Something Better

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Something Better Page 10

by Gail R Delaney


  Andi made a mental note to sprinkle pepper in Maggie's coffee the next morning. But Mags was right, she didn't have time to spare. She didn't even have time to argue about the lacy black undies Maggie had left on the bed. She didn't look at the clock again until she buckled the last strap of the heels around her ankle. Four minutes to spare.

  Just as she stood to take one last look in the mirror, she heard the crunch of tires on gravel in the driveway and her heart jumped into her throat. A giddy excitement like she hadn't felt since signing her first contract tumbled in her stomach and made her tingle. She should have turned and headed downstairs, but what would it hurt to take a quick peek at him before he saw her? Probably save her the embarrassment of drooling...

  Andi pushed aside the vertical blinds partially blocking the French doors that opened onto her balcony, and wincing at the pop of the latch, opened the double doors. The air had already cooled some even though the sun was still up, and a wind came down off the mountains. Andi stepped gingerly on the stucco of the patio base and edged to the balcony wall.

  A shiny black Audi sat in the driveway, sleek and elegant. It was a sports car, and the only reason she knew it was an Audi was because it said so on the back. Unlike her father who could name a make, model and year of any car ever made just by the shadow of a profile -- Andi only knew 'coupe' from 'sedan' from 'convertible', and sometimes even then it was sketchy.

  She didn't realize the engine was actually still running until he shut it off, and the low hum faded away. Through the driver's side window, she saw his profile and the phone he held to his ear. He opened his door and stepped free of the car in one fluid motion, buttoning the front of his black suit jacket with his free hand. With some men, their suit wore them -- but David Bishop 'wore' his suit -- from the perfect way the crease broke over his shoes to the way the line of the jacket accentuated his height.

  Heat flushed Andi's cheeks -- well, more than her cheeks -- and she a little closer to the edge to watch him unseen. As he shut the car door, he looked around the front yard, the phone still to his ear.

  "I didn't call because I'm fine." He huffed and pushed the sunglasses up enough to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Ma... Ma... Ma! Listen to me," he said loudly, not shouting but Andi imagined that whatever his mother had to say, she was saying it with such conviction that was the only way she'd hear him. She smiled, somehow pleased at the thought that his mother would call to check on him.

  He chuckled softly and smiled. "I know you worry, Ma. Trust me, if I'd really been hurt I would have--" He paused, nodded. "Okay, fine. If I'd really been hurt, I wouldn't have called. But you would have known. I promise."

  David walked to the front of the car and leaned forward, looking in the general vicinity of the front door, nodding his head for a conversation Andi couldn't hear. "Yeah. Yep. Ma? Ma." She must have taken a breath because he didn't pause. "Ma, I love you. I do. But, I've got to go." Pause. "I have a date."

  Oh, this could get interesting...

  "Ma, I told you, don't -- Yes, with a girl."

  Andi slapped her hand over her mouth, but not before her giggle carried down to the driveway. David spun around on the balls of his feet, seeking her out. She thought for a brief second about ducking behind the balcony wall, but the last time she looked in the mirror she wasn't ten, so she stayed her ground until he tipped his head back and saw her. A wide smile immediately spread his lips and he reached up to slip off his sunglasses.

  "Yes, Ma. She's a nice girl. A very nice girl." The whole time he talked, he stared up at her and Andi drew in a deep breath to steady herself against the liquid warmth that swirled in the oddest places, like her elbows and behind her knees. "And beautiful."

  He chuckled. "Yes, it's Andrea Parker."

  Andi crossed her arms on the balcony edge and leaned over, pulling her lower lip through her teeth as she looked down at him.

  "We'll see," he said, his voice softer. "Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I promise." One more pause before he added, "I love you, too, Ma". He snapped the phone shut before slipping it into his pocket. All the while, he looked up at her.

  "Hi," Andi said just loudly enough that she hoped he could hear.

  David smiled, and she loved how it changed his face -- despite the dark bruising beneath his eyes. "Hey, yourself. You been up there long?"

  "Since you pulled in."

  He didn't say anything, just watched her, smiling. There was something about the way he watched her, like he was studying her, that made her skin warm and she couldn't help but smile back.

