Addison nodded, a bit curious. “You work on the weekends? What do you do?”

“Cosmetology.” She turned and smiled at Addison proudly. “I own and run my own salon. Two actually.”

“Oh, wow,” Addison said, completely impressed. “You look too young to own your own business much less two.”

Kelli explained about her dad pretty much buying her the first salon to make up to her for a lot of the “shitty” things she had to deal with growing up. It did so well she opened up another just a year later.

“So did you just close them for the weekend?” Addison asked, confused about her getting the day off at the last minute.

“Oh, no”—Kelli shook her head—“I have plenty of other stylists who run the place when I’m not around. We stay really busy.”

“You said it’s in La Jolla?”

“Yes,” Kelli said, smiling brightly. “Right in La Jolla Village. Pinks with the big pink P.”

Addison’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen the place. Driven by it many times actually.”

“Yep, that’s it.” Kelli said as they drove slowly through traffic. “The first one anyway. The second one is a little further north in Carmel.”

Ringing interrupted the music that had been playing softly over the speakers. The words “Incoming call from Gilbert” popped up on the screen of Kelli’s dashboard. Kelli frowned, turning into a smaller street off to the side of the main one they were on. She hit the transfer to handset button as she pulled over and stopped the car.

“Sorry, I have to take this,” she said, bringing her phone to her ear. “Hey,” she said into her phone as Addison glanced out the window at the Korean restaurant they’d parked in front of.

“No, I can’t.”

Addison did her best to not eavesdrop or at least appear to not be following every word of Kelli’s conversation with Gilbert, but it was hard not to. She could even hear the voice of the guy on the phone; though she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Still, based on all of Kelli’s responses, it was easy enough to figure it out.

“Because I’m in Los Angeles. I’m out here for the Dodger-Padres series . . . with a friend . . . you don’t know her . . . because it’s none of your business, Gilbert.”

Kelli glanced at Addison and smiled nervously. Addison wondered if she should pretend she needed to make a phone call and step out of the car to give Kelli some privacy. Instead, she glanced down, pretending to busy herself on her phone.

“Addison.” Addison glanced up at Kelli in response to hearing her name, but Kelli shook her head, pointing to the phone then continued. “That’s because you’ve never met her. I went to school with her . . . no high school . . . uh huh . . . What? Well, what did he say?” Kelli paused for a moment then noticeably lowered her voice. “Tell him I’ll call him but I can’t now. Tell him to please give me an hour or so. Tell him he’ll also see me tomorrow. I’ll book the first flight I can get on. But it probably won’t be until first thing in the morning. Okay . . . okay, I will. I promise.”

Addison smiled just as timidly as Kelli did when she hung up. Halfway through the call she wondered why Kelli hadn’t just taken the call via her speakers and spoken as she drove.

Even if there was something Kelli was trying to avoid Addison hearing, it’s not like she hadn’t gotten the entire gist of the conversation. Though that wasn’t the only thing she was curious about now.

The first of her curiosities was satisfied as soon as Kelli hung up and started back on the road. “Overbearing brothers,” she’d said with a nervous chuckle. “I haven’t told my family about Nathan yet, so if I’d told him I was out here with a guy, he would’ve followed up with a million questions. But my lying skills are seriously lacking, so, of course, when he insisted on knowing the name of my friend, I couldn’t come up with a single one but yours. Sorry.”

“No worries,” Addison assured her.

She was still curious about a few other things such as what was that thing at her brother’s tomorrow she said made her decide to come out to Los Angeles last minute and where was she flying out to tomorrow, which she apparently decided to do just now? But it was none of her business, and Addison had made such an effort to appear to not be listening, if she asked, it’d all be for nothing.

“I think this is the place,” Kelli said as they drove into the valet area of a swanky-looking steakhouse. She glanced down at her phone before unlocking the door for the valet attendant. “Yeah, this is it,” she said, hitting the unlock button.

Both doors were opened by attendants, and the girls headed around the corner to the front entrance. The catcalling and whistles made them look up, and AJ and Nathan were looking down from the patio where they were leaning over the rail with big smiles.

Addison breathed in deeply, just seeing the huge smile on AJ’s face. “We got a table up here. It’s under Romero. They’ll escort you up.”

Kelli turned to Addison, her brows furrowing. “Wasn’t Isaiah supposed to be here too? I hope Nathan didn’t ditch him on account of me showing up.”

“AJ specifically said we were having an early dinner with his brothers,” Addison explained.

That seemed to soften the troubled expression on Kelli’s face. AJ’s lips were on Addison’s the moment she entered the private patio area where their table was located. As it turned out, Isaiah was there with them.

When AJ first told her about the plan to use Kelli as her escape for the day, he’d explained how he’d originally had his reservations about Kelli even knowing about the relationship. Then he’d gone on to explain, almost annoyed, that Nathan had confessed to accidently spilling the beans. “The only good thing about it,” he’d told her with an evil grin, “is I’m done being discreet, at least around my family and friends.”

The man wasn’t kidding either. The entire time they were at the restaurant his hands were on her—holding her hand, rubbing her thighs, shoulders, or neck—and his lips never stopped kissing or pecking for too long. Isaiah even teased AJ that he’d hardly touched any of the appetizers because his lips were too busy on Addison.

“Don’t hate just ’cause you’re solo today, Sai,” AJ had retorted with a smirk. “Why didn’t you bring Lola?”

Isaiah immediately rolled his eyes and returned the smirk. “’Cause I didn’t even know I was coming this weekend until someone traded shifts with me at the last minute.”

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your brother-bonding weekend,” Kelli said, sipping her cocktail.

Isaiah shook his head, taking a long swig of his drink. “Nope,” he said without turning to her then stood up. “I spend enough time with this guy at home.”

“Where you going? Nathan asked.

“The bathroom.” Isaiah pushed his chair back.

“It’s downstairs,” AJ informed him.

“Really? They don’t have one up here?”

“Nope,” AJ said with a frown. “I know. Kind of stupid.”

“I better go too,” Kelli said, grabbing her purse and standing up.

Addison thought about it. She didn’t have to go too badly, but since it was downstairs, she’d prefer to go with Kelli than alone later. “I’ll go too,” Addison said, pushing her seat back.

Kelli turned to look at Addison then smiled, glancing back at Nathan as they all walked out quietly.

“Is Lola your girlfriend?” Kelli asked Isaiah as all three made their way down the stairs.

Addison turned to Isaiah curiously. AJ had never mentioned a Lola to her, and Isaiah had been solo at the gathering at their house too.

“Nope,” Isaiah said, clearing his throat. “Her name just happened to come up not long ago. I’m sure the only reason he even remembers it is because he ribbed me enough about her name.”

They were quiet the rest of the way as they made their way to the back of the restaurant where the single restrooms were. Addison let Kelli go first since she didn’t have to go that badly. AJ’s equally handsome brother exited the men’s room before Kelli was out and smiled at Addison.