Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88057 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“That’s the one. Man, I loved that show. Gutted me that we never got to finish it the way we wanted.”
“It’s a cult classic now though.”
“Yes, but that sort of rabid fan support put much more on the line here. Something about the raised stakes…” I looked out the window at the line of RVs and oversize vehicles on the far side of the convenience store. “Anyway, whatever the cause, I had my first land-in-the-ER-level panic attack two weeks after we signed the big deal.”
“That sucks on timing.”
Once again, Harley was refreshingly blunt. It did suck, and him acknowledging that helped. “Yeah. It certainly didn’t feel fair at all. Bodies have cruel senses of humor.”
“Yup. Sometimes, though, it’s more like a car—ignore a little problem like a noise long enough, and it’s gonna become a roar you can’t possibly tune out.” His sage tone had me nodding along.
“Exactly. I probably should have gotten anxiety help years earlier. But…pride, I guess.”
“Pride’s a bitch. Go get your drink and take your meds. That near miss was stressful, not gonna lie.” He held out a hand. Sure enough, his fingers gave a faint twitch. Maybe not as shaky as mine, but not fully steady either, which made me feel a little better. Like, yeah, this was a big deal, and it was okay to have been shaken.
“You? Rattled?” I peered closer at him, trying to see if he was merely being kind.
“Oh, sure. Only the stupid don’t get scared.”
“If I take one of my pills, the motion of the car may put me to sleep,” I admitted.
“I’m good with driving. I’ve got the GPS all plugged in, and if you sleep through the mess of Bay Area traffic, good on you. You won’t miss much.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He’d said that before, don’t mention it, and I’d thought he’d meant that he didn’t want others knowing he’d helped me, but now I understood him a little more. He was humble. Too much praise made him uncomfortable. Don’t mention it was basically his shorthand for “let’s not get all emotional about this,” which I could sympathize with.
I opted for a chai, not coffee, craving sugar more than caffeine, but I barely finished half of it before I was out like a light, the California coast and forests rushing by as I dozed and dozed. Occasionally Hercules would move around, or I’d need to adjust the jacket I’d wadded up as a pillow, but I mainly slept deeper than I had in weeks. And I woke up refreshed, not groggy like I sometimes did after an anxiety attack. Renewed.
And no wonder because we’d left the bay behind for the gorgeous rolling hills and signs for various Sonoma county wineries.
“Wow. How are we past the city already? How long did I nap?” I yawned and stretched.
“Well, hello there, sleeping beauty.”
“Ha. Should have woken me with a kiss.” I forgot I wasn’t supposed to be flirting with him.
“Maybe so.” Harley’s tone was considering like he might actually take me up on it, and I was tempted to feign sleep right the hell there. “But Herc and I were too busy making plans for dinner to wake you.”
“Heck. I guess I slept straight through lunch.”
“You needed it.”
“I did.” I wiggled around until I’d freed my phone. “I’ve got various food rec apps. I can sort through the options around here if you want.”
“You forget I’m a Northern California boy, boss. We used to camp all over this part of the state: the Redwoods, the coast, the lakes. We explored it all.”
“Oh.” Understanding dawned, and I grinned. “You have a favorite place already picked out?”
“Yup. You can add this to your list of dates to tell Hester about. I might not know much about romance. But I know amazing Mexican and how to find the good stuff. This place has been around forever. Doesn’t look like much, but the food is out-of-this-world good. Made it on one of those food travel shows about hidden gems.”
“Be still my heart.” I put a hand over my chest. “I adore discovering little hole-in-the-wall finds like that. And I love Mexican food. Hercules and I are guilty of too many fish taco takeout meals.”
“Ha. I take care of my people. No one goes hungry on my watch.”
“I bet. Can you cook too?” The impromptu date was sweet enough. If he could cook, I was such a goner.
“Nothing fancy, but nobody’s starving with me around. Mom made sure every Burton kid knew how to fry an egg, grill a steak, and boil pasta before they left home. The basics.”
“Damn.” Sucking air through my teeth, I faked pain. “Too bad you’re not in the market for a relationship. That’s almost enough for a marriage proposal.”
“You’re funny.” He shook his head at me. “Duncan made Ezra a pie. Pastry from scratch is a real commitment and out of my pay grade. But feel free to brag to Hester that I made you a damn good ribeye on one of these mythical dates.”