  "What?" she finally asked.

  He shook his head. "Nothing."

  "I'll be right down."

  Andi backed off the balcony and shut the door, giving herself a final cursory look in the closet mirror to make sure nothing was hanging out that shouldn't be and that Maggie had gotten all the tags. The dress was a departure from what she usually wore, with a sweetheart neckline that showed just enough cleavage to make her blush and hugged her torso. The fabric had a nice weight to it that let it drape around her hips and shifted around her knees when she walked.

  "Well, it's no yellow sundress..." she mumbled before swiping her evening bag -- another detail Maggie had seen to while she broke speed records in the shower -- and leaving the bedroom.

  Voices carried up the stairs as she descended into the front all. She had to take the steps carefully, since her usual footwear consisted of sneakers and sandals not three-inch heels. David's deep baritone mingled with Maggie's higher voice, but Andi couldn't make out any words. As she descended, Maggie and David came into view. David stood in the foyer with his back to the door, his sunglasses folded in his hands as he opened and closed the arms. Maggie leaned against the wall, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. She took the final step and her heels clacked loudly on the tile, or at least it sounded loud to her.

  Both of them turned to look at her, and Andi did her best to keep her composure when David's gaze settled on her. The wide smile he'd worn since getting out of the car relaxed, and his eyes widened slightly. Andi slowed her steps, and her insides clenched at the sudden thought that maybe the dress hadn't been such a good idea. She licked her lips and rolled them together, clutching harder on her purse. Maybe that was why they were called clutches...

  "Hello again," she forced out, having to clear her throat.

  He released a rough breath, his shoulders dropping a degree, and the smile widened again to dig twin dimples into his cheeks. "Andi..." he said, but nothing else came. She waited for him to say something else, and as each millisecond passed, her cheeks burned hotter.

  Then he took a long stride toward her and laid a hand on her cheek, pressing his lips to the other, and her heart immediately jumped to a faster rhythm. His lips stayed there for several rapid beats before he whispered close to her ear.

  "You're beautiful."

  Andi turned her head, meeting his eyes. She swallowed and blinked trying to focus on speech as his thumb stroked the corner of her mouth, reminding her of the day they'd kissed on set. He'd spoken to Benton, but his hands had stayed on her face and his thumbs stroked her skin.

  "Thank you."

  "You two crazy kids go have some fun. No curfew tonight. Jake and I are going to make plans for Sunday and I'll probably let him gorge on junk food and soda until about one a.m., so don't rush back." Maggie pulled Andi from the moment with her 'Passive-for-Maggie' teasing. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

  David slid his hand from her cheek down her arm to curl his fingers around her hand. "That leaves things pretty open, I'm guessing."

  Maggie chuckled and pointed at them. "I knew I liked you."

  David took a step toward the door, but she didn't follow. Not yet. "Where's Jake?"

  Maggie shrugged and waved them off. "Probably putting those clothes in the laundry, just like you asked. Go on. Have fun. We'll be fine."

  "I promise, Mom. I won't have her out too late," David said over his shoulder as they went out the doo
r.

  He held her hand all the way around the car and even after opening the door for her. Just as she was about to slide into the low-set car, David stepped close. With her hand still in his, he wrapped his arm behind her and pulled her to him. With the shoes on, she didn't have to raise her chin quite as far to look him in the eyes, but she still needed to tip her head back. With his free hand, he ran his fingertips along her temple to her cheek, his eyes shifting to take in different parts of her face, returning to look into her eyes.

  "This is going to be a long evening," he finally said.

  "Why?"

  "I made a promise, remember? That I wouldn't kiss you again until after we'd had a real date."

  "You kissed me inside."

  His grin tilted wickedly and he shook his head. "Not the way I wanted to."

  Andi leaned into him, feeding on the rush of confidence the look in his eyes gave her. "When do we go from 'having a date' to 'had a date'?"

  He shifted his gaze to look past her to the sky, tipping his head as he contemplated her question. "I'm thinking we've got to at least eat dinner."

  "There's a McDonalds around the corner."

