Page 49 of Born a Billionaire

SEVENTEEN

Oliver’s day of sightseeing had been very enjoyable with Gus as his tour guide. They’d gone to Griffith Park as Adelia had suggested and had a nice morning hike to the top. He couldn’t resist having Gus take his picture by the Hollywood sign.

It was surprising how many sights Gus packed into one day. They got some food at Venice Beach and watched the street performers for a while and still had time to check out Santa Monica Pier and see a bunch of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

They were seated on the patio at Gus’s, enjoying the late afternoon with a couple of ice-cold beers, when Adelia strolled outside and took a seat on the end of Oliver’s chaise lounge.

“You two look relaxed,” she commented as she swiped Gus’s bottle and took a swig.

“Hey! Get your own!”

She chuckled as she handed it back then looked at Oliver. “How was your day?”

Oliver’s eyes fixed on her hand, puffed and swollen, and he sat up swiftly and took it between his. “What happened?”

She smirked. “I punched Layton in the nose.”

Gus’s laughter echoed around the yard.

Anger flared through Oliver. “Did he do something to you?”

“Just opened his big, stupid mouth.”

He looked down at her hand, softly moving his thumb over the swollen skin. “Does it hurt?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll get you some ice,” Gus said.

“Thanks, Gus,” she said as he stood and headed into the house. “Olly, you look so worried.”

He looked into her eyes. “I don’t like that you were hurt, and I wasn’t there.”

“You should’ve seen the other guy,” she teased.

Gus returned with the ice, and Oliver let go of her hand. It was clear Adelia was able to take care of herself just fine, and he admired that, but he worried about her more than he’d realized.

“Other than Layton, how did the interviews go?” Gus asked.

“Fine.” She looked at Oliver again. “I want to hear about your day.”

“We hit all the tourist spots in town,” Gus replied for Oliver.

“Oh, you went too?”

“Yeah, Merritt was working today.”

“So, you went to Griffith Park. Did you hit Venice Beach?”

“We did,” Oliver replied. “And you were right. Lots of good people-watching.”

A smile lit up her face. “I knew you’d like it there.”

“So many street performers.”

“What was your favorite?”

“I don’t know if I can pick just one.”

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