Perfect For You

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“Maybe we should stop and get a map.”

A sigh drifted from Brooke’s pretty pink lips. “Just drive, boss man. Live a little. I’ll make sure you get off in all the right places.”

Holy shit.

Her words might have been innocent, but they had him picturing something entirely different than pressing the pedal to the metal.

“You said you’ve never driven the coastal route,” he said.

“That’s true.”

“Why not?”

“It’s hard to find someone who wants to take a play day and just go.” She fed another snack tidbit to Moochie. “What’s your reason?”

“Too busy.”

“At least I made it to Malibu one time for a suntan.”

He turned his head and found her with her face tilted toward the sun, her sunglasses in place, and a smile playing at the corners of her lips. “You drove all the way to Malibu just for a suntan?”

“Of course not. I drove all the way to Malibu so I could stop at the Santa Monica Pier, ride the carousel, and go to trapeze school. And so I could eat oysters at Gladstones in Malibu on the beach. The suntan I got was just topping on the cake.”

“Then how do you know the way to Vancouver?” Sure, the answer was simple. There was a phone app that would give them directions to the damn front door easily enough. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but the way her mind worked fascinated him. He didn’t want to feel that way, but God help him, he did.

“I don’t know the way,” she said. “But I think the discovery will be fun.”

“You big on taking risks?” Yeah. He knew the answer. But he felt compelled to ask anyway.

She held up her arm and her Fearless bracelet flashed at him in the sunlight.

“Does that have anything to do with you coming up with a bucket list at ten years old?”

“It has everything to do with it.” She sank down more into the seat and lifted her face to the sun. “Go ahead and ask me. I know you’re dying to.”

“Apparently I’m not.”

“Sure you are. Admit it. You want to know what makes me fearless.” She leaned in. “And you want to know what else is on my bucket list.”

Of course he did. He wasn’t dead for God’s sake.

“I’ve never known you to have so many miscalculations at the office.”

“But we’re not at the office.” She grinned. “And that look on your face tells me you want to know what makes me tick. You want to dissect me and figure me out like you do with all those numbers you play with every day.”

“I don’t play. I analyze.”

“Playing might be a lot more fun.” She folded her arms. “So go ahead. Ask me.”

“Is that a request? Or a demand?”

“Neither. It’s your sheer curiosity.”

“What if I’m not curious?”

“Then it might be fun if you learned to be.”

If there was ever a moment in his life where he felt like he was sliding down a slippery slope, this was it. “If I ask will you let it go after so I can focus on getting to Vancouver?”

“Maybe.”

Jesus.

This went beyond a can of worms. This was like an invitation to a party he couldn’t afford to attend. “What makes you fearless?”

“The story is too long to tell.”

Squeezing the steering wheel he dared to look at her. “So you brought it up why?”

“Because this road trip is for us to learn more about each other.”

“No. I believe we agreed this road trip was a faster option to reach Vancouver than going standby with the airlines.”

“But that’s not much fun. I like my version better.”

Someone picked up a sledgehammer and smashed him between the eyes. “Brooke?”

“Yes, Dec?”

“Would it be too much to ask for a moment of silence?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then could we just listen to the radio? I’ll let you choose the station.”

“How about we listen to music and talk?” She leaned forward and turned the radio to a country station where Florida Georgia Line was sippin’ on fire. “I’m surprisingly great at multitasking.”

The coastal highway was busy as Dec maneuvered between cars to get ahead of the sightseers. “I need to focus on driving.”

“So you’re saying you’re not great at multitasking?”

“I’m not saying that at all. Point being, I’m trying not to say anything.”

“So . . . back to my bucket list.”

Yep. This was going to be the longest damn drive of his life. He didn’t even bother to wonder if he’d be sane at the end.

“Why don’t you just give me the Cliff Notes and hit on some of the highlights.”

“They’re all highlights.”

Dear God.

Perfect For You

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