  He chuckled. "Sorry, sweetheart. We're not wasting that dress on McDonalds. I've got something a little better in mind."

  David unwound his arm from behind her, letting her slide into the car. He made sure she was seated before shutting the door and jogging around the front of the car to get behind the wheel. Within minutes, they were headed south toward Los Angeles, and as soon as they were on the main highway, he reached across the console and took her hand, his fingers lacing between hers. He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles before settling them on the center console that separated the two seats.

  They rode in silence for a while as he worked his way through afternoon traffic in the Valley, releasing her hand only long enough to shift gears, and quickly coming back to lace fingers again. Andi took the moments of quiet -- which held no edge of the awkwardness she almost expected -- to study him. He'd put the sunglasses back on to drive, but beneath the edges she saw the shadows of the bruising around his eyes and nose. She'd noted the bruising when they stood close, but somehow it hadn't seemed important. It was his smile and his eyes that always held her focus; the way he always smiled wider when he looked at her and the way his gaze met and held hers.

  She looked down at their joined hands, his thumb stroking across her skin, and stared at them like they belonged to someone else. Andi hadn't held a boy's hand since high school. Not really. She'd met Lawrence in college, and he'd informed her -- with what she'd come to call his 'Educating Andrea' tone -- that pubic shows of affection were juvenile and unnecessary. He told her he loved her and that should be sufficient.

  Andi drew in a sharp breath and straightened her shoulders against the warm leather of the seat, shoving hard aside any thoughts of her ex husband. He wasn't going to taint any part of the evening, and she wasn't going to listen to the growling whisper from behind her somewhere that she really was everything Lawrence said.

  "I'm sorry," David said, pulling her from her thoughts. Before she could ask why he was sorry, he lifted her hand to his lips again. "I don't tend to talk much when I drive."

  Andi smiled and shifted in the seat to turn a little more toward him. "It's okay. I'm usually a silent passenger. I do some of my best plotting in the car."

  "Yeah?" He checked his mirrors before changing lanes, the low hum of the car increasing just slightly as he accelerated. "I'd love to hear about that."

  "What, plotting a book?"

  He nodded, settling into his new lane before turning his head toward her. The sunglasses hid his eyes, but she still 'felt' his gaze on her.

  "I told you I read your books, right?" It was her turn to nod. "I've never known a writer--"

  "You know script writers."

  David shook his head. "That's different, I think. When I read a script, I don't see it the way I did when I read your books."

  Andi had done several book signings since her first book was released, and she'd attended conferences and conventions. No matter how many times a reader or fan praised her for her writing, she still felt the flush of embarrassment and amazement that it was her books they talked about.

  She cleared her throat and looked out the windshield at the passing highway signs. "Where are we going?"

  "Burbank."

  "You drove from LA to Santa Clarita just to double back to Burbank? David, I could have met you there to save you the drive."

  "Are you kidding?" He squeezed her hand and glanced at her, his eyebrows bobbing over the top of the sunglasses. "And waste all that time alone in a car with you? No way."

  *****

  She was beautiful.

  David figured it was a good idea he had on the sunglasses, or Andi would see just how much time he spent watching her rather than the road. But, he couldn't keep his attention away. The simple sundresses she wore had always been enough to drive him crazy, but the dress she wore tonight was the stuff of sin. It clung to her shape in all the right ways and in all the right places, and even though the cut was modest by Hollywood standards, it had immediately left him speechless when she stepped into the hall.

  He didn't have a garage full of cars, but when picking which one to take tonight he'd picked the S5 because the cabin was smaller and it gave him the opportunity to sit closer to her. He realized now his lack of foresight, and his subconscious desire to hold her hand. Every time he needed to shift the car, he had to let go, and he didn't like it.

  Afternoon commuter traffic slowed them down a little getting into Burbank, but once off the 14, it took no time to reach Chez Nous, his favorite restaurant when he wanted to fly under the paparazzi radar.

  A small crowd of patrons stood on the sidewalk outside the two-story restaurant, which was typical for a Friday night. But, he'd called ahead to make sure they wouldn't have to wait. David parked just outside a circle of light cast by one of the parking lot lights and hurried around the front of the car to open her door. Her delicate hand slid into his as he helped her out of the low profile sports car, and he did his best not to grin too wide at the extra inch of leg she showed when her skirt shifted above her knee.

