A San Diego Romance

by Kianna Alexander

  It was then he noticed Eliza staring at him.

  Her mouth formed a small O shape. She’d stopped eating her ice cream, and the plastic spoon dangled in her grasp above her dish, seemingly forgotten.

  He chuckled, and the sound seemed to snap her out of her trance. “Now you’re staring at me, Eliza.”

  She blinked a few times, dug her spoon into the last bit of ice cream remaining in her dish. “Sorry.”

  “So, why were you staring at me?” He tried, but failed, to keep the teasing tone out of his question.

  With a sidelong glance, she replied, “There’s something about the way you devoured that cone. It was...” She let the sentence trail off.

  “Cute?” He ventured to complete her sentence with the same word he’d used to describe her earlier.

  She shook her head. “Cute is definitely not the word I would use.” Her expression changed then, and she swirled the spoon around in a pool of melted ice cream. “Let’s just say I was—intrigued.”

  He didn’t know what she meant by that, because he couldn’t think of anything particularly interesting about the way he’d eaten the ice cream cone. It had probably been too fast, and maybe a little messy, but not entertaining, at least to his mind. Despite his confusion, he decided not to question her further. From her expression, he couldn’t tell whether she was annoyed to be caught staring at him or had simply grown bored of his company for the night. He used to think himself an expert on all things Eliza Ellicott. There’d been a time when he’d been able to guess her thoughts, say things that made her smile and finish her sentences...correctly. But if he were honest with himself, that was a long time ago. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did, at least not this current, older version of her.

  When the silence dragged on a little too long for his tastes, he asked, “Are you ready to go?”

  She nodded. “Sure.”

  They got up from the table, discarding their trash in the bin by the door, and headed for his car parked nearby.

  As he held open the door for her, he commented, “I don’t want to keep you out too late, or the Colonel will be after me.” He could recall many nights he’d had to deal with Eliza’s father, when they’d stayed out later than he preferred. The Colonel had retired from the military ages ago, but he still had a lot of toughness in him, especially when it came to his daughter.

  She didn’t respond, but he noticed her frown as he closed her inside the car.

  He slipped into the driver’s seat, buckled up and got on the road. She remained silent for most of the ride, and he wondered what he’d said or done to make her withdraw. He knew better than to force conversation with her, so he followed her lead and kept quiet.

  He drove up the long, winding driveway at the Ellicott estate, passing by the sprawling main house and continuing until he reached the cottage Eliza called home. Of course, what the Ellicotts considered a “cottage” was actually a two-story brick structure with a screened sitting porch and an attached one-car garage.

  Pulling up in front of the garage door, he cut the engine. He reached to undo his seat belt, intent on getting out and opening the door for her. To his surprise, she unlatched her belt, tossed it aside and opened her door.

  By the time he made it around to the passenger side, she’d already climbed out. Clutching her purse, she strode toward the porch.

  After closing the door she’d left standing open, he followed her. “What’s wrong, Eliza?”

  “Nothing.” She didn’t look at him, instead concentrating on jamming her key into the lock.

  He frowned. What’s going on with her? “Listen, if I said or did something that rubbed you the wrong way, I’m sorry.”

  She turned the knob and pushed the front door open. Turning her expressionless face his way, she said flatly, “I’m fine. I’m really tired and I need to get to bed. Good night, Chris.”

  He leaned in for a kiss, and she jerked her head, allowing him only a peck on her cheek. Stepping back, he wished her good night, then watched her disappear inside, closing the door behind her.

  He stood on the porch for a few moments, wondering what had just happened. Then, with a sigh, he returned to his car.

  * * *

  Tuesday evening, Eliza lay stretched out on the sofa in the living room of her cottage. She’d stopped off for a salad on the way home from Ellicott’s, and now enjoyed the quiet and solitude of her space. Situated about a half mile from her parents’ home, the cottage had two levels, and included two bedrooms and one and a half baths, giving her more than enough room to spread out. It had been a busy day at the store, and she propped her feet up on the arm of the sofa. They needed the rest, because she’d been on her feet for nine hours.

  The television was on, showing an episode of Julia, the groundbreaking late-sixties sitcom. Lead actress Diahann Carroll was the first black actress to have a sitcom where she didn’t portray a stereotypical role, such as a maid. Eliza’s mother, Natalie, had raved about the show, and Eliza tried to catch the reruns when she could. Diahann had a gift for humorous delivery of her lines, and her son, Corey, played by actor Marc Copage, was about as cute and endearing as a kid could be.

  A commercial break began, and her mind drifted back to her evening with Chris. She couldn’t believe how he’d related to her. Calling her “cute” and bringing up her father, as if she were still a teenager. His comments had annoyed her to no end, and he’d seemed oblivious to his error. Here she was, an adult with a successful business, and he still seemed to think of her as that idealistic nineteen-year-old. She’d been eager to get away from him, because it was either that or read him the riot act.

  Halfway through the episode, Eliza’s phone rang. She shifted on the couch so she could reach the buzzing device. Grabbing it from the coffee table, she answered it. “Hello?”

  “Hey sis, it’s Brianne.”

