Loving David Read Free

that. Except I’m not sure where to next.”
    “What are you doing up here, anyway?” Charlotte asked.
    “At the moment I’m in between jobs…so I thought I would come up here to the Inn for a little holiday. Wishful thinking.”
    Charlotte tucked her hair behind her ears. “Where do I take you then?”
    “Maybe to the nearest town, rent a car, find a B&B or something. What do you think?” He looked right at Charlotte while she stared straight ahead.
    She glanced at her watch. “The car rental place is down the hill and will probably be closed by the time we get there.” Charlotte looked out the front window of the Jeep, her mind turning. It was getting too late to drive him back down the hill, and who knew if they’d encounter another mob scene. There was only one alternative. She shook her head, a warring conversation swirling around in her mind.
    David noticed her moving her lips as she played out a few scenarios in her head. He laughed and poked her shoulder. A jolt of electricity coursed through her at his touch. She tried to ignore it. “Well, now you seem rather lost in thought. What are you thinking?”
    Charlotte took a deep breath as she turned to face him, still not sure if she was doing the right thing. “If you just want to hide, I may to be able to help you.”
    “I’m listening.”
    Charlotte shifted in her seat. “Some girlfriends of mine are staying at a retreat up here ---- just a small group, very quiet, very private. I can assure you no one would know where you are or bother you while you’re there.” She cocked her head to the side. “It may be just the place you’ve been looking for.”
    “Done,” he blurted out. “I don’t care how much it is; you seem convinced I’ll like it, so let’s go.”
    She held up her hand. “You don’t have to pay; it’s a quiet little group of cabins. My friends go there to get away from it all. It’s just a few miles up the road.” She paused. “So… you’re game then?” Was she really having this conversation with this person?
    He gave her a light tap on her knee, and Charlotte pursed her lips to keep her composure. “Yes! Let’s shove off then,” he said, a broad smile stretched across his handsome face.
    “Sounds like a plan,” Charlotte said as she started the Jeep and got back on the road leading up to the retreat.
    “So what else is on the set list?” David asked.
    “What?” Charlotte asked, confused.
    David rapped on the knob of the radio. “You know, for your concert?” he said, barely able to contain his laughter.
    Charlotte turned red, hoping he’d forgotten about that particular incident. “That’s not funny. I thought I was by myself.” She gave him a sideways glance. “Like you don’t sing along to the radio when you’re driving.”
    “Well, since I don’t really drive all that much, no, not really.”
    “What? You don’t drive, or you can’t?”
    “I can drive, I just don’t drive often ,” David said as he slumped a bit in his seat and drummed on the dashboard with his fingertips. “I have a driver. Traffic makes me bonkers, especially L.A. traffic. Let someone else have the hassle. New York is the best. You can just walk everywhere or hop on the tube or as you would call it, subway.”
    Charlotte pondered this for a moment and shook her head. “I love my car. And I love driving. I couldn’t imagine someone driving me around all day.”
    “Oh, you’d be surprised at how fast you got used to it.”
    Charlotte chuckled. “I doubt it.”
    The sun had just started to make its descent into the horizon, and the warm afternoon air had cooled a bit. Just then, a cluster of cottage-style cabins came into view. There were a handful of cars parked in a variety of makeshift parking spots out front. Charlotte maneuvered her Jeep into one and turned it off.
    “Well,” she said as she gestured toward the cabins. “Here we are.”
    “What is this place?” David asked as they got out of the car and he