California Dreamin' Collection

by Heather B. Moore, Kaylee Baldwin, Annette Lyon, Jennifer Moore, Shannon Guymon, Sarah M. Eden

  Bianca nudged Jack’s untouched dinner plate closer to him. “Nine or not, you need to eat,” Bianca insisted. “After we all sat down, you ran out of here so fast, you’ve hardly eaten anything.”

  “Yes, Aunt Bianca.” Jack set his ball on the table and reached for a dinner roll.

  “Jack,” Craig warned.

  “Sorry, Dad.” He moved the ball to the floor. “There’s only two weeks left of school,” he said to no one in particular. “Then we’re going to go to the beach to watch the seagulls attack tourists. It’s gonna be awesome.”

  “Time well spent,” Rob said.

  Jack looked over at Craig. “Mom says I need a new swimsuit ’cause mine’s too small.” Breadcrumbs sprayed everywhere as he spoke. They’d need to work on table manners.

  “Does she want you to have it before you go to her house this weekend?”

  Jack grabbed another roll. “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll call her.” He ruffled Jack’s dark hair. “In the meantime, you need to get to your homework.”

  “I want to go shoot some more hoops,” he protested.

  “Two more weeks, and you can shoot hoops all summer long.”

  Jack complied, dragging himself, basketball under one arm as always, down the hall toward his room.

  “How does he feel about the move?” Rob asked.

  “He says that as long as there’s a basketball court, he’ll be happy.” Craig fully intended to find one. He felt bad that his son would be losing his backyard hoop, but the landlord was raising their rent, so he no longer had enough reasons to put off buying his own place. “And he loves the pool at Carol’s, so I’m looking for that too.”

  “Ada will find something perfect. She’s fantastic.”

  “No. You said she’s amazing,” Rob corrected.

  “Stop it.” But Bianca laughed. She did have a good sense of humor. Craig and Rob simply knew how to push her buttons, and they enjoyed doing it. “After you ‘look at a couple of places,’ why don’t you go get some coffee or something with Ada?”

  “I don’t like drinking coffee alone,” Craig said.

  “You wouldn’t be alone.” Bianca dropped her head into her hand. “You are hopeless.”

  “I don’t know about that. Rob is more pathetic than I am, and he didn’t end up as a lonely cat lady living in an abandoned attic. I figure my chances are pretty good.”

  Bianca rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why I even try.” She left the kitchen and dropped onto the couch in the living room, just out of earshot.

  “She worries about you,” Rob said confidentially. “You and Jack both.”

  “I know.”

  Rob finished his Coke. “Any chance you’ll take this Realtor of Destiny out, or do I need to brace myself for another night of Bianca listing possible love interests for you while I’m trying to watch the eleven o’clock news?”

  “You might want to get your news online.” Craig stood, then grabbed his plate. “I’m done dating.”

  “But you haven’t dated since the divorce. That’s three years.” Rob brought his plate to the sink, where Craig was rinsing his.

  “And yet, I don’t miss the dating scene.” He did miss it a little, just not enough.

  “Could be fun,” Rob said.

  “I’m an accountant. How much more fun could my life possibly get?”

  “You—”

  “Dude. Lay off.”

  Rob grinned. “Okay, but if Bianca asks, I grilled you, made a lot of good arguments, and convinced you to at least consider it.”

  Craig laughed and shook his head. “Got it.”

  “And one more thing—”

  Craig muttered something a little colorful under his breath and braced himself.

  “If Ada doesn’t catch your interest, Bianca is going to try setting you up with her manicurist— she thinks Russia is the gridlock that clogs the freeway twice a day. And she laughs like a goat. All the time.” Rob gave him a pointed look. “I had to fake appendicitis to get out of picking Bianca up from the salon last time.”

  “You had your appendix taken out when you were twelve.”

  “Which tells you how desperate I was— couldn’t even come up with a realistic lie.” Rob said. “If Ada the Realtor can hold an intelligent conversation, you ought to consider the coffee thing, at least. It’d get Bianca off your back and save you from Mademoiselle Goat Laugh.”