  She smiled. “Hey, Bri. What’s up with you?”

  She scoffed. “Girl, you know ain’t nothing exciting happening here. With three kids running around here, I pretty much only leave the house to get groceries and run errands.”

  “Right. But you know you love them.”

  “Of course I do. So, what’s going on with you?”

  Eliza put the phone on speaker, so she could get back into her comfortable position. “Let’s see. I sold five dresses to a lady planning a casual outdoor wedding. She said she wanted something cute and breezy, and not too stuffy for her venue on the bay. After that, I packed up the last of the spring inventory and sent it over to the women’s shelter. Then I...”

  Brianne cut her off. “Girl. I ask you what’s up, and you give me the blow-by-blow of what happened at work?”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  She chuckled. “Come on, Eliza. I know you’re a serious businesswoman and all, and we’re all super proud of you. But you should have a social life, too. You know what they say about all work and no play.”

  Rolling her eyes, Eliza said, “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’ll be glad to know I’ve been out on a few dates this past week.”

  In a voice laden with delight, Brianne said, “Ooooh! You got a man, girl? Tell me all the juicy details.”

  Eliza laughed at her sister’s antics. “Bri, there’s nothing juicy to tell. We’ve been out for Mexican food and dancing, a concert at the park and to a museum so far.”

  “Mmm-hmm. So, who is this guy? No man has been able to get near you since you broke up with...er...you-know-who.”

  It gratified Eliza that her sister knew better than to say Burton’s name. “It’s Chris.”

  “Chris who?” Brianne sounded genuinely confused. “I know at least four dudes named Chris.”

  She took a deep breath, fully expecting her sister to have a conniption when she heard his full name. “Chris Marland.”

  “What? No way!” Brianne’s shout i
ndicated her shock.

  Eliza pulled the phone away from her ear. “Yes way. And can you chill with that yelling in my ear?”

  “I’m sorry, girl. But damn, what did you expect? Hearing you say his name after all these years is pretty surprising.” She paused, took a breath. “Okay, now break it down for me. How did this come about?”

  Eliza explained her recent encounter with Chris. “Basically, if I hadn’t gone by the Prescott George office looking for Vaughn, I probably wouldn’t have run into him.” Saying that aloud made her think about the repercussions of it. She’d been home for about a while, and she’d managed to avoid any contact with Chris up until she’d gone by the office that day.

  “True. San Diego is a big city.” Brianne chuckled. “Plus, there was the fact that you were purposely avoiding him.”

  Eliza cringed, but tried to keep her tone even as she asked, “What makes you say that?”

  “Girl, please. I’m your sister, and I know you. Besides, I remember the way things went down between you and Chris back in the day, and I can understand why you wouldn’t want to see him.”

  Eliza sat up on the sofa, letting a sigh escape. “Anyway, I’ve had a lot of fun with Chris over the past couple of weeks. He’s still a charmer, and he’s aged like expensive wine.” She’d thought Chris was handsome years ago, but these days, he was fine with a capital F.

  “So, does that mean you’ve patched things up with him? Are you two back together?”

  “No, I wouldn’t say we’re back together.”

  Brianne chuckled. “Then what would you say you two are doing?”

  She thought about it for a moment. “We’re hanging out, enjoying each other’s company. So much has changed over the years, so it’s like getting to know each other all over again.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Brianne didn’t sound terribly convinced. “I’m sure you know where all this ‘getting to know each other’ can lead. Right to the bedroom.”

  Eliza cracked, “Yeah, right. We’re nowhere near that point, Bri.” She didn’t mention how much she’d like to move in that direction with Chris, because her sister was already teasing her. “Trust me, a few pecks do not constitute a relationship.”

  “Oh, so you’ve kissed him, then?”

  Eliza dropped her head in her hands, realizing too late that she’d said too much. “Oh, hush, Bri. It’s no big deal.”

  “You know me, sis. I’m not about to tell you how to live your life. But I do have one more question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do Vaughn and Daddy know you’ve been seeing Chris?”

  Eliza felt her spine stiffen at the mention of her father and older brother. “No. I’m grown—I don’t have to tell them everything I do.”

  “I know that. But when they find out, it’s probably going to be a problem. You know how overprotective Daddy is over you, since you’re the baby. And Vaughn’s not likely to be a fan of this, either.”

  “But Vaughn and Chris are friends, though. Plus, they do all that work together for Prescott George, so that means they can get along.”

  “True. But remember, Vaughn wasn’t too pleased about what went down between you and Chris, and I don’t know that he’s every really forgotten that.”

  When Eliza thought about it, she realized she didn’t know, either. It was highly possible that Vaughn still held a grudge against Chris. Her brother could be incredibly stubborn, but as a businessman, he knew how to act when in a professional setting. Vaughn wasn’t the type to pop off and punch a guy, but he could be prone to long-simmering anger. “Oh, crap.”

  “On that note, I’m getting off this phone. I’ve been on here long enough. I need to check on your nieces before they color on my walls or start a small fire.” Brianne made a smooching sound in her ear. “Love you, sis. Talk to you later.”

