by Virna DePaul
She took a deep breath. “It’s. Just. Like. Aladdin.”
Eric burst out laughing. Of all the things she could have said, he never would have guessed that would be it. “I can show you the world…” He sang loudly and off key and had Lexi both laughing and grimacing.
“Except in our version, you’re an actual prince and I’m the raggedy beggar.” She smiled as she said the words but they dropped the bottom out of Eric’s stomach.
“Lex, you don’t actually think that do you?”
She blinked, then shook her head. “No, not the way it sounded,” she responded. “I just meant that if there ever was an example of how our lives are different, this is it.” She gestured around at the mountains in the distance, the ice cream scoops of cumulous clouds all around them.
“Yeah, but we’re both here in this plane. This is our life right now.”
He regretted his words the second that Lexi narrowed her eyes at him, a hint away from suspicious. “I guess,” she acquiesced. “For the summer anyways.”
“Sure.” The word felt like gravel in his mouth, but he was the one making this harder on himself. Why was he pushing her? She’d made the rules very clear. All he had to do was follow them. And here he was trying to change things around. It wasn’t fair to either of them.
A few hours later, they landed the plane at the airport and Eric took a deep breath as he grabbed their bags out of the back. He was suddenly deeply regretting having done this.
He wanted to give Lexi the world. Take her on a hundred plane rides if it meant her reacting the way she had. But they were about to get into a chauffeured car that would lead them to the glitziest hotel in town. Along the way there would be a hundred indicators of his money. Of his life before he’d moved to Montana. In trying to give her a special introduction to L.A., he would only be emphasizing the differences between them. Why the hell had he thought this was a good idea?
Because he hadn’t wanted to spend even a weekend away from her.
Lexi took her bag from him and tossed it over her back. “Something wrong?”
“No,” he said quickly. “No, I’m just hungry.”
“Yeah, I could use some dinner.”
“Well, I know just the place.”
He led her to his private car in the distance. Deciding to throw caution, and the rules, to the wind, he reached back and took her by the hand.
Either she was too distracted or she was grateful for the comfort. Lexi didn’t pull her hand back the way he’d half expected her to do.
She stopped short beside him, however, when he pulled open the back door of a sleek, black Rolls Royce.
“My lady,” he said, halfway bowing down to her.
She gave a surprised, confused little laugh and slid into the seat.
“Eric!”
Eric turned and was instantly enveloped in the arms of George, his driver. He hadn’t seen him in months. “George!”
The two men hugged and came away grinning at one another. Lexi scrambled out of the seat and came to stand next to the two men.
“George, this is Lexi. My good friend and date to the gala tomorrow.”
Lexi held out her hand to George, her eyes racing all over him as she took in his uniform.
“Nice to meet you, pretty lady,” George said, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Lexi’s eyes grew wide.
He clapped George on the shoulder. “We’re headed to the Beverly Wilshire.”
“Ahh,” George said. “Nice digs.”
“For the lady,” Eric corrected, before either George or Lexi could get the wrong idea. “I’ll be at my house.”
George’s eyes clouded just a bit in confusion, but he nodded his head and jogged around to the driver’s side of the car, remembering that Eric preferred to get his own car door.
Eric and Lexi slid into the car and George pulled smoothly away from the curb.
“Do you make him dress like that?” Lexi whispered to Eric and George’s laughter exploded through the car.
Eric bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing as well and pressed the button that put the glass up between them and George.
“It’s a very standard driver’s uniform. Although George admittedly chooses jauntier hats than most.”
“Ah,” Lexi said, looking out her window and chewing at one of her fingernails. It was a nervous tic that Eric had never seen her do before. Without thinking too hard on it, he reached up and took her hand. She looked down at their laced fingers and then back out the window. The palm trees whizzed past.
“Isn’t the Beverly Wilshire a really fancy hotel?” Her voice was quiet.
