And then there’s the fact that we’re supposed to be falling in love, seriously dating. I can’t just drive off after dropping her, like I’m not spending the night or whatever. We would kiss each other goodbye at the very least.
Suddenly, the photographers start yelling.
“Rawley, Avery, get out of the car.”
“Come on, give us the photo.”
They don’t look like the guys Taylor had at the restaurant, and they’re much more aggressive.
“Shit, Rawley, I don’t like this.” Avery sounds genuinely upset.
Suddenly, lights flip on at a couple of the townhouses near her. “Oh no, my neighbors are going to hate me,” she says, her anguish coming through.
That’s it. “We’re getting out of here, okay?” I turn on the car and put it in reverse. “I’m getting us out of here.”
As soon as we’re back on the highway, I take stock. No one seems to be following us.
“I’m sorry, Avery. We’ll go to Landon’s, okay? And we can call Taylor when we’re there.”
“How did they know where I live?”
Pretty much everyone’s address is a Google search away, but saying that out loud isn’t going to help things right now.
“Do you want to call Taylor while I’m driving?”
“No, just give me a minute. I need to regroup.” She takes a couple of deep breaths. “I don’t spook easy, but that was intense.”
She’s quiet for a beat, and then she turns to me, looking more like herself. “I’m better now. How much longer until we’re at Landon’s?”
“Maybe five minutes.”
“Enough for a call.” She calls Taylor up on speaker and explains everything.
“Wow, okay. Those guys definitely don’t sound like they’re from Orlando. It’s not exactly teeming with aggressive paps. They must have come in just for you two. Maybe from Miami.”Great.
I don’t stay silent. “This is a little out of control, Taylor. Avery needs to feel safe in her house.”
“I understand. Let me make some calls and see what I can find out.”
Avery settles back into the passenger seat, looking irritated instead of frightened now.
“What am I going to do, stay over at your place?”
I hadn’t really gotten that far yet, but…
“I think that would be best for tonight? Landon has tons of room.”
She looks down at her phone. “I could try to reach Sarah, but it’s late now.”
“Let that be a solution for tomorrow, maybe? You can use Grace’s old room at Landon’s.”
Before she and Johnson moved in together, my sister had her own suite. I have my own too, because Landon’s house is over-the-top. Every bedroom even has its own en suite.
Avery gives me a small, resigned smile. “Okay.” I’m glad to see a flicker of relief pass through her eyes.
We’re at Landon’s a few minutes later. Unlike Avery’s neighborhood, there’s a gate with an attendant, and the house has an advanced security system too. Paps aren’t getting in.
“I’ll give you a mini-tour,” I offer as we walk in the entryway.
