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Abbe had to agree that made sense. If he’d called her right away it might have been overwhelming. Especially since he tended to get impatient and send cluster texts if she didn’t respond immediately. That definitely would have freaked her out.
“But we made plans and we’re keeping them,” he continued.
Abbe stared at him, dumbfounded, until it clicked. “This is like that five-minute thing of yours, isn’t it?”
He smiled like she was finally understanding. “When I say five minutes—”
“—you mean five minutes.”
“And when I make plans—”
“—you keep them. Got it,” Abbe said, smiling at how they understood each other’s sense of humor so quickly. Secretly she wondered if he meant it, though. A lot of people insisted that they were the kind of person who kept their word, but she had learned that those who made a point of saying that they could be trusted usually couldn’t. “Still doesn’t change how I smell right now,” she said.
He chuckled and looked her up and down. “You live close by?” he asked. She nodded. “I’ll take you home so you can shower and change.”
“Okay,” she agreed quietly. She still didn’t know if she should do this. Half an hour ago she had decided to never see him again. But she had said yes. She didn’t want to break her word.
She scooped up her iPad and locked up behind her, then followed him to the waiting Range Rover. The driver got out from behind the wheel and opened the split tailgate. Daisy trotted right up like she was already used to this, and the driver bent down to give her a little boost into the spacious back where a padded bed with a cashmere blanket waited for her. Daisy went right to her luxurious bed, turned around once, and sat down with her paws crossed like a little princess. The driver shut the split tailgate and walked around to the side back door, opening it for Abbe.
“Wow, this Uber driver isthorough,” Abbe commented, impressed.
Rafe’s shoulder shook with laughter. “Abbe. This isn’t an Uber driver. This ismydriver. His name is Alejandro.”
“Hi Abbe. It’s nice to meet you,” Alejandro said politely as he smiled at her. He was a short, stocky guy in his fifties with greying dark hair and chubby cheeks. When he smiled his eyes twinkled.
“Oh! Hi!” Abbe replied, surprised. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” She could feel herself blushing furiously as Rafe and Alejandro conferred.
“We’re going to Abbe’s first so she can change,” Rafe said. “It’s not far.”
“Great. Hop in, Abbe,” Alejandro said, his eyes still twinkling at her.
She got in. Rafe walked around to the other side and let himself in his side while Alejandro got behind the wheel. Apparently, Rafe did not expect his driver to open his doors, which Abbe liked.
As she settled in, Abbe realized that she had never in her life been in such a beautiful car, and probably had never even sat in such a gorgeous space before. Even the lighting was theatrical.
“Oh! My bike,” Abbe said just before they pulled out.
“I can come back and get it for you while you’re freshening up,” Alejandro offered.
Abbe sat back into the glove-like seat. “Thanks,” she mumbled.
Rafe reached across the armrest between them and took her hand, giving her an encouraging smile. He could sense that she was starting to question what she was doing with him. “It’s okay,” he reassured her. “Where do you live?”
Abbe gave directions to her house, and was glad to have something to do. If she was left to think about it too much, she would have been intimidated by all this. The first time she’d met Rafe she could tell he had money. Having lived in a well-to-do suburb of Boston and having attended an elite college, she was used to being around rich people. But she was starting to understand that Rafe was on a whole different level from anything else she’d experienced before, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. Abbe knew enough about rich people to know they didn’t do things like normal people did.
Alejandro let them out at Mrs. Harris’ big house. “I live in a guest house in the back,” she announced immediately, in case Rafe thought she could afford this spread. Which, of course, she couldn’t.
He gestured with his free hand. “Lead the way.”
Abbe led him up the path, waving at Mrs. Harris as she went by the big window on the side of her house.
“Should we go in?” Rafe asked.
“God no,” Abbe replied, grabbing Rafe’s arm and dragging him past. “She’s lovely, don’t get me wrong, but no.”
Rafe chuckled and moved his arm so he could take Abbe’s hand as they walked up the path to her guest house.
“This is really charming,” he said, glancing around the courtyard area.
