Once Upon a Summer

by Brooke Moss

  The time had come to get a real job, make some real money, and act like a grown-up. Jude was my best option for immediate employment. The thought of working in the gallery made me a little sad. Would working around art, day in and day out, make me feel like a failure as an artist? It might. However, I didn’t have people lined up to offer me jobs. I resolved to stop by the gallery after visiting the rescue. It would be fun to work with my best friend.

  Walking in through the gate of the rescue brought forth an immediate smile, as well as a sense of well-being. I was allowed to see Charlie, right away. Seeing him waddling around, barking loudly in his rehabilitation pool raised my spirits tremendously. He didn’t swim much, but I could tell he was happy and much improved today. I fed him some fish, which was a delight. The little silver fish were slimy, gross, and stunk to high heaven, but clearly a favorite of his.

  “You’re a natural,” said Dr. Williams, crouching down next to me and the bucket of fish. “We could use another volunteer like you.”

  “I so wish I could,” I reached for another slippery, wet creature. “But I’ve realized being a starving artist isn’t for me. Time for an actual job. I could probably fit in a day or two, though.”

  “You’re an artist? What do you paint?”

  “Seascapes, mostly. They sell, but not enough to live on.” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “Seascapes…and you said your name is Alice. Is it Alice Archer?”

  My eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever connected me to my art before. I straightened my back a little, feeling proud. “Yes. Do you know my work?”

  “I do, in fact. I just purchased one from a gallery on the PCH. A seascape with the pirate’s tower in the background. The colors are muted and lovely. The movement of the water dynamic. You captured it beautifully.”

  The pirate’s tower was a tall, brick structure on Victoria beach. The tower once served as housing for a private stairway, connecting a grand house above, to the sand below. It was now abandoned and sealed up. The tower is the subject of some fun local folklore, and certainly looked mysterious with beautiful, crumbling stone. The pirate’s tower was my second favorite thing in Laguna to paint, after my seascapes from Heisler Park. It also wasn’t easy to find, making it special, and unique.

  “Yes, I know exactly which painting you mean. Thank you. It’s gratifying to be recognized for my work.” I stood, wiping my gross hands on a towel. I wasn’t used to praise from anyone but Sylvie and Jude, my cheeks felt a little warm.

  “You know, we are looking for some help advertising the rescue. Perhaps you would be so kind as to paint some of the seals for us to use as a promotional piece. I could pay you your usual rate.”

  I had a feeling Dr. Williams would be compensating me from her own personal funds. While I was flattered, and also in need of money, I couldn’t let her do that.

  “That’s a really nice offer. I would love to do a painting for the rescue. But, please consider it a donation.”

  “If you like, that would be very kind. We could reproduce the piece you create into posters, postcards, and the like. We’ll sell them in our shop. Everything sold with your image, we will give you a percentage for. Whether you like it, or not.” She smiled and stuck out her hand.

  I agreed to half of what she wanted to give me, more money for the rescue, and we shook hands. After telling Dr. Williams that my supplies were in the car, she asked if I could start right away. I was more than happy to do so. Why not delay the start of adulthood by a few more hours? Jude wasn’t going anywhere. I stayed all morning, and into the afternoon. At noon, I took a lunch break with two volunteers, one of whom had gone on a sandwich run.

  By three pm, I was getting crampy hands, but I was nearly finished with my painting of Charlie, sans cuts and scratches. In my mind’s eye, I saw him perched on a giant beach rock, face toward the sun overhead, waves crashing all around him. I wanted to let the piece dry completely overnight, before adding the finishing details. As I was packing up to leave, one of the volunteers I had eaten with, Jamie, walked up to me. “Heading out?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I have to go by my friend’s gallery and beg for a job. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to finish.”

  “Looks great, as it is. Hey, your friend is Elijah, right?”

  “Right.” Why was she asking?

  “He called a little while ago to check on Charlie. I told him he was doing great and that you were here if he wanted to stop by.”

  “Oh.” I was secretly glad she didn’t ask if he was single. “What did he say?”

  “He didn’t say anything, just thanked me for the update.”

  I smiled and nodded my head like everything was cool. It would have been awkward had Elijah shown up. So, why did I feel this burning disappointment?