Eric wasn’t quite sure how to answer that, since he was fairly certain she’d view it as charity. “You’ll be very comfortable there.”
She turned to him, a little of that skeptical spark back in her eyes. “Why aren’t I just staying at your house? Isn’t it big enough?”
“Yeah, it is. I just thought you’d be more comfortable if it didn’t appear we were going home together.”
“Oh. Right.” Her fingers snaked away from his and her thumbnail went right back in her mouth.
Eric would have paid a ridiculously large sum of money to know what she was thinking right now. But she kept her face averted.
They cruised through the city and into Venice Beach until Eric knocked on the glass at George. “Pull over for just a sec!”
Eric jumped out at the curb, tugging Lexi along with him.
He grinned back at her as she frowned in confusion, looking back at their car idling at the curb.
Eric pulled her through an unmarked door, sandwiched between a trashy nail salon and a little grocery. They stepped into a little restaurant. Well, sort of a restaurant. It was dingy, with a few scattered tables with folding chairs and newspapers spread out over them as makeshift tablecloths. A few patrons in the corner were eating something out of one big bowl while they played cards. They barely looked up when Eric and Lexi came through.
Eric didn’t pause, he walked right through another door, a swinging one, and into the kitchen.
“Eric!” A huge man came barreling around from behind a huge stove. Something bubbled there that smelled like delicious sin.
“Rico!” Eric allowed himself to be hugged and kissed on either cheek by his old friend.
“And who is this little slice of nice?” Rico asked, raising his eyebrows at Lexi.
She couldn’t help but laugh as she allowed herself to be hugged by Rico as well. “I’m Lexi. Eric’s… lady friend.”
Rico’s eyebrows raised even further. “Nah, darlin’. Eric’s your man friend. Not the other way around. Don’t you forget it.”
Lexi laughed again. Harder this time and Eric could have kissed Rico for loosening her up. But his stomach growled and reminded him why they were there.
“What’s good tonight?” he asked, sniffing at the air. He turned to Lexi. “Rico makes one thing every day and it’s the only thing he’ll serve. Whatever catch is the freshest.”
“Tonight it’s shrimp jambalaya over rice.”
Lexi raised her eyes. “Jambalaya?” she asked in surprise.
“Yes, baby,” Rico answered. “I’m born and raised in Louisiana. Nobody makes it like I do.”
“He’s right,” Eric assured her.
“Smells good enough,” Lexi said, shrugging.
Rico laughed as he dished them portions. “I like her. She’s not slobbering all over everything trying to impress you, son.”
Eric bit the inside of his cheek. “I think it literally goes against her DNA to try and impress me.”
Lexi turned and looked at him in surprise.
“Yeah,” Eric continued. “It’s been me trying to do all the impressing since day one.”
“Well, that’s the natural order of things, then,” Rico said, handing them the food in plastic Tupperware.
“We need one more portion. For George.” Eric looked around and reached into the cooler in the c
orner. “And add three cokes to the tab.”
“What tab?” Rico asked, frowning at Eric and handing over the food to Lexi. “You know your money’s no good here, son.”
“You know he’s a billionaire, right?” Lexi asked, sounding as unimpressed with it as Eric knew she was. “He can afford this.”
Rico laughed again. “Yeah, but he’s a billionaire with heart. He knows what he did. Now pop two of those cokes open, for the non drivers, and I’ll give you a splash of something that’ll make your night extra special.”
Lexi did as he said and then grinned when he pulled a flask out of his pocket and dumped something into the cokes.
He shooed them out of the kitchen, hugging Eric goodbye and kissing Lexi on the cheek.
“Tell her what you did for me, son,” Rico called out as Eric and Lexi made their way out of the restaurant. Eric just waved and shook his head.
They slid back into the car and Eric handed George’s food up front. “Let’s find someplace with a view to eat this dinner, Georgie.”
Half an hour later, the three of them were sitting on the boardwalk, eating their dinners out of Tupperware and people watching.
