other, we walk to the back of the restaurant, through the kitchen, and past the copse of thick trees that protect the place’s back entrance. I’m thankful not to spot any more photographers, because under those trees, Reg has parked her vintage burgundy Mustang.
With perfect timing, Sarah climbs out from the passenger seat just as Kara and I emerge from inside. The dyed streak in Sarah’s hair this week matches the car’s color, and she’s also dolled up in matching eyeshadow and lipstick.
“All right then, lovers,” she calls out. “In you go now, before the rabble out front gets wise to us.”
As she motions to Kara with her sweeping arm, Reg rises gracefully from the driver’s side.
“Left it idling for you,” she tells me before lifting her chin toward Kara in a silent but stiff greeting.
She’s either still getting used to seeing a Valari at my side, or Reg actually knows the Valaris’ deepest secret. Hell, it’s a possibility. One I can’t quite wrap my mind or feelings around. The whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours hasn’t opened a second for me to find out, and nothing’s going to change about that right now. In this moment, I have to settle for more surface-level communication, such as circling around the car to give Reg a tight hug.
Once we’re doing that, I murmur, “Thanks for getting here so fast. I appreciate it. Honestly.”
She thumps affectionately at the backs of my shoulders. “You call, I answer. That’s how it’s always worked, remember?”
“Getting a chauffeured car in return isn’t a hardship either,” Sarah adds and pulls Reg away by cinching an arm around her waist. “Now I can get you sloshed and take advantage of you, love.”
“Yes, please.” Reg pecks her wife on the cheek.
During their exchange, Kara’s wide-eyed curiosity settles into a glittering smile. “We’re really sneaking out?”
“Only if you’re okay with it,” I say.
“If they are, I definitely am.” She turns giddily toward Reg and Sarah. “You both realize your date night is about to get hijacked, right? To the tune of about four dozen reporters and photographers?”
Sarah shrugs. “Just a handful more than the mob we’ve been dealing with at the store.”
“It’ll be fun,” Reg adds with the swagger that’s like home to me. “Messing with them is better than a trip to Disneyland.”
Kara gifts them with her musical laugh along with two fervent hugs before climbing into the passenger seat beside me.
“I’ll return this beast tomorrow.” I peek up at Reg, past the rolled-down window.
“Of course you will.”
Kara’s warm charm seems to have relaxed Reg’s stance, though I can’t tell if the change will take for good.
“Just take good care of her,” Reg says. “And I’m not just talking about the car.”
“Always,” I vow as Kara and I buckle up.
Just as I turn to take the car back down the hill and then out toward Mulholland, a surge of outcries hits the air. But by the time the reporters get to their cars, there’ll be nothing for them to track but dark back roads and empty pavement.
Another fifteen minutes later, as I veer off the road and stop the car at one of the city’s most perfect scenic pull-outs, it’s evident I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant thought tonight. Cars line the ledge, filled with couples either enjoying each other or the free philharmonic concert from the famous Bowl located in the ravine below.
Determined to find us privacy, I crank the wheel farther right and guide the car down a smaller side road. It leads to a wider spot where we’ll have the ledge to ourselves.
The moment I turn off the engine, live classical music flows in, creating a peaceful soundtrack to the night. I rest my head back, relieved and oddly satisfied. Maybe this is how my students feel after exams, about to embark on a summer of freedom.
My students…
I’ve only missed a day of work, but it already feels like a year. I admit to a sense of daunting worry, though it’s more about the administrative politics I’m likely returning to than functional makeup work.
“Hey. You okay?” Kara’s soft voice carries over the lush instrumental playing down below.
I look over, as in awe of her as ever. Here in this time and place, next to this breathtaking woman, my emotions are an impossibly huge universe. A starscape of such fire and light, every inch of my physical form is tiny in comparison.
“Never been better,” I say, a hundred percent sincere.
She lifts a smile to me