  “Very generous warning,” Craig said.

  “I’m a very generous person.”

  Craig eyed him dryly. “The fact that you regularly hung me out of our bedroom window by my ankles when we were kids argues otherwise.”

  “I didn’t drop you, did I?”

  “Brotherly love, right there.” He slapped Rob on the back as they walked toward the living room. “I’ll think about having coffee with Ada. Happy?”

  “I don’t really care,” Rob said.

  “But I’m happy,” Bianca declared from the couch. “And I expect you to call me first thing Saturday to tell me how it went.”

  “Rob,” Craig muttered.

  “Yes?”

  “You should have dropped me.”

  Chapter Three

  “The second bedroom is a little smaller than the last one we looked at earlier this week, but it’s bigger than the first condo.”

  Craig turned slowly, looking at the living room again. He liked this place. It had the amenities he wanted. Close to the beach. The backyard even had a basketball hoop. “This is in my price range?”

  She’d already assured him of that, but maybe he’d misheard.

  “Ten thousand below your budget.”

  “So what’s wrong with it?” He didn’t for a moment believe that Ada was showing him a dump in disguise. “Built over a cemetery? Pipes made out of old gum wrappers?”

  “They skipped the paint and just covered the walls in pure lead.”

  “Ah.” He nodded slowly. “Perfect.”

  “Good schools in this area.”

  She’d thought of everything. “You are really good at this. I’d expected to settle for something ‘good enough.’”

  “I don’t do ‘good enough.’” Her tone held enough laughter to take out any arrogance. “I also don’t do ‘impossible.’ An agent I work with has the task right now of finding a 5-bed, 5-bath beachfront for under a million.”

  “Has he tried cutting out the middle man and just searching for a time machine?”

  “Exactly.”

  Craig was finding that he had a weakness for confident, focused women.

  He looked around one more time. “Jack would love all of this.”

  Her smile was soft, empathetic. “His room was your first, biggest concern. That told me you’d be where he’d be happiest. So that’s what I looked for.”

  “I think you found it.”

  “Don’t rush yourself,” she answered. “This is a big decision. It’s better to be right than fast.”

  She locked up, and they walked back to their cars. They’d met up at the condominium complex. He almost left things at that. He almost got in his car and drove off. Almost.

  “This will probably end in humiliation and awkwardness, but—” His courage deserted him faster than cockroaches fleeing light. Still, he pushed on. “Jack is at his mom’s, and, since I thought this would take a lot longer than it did, I have the rest of the evening to kill. Do you— would you be interested—” He wasn’t usually so bad at this sort of thing. For some reason, Ada made him nervous. “Do you want to go get some coffee or something?”

  Lame but to the point.

  She didn’t answer right away. Was that a good sign, or not? “Would this be a date?”

  “Doesn’t have to be.” He’d kind of prefer that it wasn’t, actually. “Just hanging out, having some coffee.” Had his voice shook? It as if he was a teenager again.

  “Pier View Coffee’s not too far from here,” she said.

  That was a yes, wasn’t it? He wished she sounded more
confident. “Okay.”

  “Coffee. Hanging out.” She swung her key ring around her finger. “Sure. If you’re still interested.”

  “Pier View it is.”

  She held up a hand to halt him. “On one condition.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Shooting is not my condition.” She managed to sound serious, though her eyes were laughing. “All I ask is that we not talk about real estate. It’s the end of a long work week, and I am dying to not think about comps or floorplans or subdivisions.”

  He could appreciate that. He didn’t want to talk about real estate either. “And I’m eager to forget all about ledgers, payroll, and expense reports.”

  “You’re an accountant?”

  “By day.”

  She leaned her forearms against the passenger side of his car, talking to him over it. “What are you by night, a superhero or something?”

  “Is being awkward and boring a superpower? If it is, then yes.”