  "I think I've heard of this place," Andi said, glancing over her shoulder at the pale pink building. "Maggie told me about it."

  David took the opportunity of her standing so close to wrap his arms around her and pull her against him. He loved how there was no resistance in her body and she leaned into him, her hands resting on his arms. She looked up at him and smiled, releasing a slow sigh.

  "We're still 'having' a date, huh?" he asked.

  She pulled her lips into a disappointed frown and nodded her head with a hum. "Yeah, afraid so."

  His lips practically itched to kiss her, so before he gave in to the promise he'd made on a whim, he took a step back. But he indulged himself by letting his hands slid around her hips before taking her hand and leading her across the lot to the door. As they approached, the cluster of young people waiting on the sidewalk glanced in their direction. One of the girls -- a twenty-something blonde in a dress that constituted little more than a long shirt -- took a second glance and gasped, her eyes widening.

  "Oh, my god," she whispered loudly, tugging on the sleeve of one of her friends. "Look! It's David Bishop."

  The cluster turned their focus on him and Andi as a unit. Her hold on his hand tightened and she stepped a little further behind him.

  "You've never done this before," he said sideways to her, slowing his step.

  "Define this," she said with a nervous giggle. "Dated a celebrity? Dodged paparazzi? Beaten adoring fans off with my evening clutch?"

  David laughed and released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to his side. "All of the above."

  "Nope. Never."

  They reached the cluster, and the girl who first spotted him gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, my god! You poor
thing! Look at your face."

  She -- like too many fans -- didn't understand the concept of personal space and practically threw herself against him, laying her hands on his face. Her thumbs brushed over his cheeks below his eyes, reminding him with an immediate throb of pain that he was still bruised. He winced and pulled back.

  "Oh, did I hurt you?"

  David held up his hand, fending off another attempt at touching him. "It's fine, thank you for worrying."

  He begged off on taking pictures with the blonde and her friend, outright ignoring her offer to 'kiss it and make it better'. Andi stood beside him, holding tight to his hand the whole time, not saying a word or pushing her way into the conversation.

  "Not tonight," he said in answer to the photo request with his best public voice, and looked down at Andi. "I'm with my girlfriend."

  Her head snapped up and she stared at him, her eyes wide behind her glasses and her glossed lips apart. David smiled and slid his hand down her spine to the small of her back, bringing her closer. He wondered if she wore the flavored kind of gloss, and how slick her lips would feel against his. To keep from tempting fate, he slid his cheek along hers until he could whisper close to her ear.

  "Do you have any idea how much I want to kiss you right now?" he asked low enough only she would hear.

  The hottest blush he'd ever seen bloomed in her cheeks again and one corner of her lips tipped up in a smile. "I think I have a good idea."

  David kissed her forehead, justifying to himself that it was no more than the kiss he'd put on her cheek at the house. A camera flashed, and Andi jumped in his hold, but she didn't pull away. Ignoring the shouts from the group, he took her hand and led the way into the restaurant.

  Chapter Seven

  "Would you care for a glass of wine with your filet mignon, sir?"

  "No, thank you. I'll stick with the soft stuff," he said with a grin, handing the menu to the young woman who had been assigned to their table.

  "And you, ma'am?"

  Andi ordered the Norwegian Salmon, and like David, passed on a glass of wine. She didn't know his reason for passing, but she just wasn't a fan. Which, she had been told by many people since moving West, was a shame since California produced some great vintages. As soon as the waitress walked away, David reached across the table through the stemware glasses and the small centerpiece maze to take her hand. The table was small, set up only for two along the back wall of the retro-style dining room, tucked away but within clear view of the grand piano situated centrally for the benefit of the entire dining room. A man wearing a tuxedo sat at the piano, playing a soft and easy tune that Andi recognized but couldn't put a name to. In the subdued light, it was difficult to see most of the other patrons, and she wondered if that was intentional. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered what Maggie had told her about Chez Nous.

 

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