  “Love you, too. Bye, Bri.” Disconnecting the call, Eliza tried to get back into her show, but she found it hard to focus. Here she was, annoyed that Chris still saw a teenager when he looked at her. She hadn’t even considered how the men in her family would react to her seeing Chris again.

  For right now, she wouldn’t contact Chris. If he wanted to see her, he’d have to make the effort to reach her. She figured if she made him take the initiative, he’d either start to see her as a grown woman or he’d lose interest.

  Deciding not to spend any more time thinking about him right now, she got up and went to the kitchen to grab a drink. A touch of gin would be just the ticket to get Chris and his wrongheaded thinking off her mind.

  Chapter 9

  Chris raised his glass of ginger ale and took a long draw. It was Wednesday, and he’d agreed to meet Vaughn at a local sandwich shop for lunch to discuss the ongoing issues facing Prescott George. He didn’t often leave his home office in the middle of the day to come into the city, but with things being what they were, it was important that he and Vaughn meet to discuss their next move.

  Internally, Chris wondered how Vaughn would react if Vaughn knew he was seeing Eliza again. He thought about mentioning it, but decided against it. There was already enough tension going on within PG, and he didn’t need to add to it.

  Polishing off the last of his club sandwich, Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin and tossed it aside. “So, let’s talk. I’ve got to get back to work on my floor plans.”

  Vaughn nodded. “I understand. I’ll have to get back over to Elite as well.” He reached into an interior pocket of his sport coat, pulled out a folded piece of paper. After unfolding it, he slid it across the table. “I would have shown you this earlier, but I didn’t want to ruin your appetite.”

  Chris picked up the newspaper clipping, his gaze naturally falling on the bolded headline. His eyes widened as he read it aloud. “Misappropriation of funds suspected at Prescott George!” He silently read the first two paragraphs of the article before slapping the paper down on the table again. “We just can’t seem to catch a break.”

  “I know. I just can’t figure out why all this bad publicity keeps coming our way. Is somebody in the chapter talking to the press?”

  He shook his head. “No, not if they’re following my edict. I announced weeks ago that no member of the San Diego chapter was to engage the press.” Some thought he was overreacting by making such a sweeping demand, but as president of the chapter, whatever was said about his chapter, good or bad, reflected on him. “This is such a mess.”

  “You’re telling me. I know you probably don’t want to read the rest of the article, but I already did. It’s quoting an anonymous source.”

  Chris rolled his eyes. “How convenient. That means we’ll probably never know who’s responsible.”

  Vaughn shook his head. “I’m starting to think someone has it in for us. I don’t want that to be true, but at this point, I don’t know what else to think.” He pushed aside the remnants of his steak and cheese sandwich.

  Placing his fingers to his temples, Chris massaged the area. He could feel a wicked headache coming on, and trying to figure out who might be trying to sabotage his chapter only made it worse. Then something popped into his head. “Do you remember a couple of weeks ago, when we were supposed to have lunch, and you ran out to fix something at Elite? Whatever happened with that?”

  Vaughn leaned back in his chair. “Yes, I remember. That was a crazy day.”

  He watched Vaughn’s face for a few moments, gleaning nothing from his flat expression. “So, what was the problem? And more importantly, does it have anything to do with Prescott George?”

  “No. It was a material defect my manager discovered in a new shipment of wetsuits. The things were just falling apart as we took them out of the boxes. It was a mess, but it’s not related to our issues at PG.”

  Chris released a pent-up breath. “That’s a relief.”

  Vaughn frowned. “You know, you could show a little sympathy, man
.”

  “Sorry. I don’t mean to say it’s good you had a problem at the store. I’m just relieved it’s not tied in to the PG drama.” He hadn’t meant to come off as insensitive or uncaring about Vaughn’s problem. Maybe this was why some people referred to him as “blunt” or “gruff.” “I’m assuming you were able to straighten out the issue with the wetsuits, right?”

  “Yeah. It took a few days, but we finally got all the defective suits shipped out, and then we got new, properly made suits in to replace them.” He drained the last of his root beer, the ice rattling and clinking as he sat the empty glass down again. “Anyway, what are we going to do about all this?”

  Chris knew Vaughn had shifted gears, turning the conversation back to Prescott George. “Without knowing who’s leaking this information to the press, I don’t know if there’s any good way to put a lid on it.”

  “You’re right. But we need to do something, and quick. We’ve got that party coming up.”

  Chris sighed. “Right.” The upcoming party, which was meant to honor the San Diego chapter’s designation as Chapter of the Year, was roughly three weeks away. He scratched his chin, trying to come up with something that might change the tone of the publicity the chapter had been getting as of late. “We need to do something to change the narrative. How about a community service project? We have the budget for that, right?”

  Vaughn looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m sure we do. The main issue will be deciding what we want to do and how much we will spend on it.”

  “Fine. Take a look at the books and brainstorm some practical projects that won’t eat too much of our budget. Can you get back to me with a list and some figures in the next few days?”

  He nodded. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  After they paid for their meal, Vaughn headed to Elite while Chris made his way back home to his office. He’d just walked into his house when his phone vibrated in his pocket. “Hello?”