Dear Heart, I Hate You

“We slept late,” she said as she wrapped herself in a towel and tossed one at me. “How about we skip breakfast and do lunch?”

Reaching for her, I pulled her close, unable to get enough of her. I molded my lips to hers, loving the way she tasted, the feel of her warm tongue on mine.

“Not at all. Lunch sounds good.” Food was food. I didn’t care what meal we were eating, as long as we were eating something.

“Good. We’ll go to Moonshadows then.” She kissed my cheek. “The place I told you about last night.”

“Sounds great.”

• • •

I had no idea what to expect of Malibu. Getting in late last night meant that I hadn’t even really seen the area at all. The highway was dark, the houses were dark, the ocean was dark. I’d seen a lot of blackness as we drove. My expectation of Malibu was that it would be pretentious, a super-rich area in Southern California filled with the type of people you saw on those awful reality TV shows. And Baywatch.

Jules changed into jeans and a pretty top, nothing too fancy, and I took my cue from her as I dressed in jeans as well and a casual button-down. As we drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, I was blown away. Malibu was stunning, the way the road seemed to follow the coastline, dipping and curving with it, the ocean as blue as the sky. And the glimpses of mansions you could see from the road were nothing short of impressive.

“You sell any of these properties?” I gave a nod toward the passenger window as I squeezed her thigh. My hand always seemed to settle there.

“Not yet. Most of those have been owned by the same people for years. A lot of them buy those houses or the land, and they don’t sell.”

“I wouldn’t either,” I said as we passed a giant wooden gate that looked like something straight out of a movie.

“The funny thing is, the owners don’t even live here full-time. The majority of those houses are rarely occupied.”

I nodded, completely understanding. We had areas like that in Massachusetts, like Nantucket and the Cape, and of course, New York had the Hamptons. It was the same idea, and it all boiled down to people who had too much money to burn.

“I’d like to think that if I owned one of those places, I’d live there and enjoy it.”

“I know. But most of them are in the entertainment industry, and it’s easier to live closer to the studios. Malibu is beautiful, but it really is sort of a pain in the ass to get anywhere from here,” she said with a small shrug.

“Yet you still live here.”

“But I work here too. I don’t ever have to leave.”

“Touché,” I said as Jules turned off the road. The building she pulled up in front of looked older than Jules and me combined.

She traded her car keys for a tag with the valet, then took my hand and led me to a wooden wall at the edge of the small parking lot. I looked down, surprised to see waves crashing against the rocks below us.

“Wow. This really is right on the water.”

“I know. It?

??s so cool.” She smiled, making me smile in return before I pressed my lips against hers softly, not wanting to ruin her lipstick or get the shit all over me.

We walked around a small garden with a statue of Buddha and entered the front door. The lobby area was dark, even during this time of day. Jules said something to the hostess and we were led to a huge outdoor eating area with various seating options.

I glanced around at the other patrons, noting they all seemed laid-back, not dressed to impress. The majority were in casual clothes and baseball caps. Apparently they weren’t pretentious like I’d imagined. I wasn’t sure why it surprised me, but it did.

Jules chose a small table for two closest to the water and near the fire pit, which had been turned on, even though the air outside wasn’t chilly, in my opinion. Maybe this was considered cold for California.

“Your waiter will be right with you,” the hostess said before placing two menus on our table and walking away.

“What do you think?” Jules asked as we sat.

I looked out at the ocean, the birds diving into the waves and disappearing before resurfacing. “It’s really pretty. And way more casual than I expected.”

“Welcome to Malibu.” She waved her arm as the waiter walked up.

“Welcome to Moonshadows. Can I get you started with something to drink?” He looked between the two of us.