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jude’s gallery was basically a large box. His office, and employee space, sat in the back-left corner. The rest of the L-shaped space was divided into three open rooms, which held works of various local artists. Currently, Jude had four of my watercolors. These were on prominent display in a front window, owing largely, to our close friendship. There were better pieces he could have been advertising.

  As I walked past the window, I noticed all four paintings had little red stickers on the placards. Those beautiful stickers indicated they’d all been sold. I could have jumped for joy, right on the sidewalk. I rushed through the door and smack into Elijah. My heart almost stopped, and breathing didn’t seem to be going too well, either. He seemed as shocked as I was. His eyes looked around nervously. His palms rubbed together.

  “Elijah. What are you doing here?” I sounded kind of rude, so I followed up with, “It’s nice to see you.” It was nice to see him. It was all I could do to keep myself from throwing my arms around him, and burying my face in his warm, lemony scented neck.

  “Out for a stroll; checking out some of the galleries and shops.” There wasn’t any smile, not even a fake one. His face was stone-like and unreadable.

  “Oh.” I said softly and looked down. “Well, enjoy your afternoon.”

  I moved around him, hoping he would stop me. He didn’t. Turning around I watched him go. It seemed an automatic action, something I couldn’t have stopped myself from if I’d tried.

  “My guess was, you screwed up big time.” Jude said, from behind me.

  “You know it.”

  “I shouldn’t tell you what just happened, so cross your heart to keep it to yourself.”

  “What?” I turned to face my friend.

  Jude gestured that I should follow him to the back. Closing the door of his office behind us, he just shook his head, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “Did you notice the red dots on all your paintings?”

  I had forgotten the watercolors, until he mentioned them. Elijah had wiped everything else from my mind. I nodded, holding my breath.

  “Guess who bought them all?” Jude crossed his arms, leaning against his desk. He had one eyebrow raised, which I knew meant he was disappointed in me.

  You could have knocked me over with a feather. I needed to sit. Groping blindly for a chair, my vision blurred, I found one and sat. “Why would he do that? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “No kidding. He’s clearly under a cloud. I hadn’t heard about the breakup, so when I mentioned I was your best friend, it was nice to meet him, etcetera, he told me with a very sour face you were no longer seeing each other. How could you not tell me? When did it happen, and why?”

  “Last night. I was going to tell you this morning. I was sidetracked at the rescue. He’s freshly divorced, Jude. And I guess it was pretty nasty.”

  “So, he isn’t ready to date, then?”

  “No, he’s ready. And he’s ready to date me. Was ready, that is. But come on, Jude. Surely you see how pointless it’d be. I’m just a rebound.” I thought it sounded reasonable, but my thinking had begun to crumble.

  “I don’t see. How many times do I have to tell you, you never know w
hat can happen? He says he feels like he’s ready. Clearly, he’s into you. Why make yourself, and him, miserable? Why not allow yourself some happiness, Alice?”

  I wasn’t used to Jude being the voice of reason. Lately, he was sounding more rational all the time. I had to admit he was right. Why make myself miserable? There wasn’t a guarantee any relationship would work out. Even those beginning under perfect circumstances could go awry. If there was anyone I wanted to take a leap of faith with, it was Elijah. How many Elijah’s were out there? I already knew the answer to that question; not many. I jumped up, kissed my friend on his cheek, told him he was a genius, and ran out.

  “I know!” I heard him yell after me.

  Remembering the whole reason, I had come in the first place, I ran back to the office door, and hollered, “I accept your offer for a job. Text me the details.” I blew Jude a kiss and was off.

  I hoped Elijah would forgive me for being so stupid. I returned Sylvie’s jeep, then practically ran down the sidewalk. I tried to think of the different possible scenarios, and how I’d handle them. He could tell me to go fly a kite, slamming the door in my face. Who could blame him if he did? If this happened, I would pull up my big girl pants and accept his feelings, then turn tail and go home.

  There was also a possibility he wouldn’t even be home. He did say he was out to window shop, which I’m pretty sure now was a lie. In this case, I would wait. Whatever happened, I had to accept it as the natural outcome of what I’d put in motion. I needed to own it as my personal mistake. But, I was really hoping I didn’t have to.