“So, what’d you do for Rico?” Lexi asked, her mouth full of food.
“Ah. We don’t have to talk about it,” Eric said, shifting uncomfortably.
“He paid off a bunch of debts that Rico owed when he owned this big restaurant over on the other side of L.A.”
Eric glared at George, who paid him no mind.
“He’d got himself into trouble with the wrong people. Eric got him away with his knee caps still intact. And Rico set up over there. Where we just were. A much smaller operation.”
“Hmm,” Lexi hummed around her food, her eyes watching all that was Venice Beach. Person after person walking by. Rollerbladers. Dogs in purses. Jugglers. Even at this time of night it was still bumping with activity.
Again, Eric would have paid a fortune to know what she was thinking. And again, she said nothing to let him in on the secret.
They just drank their spiked cokes and ate their food and went on their way. She leaned her head back on the headrest behind her and let her eyes flutter closed for a second. And when they pulled up at the Wilshire, she was even more silent than before.
They got out, with George promising to see Lexi tomorrow when he gave her a ride to the gala. Eric asked him for a little time so that he could get her settled in her room.
She was silent as they walked through the grand lobby. Silent as he checked her in. Silent in the elevator, with its elevator man who Eric tipped. Silent as he walked her down the plush, opulent hallway.
God, he inwardly groaned. Why hadn’t he thought to put her up someplace a little bit… less? If she was reeling from seeing the hallway, then she was in no way prepared to see her room.
He had to grind his teeth as he swung open her door and she walked into the humongous suite. Bigger than Marina’s whole house.
He set her bag down on the chaise lounge in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. He took a deep breath and turned to face the music.
She stood there, one hand over her mouth, with a look on her face like he’d just dragged her into a slum. There was awe. And, he was surprised to see, fear.
“I can’t stay here alone,” she finally sputtered.
“Why?”
“I’ll ruin something. Or make a mess. Or they won’t believe that I’m a guest and they’ll kick me out.”
“Of course that won’t happen.” He stepped toward her but she took a step back like a wild animal. “Lexi, none of those things are going to happen.”
“Will you stay?” she asked him, her eyes as big and wide and round as a child’s.
If he hadn’t been in love with her before, it would have been a done deal now. There was no chance he would ever deny this woman anything. Ever.
“I’d love to. I just wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”
She turned to him, her arms clasped in front of her. “I want you to.”
“Then absolutely. Let me run down and get my bag from George. Here.” He shifted her toward the little breakfast table with an arrangement of flowers on it and strode over to the mini bar. He pulled out a little shooter of whiskey, a glass, and some ice cubes. “Drink that. It’ll take the edge off. I swear.”
She looked up at him and nodded. He couldn’t stand it. Going down on his knees in front of her he pushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
When he returned she was sitting exactly where he’d left her and her glass was empty of whiskey. He tossed his bag on the floor, ripped one hand through his hair, got a whiskey for himself and sat down next to her at the breakfast table.
“Alright,” he said, staring her right in the eye. “I knew better than to expect you to jump up and down on the bed, or pop champagne, but you’re acting like I brought you to a murder scene. It’s just a hotel room for god sakes!”
Lexi reached over, took a little sip of his whiskey and took a deep breath. “I know, I know. And I’m being ungrateful.”
“Lex, baby, you’re not. I just want to know if you’re alright in there. Blink if you can hear me.”
Lexi smiled a little and shimmied out of her light coat she’d worn on the plane. He could see that her T-shirt was a little sweaty around the neck and Eric wondered why she’d kept it on if she’d been hot.
“It’s just…I’ve never been on a plane before. Never been in a chauffeured car. Never had jambalaya.” She dropped her eyes. “Never seen the ocean before.”
He tried as hard as he could not to drop his jaw. “Never been to the beach before and I take you to the Venice fucking boardwalk? I should be shot.”
