Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Kira
I needed to come clean before I got any deeper into this. Maybe give it a few minutes and ‘fess up over lunch.
Or maybe admitting to my silly little ruse would be better after sharing a meal, when we’d gotten to know each other more. Perhaps we’d both laugh it off. Just a fun story that gave us each a new friend.
Right?
Until then, I’d just go along with it, making conversation and seeing the sights. One thing was burning on my mind, and I needed to find an answer without tipping Rex off that I wasn’t who I claimed to be. But clearly, he and Lila had talked about this Athena person quite a bit.
“You’re sure Athena doesn’t mind me crashing at her place?” I asked.
“She doesn’t mind at all. In fact, she might have others staying there, too. There’s no shortage of cuties over there. You’ll probably make some good friends.”
Cuties? Okay…
“It’s kind of her thing, owning the nursery and all,” Rex added.
“I can’t wait to see her stuff! I love flowers and plants and all that.”
Trying to be casual, I glanced his way to see if he was buying all this. He looked a little confused.
“Her flowerbeds are really good. Yeah. And she’s got quite a bit of trees and stuff there in the backyard.”
Being a nursery, she had to have more than that, but I’d see the setup when I got there.
Changing the subject to something safer, I said, “Ooh! That’s a cool building! We’re in Hollywood now, aren’t we?”
“Sure are,” he said. “We’ll hit the Boulevard soon.”
“Hey, that building says visitors are welcome for tours. Wanna go in?”
He flashed me a quick grin. “It’s owned by a cult.”
“What?”
He nodded and returned his gaze straight ahead to the road. It’s a good thing he did because one of those double-decker tourist buses pulled out in front of us.
“It’s seriously owned by a cult. They own quite a bit of property around town. They prey on unsuspecting tourists who drop in. They’d love to talk with you. In fact, you might even see a celebrity or two in there.”
I sank in my seat a little. “I think I’ll pass on the whole cult thing.”
“You’re better for it,” he said.
Laughing, I asked, “So, you’re not in a cult? I don’t have to worry about you trying to convert me?”
“Not me,” he said with a shake of his head. “Did a stint in the Marines. Hell, it’s culty enough. Since then, I don’t really give my undying devotion to any group.”
Shifting to the side a little so I could better see him, I said, “That tracks. You kind of have a military look. Though you have a cop look, too. But I guess the two kind of go hand in hand sometimes.”
Rex nodded. “Good eye. Was a cop before becoming a private investigator.”
“Whoa! You’re a real life P.I.?”
The look he shot me from the side of his eyes was quizzical. “I told you that.”
Gulping, I tried to fight my panic and stay as casual as possible. “Yeah. Of course. But I… find it super cool. I bet you have some great stories.”
Our conversation hushed for a moment, but it was far from silent. With the top down, the sounds of Hollywood Boulevard reached us as he turned onto the fabled street.
The smells reached us, too, as street vendors grilling meat mixed with the aromas of the restaurants and car exhaust.
Had I revealed too much? Did Rex know I wasn’t Lila already before I had a chance to tell him?
Maybe that would make things easier and I could just explain myself now, I thought.
But I wanted a chance to tell him on my own.
Thankfully, he didn’t press me. Instead, saying, “Being a private eye isn’t like it is on the TV shows or movies. There aren’t any shootouts or stuff like that. At least, I haven’t been involved with any since leaving the force.”
The implication wasn’t lost on me. I wondered if the shootout he had been involved with had led to him leaving the police department. But I sure didn’t know him well enough yet to ask him that kind of question.
“What are your cases like?”
“Mostly corporate stuff. I comb a lot of social media posts, believe it or not.” He flashed me a side grin. “When movie studios hire someone, they try to make sure there aren’t any white supremacy or bigoted skeletons in their closet.”
“Makes sense. Good for them. Do you do cheating spouses?”
“Oh, yeah. I don’t like to. Feels kind of… dirty… intruding on people’s lives and wading around in that crap, but it’s part of the job.”
I thought about it for a moment. “It’s a valuable service. If people suspect, they have a right to know.”
“I agree. It would be better for everyone, though, if adults just had adult conversations and were good partners and all that.”
He was right about that! His take made me like him even more.
An incredibly handsome, sexy, strong man who had emotional maturity? Yes, please.
Sitting up straighter, I craned my neck to look ahead and to my left. “Ooh, what’s that building? Surely it’s not owned by a cult, too.”
“Over there?” He pointed.
“Yeah.”
“No. That’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Well, technically the TLC Chinese Theater now. But it’s the place?—”
“That has all the movie stars’ footprints and handprints in the concrete!” I blurted out.
“Yeah. You want to see it?”
“Yes!”
Rex chuckled. “There’s a parking garage up ahead. Are you hungry?”
“Sure am. Anywhere good close by?”
He shrugged. “Ovation has typical chain stuff. Nothing great. Hard Rock is right there. It’s touristy, sure, but actually pretty good. The locals don’t really eat there. Well, most of us don’t. It’s a guilty pleasure for me from time to time.”
He stopped and waited to turn left, but it took a while as the traffic coming the other direction was dense.
“For dinner or lunch, I’ll take you to Musso and Frank’s one day while you’re here,” he told me as his turn signal ticked loudly while the car sat in the center turn lane, waiting for a chance to go. “It’s just down the Boulevard a bit. But we need reservations for that.”
This had me excited. “I’ve heard of it. It’s famous, right?”
“Yep. Been there over a hundred years.”
He was finally able to turn and while we navigated toward the parking garage, I thought about how cool Hollywood seemed and how much I already liked Rex.
Just yesterday, I was in my tiny efficiency in New York City. How I’d ended up in that classic convertible cruising Hollywood Boulevard with a total hottie was beyond me!
I’d gotten myself into quite the adventure. And quite the mess.
How I was going to get out of it, I had no idea…