  She tapped the top of his car. “See you at Pier View in a few minutes, Awkward Avenger.”

  “Not if I beat you there, Captain Realtor.”

  She stepped back. “I need a better superhero name than that.”

  “Last one there buys the other one coffee,” he challenged.

  “Deal.” She hopped in her car without hesitation.

  Craig was in his a second later. A second after that, he realized he wasn’t entirely sure how to get to Pier View. Ada had already pulled out. He opened the maps app on his phone. While it searched, he sent Bianca a text.

  Getting coffee with Ada.

  He popped his cell into the holder on the dash. The map pulled up. The café was only a few minutes away. Ada would get there way before he did. That was embarrassing. Still, he’d intended to buy her coffee all along, so losing the bet wasn’t a big deal.

  Just as he turned the key, a text came through from Bianca.

  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

  He laughed. Poor Rob was likely being harangued with questions now. Served him right. Of course, Craig would be the one getting harangued by Bianca tomorrow.

  When Craig arrived at the coffee shop, Ada’s car was parked and empty. He found her inside the café, already seated and grinning at him.

  “Looks like the coffee’s on me,” he said, sitting across the small table from her.

  “I honestly thought the contest would be a little closer. Did you come by way of L.A.?”

  “Was that the wrong route?” He scanned the menu hanging above the counter. “Let me know what you want. I’ll go order.”

  While waiting in line, Craig took a moment to breathe. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. He hadn’t felt like this over a non-date date since high school. His confidence hadn’t increased much by the time he’d paid for and picked up their coffees and headed back to where she was sitting. The Awkward Avenger, for sure.

  “Here you go.” He set her drink down and retook his seat. Don’t be a loser. “I’m not allowed to talk about real estate, but I don’t know anything else about you, so I’m kind of at a loss.”

  “Don’t worry. Captain Realtor to the rescue.” After a sip, she said, “How old is Jack?”

  “Nine.”

  “Third grade?” Ada guessed.

  “Just finishing. Looking forward to summer vacation.”

  She smiled and nodded. “As a kid I couldn’t wait for school to be out. Days at the beach. Going to Disney.”

  “Jack’s more of a Legoland kid.” This was going better than he’d expected. But, then, talking about his son was always easy.

  “I took my niece and nephew there a couple of weeks ago. Small price to pay for the title of Best Aunt in the World. Now don’t tell anyone” —she leaned in close and lowered her voice— “but it wasn’t as much torture as I kept telling them it was.”

  “Next time, take them to the beach to watch the seagulls harassing the tourists.”

  She nearly spit out her iced coffee. “You do that?”

  “It’s pretty hilarious, actually. Plus, after a while, Jack gets tired of it and builds a sandcastle or plays in the waves. I bring snacks and a cooler with drinks, and I get to spend the day at the beach.”

  She nodded her approval. “Win-win.”

  “What about you? Are you a beachcomber? Surfer? One of those people who goes to Disneyland every day?”

  “I believe those are called cast members.” She was quick with a comeback. He liked that. “Though I did sell a house in Anaheim earlier this year, and—”

  “Wait, wait. You promised not to bring up real estate.”

  She shook her head, smiling with amusement. “You promised not to bring it up.”

  “No. I promised to be boring and awkward. And” —he tugged both sides of his collar in a self-congratulatory way— “I’m expertly holding up my side of the agreement.”

  “Personally, I think you’re failing miserably. I haven’t been bored yet, and, other than having to wait for you to get here, nothing about this hanging-out-and-getting-coffee evening has been awkward.”

  He looked away to hide a surge of triumph. The Awkward Avenger was doing pretty good for himself.

  “It’s getting hot in here,” Ada said. “Want to sit outside?”

  “Good idea.” The coffee shop was busy, and it was pretty warm. “What do you do for fun, then, if not the daily Disney thing?”

  “I’m in a book club, which is, I realize, not very exciting.”

  He motioned for her to go out the door first. “What do you like to read?”