She ignored him. “I’ve never stayed in a hotel before. Motels, yes. Hotel? Never. And certainly not one that is fit for the president.”
Eric looked around them and winced. “It is a little much, I guess.”
“It’s beautiful. I’m just overwhelmed. And it feels weird, too, knowing I’ll be back here in August and never see stuff like this again. It makes me want to soak it all in, you know? But more than that…” She took a deep breath. “I want to soak in all this time with you.”
Eric’s stomach twisted and he realized that this was it. This was a moment he might not be able to make it back from. He was going to cross a line with her. He just hoped it wasn’t a deal breaker.
“Lex, you know I’m not going to actually leave you in August, right?”
She sat up straight, her eyes going from blurry and overwhelmed to laser bright. “What?”
“I mean, will I give you space? Absolutely. Will we be together? Sounds like that’s a no. But will I just up and lose your number? Hell no. Lex, I’m here. In your life. And I’m not going to drag you back to Montana, where you obviously don’t want to be. But I’m sure as hell not abandoning you. And when I come back to L.A. to see my parents or whatever, you know who I’m going to call? You. Every time. If you’re trying to really hack it on your own, then, yeah, it’ll take a while to see this kind of cream. If that’s what you want. But anytime you want a fancy dinner, nice champagne, a night on the town, a night in a hotel like this, you call me, Lex. And then you get it. I promise.”
Her mouth opened up and then closed. Her eyes were too bright, too focused. She rose and then sat. And then rose again. He waited for her to say something. Anything. But when no words came, he reached out for her. But she took a step back.
“I need a second.”
She took another step back. And another. And then she was in the bathroom. It was only a few seconds before Eric heard the shower running.
Wow. Good one, Davenport. He’d known the risks when he’d talked to her like that. And now he’d driven her away. He just hoped he hadn’t driven her away for good.
Chapter Twelve
Lexi took one deep breath after another, thinking of all the movies set in L.A. that she’s seen.
Beverly Hills Cop, Pretty Woman, 9 to
5, Terminator, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Sunset Boulevard, Singing in the Rain.
They should have prepared her for what the city was like, but now that she’d seen it, she was scared. Everything reminded her that she was small and insignificant and suddenly Lexi was completely convinced that if she moved to L.A. she was going to fail.
Fail at her dream.
Fail at life.
What was she going to do?
Hurriedly, she stripped and stepped into the shower, hoping the water would help her regain her composure. Sure enough, as she scraped shampoo through her hair and soap over her body, her rational mind started to take over.
This was normal, she told herself. Normal to be scared when staring something as big as L.A. in the face. It was especially hard given she was with Eric, learning how different they were. Accepting that she wouldn’t be able to rely on him when she was on her own.
But was that even true?
With a deep sigh, Lex turned the water off and dried off. Then she scraped condensation off the bathroom mirror and stared at her reflection.
She was the same old Lexi. In this life she had her father and herself. The two people she could always count on.
And Eric, a stubborn voice inside her head reminded her. Don’t forget you have Eric.
That’s what he’d been telling her. That he was always going to be there for her, no matter what happened in August.
Eric who was sitting outside that door. Eric who’d respected every boundary she’d put up. Eric who’d brought her here to show her the first step in getting her dream. Eric who’d promised not to get her stuck in Montana. Eric who wasn’t going to abandon her in August.
Eric who made her feel safe. And powerful. And believed in the power of her dreams even when she didn’t.
Before she knew what she was doing, Lexi flung open the bathroom door, steam billowing out around her.
Eric looked up instantly from where he still sat at the breakfast table. His shirt was partially unbuttoned, his shoes in a pile on the floor. The dim, ambient lamplight outlined his perfect, movie star face. God. She was such a goner.
Lexi pushed that thought aside and strode toward him. Like a magnet to metal. He was calling to her. In this overwhelming city, he was her safe place. A beacon of all things good and calm.