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“It was just an idea. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to the movies. I was also thinking of visiting the Walk of Fame.”
“It’s not the most exciting,” I commented. “Overrated, if you ask me. The stars all look the same. But you know what is cool? The Chinese Theatre.”
“Wait…” Little lines appeared at the top of her nose between her eyes. “Is that where the handprints are?”
I nodded. “All the stars look alike, but the handprints and footprints are unique.”
“That does sound cool. I hadn’t even thought about that place.”
“It’s a working movie theater too. Many people don’t realize that.” Grinning, I eyed her. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“I’m not sure I ever know what you’re thinking,” she admitted with a laugh.
“I don’t know why not. What you see is what you get with me. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Chinese Theatre. I could take you, and then we could see a movie afterward. Just, uh, maybe notParadise Island.” I added that caveat, hoping she wouldn’t ask me what I had against the movie. I wasn’t hiding my past relationship from her, but I wasn’t one of those people who felt the need to discuss them either.
She smiled coyly. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“That depends on what your answer is.” It was as honest an answer as I could give. The whole six weeks we’d been working together, Ali had been adamant that we keep a professional distance, and I’d respected that. But it wasn’t what I wanted, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she felt the same way. I just wasn’t sure she was willing to admit it.
She chuckled softly, and it wasn’t until I heard her laugh that I realized she’d said almost the exact same thing to me when she’d asked me to dance at the club.
“My answer is yes,” she said.
Ali
Trenton came to pick me up on Tuesday afternoon to take me to the Chinese Theatre. I’d expected him to text me when he was in the parking lot, but instead, he knocked on my door. He wore jeans, a T-shirt, and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He had that whole casual rock star vibe going, and it was working for me. But to be honest, just about everything the man did worked for me. Anddamn,he smelled good. I didn’t know what cologne he wore, but it was making me weak at the knees. Or perhaps that was my eagerness to see a friendly face. I’d been lonely without seeing him or Georgia for a few days. I was so busy drinking in the sight of him that it took me a moment to realize he was holding flowers.
“Oh, wow.” I was totally flustered. No one had ever given me flowers on a non-flower-giving holiday. Come to think of it, the only time a guy had ever gotten me flowers was Valentine’s Day.
He smiled. “I figured since this was a date, I wanted to check all the boxes.” He held the flowers out. Upon further inspection, I realized it wasn’t a traditional bouquet—they were already in a glass vase instead of simply being wrapped in cellophane. He noticed me looking. “I figured you wouldn’t have anything to put them in.”
I took the vase, surprised at how heavy it was. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.” I was impressed with his foresight to get a vase, because otherwise, they would have had to have been displayed in the room’s ice bucket. “Come in.”
He entered the room behind me, and I was glad I’d taken the time to straighten up. At home, I was a fairly neat person, but since, I’d become a slob while living in the hotel for the past two months. It came with the territory of being expected to throw wet towels on the floor so housekeeping would know they needed to be washed.
He gestured to the shopping bags that were neatly lined against the wall. “You’ve been shopping, I see.”
Though I’d wanted to pamper myself, it turned out that getting an appointment at a reputable massage parlor and salon on short notice was nearly impossible in LA. I was forced to settle for a mani-pedi, even though my nails weren’t due for a refresh. The rest of my time was spent taking advantage of the early Black Friday sales. My wardrobe was tired, so I threw prudence out the window and maxed out my credit card on clothes suitable for the show. It was an investment in my career, or so I tried to tell myself. The second half of theSing Battleseason would start immediately following the holiday, and the competition was only going to be fiercer. The small fortune I spent on new cosmetics was worth it—that was my war paint.
“Getting ready for the second half of the show,” I explained as I set the vase on the dresser. “I can’t perform in the same outfit twice.”
Trenton tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I don’t even remember what I wore. I’d have to go back and watch the shows. I probably repeated an outfit.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “Guys have it so easy. I wish I could perform in jeans and a T-shirt.”
He shrugged. “There’s nothing stopping you.”
Technically, that was true—the show hadn’t given us a dress code other than staying on the good side of FCC regulations. I wouldn’t go casual for performances, though. Dressing nicer than I normally did was part of my singer persona. It helped me get my head in the game.
“I’ll stick to wearing my T-shirts for rehearsals.” I didn’t know if my strategy of being casual for rehearsal footage had done anything for me, but at that point, I didn’t want to change it up. Some may have called it superstition, but I was going to stick to what seemed to work.
We set off for the Chinese Theatre. We were doing things a little out of the normal date order. First, we would view all the handprints then see a movie and have dinner afterward. Trenton thought it was better to see the handprints in the daylight, and it made little sense for us to leave for dinner just to return for the movie.
We parked a block away, and as we walked down Hollywood Boulevard, Trenton took my hand in his. After weeks of trying to deny how much skin-to-skin contact with him affected me, it was exhilarating to let myself enjoy touching him, to feel my skin flush and be okay with it. I exhaled.
He held up our joined hands. “Is this okay?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, because it was more than okay. I still hadn’t wrapped my head around my epiphany of not wanting to fight whatever was between us. For the time being, I was content to let things unfold. I hoped I could keep my Zen attitude once the show resumed.
