California Girls(47)

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they’d passed through the flatlands and were heading up into the foothills. Condos gave way to small houses. Small houses gave way to bigger ones. The road narrowed and turned and twisted until they were in a very exclusive part of town.

“Well, this is fancy,” she murmured as he pulled into the driveway of a large two-story house with a four-car garage. He hit a clicker and one of the garage doors opened.

The first thing she noticed was the motorcycles. There were four parked in two of the spaces.

“You take this motocross thing very seriously,” she said as she got out of the truck.

Daniel shook his head. “They’re street bikes.”

“I knew that.”

He looked at her.

She grinned. “I did not know that, but I do now.”

He motioned to the empty fourth bay. “This is big enough for all your stuff. Boxes, furniture, assuming you don’t give it all away.”

She saw what he meant and realized why he’d brought her here. Good thing she hadn’t said anything about them maybe having dinner or something.

“You’re assuming I’m going to move in with someone, which makes sense,” she said. “This is so nice. You’re saving me storage fees. Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“Ali, I’m not just offering you a place to keep your things. I’m offering you a place to live.”

“What?”

“Follow me.”

Live? As in...live? With him? In his house? With him?

“I don’t understand.”

He kept moving, forcing her to trail after him. They entered the house through a mudroom. To the left was a large laundry room and in front of them a gorgeous kitchen.

There were huge windows and dark cabinets and an island the size of her former bed and gleaming appliances, some of which she didn’t even recognize.

“I don’t cook much, but even I could shine in here,” she said. “It’s massive. This whole house is gigantic. How long have you lived here?”

“A couple of years. It’s hard to find a small house with a four-car garage. Plus I figured one day I’d settle down.”

Lucky lady, she thought as they continued through the downstairs. There was a big great room just beyond the kitchen.

He went to the far end of the kitchen, down a narrow hall, then pushed open a door.

“Mother-in-law suite,” he said, motioning for her to go in.

The small sitting area had a sofa and a TV on a credenza. Beyond that was a bedroom with a queen-size bed, a dresser, another TV and a desk by the window. The closet was huge, as was the bathroom.

“It’s yours for as long as you want it,” he told her. “My bedroom is upstairs and on the other side of the house, so you’ll never hear me. You can use the kitchen, family room, laundry, whatever you want. You can come and go as you please.”

She looked at the pretty lavender bedspread and the dresser with big drawers and the bathroom with double sinks and a jumbo shower.

“You’re willing to rent this to me?” she asked. “Seriously?”

“Not rent, Ali. You can stay here. I want you to stay here, as my guest, for as long as you’d like.” He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “There are no strings. You have my word.”

“Strings?”

“I don’t want you to think I’m coming on to you.”

She laughed. “Trust me, I would never think that. But you can’t be serious. I can’t just live here.”

“Why not? I have the room and you need a place. We get along. I want to do this. I want to know that you’re safe.”

He was the nicest man ever, she thought, fighting the sudden burning in her eyes. Glen had been so awful and Daniel was his exact opposite.

“Come see the rest of the downstairs,” he said.

She took one last look at the beautiful room, told herself she really couldn’t, before following him back through the kitchen. He led her into the big great room with a TV over the fireplace.

“There’s a media room upstairs,” he told her.

She smiled. “Of course there is.”

She saw a small formal living room and a much bigger dining room, both of which were empty.

“You’re such a guy. You have no furniture in your dining room but you have a media room.”

He flashed her a grin. “Priorities.”

They went into a good-sized office. There was a desk, a couple of leather chairs and built-in cabinets with bookshelves covering one wall.

The shelves were filled with dozens and dozens of trophies and other awards. On the opposite wall were pictures of Daniel racing or riding, along with photos of him in the winner’s circle, looking tired, dirty and triumphant. Ali crossed to the shelves.

“Look at all these,” she said, reading some of the plaques. “You’re so famous.”

“It was a while ago.”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Please don’t downplay your success around me. I’m impressed. I wish I’d known about this before. I feel like when Glen and I were together, I barely knew you at all.” She decided to tell him the truth. “Actually, I thought you didn’t like me.”

His steady gaze never wavered. “Why would you think that?”