But Livvy kissing him was worth a hundred broken noses. “Iknow a way you can make it up to me.”
“Yes?” Her eyes sparkled.
“Come to my house for dinner tonight.”
Her face fell. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Judy has an important gig tonight. Her first time dancing in the background of a picture. I have to make sure she gets off all right. I promised to help her with her hair.”
“So come after that. We can eat whenever you like.” He thought of Judy’s black eye and their mutual secret, knowing that it had been the handiwork of Billy Wilkes. But Livvy hadn’t told him about any incidents since. He hoped the kid had found her footing. “Besides, the kid will be fine. She’s far more capable of taking care of herself than you give her credit for.”
Livvy chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. I should probably wait up for her.”
Flynn pressed his fingers to his nose and gave Livvy a hangdog expression, laying on the full guilt trip.
“You know, maybe I should’ve broken your nose after all.”
He scoffed in indignation. “And ruin the most beautiful face in all of America?”
She rolled her eyes. “All right, fine. I’ll let the little chick fly the coop solo.”
Flynn smiled. “I promise you won’t regret it. You deserve to live your life, Livvy. To suck the marrow out of the bones of this existence. And it would be my privilege to give you a taste of what you’ve been missing.”
Chapter 20
Livvy didn’t think she’d ever been this nervous. It was the good kind of nerves—the fizzy, shaken-champagne-bottle ones. But still, she wished the courage she’d found earlier that day in Flynn’s dressing room hadn’t suddenly deserted her.
She held her bottle of wine and rang the doorbell, once again marveling at the tile lining the archway and porch outside Flynn’s front door. It was colorful, full of rich blues, oranges, and reds, and she pondered who had done such lovely, delicate work.
Flynn yanked the door open and leaned against the doorjamb. He was dressed casually in a simple pair of brown trousers and a knit, short-sleeved V-neck sweater that brought out the blue in his eyes. She liked this version of him. Handsome, but plain. Not trussed up like a movie star or a pirate. Just Flynn, in his most natural state.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He whistled as he took her in.
She felt self-conscious then, afraid that her chiffon polka-dot dress was too much. “I’m sorry, I guess I overdressed.”
He shook his head. “Nonsense, you look beautiful. Besides, in my view, a woman wearing any clothing at all is always overdressed.”
Her jaw fell open at his saucy remark, and she couldn’tsuppress a shocked huff of laughter. “Is it safe for me to come in?” she teased.
He winked at her. “Never. But I think you like that.”
She had to admit she did. She’d been so afraid of Flynn. The truth was, her fears had nothing to do with him and everything to do with the fact that in the dark of movie theaters, it was his wicked ways that had always thrilled her. The nights she’d spent reading about his exploits in a movie magazine had made her feel things that she didn’t even have words to describe. It scared her how much she was attracted to his foibles and cheeky sense of humor. How curious she was about the way he went through life, savoring each moment without shame or regret. It was admirable, really. Setting aside the notion of worrying about what other people thought... How freeing that must be. Was that something she could allow herself to do? Well, she was here.
“I don’t hate it.” She winked at him. He laughed and reached for the bottle of wine she brought, studying the label. “Um, it’s a local fortified wine. The man at the shop said it was good.” She winced, realizing how much that made her sound like a country bumpkin. Flynn probably had a cellar full of wines from France and Italy. But her parents had taught her never to arrive at someone’s house empty-handed, and she certainly wasn’t going to start now. It was the least she could do to honor their memory.
“I’m sure it’s delicious, but you didn’t need to bring anything. Tonight is about treating you.” He stood aside and held out his arm, gesturing for her to come inside. “I told you, I want to show you what you’ve been missing.”
She stepped inside timidly, remembering the way through the foyer from the party, but not wanting to be presumptuous. She awkwardly stood there, waiting for him to take charge.
He snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Make yourself at home. There’s no need to be so nervous.”
She wanted to lean back into the feel of him pressed against her, let him take the edge of her ear between his teeth and nibble at it again. But she resisted. She was barely two feet inside his home and she was already losing her head.
She racked her brain for a safe topic. “The tile in your entryway is gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like it. Is it from Spain?”
He grinned. “Actually, it’s from right here in Malibu. A place called Malibu Potteries. Alas, they never recovered after a fire a few years back, but they did some marvelous work. Here, let me show you.”
