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He opened the passenger door and helped her inside, putting her crutches on the backseat. Then he settled himself into the driver’s seat and pushed the ignition button to start it up. Almost immediately the stereo came on at full blast and he leaned forward to turn it off.
“Sorry about that. I tend to play my music loud.”
She smiled at him. “Me, too.”
He put the gear shift into drive and maneuvered the car out of its spot on the driveway, clicking the remote control to open up the gates. He could feel her looking at him.
Eyes on the road, Nate. Not on the pretty lady’s face. That way you might both make it home in one piece.
It had seemed like a good idea to invite her to join him when he’d suggested it last night. But right then he’d been a little high on the smell of nail polish, and the feeling of Ally’s skin as he held her feet and painted her nails. It had made sense – she was clearly bored at home all day, and the thought of having some company as he drove around California seemed like a bonus. It was always good to have somebody to bounce ideas off, after all.
But he hadn’t banked on the effect she’d have on him this close up. He could smell the scent of her floral shampoo as the wind lifted her hair, could see the glow of her skin every time he glanced out of the corner of his eye.
“So what were you listening to?” she asked him. “I didn’t hear the song long enough to recognize it.”
“Dark Wolf. They’re a Seattle band. You probably won’t have heard of them.”
“No, I haven’t. Are they good?”
“Yeah. They play at a club down the road from my place on the lake. They’re even better live than they are recorded.”
“Can we listen to them?” Ally asked.
He nodded at the center console. “Be my guest.”
She flicked the stereo back on and sat back in the seat, tucking her hair behind her back. “I really picked a bad day to wear my hair down,” she told him. “I should have thought about the wind.”
“You want me to put the roof back up?”
“No. It’s too nice to hide the sun. I’ll just keep leaning back on it, that way it won’t look like a bird’s nest by the time we make it to our first stop.”
He was glad. If he had to make a choice he’d prefer looking at her hair to having the sun shine down on them, but right now they were both welcome. He felt a sense of joy rush through him – a feeling that today was going to be a good day.
By the time they made it to the outskirts of the city, they’d listened to the whole album. When it finished, he asked Ally to play something she liked, and she’d pulled out her phone, a small smile on her face as she scrolled through some tracks.
“Since you played me a bit of Seattle, I thought I’d play you some California,” she told him. Almost immediately a guitar riff struck up, joined by a deep bass. He recognized it right away. Who wouldn’t? It had to be one of the most played songs in the world.
“‘Hotel California’?” he asked. “You’re an Eagles fan?”
“My dad used to listen to them all the time. I didn’t really get a choice. He always said they were the best Californian band he ever heard. And he went to a lot of gigs when he was younger.”
She was tapping her fingers against her bare thigh to the rhythm of the song. When it got to the chorus she joined in, singing softly enough that he had to concentrate to hear her over the noise of t
he highway.
He was almost disappointed when they made it to the first shop and he parked in the lot behind the building. He got out and looked around, taking in the overflowing bins and trash that was scattered on the ground. Frowning, he opened Ally’s door and grabbed her crutches to hand to her.
“So this is an incognito visit,” he told her. “I want to watch how they do things for a little while before I introduce myself. If they know who I am as soon as I walk in, they’ll play up for me and I don’t want that.”
He glanced over at the trash again.
“Like Undercover Boss?” Ally asked, a smile in her voice. “Won’t they recognize you?”
“I wasn’t involved in the training or opening of this location. One of my staff members took the lead.” He shook his head. “Christ, this place looks terrible.”
The trash stank to high heaven. Ally wrinkled her nose as they walked past it. “This is the first impression a customer gets of the place.”
“Exactly.” His voice was grim as they walked into the shop. It was half empty even though it was lunchtime and usually the busiest time of the day. “You want to find a seat and I’ll go order?” Nate said, gesturing at the vacant tables.
