“Sorry I was late,” Spencer said twenty minutes later as we drove west on Olympic Boulevard.
I waited for him to give me an excuse, but he offered none.
“If this was a real date,” I said, watching the buildings pass, “I might be upset. But since this is a business meeting, in a sense, I guess I can’t complain.”
“That’s why I like you so much, Ally. You’re a no-nonsense kind of girl.”
“You like me?” I teased.
He grinned. “I thought you knew that.”
“I always take everything you say with a grain of salt. I’m not sure if you say those things because you think it’s what I want to hear or because you really mean them.”
“With most girls, I usually say them because I think it’s what they want to hear.” His voice turned serious. “But with you, I really mean them.”
I shook my head and sighed. “See, there you go again. It’s even harder for me because you’re contractually obligated to be nice.”
“I’m contractually obligated to spend time with you—I never agreed to be nice. That’s just a perk.” He laughed, and even though it was now dark, he let his gaze linger on me before looking back at the road. “You look really pretty tonight.”
“Thank you. You told me to dress nice. Can you tell me where we’re going now?”
“You always look pretty.”
“Either you’re trying to change the subject, or you want to butter me up because I won’t like where you’re taking me.”
“Can’t I compliment you without an ulterior motive?”
“You can, I’m just not sure if you do.”
“That’s unfortunate. How can I get you to believe my intentions are honorable and real?”
“I don’t think you can,” I said, still teasing.
Spencer became quiet as he watched the road.
He was in a tuxedo, his hair styled in a pompadour. He looked dashing and handsome tonight—a dangerous combination to my confused heart.
“Will you tell me where we’re going, please?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
“You’re starting to worry me, Spencer.”
“Try to relax and live in the moment, Ally. You’re much too uptight.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “I thought you liked me just how I am.”
“Everyone has room for improvement.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “Fine. I’ll try to be patient. Do we have much farther to go?”
“About fifteen minutes.” He motioned to the glove compartment. “You can entertain yourself by looking at my mother’s last letter. Or I could paraphrase it for you.”
“Is it good news?”
“She was very happy to read about us inPhotoplay. She thinks I’m turning a new leaf.”
“Are you?”
