Together, we walk back to my truck. She slides into the front seat while we get her bags settled in the vehicle, leaving her door open.
“All right, looks like you two are all set,” Jake, her security guard, says. He closes the hatch in the back and turns to me.
“Are you not coming with?” I ask him.
Jersey pops her head out of the door. “I told him since I’ll be with you, I’ll be in safe hands.” My chest clenches. “Besides, you said we’re going to your lake house, right? Will we really even be out and about that much?”
I shrug. “Valid point.” A smirk appears on my face and I turn to her, waggling my eyebrows. “You’ll be lucky if I even let you out of the bedroom.”
Jersey laughs and shakes her head again, this time in amusement. “See? I don’t need him around for that.”
“I’d rather have you all to myself, anyway.”
“I’ll take that as my cue to leave,” Jake says with a laugh.
I give him a handshake. “Thanks for watching out for her.”
He dips his chin. “Right back at you.”
I hop into the driver’s seat and peer out the rearview window at the security guard walking back to the plane, then down at the girl in my passenger seat. “Ready to go? You’ve got everything you need?”
“I’m more than ready. I started packing the minute you invited me out here.”
“Did you pack your guitar? I didn’t see it with you.”
Her lips roll into a smile, and she shakes her head conspiratorially. “Nope. I didn’t even pack my notebook.”
I raise my eyebrows.“Really?”
“I didn’t. It’s still back in my room in my work bag. I haven’t touched it since being at the studio last. I am officially on vacation.”
“I like the sound of that,” I say, proud of her for doing this for herself.
“Me too. I’m so ready to unplug and relax. How far is this lake?”
Plugging in my phone to the charging cord, I get it set up on its stand so I can see it if necessary. Pulling away from the airport, I answer, “Just shy of four hours. It’s a bit out of the way.”
“Can we stop for coffee first?”
A few minutes later, we’re in the drive thru of a small coffee shop. We pull up to the screen to place our orders and Jersey leans over my lap so she can see the menu. While she’s draped across me, I run my hand over the back of her head, her silky strands caressing the tips of my fingers.
She fights back a shiver, and I fight back a smile.
“Good morning. Order whenever you’re ready,” the barista inside says through the speaker.
“I’ll have a caramel latte,” Jersey says through the window. She turns to me, expectantly.
“I’ll do a large black coffee.”
“Great, that will be $12.99. Please pull around to the window.”
Once Jersey’s back in her seat—mostly—I pull the car around the bend of the drive thru and then hand the worker my card when she holds a hand out. She does a double take when she sees me and then bends down to peer in my window. Her jaw drops open.
“Oh my god, are you Jersey Matthews?”
Jersey’s reclining over the console now, and she gives the girl a wide smile. “I am.”
The girl leans further out of the drive-thru window to see Jersey better. “Wow, I’m such a huge fan. We’ve seen Hayes around here before,” she glances at me and then back to the pop star in my front seat, “but I never thought we’d see you here too!”