  “Guess.” She twitched an eyebrow in challenge, turning to look directly at him.

  He narrowed his eyes, pretending to study her closely. “Monkey fiction?”

  “Fiction about monkeys?”

  “No. Fiction written by monkeys.” As he took another sip of his coffee, he twitched his eyebrow just as she had a moment ago. “I hear it’s the next big thing.”

  “You nailed it.” She sat at the only empty outside table. “I spend every third Tuesday at the Monkey Fiction Book Club.”

  Half an hour must have passed while they chatted. They covered siblings, hobbies, which ice cream flavor was actually the best. Thanks to Bianca, Craig had been on a lot of first dates over the past few years. This non-date date was the least disastrous of any of them.

  Ada was easy to talk to. She was funny and upbeat. For the first time since the divorce, he was honestly considering seeing someone a second time. He wasn’t sure he’d actually follow through with it, but he was thinking about it.

  Chapter Four

  Ada stood at the top of the beach access stairs, her beach bag over her shoulder, chair under her arm, and her phone, unfortunately, pressed to her ear. “I promise, Vincent, I will tell you if I hear about a miraculous beachfront for under a million. But I don’t think one exists.”

  “I’ve got to find something,” Vincent said. “The McEllens don’t believe it’s as impossible as I’ve told them. They’re turning on me. I’m bringing George along for protection.”

  George wasn’t even five-foot-six, so Ada didn’t think Vincent actually thought he was in any danger.

  “I’ll be sure to offer a moving eulogy at your funeral,” she said, “but only if you don’t call me again. It’s my day off.”

  “What Realtor gets to take a Saturday off?”

  “One who got five incredible deals for clients this week,” she said. “Like my business cards say, I’m the best.”

  “I hate you.” Vincent said that a lot, but never meant it. “Have fun goofing off.”

  “Have fun cowering behind George.” She dropped her phone in her bag and took a deep breath of salty ocean air.

  It had been a good week. She’d negotiated killer prices for clients, found an amazing new home stager to use, and signed a new client looking to spend a small fortune. The one downside: Craig hadn’t called or texted except to discuss the townhouse he’d made an offer on. He’d seemed happy to get an even better deal than
expected. He asked a few technical questions. Their interaction had all been very impersonal.

  I guess our date really wasn’t a date. And here she’d been, thinking it was the best first date she’d ever been on. She, doubting Ada that she was, had actually been hoping for a second one. She never hoped for a second date.

  Her thoughts kept swirling as she took the stairs down to the beach. She and Craig had a lot in common. They talked easily, as if they’d known each other for years instead of days. But maybe he was like that with everyone.

  “Ada!” Shantice had beat her to the beach. She waved Ada over.

  Shantice always looked like she’d stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine, even at the beach. Her striped sunhat perfectly matched her red suit. Her sandals weren’t the usual dollar store flip-flops everyone else wore. She could probably have given the Hollywood red carpet walkers a run for their money.

  Ada, on the other hand, tended to buy the first suit that fit and added whatever accessories were most sensible.

  “How’s the water?” Ada asked.

  “Too cold for me. But Devon and Ruff don’t seem to mind.”

  Shantice’s boyfriend and dog were playing fetch in the waves. They weren’t alone. California’s beaches filled up in June despite the water not being very warm yet. For her part, Ada enjoyed just sitting on the beach, clearing her mind of work and worries.

  They talked while she set up her chair next to Shantice’s. They touched on everything from family issues to weekend plans to the latest movies. Conversations between them had come easily ever since they met at the agency. Ada had supported her through a terrible divorce. Shantice had been there for her when her mother died. They were as close as sisters.

  Ada settled into her beach chair, ready for a relaxing morning.

  “Okay, now, don’t shoot me, but…” Shantice eyed her nervously.

  “That doesn’t bode well.”

  Shantice didn’t move from her position lying out on the lounge-style beach chair. “I just want to know if you’ve heard anything from Craig.”

  “Not since you asked last night,” she said dryly.