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She frowns. “What?”
My eyes flit between the run-down building and the guys skulking at the corner. She can’t live here any longer. “This looks like a dangerous area. Plus, if the paparazzi find out, it’ll be a thing . . .”
As if I actually care about that.
She bites her lip, peering at the building. “Oh, okay.” She pauses, then says, “Sure. But won’t it mess with the entire timeline? We were supposed to date for a while before moving in together.”
“Screw the timeline. We’ll make it work,” I growl.
“Okay,” she says with a nod.
“Good. Does 2 p.m. work? Will that leave enough time for you to pack?
“Yep, perfect. See you tomorrow, then.”
“Yes,” I say, swaying on my feet. “The movers will be here at two to pick you up and move your boxes.”
She shakes her head. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I don’t have that much. I can take a bus to your house or an Uber.”
“Two o’clock. The movers will be here,” I say, shaking my head in return as I march back to my car.
Her shoulders slump as she rolls her eyes in exasperation, but she breaks into a smile. “You’re unbelievable.”
I open the door and climb back in. “See you tomorrow.”
She waves at me before turning to her building and pushing her door open. Max was right. This date did “break” the ice. Maybe living with Jane won’t be so bad after all.
As I wait for her to get inside, I call Mike, my company’s head of security. I know that providing surveillance in a shady street in Downtown LA isn’t in his job description, but he always jumps at the chance for extra hours. And if he can’t do it, I’ll keep watch myself. There’s no way I’m leaving her here without protection.
10
Moving Day
Jane
Stepping out of the cab of the moving truck, I once again take in the beauty of the mansion I can now call home. The white stone facade exudes a clean, elegant look, and the rivers of flower beds and breezy palm trees bring everything to life. Two stately columns frame the towering front door where Colton now stands in a dark-blue suit, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looks as unsure as I feel, shuffling his feet and glancing left and right.
I tighten my arms around the banana cat bed I’m holding. Truffles is sitting inside it, her little head peering out. “This is our new home,” I whisper to her before kissing the top of her head. Her eyes dart between the house, me, the movers, and the truck at lightspeed, and she starts fidgeting. I squeeze a bit harder. “Calm down,” I whisper. “Nothing will happen to you.” But of course, she doesn’t calm down and instead squirms even more. Truffles is an adorable kitten, but she tends to get scared easily. Given the first few weeks of her life, I don’t blame her.
Colton ambles toward us. “Is everything okay?”
I’m now struggling to keep Truffles inside the banana, but it’s not easy since I’m also carrying it. Her lithe little body keeps slipping away. Why didn’t I buy a transport bag? I figured it wouldn’t be necessary for such a short trip, but I’m regretting it now. What if she escapes, and we can’t find her?
“She’s scared,” I say to Colton. “Can I get her inside?”
“Follow me,” he says, hurrying into the house. I speed-walk behind him, barely acknowledging my surroundings. There’s the Colton Cold gray corridor from my first visit, but the rest is completely new. We zoom past a luminous area with what I can only assume is a stunning view of the city through massive floor-to-ceiling windows. The style seems to be a mix of beige and bright wood. I also glimpse a massive kitchen on one side and a sprawling dining room on the other.
Truffles has calmed down, but I don’t loosen my grip. When Colton opens a hardwood door, we enter another gray corridor with multiple rooms on each side and an arched window at the end. “This is your wing,” he says. “I originally wanted to give you one upstairs, but I thought the floor level would be easier with Truffles.
“Thank you. That’s thoughtful,” I mumble, not sure what to do with myself.
He taps the first door on the left. “There’s one bedroom here, but I think you’ll like the one next door better. It has a closet.”
He marches to the end of the corridor and opens the last room on the left, revealing the biggest, most beautiful room I’ve ever seen. Seamless windows take up the entire back wall of the room and half of the left side. Noticing a wicker couch and a coffee table on the patio outside, I figure at least one of these windows functions as a sliding door. The walls are a pristine white, and the floor is a light-beige wood. A king bed occupies the right side with bedside tables on either side and a velvet bench at the end. In the far corner, a reading chair faces the garden. And on the right, a wooden panel separates the room from a massive empty closet with endless storage space. Embedded flush lights activate when we step closer.
“Will this work for you?” he asks, his forehead wrinkling.
My mouth drops. “Are you kidding? It’s amazing.”
