Anita finally brought their check.

“I can get this,” Des said, reaching into her purse.

Logan frowned. “Seriously?” He took out his wallet and paid Anita.

“I’ll be back with your change.”

“Caveman mentality. Women pay these days, you know,” she said.

“Not when they’re out with me, they don’t.”

“Okay, then. Thanks for lunch.”

“You’re welcome.”

When they got up, so did Luke and Evan. Boomer, on instant alert, stood by the front door.

“We’ll clear them out,” Luke said, as Logan and Des approached.

“I feel bad you have to take time out of your day for this.”

Evan smiled. “Are you kidding? This beats the hell out of sitting at a speed trap. If something comes up, dispatch will radio.”

They pushed through the front door and moved the photographers back, Boomer making an imposing figure. The photographers obviously didn’t want to tangle with a police dog whose hairs were raised, so they complied and headed toward their cars.

Des looked at Logan. “I really like it here. The police in L.A. aren’t so accommodating.”

“I’m sure the police in L.A. have a lot more to do.”

They climbed in the truck and Logan started it up, then grabbed his phone to check the time.

“Any more errands to run?” she asked.

“No. And some time to kill before we’re due at Luke and Emma’s place for dinner.”

“How about you drive me around and show me the town?”

He looked at her. “We drove through it.”

“Yeah, through the main highway. I want to see the town.”

“That was it.”

She cocked her head to the side. “It was not.”

He put the truck in gear and backed out. “Fine. I’ll show you the town. That should take about five minutes.”

“I think you underestimate Hope, Logan.”

He pulled out of the parking lot. “And I think you overestimate it.”

But if she wanted to see Hope, he’d show it to her. Every damn block of it.

Chapter 5

LOGAN STOPPED AT the end of the driveway and rolled down his window. Luke came over. “Des wants a tour of the town. Think you can stop the procession for a bit so we don’t disturb the residents?”

Luke nodded. “I can do that. Y’all have fun.”

“Thanks.”

He pulled out and Luke and Evan halted the progress of the other vehicles.

“That is awesome,” Des said, feeling as if she were part of a stealth operation. Hell, any time they could beat the paparazzi, it was a win in her book.

“He won’t be able to hold them long, but maybe we can lose them.” Logan turned down a side street, then hit one of the blacktop highways, pushing the gas pedal to hit maximum speed. When he got to the nearest exit, he turned left across the railroad tracks, then right again.

“I’m so confused right now with all these turns you’re making. I have no idea where the main highway is, or where we are,” Des said.

Logan slowed as they entered a residential section. “The best part is, neither do those photographers.”

“So . . . where are we?”

“This is one of the older sections of town, one of the first ones built when Hope was incorporated. The houses are smaller and closer together.”

Des loved the little one-story homes, even if some were a little run-down. There was history here with the painted mailboxes and bikes in the yard. It felt safe and like home.

He made a few turns and they reentered the highway. A few miles down the road, he turned into another residential neighborhood. Here, the houses were a little larger, with well-kept yards and even a park and a man-made lake.

“This is so pretty,” she said.

“It sold out pretty fast, too. They even built a school within the subdivision.”

“Oh, that’s handy.”

Logan drove out of the subdivision and down the county road. The road curved and trees grew thicker, lining the road. She felt as if she were someplace else, each turn taking her to a different place. Suddenly there were wide-open spaces, a golf course, and much, much bigger homes with a lot of land. She even spotted deer hiding amid a grouping of trees.

“This is beautiful. There’s such a variety here.”

“Just about anything you could want. Smaller homes with little patches of grass and tiny yards, medium-size houses, or a whole hell of a lot of acreage. There’s something for everyone here.”

“And this is all Hope?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow.”

When he made another turn, there was Hope High School, a beautiful tan brick building with bright red colors on the school sign.

“Oh . . . there’s play practice after school today. What time is it?” Des took a quick look at the dashboard clock. “It’s three o’clock. What time does school let out?”

“Two forty-five.”

She slanted him a look. “Can we stop?”

Logan frowned, but slowed the truck down. “What for?”

“I’d like to go in.”

“Again. What for?”

“To see the students practice for the play. They’re doing Much Ado About Nothing. I love Shakespeare.”

Logan shook his head. “Whatever.” He pulled into the back parking lot and turned off the car, then turned to her. “You really want to go in and watch some kids practice Shakespeare?”

“Absolutely. Do you think they’d let us in? I know you can’t just walk into a high school.”

He opened the door. “They’ll let us in. I went to school with the principal.”

Des smiled. “I love small towns.”

She slid out of the truck, excitement making her shiver despite the oppressive heat.

“Do I look okay?” she asked as they headed toward the front door.

“What? You look fine. It’s a high school, Des, not a movie premiere.”

She laughed. “You’re right. I’m nervous. I haven’t been to school since . . . well, since I was in school. I cut my acting teeth on Shakespeare. God, I love it so much.”

He gave her a look. “Obviously. You do realize this is a high school play, not Broadway, right?”

“Yes. But I loved the drama club in high school. It’s where I discovered I wanted to become an actress. These kids are so full of joy and love of the craft.”