"I can't say it unless I really mean it."
"I don't see that as a shortcoming."
She laughed. "Guess not since, luckily, I mean it now."
She was grinning so wide, her face ached. She sensed Keb smiling, too, through the phone wires.
"And let me just say this, Keb."
"Yes?"
"Love's a funny thing. I haven't always trusted in it. But you know what?"
"What, beautiful?"
"I trust you."
"Well, that's a relief. 'Cause if you didn't, we'd be in trouble."
"So--it would seem we're starting out on the right foot, then--right?"
"So it would." He cracked up laughing. "You tickle me, Elyse. You're one in a million. I can't wait to see you."
"Oh, Keb, me, too--I can't wait to see you! Geez, I have a lot to do. When am I coming out?"
"Well, we need to work out the details fast."
And just like that, they set about making plans for Elyse to move out to LA.
Chapter 18
As the plane took off from LaGuardia Airport, Elyse yawned to pop her ears. From the air, New York City took on a surreal aspect, its collection of mighty structures and spires so uniquely entwined. As the aircraft veered westward, Elyse swallowed an unexpected swell of emotion. It had been her lifelong dream to live there and now she was leaving it behind.
She worried about making new friends out in LA. After all, she was a northeast girl who had heard plenty of tales about its inhabitants smiling in your face while ramming a knife in your back. But wasn't that a potential problem, everywhere? After all she'd been through the past two years, Elyse had learned she'd better listen well and read between the lines if she wanted to avoid the crappier experiences in life.
As she thought about how everything had shifted so fast, she took a deep breath to stave off yet another panic attack. Across the board, everything had changed in a heartbeat--her residence, her relationship and her job!
At the thought of her world turning topsy-turvy with this move to LA, tremors set in and she began to shake. Looking out the window, she rubbed her heart in an effort to stay calm.
The plane was soaring higher, and the city had disappeared from sight. The sky was filled with majestic cloud formations haloed in golden sunlight. Honey-colored light streams danced through the gossamer sheets of seemingly weightless wisps that now enveloped the plane.
Elyse grew light-headed viewing so many clouds that seemed to be lit from within. But then the memory of that spring day with Keb at Riverside Park sprang to mind. And the image of cherry blossoms and clouds in the sky, along with Keb's arm around her waist, served to soothe her fears. The resurgence of hope offered by love pushed away her doubts. Even the clouds outside the window seemed to gather in support of her newfound opportunities. When they suddenly swelled with sunlight, tranquility quelled her fears. Her heart started beating on a new frequency, and her doubts evaporated into the gold-tinged light streams against the bold, blue sky. She offered silent thanks to the powers that seemed to be flying alongside her.
The airplane interior smelled of new upholstery, and the seat cushions reflected this with their sharp, clean appearance. A sense of newness ignited Elyse's eagerness. The moment she sat back and took a deep breath, the flight attendant rolled the drink cart to the end of her row.
Elyse looked at the woman in her crisp uniform and wondered if she'd started her run back in New York, perhaps having spent the night at Rick Giordano's flop house. When her shoulders shimmied with giggles from her facetious thought, the attendant shot her a look.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"Have you got splits of champagne?" Elyse asked sweetly. "I want to celebrate."
The attendant served her a small bottle with a plastic cup and moved on to the next row. Elyse poured out the bubbly and raised her cup toward the clouds.
Just as she was about to sip, however, something Joel Lebanthal had said at his wrap party popped into her head. She remembered how he'd toasted to her in his bedroom during the party within a party that strange night, which now seemed like a lifetime ago.
He'd said, "The world is your oyster, Elyse."
Now she believed this was true. No, she knew it was true.
She sipped and thought about Keb. Then she thought about meaningful work and new opportunities. And then she laughed, ready to down that oyster in one great slurp.
Susana Falcon
After earning her degree in French and Spanish literature, Susana Falcon embarked on a career in entertainment. As an actor-singer-dancer she toured Europe, Scandinavia, the eastern United States and Caribbean in Broadway musicals and revue shows. She later moved to NYC where she acted onstage, as well as in commercials, films and video productions. In the city, she also began writing, using the screenplay format.
In addition to contemporary novels, Susana has written sixteen erotic romance novellas under penname Shara Bloodstone.
* * * *
Don't miss Chronicles Of A Lady Bartender, by Susana Falcon,
available at AmberQuill.com!
Left broke by her embezzling ex-fiancé, New Yorker Lisbet Torrington is determined to make a fresh, new start in life. On Florida's Gulf Coast, she settles down in an affluent enclave called Zungville and plots her course for success. Hired to tend bar at a posh restaurant in town, she then enrolls in graduate school, moving ahead with optimism and zeal.
As a bartender at Lew's Fine Fare On Fifth, Lisbet caters to the town's most prominent citizens and is privy to how they have fun. But, between the zany regulars, whacky coworkers and loopy brothers who own the place, she soon uncovers twisted relationships hidden behind Zungville's pristine surface.
Lisbet is challenged to keep her cool when petty dramas stirred up by jealousy, lies and booze abuse threaten to put her head in a spin. Struggling to avoid the web of dysfunction that dominates Lew's Fine Fare On Fifth, she concentrates on earning her degree--dreaming of the day she'll be out from behind the bar for good.
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