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Joe looked between her and Blake, his expression twisted in shock and horror.
“Uh, yeah, no,” Joe said slowly. “I’m not that guy.”
And then he was gone, lost in the crowd of partiers.
Blake sighed. “Don’t kill me. I—”
“It’s fine.” Kristen brushed away his apology.
He paused. “It’s not. I swear I’m not trying to sabotage every guy who hits on you. But that guy hit the shots so heavy, and those are just the ones that I witnessed. Who knows how much he drank before I got here? And I doubt he would’ve been the type to call an Uber.”
She touched his arm gently. “It’s fine. I wasn’t totally comfortable with him anyway. In fact, maybe we can just get out of here? It’s been a long day.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes. “Sure, let’s go.”
He caught her hand and wound them away from the pounding music and crowds of people.
Once outside, she drew in a breath of cool air and let the tension escape from her muscles. She hadn’t realized how much that scene inside had stressed her out.
Blake opened her door to the truck, and she climbed in and sat down. A moment later, he settled in the driver’s side next to her.
He paused. “Where to?”
She bit her lip. “Anywhere that’s quiet and where we can maybe decompress. Just for a bit, and then I’ll go back to Tori’s.”
“Okay.” He gave a slow nod. “I know a place.”
She leaned back in the comfortable seat and closed her eyes, and he started the truck and drove them away from the clubbing scene.
Another idea Tori had suggested played in her head, but she didn’t know if she was bold enough. Brave enough.
She bit her lip, playing it out in her head. What did she have to lose?
When she opened her eyes again, Blake had driven them up Queen Anne Hill. She hadn’t lived in Washington for four years now, but she still knew the area fairly well even if it seemed to be constantly changing.
Blake turned onto a side road and then another, until she wasn’t quite sure where he was going. And then he pulled to a stop in a park-like clearing between the expensive, gorgeous houses.
“Oh my God, this view. Where are we?” She stared, breathless, at the sight of the perfectly framed Seattle skyline twinkling below.
“Kerry Park. You’ve never been here?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t come up to Queen Anne much. My parents live in Puyallup. When we visited Seattle, it was more of the touristy stuff like Pike Place or seeing one of the Broadway plays.”
“Ah, you missed out.” He stared out the window. “We could get out and walk around if you want.”
“No, this is good. My feet are actually a little sore.” She grimaced and toed off her heels. “And not another word about my shoe choice.”
He laughed softly.
The quiet and darkness of the car enveloped them as they stared at the city. It calmed her. There was an ease in the quiet between them.
“Do you miss living up here?” Blake asked.
She thought about it and nodded. “Sometimes, yes. I miss my northwest mountains and the water. I mean, Nevada has some awesome lakes and their own mountains. But they’re different. Not bad, but different. I’ve gotten used to the heat, and I love hiking in the Valley of Fire and spending the day at Lake Mead. But I miss my snowcapped mountains and Puget Sound.”
“I remember you said something about hiking Rattlesnake Ridge.”
“One of my favorite things to do.”
