Grace was going to ask whether that felt claustrophobic, but they turned a corner and were suddenly in front of a set of rainbow-colored stairs carved into a hill.
“What is this?” Grace asked when the stairs, tagged with only a little graffiti, seemed to lead to nowhere.
“The height of Silver Lake touristy magic.” Alix grinned and Grace imagined her eyes crinkling behind her sunglasses. But it was her dimples that dismantled Grace every time. “Should we try to get a single, in-focus selfie?”
Grace chuckled. “And break our streak? Absolutely not.”
Alix sat halfway up the stairs and parted her thighs. After entertaining a filthy thought for only a second, Grace sat between them. With her arms resting over Grace’s shoulders, Alix positioned her phone for a photo. Unable to help herself, Grace turned her head and kissed Alix’s cheek, knocking her arm.
“You’re a menace,” Alix said with the sun in her smile before dipping down to kiss her lips.
Grinning, Grace reached up to thread her fingers through Alix’s hair and pulled her in closer. She’d never been one for PDA, but when Alix parted her lips with the tip of her tongue,Grace was sure she’d have to defend them against public indecency charges.
It was all Grace could do not to confess that she didn’t want to go back to Miami. That she couldn’t stand the thought of mornings without Alix. That she might never be able to sleep again if it wasn’t curled around her. That food never tasted as good as when they shared it. That she already missed her and ached for her and loved her.
By late afternoon, they were back on Alix’s street and walking hand in hand. An OPEN HOUSE sign on a huge Spanish-style house perched high on a corner caught Grace’s attention. She tugged Alix toward it.
“Damn, Gator. I didn’t know you were a millionaire,” Alix joked when they stopped at the open gate and narrow steps leading up to a bougainvillea-covered wood-framed porch.
“Come on. There’s no cover charge just to walk in.”
Alix laughed while she followed. “Are you a… lookie-loo?” she asked like she was delighted by every new fact about her she collected.
“I prefer to call myself reasonably curious,” Grace replied with an eyebrow wiggle before opening the carved wooden door.
“I’m sure you do,” Alix teased. “You’re going to be such a nightmare of an old lady.”
Grace laughed. “As long as everyone keeps their grass at the regulated height, we won’t have any problems.”
Alix pulled off her sunglasses and shone her bright brown eyes on her. “I bet you look so cute with a little ruler.”
From a gorgeous foyer with an intricate and colorful tile pattern on the floor, they passed a formal dining room. Alix stopped, arms crossed and expression pensive.
“But is this enough room for entertaining?” Alix asked like the unlikable half of aHouse Hunterscouple.
Grace made a sound in her throat to indicate she was giving the question careful consideration. “It might be a tight fit.”
Alix laughed and muttered under her breath. “You might be a tight fit.”
“Hi there.” A blonde woman materialized behind them. “That crown molding is original to the house. The current owners have spent so much time bringing out that 1920s charm.”
“Wasn’t the house built in the forties?” a man asked while on the way out.
The realtor shot him a glare as if to sayYou’re not buying, Bob. You’re dead to me.She smiled at Grace as much as fillers would allow.
“Is it just the two of you?” the realtor asked. “This is a great starter home,” she said of a place that could house a basketball team.
“Just me and the missus,” Alix replied before Grace could correct her assumption about their status.
The realtor beamed. “Newlyweds? Oh, you’re going to love it here.” She looked toward the door where another couple had walked in. “Why don’t you check out the kitchen and I’ll be right in to see if you have any questions?”
“I hope it’s a chef’s kitchen,” Alix said so sincerely that Grace almost forgot they’d been joking.
After a full tour, and deep conversation about how they’d make changes to suit their tastes, they ended up outside. The high-walled backyard offered no privacy from all the packed together two-story houses with a view right into the yard, but it did offer the illusion of seclusion.
“Oh, my God.” Grace squeezed Alix’s arm. “It has a guest house.” She led them toward it. “Couldn’t you imagine Phyllis living here?” She opened the door to a quaint but spacious one-room house larger than Grace’s first apartment.
