21. Gavin
Gavin
We finish eating and make our way to baggage claim. Our flight landed a while ago, so Alexa offers to check with the claim desk about our suitcases, leaving Dani and me standing side by side.
The silence that settles between us feels heavier than it should, especially with the constant rush of the airport buzzing around us.
Dani pulls out her phone, her thumb hovering a little too deliberately over the screen. She opens an app and pretends to scroll.
“I should call a rideshare for Alexa and me,” she says, not quite looking at me.
I reach out and gently cover her screen with my hand. The contact is brief, but it does something to me. “Save your money. I’ve got my truck. I’ll give you both a ride home.”
She looks up, and gives me a warm smile. “You sure?”
“Of course,” I say easily. And because it’s true, I add, “I’ll take any time I can get with you.”
I bump my shoulder lightly against her, careful not to jostle her. She still looks a little pale, and the instinct to take care of her feels automatic.
Alexa returns with the bags, handing each of us our suitcases. Her phone dings almost immediately.
“Oh! My car’s here,” she says. “I’ll see you guys later!”
“Wait!” Dani calls after her as Alexa starts toward the exit. “Gavin was going to give us a ride.”
Alexa turns, already grinning. “Girl, you need alone time together.” She winks. “Have fun.”
I glance at Dani, half amused, half aware of how fast my pulse just picked up. I guess… that’s that.
We make our way to the parking lot and find my truck. I toss our bags into the bed and get us on the road.
I take a chance. Instead of merging onto the freeway toward Dani’s place, I steer the truck in the opposite direction, toward mine.
“Uh, Gavin,” she says after a moment, glancing at the road signs. “You just got on the wrong on-ramp.”
My grip tightens slightly on the steering wheel. “Actually, I wanted to take you somewhere. It’s a surprise.”
She squints at me, then breaks into a grin. “Oh, no. Am I being kidnapped? Should I flag down a cop?”
I laugh, relieved by how easy this all feels again. “Very funny. Why don’t you close your eyes and take a little nap? Traffic’s a nightmare so it’ll be a bit.”
She settles back against the window and closes her eyes without hesitation.
It takes everything in me not to reach over. Not to rest my hand on her thigh. Not to lace my fingers through hers like we used to, back when it felt normal to touch her like that.
Waiting was my idea. Being responsible. Doing this right.
And yet, all I can think about is how badly I want something as simple as holding her hand.
The drive to my place takes us along the water, sunlight flickering off the surface. I roll down my window, letting the breeze fill the cab. A moment later, I hear soft, barely-there snores drifting from the passenger seat.
I smile to myself, my chest tightening at the sound. The water. The breeze. Dani asleep beside me. It feels… dangerously close to perfect.
As we get closer to my place, nerves creep in. I’m renting, but to say I lucked out feels like an understatement. I’m nervous about what she’ll think about it.
She starts to stir as I turn into the neighborhood. Her eyes flutter open, and my pulse kicks up for reasons I can’t fully explain.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I chuckle.
“You’re so funny,” she grumbles, rubbing her eyes. “Where are we?”
“About to turn onto my street.”
“Uh, Gavin.” She pauses. “This looks like La Jolla.”
“That’s because it is La Jolla.”
Her head swivels back and forth, looking through all the windows in the truck at the mega million-dollar homes we’re passing.
“Uh…”
We approach a gate and I click the remote attached to my sun visor. As the gate opens, I steer the truck up the long driveway and park outside the garage. It’s attached to a tall, thin, two-story beach house. “Ready?”
I see Dani scrambling to get out of the truck, and I can’t help but chuckle under my breath.
“Gavin, where are we?”
“My house.” I grin.
“How much is Mr. White fucking paying you?”
I laugh. “Trust me. Not enough for this. The owner is a former client of mine back in Pennsylvania. Emmett was doing a job at one of his restaurants and mentioned to him I was moving out here. He asked Em to connect us and when we got in touch, he offered to rent me his beach house for basically pennies. But I’m also in charge of performing all the repairs and upgrades. ”
Dani just keeps staring at the large building, mouth hanging open.
“Let me show you around. We can get the bags later.”
I lead her to the front door and type in the code to get inside. It opens to reveal a large open-concept first floor. Despite the outside of the house giving ultra-rich vibes, the inside is dated and in serious need of work.
Dani bursts into a fit of giggles. “Did I miss the ride in the time machine?”
