Hiding Out in Hollywood (Celebrity Love)

Chapter Five

"Penny for your thoughts." Raine glanced at Emily, then returned to watching the road.

She arched an eyebrow. "Is that all they're worth?"

"A penny and a cup of coffee?"

"Hmmm." She paused, pursing her lips. "You can do better."

"Three minutes in stretch pose?" he tried.

"Getting there."

She did her best to appear calm as they pulled up to the crowded intersection at Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard. The drive from her place to wherever Raine was taking her had started off well enough, with jokes about their yoga class and good music on the satellite station they were listening to. Now, though, all Emily could pay attention to was a throng of tourists with cameras waiting to cross the street. She wondered if they could see her and Raine through the Escalade's tinted windows.

"You're a tough negotiator," he told her. "What if I add breath of fire and fifty-two frog pose squats?"

She sat back against the seat. "Okay, Mr. Mysterious. You win. I'm wondering where you're taking me, so spill."

Raine chuckled. "So much for surprising and impressing the girl. How about you guess first?"

"Somewhere in Miracle Mile or Silver Lake?" Those weren't guesses so much as what Emily was hoping for. She knew there were a couple of restaurants in both neighborhoods that were usually quiet and mostly empty on weeknights.

"Imagine."

"Imagine where we're going, or Imagine the always jam-packed restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard?"

Raine smiled and signaled to turn. Emily chewed on her bottom lip.

"You're worrying again."

"Nope," she lied. "I promised to trust you."

He turned on to Hollywood Boulevard. "I'd believe you, but that little crease in your forehead and you gripping the door handle for dear life gives you away."

So much for playing it cool. She hadn't realized she was holding on to the door. She let go of the handle and folded her hands in her lap.

"Would you trust me more if I told you we're not setting foot on the street?" Raine asked.

"The entrance faces Hollywood Boulevard," she pointed out. "I know you're a movie star and everything, but even you can't float through walls."

"So you think," he quipped. "You haven't seen my ghost movie, have you?"

"Probably not," she admitted. "I haven't seen many of your films."

"Ouch."

He turned the Escalade into an alley and drove for about fifty feet, then pulled into a parking spot beside a fence. Emily read the sign that hung on it.

"I think this is employee parking," she told him.

He shrugged. "I've played someone's employee before. We're good."

"Was this also in the ghost movie that made you think you can float through walls?"

"How'd you know?"

"Do you have another magic power to dodge Hollywood's parking patrol and tow-truck-happy business owners?"

"You can't have all my secrets in one night," he said, unbuckling his seat belt and opening his door. "Where's the fun in that?"

After helping her out of the Escalade, he opened the fence gate and waited for her to walk ahead of him. It took all of her willpower to not scan their surroundings for anyone who might be watching them.