He grinned, his eyes raking over me. “No, baby, you look great.”
I wore a black, herringbone pencil skirt with knee-high black boots and a slouchy black sweater that exposed my shoulders.
“Am I adding Sundance to your approved visitors, Ms. Bates?” Gio, the night watchman, asked.
I raised an eyebrow at Sundance and cocked my head. “I haven’t decided yet, Gio. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Very good,” he said, and Sundance smiled, holding his hand out to me.
I took it and he led me outside where a shiny, black Ford F350 was waiting at the curb. “You weren’t kidding,” I said.
“About?”
“A big, safe truck.”
“Yeah.” Pulling open the passenger door, he chuckled. “Your chariot awaits.”
He helped me climb inside, then closed the door and I secured my seatbelt while he made his way to the driver’s side.
“Where are we going?” I asked once he started the truck.
“Surprise.”
Shit, I hated surprises.
I forced a smile. “Great.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, Dimples, you’ll love it.”
“Sorry.” I bit my lip. “I really need to teach my face to ignore what my brain says.”
“It’s all good. Trust me.”
Less than ten minutes later, we pulled up to Blue Door Gallery, a local art gallery that showcased all manner of art including painting, photography, and sculpture.
I gasped. “You like art?”
He smiled. “A friend’s showcasing her photography tonight and I promised I’d come.”
Her photography.
“Do you like art, Dimples?”
I bit back the feeling of jealousy and nodded. “Sure.”
“We just need to make an appearance, then we’ll go eat.”
“No, it’s good,” I rushed to say. “We can stay as long as you like.”
He climbed out of the truck, made his way to my side, and helped me down, then took my hand and led me into the building.
I’d been here once. It was a really cute little space with lots of low walls and open hallways to showcase whatever needed to be showcased.
And the photos on the walls right now were spectacular. “Wow,” I whispered as we walked further into the room.
“Sundance! You came!” a feminine voice squeaked, and a flurry of raven hair trailed behind the gorgeous young woman who rushed over to us.
“Hey, Arianna.” He accepted her hug which meant he had to let go of my hand, and I fussed with the strap on my bag, securing it better on my shoulder, just to have something to do with my hands.
