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“Okay, I’m ready.”

Skylar had let her hair down, and the ocean breeze had added a slight curl to it. Elena couldn’t help but take in the sight as she grabbed her bag and keys off the hooks by the garage door. She opened the door, letting Skylar out first. But Skylar stopped in her tracks, and her mouth went agape at the sight of the Brittany Blue 1968 Ford Mustang convertible Elena had purchased a few years back. It was her dream car, and she was damn proud of it. Even if she liked to act as if it were no big deal, she had it casually parked in her garage.

“You own your dream car.” Skylar was awestruck as she walked around the car. Her hand hovered over it as if she couldn’t touch it, which made Elena laugh. “I love it so much.”

“I do too.”

“When did you get it?”

“A few years ago. Here,” she said as she tossed the keys to Skylar, “you can drive it.”

“Oh, no,” Skylar nervously laughed. “No way am I driving that. A bug would hit the windshield, and I would cry.”

“Come on.” Elena opened the driver’s side door as Skylar slowly walked around the back of the car. “When will you ever get to drive one of these again?”

“Never.”

“So, what are you waiting for?”

Elena motioned to the front seat. With a bit more excitement in her step, Skylar rounded the car and got into the driver’s seat. Her smile was unmatched by any kid at Christmas. She ran her hands along the steering wheel and the leather seats.

“Holy shit, Ellie. This is nice.”

“Trust me, I know.” Closing the door, Elena walked around to the passenger side and got in. “I spent more money than I should have to buy it, then I could have bought a second home for how much it cost to restore it. You’d never believe it, but when I found this car, it had been totaled in a wreck for nearly twenty years and was sitting in a junkyard. But I saw its potential.”

“And rescued it.”

“Yup.”

“So nice of you.”

“I’m generous that way,” Elena laughed. She pressed the button on the garage door opener to open the door. Skylar was beyond careful backing out, and Elena tried to hide her smile. It was beyond sweet she was being so cautious in Elena’s car.

“So, where am I going?”

Skylar had her left arm on the wheel and her right on the armrest. She looked so damn cool yet so damn hot that Elena nearly told her to turn around right then and there to take her inside her bedroom. She envied the breeze for how it got to run through Skylar’s blonde hair.

So much for keeping our distance.

“Left,” Elena answered as Skylar pulled out of the driveway.

Chapter 12

Skylar

Stephanie’s Fiesta Bar was located off the Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Skylar would have gladly driven to the Mexico border if they meant she could stay in the car with Elena longer. They had the radio up and were singing to every song that played. The wind had their hair blowing in all sorts of directions, but Skylar didn’t care. She was with Elena and having fun, and that was all that mattered.

In fact, if her stomach hadn’t been growling, Skylar might have suggested they keep on driving. But the smell of fajitas that greeted them when they walked into the restaurant told Skylar she’d made the right decision to stop.

“Hi, I have a reservation for two under Cruz. Thank you.” Elena leaned slightly onto the host stand as Skylar looked around the restaurant.

There was nothing spectacular about it; it looked like most Mexican restaurants Skylar had been in. Mariachi music played on the speakers, and different colors of glass globes adorned the lights over the tables. The place was packed, which was surprising for a Tuesday night.

Skylar followed Elena and the host through the restaurant and out onto a small patio. There were three other tables out there, but only one was currently occupied. The host sat them in the corner, which was the only table that didn’t have a window behind it to the main restaurant. Elena must have requested that seat specifically to avoid the attention of any fans that might also be at the restaurant.

“Can I take your drink orders?”

“I’ll do a rum and Coke and an iced water, please.”