“I know, I know. Now you see why my rent is basically to fix this place up?”
The entire house, except for the master bedroom upstairs, is literally stuck in the seventies.
To the left, there’s a sunken living room that requires a step down to get to.
It’s completely wrapped in paneled dark wood on the walls, with pink shag carpet covering the floor.
A green plush sectional sits along the back wall, facing a large flat screen television mounted on the wall.
It was the only modern item here when I moved in.
On the other side of the room sits the kitchen.
I don’t know what anyone was thinking with these bright yellow wall tiles and green cabinets, but those will be gone very soon.
The appliances like the microwave, oven, and dishwasher were probably upgraded in the late nineties, maybe early two-thousands, but either way, they’re barely hanging on and one of the reasons I tend to eat out or order-in most of the time.
There’s a dining area right between the two, and the long wooden table for ten would be a nice place to host a dinner party. Even with the gaudy brass chandelier hanging above it that screams retro. Maybe it can be a conversation starter.
Dani slowly walks deeper into the house. “Holy shit.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Welcome to my house.”
“You have a lot of work to do, buddy.”
“I’ve already made some changes upstairs. Want to see my favorite part?”
She raises an eyebrow at me. “Really? Going with that line?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I realize how that sounds. But I promise this isn’t me trying to get in your pants… yet.” I wink.
She gives me a little push, but there’s a big grin on her face, so I can’t be in that much trouble. “Dork. Lead the way.”
I take her hand, guiding her upstairs. So far, the master bedroom is the only room I’ve fixed up since moving in. I wanted to have a place I could really call mine. A safe haven so to speak. Plus, it’s not really the bedroom itself that I love about the space, it’s what comes with it.
When we make it to the double doors, I open them and quickly move out of the way to let Dani take in the sight. The small gasp that escapes her is music to my ears.
“Oh, Gavin. This is stunning.”
Directly across from us sit wide glass doors leading to a huge balcony, with an unobstructed view of the ocean. I decided not to go with standard curtains and instead have motorized blackout shades I can control with a remote. They roll down from a hidden compartment above the doorframes.
The king bed sits center against an off-white wall, and has a dark tan upholstered headboard, with simple shades of light green and ivory linens.
When I was at the store trying to find sheets, the salesperson kept trying to sell me on a set with ten tiny pillows in it.
Why do people need that many pillows on their bed?
Especially little ones. I just don’t get it.
I’m very happy with my four regular human-sized pillows, thank you very much.
And even then, I only use two of them. The other two are… just in case.
Across from the bed, a television hangs on the wall between two doors.
The one on the right leads to a walk-in closet, while the one on the left is an en-suite bathroom that I swear is larger than my first studio apartment.
It has a deep freestanding soaking tub with its own view of the ocean, and a spacious walk-in shower taking over an entire wall.
The vanity and twin sinks sit along a long counter made from white stone, with dark wood cabinets.
As Dani finishes moving around the room, taking in each detail with care, she turns to me, softness in her eyes. “I forgot how talented you were.”
God, I want to kiss her. But I can’t. Not yet. I smile. “Thank you. I still need to show you my favorite part.”
Her eyes go wide. “There’s more?”
I tilt my head to get her to follow me across the room and lead her out the balcony doors. Luckily, it’s beautiful out today. We make our way to the edge and it’s obvious when Dani realizes the giant balcony practically sits out over the water.
There’s a large patio set, complete with a couch and lounge chairs. With the angles and high side walls, there’s complete privacy out here when you’re sitting down.
“This is incredible,” Dani whispers.
I can’t stop watching her. “I spend as much time as possible out here.”
She’s still staring out over the horizon. “I can see why.”
“Want to sit?”
She relaxes into the soft light blue material, a moan escaping her throat. “What heaven is this?”
“Nice, right?” I sit on one of the chairs nearby. “I figured with a view like this, good furniture was a requirement. This is where I work if I’m doing anything from home.”
“I would be too distracted by this view. Hell, I would just fall asleep. It’s so relaxing out here.” She sinks further into the couch, stretching out so she’s lying flat on her back.
Oh, the things I want to do to her when she’s like that.
As she closes her eyes, I can’t keep mine off her. I could watch her for hours. Days. Weeks. Years. The rest of my life. I don’t care if it sounds creepy.
“Stop watching me, you weirdo.” Her eyes are still closed.