Page 47 of Hooked
The young man walked around and opened the door, holding it as they climbed inside. He was red-faced and still bore signs of acne, but he’d made an effort to dress up.
“Hey. I’m Jeff. I’m your personal driver for tonight. Please don’t smoke in the car—my grandpa will kill me.”
Tayla and Jeremy slid inside.
“I do the books for Jeff’s grandpa’s garage. He has this amaaaaazing collection of classic cars he shows, and he was sweet enough to let me borrow this one if I paid Jeff to drive.”
“I’m trying to earn money for my class trip this year,” Jeff said as he started the Caddy. “And I help my grandpa when he shows the cars, so he trusts me to drive them.”
“Better you than me.” Jeremy would be paranoid about scratching an automobile this pristine. He should take a picture of it for Pop. He turned to Tayla. “I’m gonna need a picture of you in this dress, leaning up against this car. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“Only if you send a copy to me.”
“Done.” He stretched his arm across her shoulders and felt a frisson of heat when their skin touched. “I am really struggling to imagine what in Metlin we’re going to do that warrants this kind of car, but I’m just going with it.”
“Good.” She snuggled into his side. “Fasten your seat belt, Mr. Allen, it’s going to be a bumpy date.”
Not everyone could looksexy in a bow tie, but Jeremy Allen could. The man looked as delicious in formal wear as he did in hiking clothes.
There ought to be a law…
Just kidding. Tayla loved that he’d taken the time to look so good. She was excited. Everything was going perfectly.
“So do I find out what we’re doing yet?”
She shook her head. “It’s a surprise.”
They pulled up to the warehouse-like building on the south end of 7th Avenue only a few minutes later. The old industrial area was a mix of garages and body shops, interspersed with gyms, a few coffee shops, and a few new antique and secondhand stores. As Main Street had grown more expensive, some businesses had moved to more affordable areas like this one.
Including one of Tayla’s newest accounts.
Jeremy read the newly painted sign hanging in the front. “No way.” He turned to her with a grin on his face. “I heard about this!”
Plan Your Escape was a travel agency that had made a severe U-turn when the internet was born. The couple who ran it, the Baylors, had struggled for years after the internet travel boom, until one of their kids was inspired by the name of the travel agency and a YouTube addiction.
Jeremy couldn’t wait for their driver to let him out. He opened the door and held his hand out for Tayla. “Metlin’s first escape room. I can’t believe it’s open.”
“Well, it’s not. Technically.” She took his hand and stepped out of the car. “They’re planning three rooms, and only one of them is finished. Luckily…” She did a little curtsy. “Yours truly is the Baylors’ new bookkeeper. Frannie recommended me to them because Mrs. Baylor is her goddaughter or something.”
A friendly middle-aged woman opened the door. “Hey, Tayla! Right on time. We’re ready when you are. Just the two of you?”
“Yep.”
She pursed her lips. “The rooms are set up to have at least four people solving the puzzles, but yours should be okay. You won’tneedfour people. I’ll just give you a little more time on the clock. That fair?”
Jeremy said, “Sounds good to me.” He turned to Tayla. “You have no idea how excited I am. Have you done one of these before? I’ve seen them online, but I haven’t actually done one.”
“Only once. And our group didn’t make it out in time. Too much fighting combined with margaritas.” She winked at him. “We’ll do our drinking after the room.”
Mrs. Baylor waved them in. “You two look perfect. Do you mind if I take some pictures before you leave?”
Jeremy looked at Tayla and shrugged. “Fine by me.”
“Sure. Thanks for letting us in early.”
Mrs. Baylor walked through a small reception area with benches and a counter. It was clearly where parties would wait their turn. There was a photo area with different backgrounds set up. One looked like a jungle. Another looked like a spaceship. And the last one…
“The only room that’s ready to go is the detective room.” Mrs. Baylor looked over her shoulder. “And you two look perfect. Tayla, you’re just the cutest thing.”
