Billie Bossa Nova

58.

The next morning, Billie woke up with Kai gone. He'd left her clothes to wear on the foot of the bed, returning later with breakfast and, to Billie's excitement, Shark. After breakfast, they were out and headed for Billie's promised shopping spree.

On the drive there, Billie was disappointed to find that Shark preferred to sit in Kai's lap over hers. For a few minutes into the drive, she stared at the little guy cuddled into Kai's lap. Her head shook. "Unbelievable. I think he likes you more than me."

"I'm certain that's not true," Kai placated her. "And if it is, it might have something to do with you having left him at the gallery."

Billie gasped, "Oh shit, do you think he remembers that?"

Kai responded by chuckling, but that was it. Billie glanced down at her puppy, who was staring up at her with his little chin resting on his paws. Eyes big and blue, but not saying much.

"Is it even safe to be driving with him there?" Frankly, any excuse for Shark to sit on her lap instead, she would use.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never crashed a car in my life."

"You should let me drive then." When she offered, he raised an eyebrow. "You don't trust me to drive your car?"

"Frankly, I didn't even know if you had a license."

"Well, I do. It's just that you've been having Rusty drive me everywhere since I got here."

He shrugged. "Whether or not you did wouldn't have changed that. Just because you can drive does not mean you should."

"And why's that?" Billie asked, far more defensive than curious. "Because I'm a woman?"

He chuckled. "Yes, actually, that's exactly why. And not because I think you're incapable but because it isn't something you need to do when I'm right here to do it for you."

"What if I want to?"

He turned to her briefly. "You do?"

She did not. She'd been driving herself places her whole life. Frankly, she enjoyed being on the road. But what Billie didn't realize was how much more relaxing it was when she wasn't the one behind the wheel. Although saying that wouldn't help her argument right now.

"I do. Let me drive." When she said this, Kai turned the car around, driving back down to the direction they came from. This made Billie frown at him. "Where are we going."

"You'll see."

She decided against questioning him further and to rather wait and see as she was told. They reached a wide building, parking in front of one of the closed blue garage doors. Kai walked out first then opened the door for Billie to come out next. She put Shark in his leash, then placed him down after kissing him. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him, but here she was spending her last moments with them both.

Before Billie could ask exactly where they were, Kai pulled out a key and pressed a button that caused the garage doors to slide open. When they were completely open, Billie finally came to know what was inside.

"Wow!" she gasped.

"Like what you see?" The question was ridiculous to her. Like was an understatement. She was marvelled. Before her was an underground basement with cars parked in every corner of the space. She had never seen that many cars in the same space in her entire life.