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“Thanks, Andre. This is my friend, Oliver.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Andre said.
“You too.”
They climbed in, and Adelia sank against the seat cushion.
“See, nothing to worry about,” Oliver told her.
“You have no idea how relieved I am.”
The driver got in and closed his door. “To the Schultz’s house, correct?”
“That’s right,” she replied. “But if the coast is clear, let’s stop by my house first.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Oliver looked at her and mouthed, “Yes, ma’am,” and she gave him a playful glare.
The time in California may have been three hours earlier, but Adelia’s stomach was still on Michigan time and growled as loud as a bear.
“I feel ya,” Oliver said. “It’s past my dinnertime too.”
She chuckled. “I’m so hungry, I could eat my own arm.”
Oliver laughed.
Adelia liked the sound of his laughter. She also liked the way his eyes crinkled and his face lit up when he laughed. She tamped down that line of thinking and changed the subject.
“So, what will you do tomorrow while I’m at the junket?”
“I’m not sure. What do you recommend?”
“Do you want the typical tourist experience? If so, you could go to Hollywood Boulevard and see the Walk of Fame.”
“Oh, right, all the stars on the sidewalk.” He nodded. “And the Chinese Theater.”
“And Santa Monica Pier is a favorite among tourists.”
“Maybe.”
“You could go to Venice Beach. The boardwalk there is full of lots of interesting things and great for people-watching.” She tried to get a read on his level of interest, but he gave nothing away. “Or Griffith Park. The observatory’s there, and you’ll get a great view of the Hollywood sign.”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“You could go to Disneyland.”
He let out a laugh.
“Help me out here, Olly. I just want you to have fun while you’re here.”
“Not sure any of that would be much fun by myself.”
“I wish I could go with you. I’d much rather play tourist than what I have to do.”
He looked over at her. “If you could be completely anonymous for a day, what would you do?”
“I wouldn’t mind doing any of those things. This might be hard to believe, but I’ve led a pretty sheltered life. My parents kept me out of the public when I was younger. We didn’t go many places around here because their fame made it impossible for us to have any privacy.” She tilted her head. “I have actually been to the Hollywood Walk of Fame … when my parents got their stars. And my parents took me to the observatory when I was little, but they rented the place after hours so it was just us there.”