“Yeah. Thanks, Dave.”
“No problem. Kasey’s bringing your car around. I’ll meet you at IHOP in thirty.” Dave handed a set of keys to Cole, who gave his to Dave.
“Try not to break any speed limits.”
Dave laughed. “No guarantees.” He opened the door and dashed out. Savannah caught a glimpse of Cole’s Lexus parked right at the door. Dave dove in and took off in a hurry.
Savannah followed Dave’s exit. “The paparazzi will follow Dave, thinking that’s you in the car.”
“Yup.”
She turned to face him, realizing he still had hold of her hand. Jerking it away would be rude. “So now what?”
“We’ll wait here for a few, make sure they took the bait, then we’ll head out in Dave’s car.”
“You’ve done this before.”
He smiled down at her and her stomach fluttered. There was something about the intensity of his eyes.
“A few times.”
“Makes me wonder what you were escaping from.”
“Was I doing anything bad out there? Drunk and disorderly? Roughing up any women? Getting into fights?”
“No.”
He left it at that. Maybe he was right, and she was looking for something that wasn’t there in the first place.
“You’re good to go, Cole. They’re gone.”
She turned to see Lulu peeking her head in the door.
He let go of her hand and went over to Lulu. “Thanks for the heads-up, Lou.”
Lulu hugged him. “You know I always have your back. Dave’s truck is in the back of the lot.”
He opened the door for Savannah. “We’ll go out this way and around the side.”
Savannah smiled at Lulu, who gave her a nod, and Cole shut the door behind them.
Dave drove a beat-up truck on lifts, so Cole had to pick her up to put her into the seat. The engine roared to life with the dual-exhaust pipes choking out a rumble of noise. Savannah looked around, expecting someone to notice them.
No one did.
“Dave does drag racing on the weekends,” Cole explained as he pulled onto the main road. “He’s the perfect guy to take off in my car and lose the guys with the cameras.”
“I see. And you don’t worry about him behind the wheel in your car?”
He glanced at her. “No. I trust him.”
“You seem to trust a lot of people.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
“How did the media know you were going to be at the club tonight?”
“Someone at the club probably called them.”
“Not one of your friends, though.”
“Doubtful. They just want to party. The media showing up kills the party because they know I’ll leave.”
“But you don’t know that for sure. A lot of people want to be photographed with a celebrity. It brings them—at least to their minds—instant fame.”
“I trust the people I surround myself with.”
“Is this a club you frequent a lot?”
“Yeah. I know all the regulars.”
“How well do you know them?”
“Like I said…I see them there all the time.”
“But it’s not like you have them over for barbecues or go to the movies with them or do anything with them other than hang out with them at the club, right?”
He gave her a hard look. “Well, no. So what? They’re still my friends.”
Lulu had said he was too trusting. Maybe she was right about that. “Do you even know their last names?”
“Do you know the last names of everyone you’re friends with?”
“Yes, Cole. I do.”
He didn’t say anything after that, and Savannah could tell from the tight set of his jaw that he wasn’t happy with the direction of their conversation. She made a mental note to bring it up again later.
They met Dave at the pancake house and exchanged cars in the parking lot. Cole pulled out a wad of bills and paid Dave a rather generous tip for his trouble.
“Hey, always fun to drive around in the Lexus, man. Anytime.” He winked at Savannah and drove off in his truck.
Cole shot a glance at the pancake house. “Hungry?”
“Not particularly, but if you are I’m happy to accompany you.”
He shrugged. “That’s okay. It’s late and I’m sure you’d like to get home. Plus, I need to get this car off the road in case the media is still circling. I’ll grab something to eat after I drop you off.”
Once again, he was being polite. Not thinking of himself first. Not at all congruent with the selfish, egotistical man she’d read about in his portfolio.
Something wasn’t right here, and she’d have to get to the bottom of it. Either he was playing her, or the reports about him were inaccurate.
Savannah was determined to find out. She couldn’t fix his image if she didn’t know who the real Cole Riley was.
He drove her back to her house. She started to get out, but Cole did, too.
“You don’t have to come in.”
“Sure I do. You brought a lot of stuff. I’ll help you carry it in.”
Again, he confused her. This had to be some kind of ploy on his part. “All right.”
She let him inside and turned to him, reaching for her bags. “I’ll take those.”
“I can handle it. Where do you want them?”
“You can lay them down on the bed.” Her Southern hospitality kicked in then. “Would you like a drink?”
“Sure.” He went into her bedroom and came back a few minutes later.
“Nice underwear.”
She turned. “Excuse me?”
“Hey, it’s not like I went rummaging into your drawers or anything, but you had some hot stuff laying out on your bed.”
Her face heated. She knew she should have taken her things into the bedroom herself. She handed him a glass of sparkling water. He looked at the glass and frowned. “This is the drink you had in mind?”
“You’re driving.”
“I’m a big guy. I know my limits.”
“You already had shots at the club.”
He frowned. “I don’t need you monitoring my alcohol intake.”
“I wasn’t. I was just…Okay, I was. And anyway, I thought you didn’t drink alcohol during the season.”