He glanced at her. He’d reclined the seat and drove one handed, the other elegant hand resting on his thigh. The midday sun made his skin glow. “You, I believe.”
Jia hunched over and dug through her purse to find her phone. The text was short and to the point, from Harley. Hey girl! Sorry I haven’t been in touch yet, but I wanted to let you know that I gave your name to Ronny from MakeOut. She was asking if I’d like to head an inspired line. That’s not my thing, but I thought it might be yours! She seemed excited, she’s heard of you before. Anyway, giving you a heads-up in case she emails. Good luck!
“Is everything okay?”
“Mm-hmm.” Jia ruthlessly throttled back the surge of excitement. This could mean nothing. Makeup companies had approached her before, and it had always been a bad deal, one where she didn’t get any creative control or they simply wanted to slap her name on a terrible product.
None of the companies had been as big as MakeOut, though. This executive could still not even contact you. Jia typed back a heartfelt thank-you to Harley for passing on the opportunity, and put the phone away. This was excitement or disappointment for Future Jia to deal with, not her. “How far are we?”
“We’re almost there.”
She scrubbed her eyes. “I am so sorry, I didn’t realize I slept for so long.”
“That’s okay. It was a pretty scenic drive.”
She swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand as surreptitiously as she could. Had she drooled? It was one thing to fall asleep in his car, it was another thing to drool. “I meant to keep you company and switch off driving, though.”
“Again, no worries.”
But she’d missed the view, and she didn’t mean outside the car. Today was another casual day for Dev, in those drool-worthy jeans and an equally sexy gray long-sleeved ribbed Henley. He wasn’t overly muscular, but the clinging knit material emphasized his lean body.
Jia tore her eyes away. She’d been thrilled he’d agreed to this trip—she had wanted to run away, but she hadn’t particularly wanted to be alone—but she’d been surprised, too, given his concerns over propriety. It felt way more intimate to sit in a car with someone for hours than to sit across a table for drinks. “I’ll drive on the way back.”
His lips curled up. “We’ll see how late it is.”
“It shouldn’t be too late.” Jia looked out the window, some of her earlier excitement coming back to her. The scenery was flat and desolate, like they were going into no-man’s-land. Which they essentially were. “I have to take a bunch of photos, record a video or three, and we can head back with the raw footage.”
“Tell me about this place.”
“Oh right. I forgot you hopped in your car with very little information.”
He chuckled, and the low, rough sound scraped over her nerve endings. “I did. That level of impulsivity is unusual for me.”
“Stick with me, kid.” Oops, did that sound too much like a command? “Bombay Beach is a ghost town. Or, like, there’s only two hundred people or so left living there. Artists come every spring and turn the remaining homes and signs and stuff into art installations. I think it would make a really cool feature. I figured you could wander the town while I work a bit on the beach, poke around.”
“It’s my pleasure. I could use a break from everything as well. So you don’t need me to play cameraman?”
“I have a tripod, but if you’re going to volunteer . . .”
A big brown sign came up on the right, and Dev slowed and turned his signal on. Jia snapped a quick photo as they turned onto the road. They passed a hotel and general store; both parking lots were empty. “Let’s go to the water first,” Jia suggested and pointed straight down the road. The place was laid out like a grid, according to the articles she’d read, about a dozen streets and cross streets filled with decrepit and decaying trailers and homes interspaced with vibrant installations.
Dev drove up the incline to the beach. “Glad we brought my car,” he murmured, and she couldn’t take offense at the slight to her eyelash-decorated vehicle. Her baby wouldn’t have been able to make the climb.
He pulled right onto the beach. There was no sight of anybody for miles, and no other cars there. Jia was so eager, she scrambled out before he could open her door and inhaled the air. “Smell that?”
Dev got out more slowly. “It smells like . . . a small body of water.”
“Yes. I love it.” A thrill of excitement went through her. This wasn’t her usual content, but there were only so many ways she could talk about fashion and beauty. She rounded the trunk, which Dev remote opened for her. Jia rummaged in her camera bag. “Okay. I’m going to go get some test shots. Do you want to walk around the town?” There wasn’t a single car that she could see, or any sign of life. On second thought . . . “Actually, why don’t you stay close.” She was lucky that she’d always lived in friendly areas. She was wary of any place where she might stick out until she verified that it was safe.
Dev gave her a haughty look. “I doubt anyone would touch me.”
Ah, to be so confident. “Sir, that level of protection only works when you’re in a place where people recognize you or your name. I’m not sure how many of the two hundred people in this town are watching foreign soap operas.”
He gave a slight dip of his head in acknowledgment. “May I stay here?”
“With me?” That gave her a thrill. He wouldn’t be the first person to watch her work, but he’d be the first one she noticed while she was working. “Ummm, sure.”
“I have a script I need to read, for next week’s shoot.” He reached into his bag in the trunk and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “This will keep me busy.”
“I feel bad you came all this way to read.”
“I like reading. I mostly wanted to get out of the city with you. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing.” He met her eyes.
She was struck with a sudden wave of shyness at his blunt honesty, and she wanted to lower her gaze, but she couldn’t. Instead, she cleared her throat and grabbed her tripod. “Well, in that case, enjoy your reading. I’ll be right down there, closer to the water.”
Jia stopped a few steps away and turned around. Dev was watching her, she was gratified to note. “I’m glad you came with me, too.” And then before she could succumb to her nerves, she hustled away.
IT WAS A good thing Dev had brought the script with him. Not because he was reading it, but it was good camouflage for observing Jia.
He’d watched almost every YouTube video she had up by now—hundreds of them, thank God they were relatively short—but watching her shoot one was a whole new experience.
She’d set up her camera and sat with her legs folded on a beach blanket. Behind her was an empty doorway someone had erected on the sand, framing the water. The wind caught the tail end of her long head scarf, and it flew behind her like a flag of yellow against the deep blue sky. Her blousy shirt was the same shade of sunshine, and her shoes matched. The colors flowed over his brain, soothing any ragged neurons and synapses.
He stretched his legs long. It had been a long time since he’d sat idle somewhere, not counting work. It was calming here, with Jia not far away and the still water. There were installations in the water, too, a mailbox and a swing set.