Read Permanent (Indelibly Marked) (Volume 1) for Free Online

and something wasn’t right with her.
    Ivan turned the corner down Sunset and Lindsay dipped her head down.
    “Oh.”
    He leaned over to try to figure out what captivated her, but it was only the same boulevard as always.
    Ivan changed lanes to take the shortcut to their first stop and she put her hand on the window.
    “Stay on Sunset!” Shane slid over to the middle.
    “What?” Ivan slammed on the breaks.
    “Stay on Sunset and then turn around and go down Hollywood and then we’ll double back to see Alfred. Go by the Roxy and the studios and the Pantages.” Lindsay straightened up. Yes, he nailed it. “Seriously, go around, we need to kill some time.”
    Ivan strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “You want me to drive directly into traffic and go out of our way?” He aimed the rearview mirror into the backseat. “Are you a tourist?”
    “Yes!” He growled. “Can you just do it? Do you have anything better planned?”
    “Fine, all aboard Ivan’s tour bus. Next we’ll go visit the stars’ homes.” Ivan stayed on Sunset. “Would you like me to stop for any cheesy souvenirs?”
    A detail he didn’t plan on, but a good one. “Go by Nick’s, we can find plenty of cheddar there.”
    A genuine smile shining brighter than a spotlight on a starlet lit up Lindsay’s face, and she put her hand over her mouth. As Ivan weaved in and out of Friday night traffic on Sunset and Hollywood, Shane got his chance to move closer and play guide. Why hadn’t she seen these things yet? These sights were Hollywood’s rites of passage, usually the first thing people flocked to.
    Ivan parked in an alley behind Nick’s souvenir shop. With no hesitation and an ever-growing smile, Lindsay went with him. One detail he neglected to tell her was that his buddy’s store was located just a few steps from one of the most famous movie theatres in the world.
    “That’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.” She pressed her hands to her heart.
    He interlocked his arm in hers. “Would you like to see how your feet compare to Betty Grable’s?”
    She stared toward the throng of people at the tourist trap and chewed the inside of her lip. “Would you mind?”
    “I wouldn’t have offered if I minded.” For someone who could take him down with a few words, she was also timid. An intriguing combination. “Come on.”
    With the expertise of a true Southern California native, he guided them through all the notable footprints he could remember. Truth be told, he hadn’t been there in over a decade, but the woman who would save him from his magnitude eight financial disaster didn’t care.
    Lindsay giggled and took him from one star’s imprints to the next. Her happiness overflowed and he admitted watching her was worth all the traffic, even if she denied his request for IRS help.
    “Look.” He stepped into the hoof prints of Tony the Wonder horse and neighed mainly because he wanted to hear her laugh again.
    “Try those.” He took her over to Marilyn Monroe.
    She turned crimson and went to a different set. “Look, here’s Doris Day.”
    He tilted his head and followed.
    “I love her movies.” She put her foot out.
    “They’re cool.”
    Lindsay glanced at him.
    “Yeah.” He took her elbow and guided her back to Marilyn. “Don’t tell anyone I watch them when I can’t sleep.”
    She paused for a second and then stepped into the famous footprints.
    “How do girls walk in heels?” He bent down mainly to check out her leg. “Wow, I bet you could have fit into her shoes.”
    “I don’t think so.” She stepped away.
    The sadness came back full force, surrounding her like a dark curtain.
    “I don’t think anyone would really want to fit in her shoes.”
    She gave him an obligatory smile and held up her phone to take a picture of the theatre.
    He wedged himself in the picture and made a goofy face. “Let’s go look at the walk of Fame.”
    Her laughter rewarded him.
    “You know.” He leaned down. “I take back my