closed his eyes, as it was he just wanted to get home.
“Here.” She thrust a water bottle at him after climbing in next to him. “Do you have any pain pills with you?”
“I don’t like taking pain meds.” The usual protest sprang automatically to his tongue.
She gave him a schoolteacher glare, the kind that made you question your own intelligence. “That’s not what I asked. If you have something with you, take it.”
He glared back, not caring in the least that it screamed petulant rebellion. He may have tripped up like a little boy, but he was a grown man capable of knowing the needs of his own body.
“I can always take you to the hospital. I’m sure they’ll give you something.”
“Why do you care if I’m in pain?”
She looked truly confused by the question. “I care whenever anyone is in pain.”
“The painkillers don’t help the injury. They just mask the pain, making it possible for you to hurt yourself even more.”
“The pain medicine helps you to relax. If it’s a pulled muscle like you seem to think, a lessening of the tension in the muscles actually will assist in the healing process.”
“They make me sleepy.” It wasn’t quite a whine but too close for his pride. So he dug out the pills, popped one in his mouth and chased it with a long sip of water. “You seem to know a lot about physical ailments for an event coordinator.”
“I got into first aid when I was doing my lifeguard stint. Where are we going?” She’d been driving as they argued but had reached the freeway. “Do I go north or south?”
He directed her north and gave her the address, which she put in her GPS.
“I know that address. You’re living at Obsidian Studios?”
“Sometimes it feels like it, but no, I’m staying at The Old Manor House.”
Her head whipped his way. “How can you be living at The Old Manor House?”
He cocked a brow at her surprise. “My family does own the house.”
“Of course.” Eyes back on the road, she shrugged. “But I thought it was closed up.”
“It was, most of it still is, but after his last divorce, my father moved back into a wing on the bottom floor.” Why was he explaining anything to her? But what the heck, he preferred to be alert. Talking helped. “I’d rather go to my place on the coast in Santa Barbara, but I moved into the Hollywood mansion when I started working at the studio. It’s closer, more convenient when I have to be there every day.”
No need to admit driving still bothered his leg. In fact, no need to talk about himself.
“From lifeguard to event coordinator. That’s quite a change. How’d that happen?”
Her luscious lips pursed. “Well, after high school we went to UCLA.” Her gaze touched him for a second. “You’re an alum, too.”
“Yes.” He agreed. “A few years before you I’m guessing.”
“Four,” she answered promptly.
“Very precise.” Why would she know that?
A grin flashed his way. “I searched for you online. Standard research prior to putting in the bid to Obsidian Studios.”
“What was your major?” He lobbed the focus back to her. Smothering a yawn, he convinced himself it was drowsiness and not disappointment he felt. Of course her research had been business related not personal.
“Communications, but I switched to business when By Arrangement came to be.”
“You started your business in college?”
She laughed. “Sometimes I think we started our business in the womb. My mom is big on celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, accomplishments were all good reasons to have a party. So we grew up entertaining. When we hit the sorority at UCLA, we naturally stepped up whenever there was an event. Our reputation grew and we started doing other events around school. It started as a way to make extra money. But as people graduated, they still called us and we started doing events outside the school. Our junior year, we named our business By Arrangement, changed our majors to business and never looked back.”
The love for her job rang loud in her animated chatter. The pride in her accomplishments, which she clearly shared with her sister, indicated a bond of trust and affection. From what she’d said of her mother, it sounded as if she’d had a happy childhood.
Too much cheer for him.
“I must say By Arrangement came highly recommended. Your previous clients must have missed out on the toe print experience.”
In profile he watched the joy in her switch off.
He heard a sigh and then a very polite, “I’m sorry. Please send me the cleaning bill and I’ll see it’s paid.”
Blessed silence filled the vehicle.
He turned to look unseeing out the window, feeling as if he’d spanked a puppy. She was the one in need of a spanking. If she’d gracefully accepted the blame when he’d first arrived, he would have left immediately and been sitting down to a nice meal at Antonio’s right now.
On cue his stomach rumbled.
Ignoring it, ignoring her, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
* * *
Tori kept her eyes on the road. In another ten minutes she’d drop his ungrateful hide off at the curb. She couldn’t wait.
Thank heavens the meds finally kicked in and he fell asleep, lifting the need for conversation. If you counted grunts and sarcasm as conversation. She got it. He’d had a bad year. But there was no reason to take it out on her.
She took the off-ramp that led to Obsidian Studios and The Old Manor House. He deserved to live alone in a spooky old place. The house got its name shortly after it was built because the house and grounds were used in an old black-and-white movie of the same name. The movie became a Gothic horror classic. It scared her spitless as a kid.
Only a few more blocks.
Then she heard it again, the rumble of his stomach. Her brow puckered as she tried to recall if he’d mentioned staff. He probably had a cook and a housekeeper, right? She had no doubt whatsoever that his father would have had a staff. But Garrett spent several months in the hospital. It was totally possible the staff had been let go. Especially as Garrett had his own home.
Dang it. Sometimes she was too nice for her own good, but she couldn’t leave him at the curb both hurt and hungry.
Dark had fallen and she panned the street in front of her and then in the rearview mirror. Spotting the pink neon sign of a fast-food Chinese restaurant, she whipped a U-turn and zipped into the parking lot. Perfect.
She glanced at Garrett, who didn’t
