Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 524(@200wpm)___ 419(@250wpm)___ 349(@300wpm)
Tessa deserved everything in the world. And he planned to give her just that. But since he still didn’t want to make the mistake of coming on too strong, too soon, he kept that sentiment to himself. Instead, he said, “That was just for starters, Tessa Taylor.”
She looked incredulous that there could be more. “What do you mean?”
“We’re off to our next stop.”
She looked confused. “Wait, there’s more?”
He thanked Avery for her time and asked her to come to the next Davenport family brunch. The redhead groaned. “I know, I keep missing them, but I’m so busy with work, and now that Josh has baseball practice, I barely have time to scarf a piece of toast for breakfast on the weekend, never mind come for brunch.”
“You should both come,” he urged her. “We miss you.”
“I’ll try,” she said, giving him a hug good-bye and then pulling Tessa in for a hug too. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“Me too,” Tessa replied.
He was glad that the two women seemed to have formed a bond so quickly. Because if he could ever convince Tessa to be with him, it would be nice to know that, in addition to his sisters, she would have another friend in Avery.
As she settled behind the wheel of his car, she said, “Are you sure your leg is up to more fun and merriment?”
He grinned. “I’m feeling great so far.”
“Okay, then.” She grinned back. “Where to now?”
“We’re off to an escape room.”
* * *
Tessa wasn’t at all sure about an escape room, but Arch seemed so excited about the idea that she pretended to be more enthusiastic than she was. She’d read about escape rooms and always thought they sounded more like a terrifying ordeal than a fun activity. They were an interactive, immersive, live-action game played in a variety of strange locations—like a real-life game of Clue. Yet she’d never been able to imagine what an escape room looked like, let alone what it would feel like to spend an afternoon locked inside.
However, when they got there, her nerves soon evaporated. He’d booked the Alice in Wonderland experience for them. How had he guessed that it had been one of her favorite stories as a kid? She loved the upside-down world of Wonderland, its curious and chatty creatures, the topsy-turvy tea party. The decorations and puzzles in the escape room didn’t disappoint. Their escape was from a hotel located in the former house of Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice’s many adventures, and they had to make sure to catch the tail of the white rabbit and work together to get out of the rabbit hole.
She was still a little worried that Arch was going to hurt himself. It was the longest he’d spent on his feet since the accident, and he was only just getting used to the boot. But he really did seem fine. More than fine. Both fit and playful and, to her delight, incredibly good at teamwork and communicating with her to escape the room.
Maybe it was all that time spent on film sets with different personalities, juggling different visions.
Or… maybe they actually were a good team.
No, there was no maybe about it. They were a great team.
And it was the most fun she’d had in years.
* * *
By the time they were back outside, she was ready to head home and prepare dinner, especially when Arch said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” He turned to her with his gorgeous smile, the one that lit up a movie screen and made her heart skip. “I would like to take you to one of my favorite restaurants.”
“But, Arch, I’m not dressed for a fancy place.” Celebrities could eat at the finest restaurants in the world in old jeans and get away with it, but she didn’t want to do that.
He laughed. “You don’t dress up for this place.” He put an arm around her. “Come on, trust me.”
The tiny fish-and-chips place on Cannery Row felt like the perfect end to a perfect day. He chatted with the owners, who had reserved them a table, then left them alone to enjoy the best fish and chips Tessa had ever tasted.
More than ever, she wanted to give in to the urges she’d been fighting from the moment she first set eyes on Arch. All day long, he had touched her, little brushes of his fingertips on her hand, her arm, on the small of her back. His touch was delicate, light, almost innocent.
Except that she knew it was anything but innocent. Especially given that she was no longer able to hide her attraction to him, no matter how hard she tried. Especially when he didn’t hide his attraction to her at all.
And then there were all of his little flirty comments. Some so subtle that she wondered if it was all accidental. Maybe Arch was just a friendly, outgoing, charismatic person, no matter who he was with.