AllFreeNovel
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“How was your day?” I ask her as I put the car into gear and peel out of the parking lot.
I love how her scent fills the car, masking the horrible car air freshener that Chris uses.
“It was good. I painted in the morning and then cleaned up and spoke to my parents for almost two hours in the afternoon,” she says, laughing softly.
“I like how close the three of you are,” I tell her.
“Yes, we are lucky like that.”
“What were you painting?” I ask her.
“A landscape of the canyon and the city,” she says and lets out a sigh. “That was one breathtaking view.”
“It was, but not more breathtaking than you.”
She shoots me an amused look. “Are you comparing me to a view?”
“No, I’m comparing the view to you,” I quip, and she laughs.
“What about you? Did you get the stuff you wanted to do done?” she says.
I wish I could tell her about my day. Share the plot of the movie with her and hear what she thinks. Tell her about the people in my life and the ones I interacted with today.
“I did. Most of it anyway,” I say instead.
I feel her stare, but she doesn’t pursue. That’s another thing about Grace. She’s naively trusting, and that makes me feel guilty as fuck. She doesn’t question what I tell her. But why would she, a voice inside my head says. How many people are movie stars in real life? This is such a mess, and I suddenly wish that I’d met Grace when I was myself, not Jack fucking Acker.
We get to the restaurant, and I hand over the keys of the sedan to a valet.
“Are you sure we can afford this?” Grace whispers as we walk up to the entrance.
I squeeze her hand that is draped on mine. “Don’t worry. We’re good.”
“I’m okay with Chinese or anything really,” she says.
“I know you are, but I wanted to bring your somewhere special for dinner.”
Inside the restaurant, I give my fake name to the hostess, and she takes us to a nice table in the corner of the room.
Grace looks around. “I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but this place is too expensive. I’ve read reviews of it in the papers, and I know getting a reservation is not easy.”
I wish I could wipe off the worry on her face, but I can’t without telling her my real identity. I’m not ready for that yet. Not ready to lose her.
“I know a few well-connected people,” I tell her. “They come in handy when I want to go to a nice restaurant.”
Grace is silent for a while. “I don’t want to pry, but you should be careful about how you use your money. From what I’ve read and heard, trust funds are dangerous. That money seems endless, but it can run out quickly if you’re not careful.”
She thinks I have a trust fund! Great. This is going from bad to worse.
“I hear you, but why don’t we just enjoy our dinner tonight and worry about finances tomorrow?” I can see that she’s not pleased with the idea of dropping the topic, but she nods and smiles.
I enjoy a nice dinner out every so often, and this time is even better than previous times when I’ve been here. Grace is awesome company. She’s well-read and can talk about anything from movies to current events.
We linger after dinner to drink the half bottle of wine we ordered. Afterward, I tip the waiter generously as well as the valet when he brings the car around.
Chapter 12
Grace
I can’t believe that Jack and I have been seeing each other for almost three weeks. Two glorious weeks, which feel like two days for the speed at which they’ve zipped by. We haven’t spoken about the future, but that doesn’t worry me. In our intimate moments, he expresses his feelings for me. Whatever we have is special, and we don’t want to let it go.
We’ve fallen into a routine where we have dinner together and hang out or make love. Jack more or less goes home every night, and I respect and understand his need to go to his own place, especially if we’re working the following day.
I see the commotion as soon as I take a turn and the fire station comes into sight. I slow down and stare at the crowd in front of the fire station. As I get closer, I see that they are men and women holding cameras directed at the fire station. Did I miss an announcement of some sort saying we had a function today? Even if that were the case, it can’t explain the number of photographers and cars blocking the station entrance.
I circle the building and park at the rear. I lock my car and walk around to the entrance. They don’t pay any attention to me, but a few of them shout questions at me.
