SugarCOAT

11. Open Doors 🤫

After getting our food, we were taken back to the resort, I mean his house. Maximo helped me out of the car. 

Zeke cursed, "Is my dad here already?"

Maximo answered, "Confirmed. He got here an hour ago."

Zeke took my hand and quickly walked around the house, the opposite side of the pool. There was more greenery and vegetation on this side. It appeared a bit wild, but it was a beautiful garden as if it were meant to be hidden. I think I'm gonna call it Secret Garden. I mean, the size of the Rivers' house did a great job of hiding it. 

"Ooh!" I ran into Zeke's back. He could've told me that he stopped walking. At the same time, I was distracted by the garden.

Zeke turned around. "I wasn't expecting my dad to be here so early. So we have to change plans. We're going to eat with the family tonight. He's gonna want to know a lot about you so we need to get your story straight."

"I'm your girlfriend, remember?" I joked.

Zeke said, "We met at the beach a month ago when you were on vacation with your family. You are not from East Grove. You're from... what's a small town in your state that you know about?"

I shrugged, "Umm... Jesterville. It's about an hour away from East Grove."

"Then, that's where you're from. When we met, you didn't know who I was. We started talking and exchanged numbers. I told you I would fly you out, because you are thinking about moving here to follow your dream of... what is something besides singing that you like to do?"

He was talking so fast that I could barely understand what all he was saying. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"What else do you like to do?"

I looked around like that would help. "I like to critique movies."

Zeke nodded his head, "You're here to pursue acting. No! You want to work on movie sets, be a part of a film crew, because you like movies. Got it?"

"Got it!" Lies.

"We're gonna go to my room first, and then yours." Zeke turned around and opened a door that was hidden by a bunch of green vines. 

We were in the basement - I think. Then, he turned on the lights and an entire hallway lit up. "This is the garage." Zeke told me.

As we walked, I realized that one wall was glass and the garage was a warehouse full of every luxury car I could and couldn't think of. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here. Then, I heard someone singing. At the end of the hall were three doors. The one on the right led to the garage. The one on the left is where Zeke was taking me. The one in front of us was an entire laundromat. Bridgette took one look at me and laughed. I guess my face said it all.

"Zeke, you better give Jamie a tour before the day ends. I don't want to find her lost somewhere in this house."

I agreed, "Thank you, Bridgette."

She waved at me before continuing to do laundry.

We walked up a few steps before entering another hall. It was shorter. There was a restroom, a pantry, and another door that we went through. Zeke quickly turned around and closed the - it's not even a door. It was a whole, entire wall. Why do they have so many secret doors? What are they trying to hide? Their wealth? Too late for all that.

By the time we got through the kitchen, not the regular kind - the restaurant kind, I was tired of walking. "Are we there yet?" I asked him with a hint of attitude.

Zeke chuckled, "Yeah..."

A "Northwest Passage" later, we arrived at a steel door with opaque glass. He pulled out his phone and pressed some buttons before the door made a locking sound. He opened the door and held it for me. I walked inside his room to see a whole studio apartment with a mini fridge. Everything was gray from the concrete floor to the cover on his bed. "Gray must be your favorite color?"