Daniela was seeing someone."
"Marley, do you have laryngitis?"
"No." She almost dropped the phone as she continued to crawl down the hallway, so Daniela wouldn't hear her. "I'm being stealthy."
"Oh." Then he whispered back, "Why?"
"Because I was peeking in on my boss."
"You mean you were spying."
"No, I was definitely only peeking." She frowned. "Why are you calling? Because obviously it's not to gloat over knowing she was seeing someone."
"I want to go to the Ferry Building. The farmers market is this morning."
"That's nice. Have a good time."
"Okay. I'll pick you up in fifteen."
"What?" She made a face. "No. I'm not going."
"What else are you going to do on such a beautiful Saturday morning? Spy on your boss? Read comic books? Work?"
"You say that like it's a curse."
"It's probably the nicest Saturday we're going to have in a long time, and you're passing up a ride on my bike to people watch and eat bad-for-you things from street vendors. But, hey, to each his own."
She rolled her eyes. But the ride on the bike was tempting, and the last time she'd gone to the Ferry Building it'd been with Daniela, and she'd really wished she'd had her camera. What was a culinary treat for most people was a visual treat for her. The thought of taking photos excited her. She hadn't taken any pictures in so long. "Twenty minutes," she said impulsively.
"You got it." He hung up, probably so she couldn't change her mind.
Scrambling to her feet, she hurried downstairs. On impulse, she put on a pair of jeans and a turquoise blue long-sleeved shirt with beading—also a gift from Daniela. She topped it with a gray blazer, a scarf, and her camera bag.
She let herself out of her Batcave right as Brian drove up. He rolled up the driveway and stopped in front of her. She was momentarily struck speechless by the look of him. He looked badass.
Afraid to blurt out what she was thinking, she wordlessly took the helmet he offered, jammed it on her head, and hopped on. He turned around in the driveway and they roared off.
A thrill of excitement rushed through her. She held him tightly around his waist, even though she felt comfortable this time. She liked the solid feel of him against the front of her body.
She gasped at the thought, feeling guilty like she'd been unfaithful to Tony. She quickly erased it from her mind, as if he'd know.
Marley hopped off before Brian backed into a spot between two cars and parked the motorcycle. Undoing her helmet, she handed it to him.
He secured both helmets to the bike and then took her hand. "Let's go."
She followed, staring down at their linked hands. It felt... weird. Not bad, just weird. It was kind of nice, actually, in a way. Not awkward, like she'd have expected it to be.
"Uh-oh." A smile threatened his lips as he led her across the Embarcadero. "You're thinking. That can't result in anything good. Let me assure you that this is platonic."
"My friends don't usually hold my hand."
"Then you need better friends."
"Actually, I was trying to remember the last time I held anyone's hand."
"Do you remember the first time?"
She looked at him incredulously. "Do you?"
"Of course." He looked at her like she was silly. "Kindergarten. Mary Ellen Fisher. She had two blond braids and buck teeth."
Marley laughed.
"I loved her teeth. It broke my heart when she got braces in sixth grade." He shot her a grin. "Your turn."
She couldn't remember the first time. She couldn't even remember her mother holding it. She did remember one time when Tony had put his hand on hers—it'd lasted only a second, but she couldn't bring herself to wash that hand all day. "I don't think anyone held my hand in school."
"What about after? What about your One True Love, the guy you're waiting for?"
She tried to imagine Tony holding someone's hand and just couldn't see it. "I don't think he's that type, and other guys always saw me as another one of them."
Brian looked her up and down, a disbelieving look on his face. "Whatever you need to tell yourself. Come on. This stand over here has the best squash."
"Squash?" She wrinkled her nose.
"Wait till you see them. Close your eyes."
"Brian, that's just—"
"No, really. Trust me." He stared at her steadily, waiting.
Sighing, she closed her eyes. She wanted to say that she was humoring him, but she did trust him.
He slowly, carefully guided her for what seemed like forever before telling her to stop.