bills on the wall. He wouldn’t be able to hear what Katrina was saying, surely. “Hush.”
“Okay, well. Let me know if you need anything. See you tomorrow.”
“Cool, thanks. Talk soon.” Jia hung up. Dev made a call as well, speaking in such rapid Hindi that Jia wouldn’t have been able to follow even if she did speak the language.
When he hung up, Dev turned to her. “Jia.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she said breezily, having anticipated this conversation. “A suite is basically a luxurious L.A. apartment. We’ll have plenty of space.” Your virtue is safe.
“I merely wanted to ask if you wanted to take any photos here.” Dev cocked his head, as if to encompass the room. “It’s very interesting, in that deserted way.”
It was so strange to have someone so supportive of her career that they actually came up with ideas for her to photograph. Even her friends or Ayesha got tired of taking hundreds of pictures of her.
That he’d bounced back so quickly from a panic attack to pivot to focusing on her made it even more amazing. “Maybe tomorrow. Let’s get settled first.”
They went outside and walked around the back of the building and then trudged upstairs. Jia was painfully aware of Dev behind her on the stairs. When she opened their motel room door, Jia released the breath she was holding. This wasn’t . . . the worst.
Oh, it was no luxury hotel room, but the decor was country chic and the foldout sofa looked clean and comfortable. She peeked into the room. The bed was heaped with pristine white pillows and a purple quilt. It was technically one room, yes, but they’d have privacy. “It’s not so bad,” Jia enthused. She pointed at the red rose printed wallpaper. “Now that would make a good background.”
Dev nodded. “Why don’t you settle in? I need to get something from downstairs. I’ll be back.”
Jia stared at the door for a moment after he left. Was he running away? Was he so freaked out by the thought of sharing a small room with her? She envisioned him sprinting all the way back to the water and yanking his car out of the sand with his own brute strength.
Don’t worry about it.
She fumbled for her phone and scrolled through her voice notes, but sadly, she hadn’t thought to record anything for herself in the event of a sleepover with the man she had a crush on.
Oh no.
Oh no. No. No. No. She did not have a crush on him, she was not developing feelings for him. She’d fallen for Dev Dixit quickly once before; she was not doing it again.
Are you getting confused because you talked to someone with his face for a couple months?
She shoved Rhiannon’s voice out of her head. No. This was different. Wasn’t it?
Jia’s lips firmed. Yes, it was. This was real. Deep down, she’d known her text infatuation wasn’t.
Her prayer alarm went off on her phone, and she gave a sigh of relief. Good, she needed some peace. She rummaged in her camera bag for a scarf.
Praying didn’t take her mind completely off Dev, but it did feel good to do something as opposed to twiddling her thumbs and worrying. He knocked and entered the room just after she finished. His arms were full, which meant his biceps were prominent.
No, girl.
“Sorry, did I disturb you?”
She folded her scarf. “No, not at all.”
He placed a food-laden tray on the coffee table. “I figured you might be hungry. It’s getting late, and we had no lunch.”
Of course he’d gone to get them sustenance. The man was annoyingly perfect, anticipating her needs. “I am hungry.” Until that minute, she hadn’t realized how hungry, actually. She placed her hand on her belly to still the growl.
“I stuck to the vegetarian stuff, because I wasn’t sure what dietary restrictions you might have. Salads, grilled cheese, and I got extra fries. Plus I managed to hit the general store and got sodas and Twinkies. I’ve always wanted to try Twinkies.”
She smiled, distracted by his unexpected interest in packaged desserts. “That sounds like a feast.”
“It’s no five-star meal, and my nutritionist might be crying somewhere, but I tried.” Dev held out a package in a brown paper bag. “Here. There wasn’t much of a selection, sadly.”
Mystified, Jia reached into the bag, then nearly laughed. “Oh my gosh. Thank you.” It was a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, and a hoodie emblazoned with the words Bombay Beach on them, all about three sizes