Page 36 of Kiss and Tell

But it was true I liked being productive. I did prefer the idea of getting some extra work in during the drive instead of listening to the latest celebrity biography.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s go together.”

“Perfect. Pack a bag for a night or two.”

“What? Why?” I asked again.

“I checked how far the place is and I don’t want to drive there and back in one day, plus we don’t know how long we’re going to spend at the brewery. So I booked us hotel rooms.”

“Are you serious?” I said. “I’m not staying in a hotel room with you.”

“Hotelrooms,” he replied, stressing the finals. “This isn’t some rom-com where we accidentally end up sharing a bed.”

I furiously stamped down on any small hint of disappointment that tried to well up inside me.

“And bring a swimsuit,” he continued. “This place has got a great rooftop pool.”

“This is supposed to be a work trip,” I reminded him.

“You can’t work twenty-four hours a day,” he said.

I exhaled slowly through my nose.

“Fine,” I said. “We can turn the road trip into an overnight business trip.”

Connor took his sweet time getting to my place. I kept checking the clock on my phone, wondering if we’d be able to make it to the brewery in time.

When Connor pulled up in a sleek, shiny black car that smelled like familiar leather, I slid into the passenger’s seat and inhaled deeply.

“Where’s the pencil skirt?” were his first words, gesturing to my jeans.

“Not exactly road trip attire, is it?” I replied as I secured the seatbelt. “I’ve got a change of clothes in my bag.”

“I like it,” he said. “Reminds me of that night I first met you. You’ve got this casual vibe going on right now.”

I firmed my lips.

“Are you saying I’m usually uptight?” I asked.

“I’d say driven is a better word,” he replied. “But it’s nice to see you with your hair down.”

“I always wear my hair down.”

“Figure of speech.”

Connor pulled out of the driveway and we started on our trek. I noticed he went just above the speed limit. I’d half-expected him to be a speed demon, racing down the road and weaving in and out of traffic, but he drove just as safely as I would have.

“I had some thoughts about the grand opening,” I spoke up, pulling my notebook and pencil from my bag.

“Already time to work?” he asked. “It’s still morning. Give my brain time to adjust to daylight.”

I’d been awake for hours, used to getting up early to make it to the office on time, since I had a long commute. It must have been nice to have no responsibilities, to be able to sleep in until whenever you felt like.

That wasn’t quite fair, I admonished myself. Connor had responsibilities, like getting the new bar ready. And I was sure that, in his past life as a musician, he would have had his own kind of deadlines and due dates.

Still, I couldn’t help be jealous of someone who got to sleep until noon every day. When I worked for myself, I was never going to attend a meeting that took place before ten in the morning if I could help it.

Connor took a sharp turn, making me fumble for the hand grip.