  Arriving at Elijah’s gate, I took a deep breath as I pressed the button, which opened the gate. His car was in the drive, so at least I knew he was home. The doorbell went off like a violent alarm, I could hear even from outside. I stood on the porch and waited. The loud sound increased my anxiety and sent my stomach into a triple roll. Just when I thought he wasn’t coming to the door, it opened. His face betrayed nothing. I wanted him to smile at me, but a smile didn’t form. He stood in the doorway like an immovable sentinel. His posture made it clear, this was all up to me.

  “Hi. Can we talk for a minute?” I tried to sound clear and bright, not whiny and pathetic.

  “He told you I bought the paintings, didn’t he? Isn’t that illegal, or something?” Probably unethical, at least.

  “He did. But, the paintings are not the reason I’m here. I just need to talk to you.”

  He stood there for a moment looking at me, seemingly unsure of what to do. “I bought them for the benefit. I thought we could auction them, the ocean theme is fitting.” The benefit. He was planning on moving forward with it, and he said “we”. Did he mean, he and I? I felt positive.

  “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea. Thank you for thinking of it. I could have Jude return your money. I would be happy to donate them for the cause. There’s no need for you to spend so much.” I was doing a lot of donating, lately. This was questionable for someone with no money.

  His face softened, a little. “No. I wanted to buy them. I plan on keeping one for myself. They’re really good, Alice. You’re a talented artist.”

  My heart became a puddle. Refusing to cry or emotionally manipulate him, I bit and released my tongue. “That’s nice of you to say, Elijah. Thank you. Can we talk? Please?”

  He looked down, shuffling his feet a bit. “Didn’t you say everything you needed to, last night?”

  “In that moment, yes. I’ve had a lot of time to think, today. That, along with a smack down from Jude, made me realize something.”

  He looked in my eyes. When he remained silent, I realized he was waiting for me to continue. It was up to me to eat the crow I so richly deserved. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous or scared. But, I don’t want to let the opportunity to get to know you better pass me by. You’re a catch, Mr. Brewer. Please forgive me for last night. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. My reaction was based on past experiences, which wasn’t fair to you.”

  It was a pretty decent apology. Elijah must have thought so, too. He took my hand, pulled me inside, and shut the door.

  CHAPTER TEN

  We ordered pizza and ate on Elijah’s bedroom terrace. He opened an aromatic bottle of Rose. We sipped and munched, with my cold feet crammed underneath his muscular thigh. The tide below was loud, and the evening cooled off nicely with gulls squawking overhead. Our ravenous hunger, along with the noise of the rushing water, put a stop to any conversation.

  We had spent the last two hours talking and making love. I was exhausted and I’m sure Elijah was, too. After finishing our veggie pizza, we decided to grab blankets and head down to the beach with our bottle of wine.

  Elijah spread out a large plaid, flannel blanket for us to sit on. Then laid another identical blanket over our legs. Leaning against him, I sighed contentedly. A girl could get used to this. Being with him was easy. There was no work, no drama, other than what I’d created the night before. He held me close, in a warm embrace. His lips brushed the top of my head in a light, feathery kiss.

  Elijah had decided on a week from today for the benefit. I thought the date was too soon, but apparently, he’d been hard at work all day emailing, calling, and texting contacts. He had already confirmed with almost eighty people. The poster order had been rushed and was ready to be picked up tomorrow. He planned on sending out even more messages later this evening, to at least fifty more people. I was shocked at the number. I think I could lock down about ten. Most of his people were in the L.A. and Hollywood areas and would be driving down to Laguna. I felt this was a testament to Elijah. A lot of people were willing to drive two hours out of their way to attend his party. I figured if I could get at least sixty people from Laguna to attend, that would bring us to our target number. This seemed doable. I knew my small list of friends would all bring a few of their own friends. Then, the advertising we were setting up could bring us in even more people. He clearly outshone me with his accomplishments thus far. I did have one ace up my sleeve I was ready to drop.

  “Has any food been ordered, yet?” I asked, snuggling deeper into his arms.

  “No, I was going to take care of food tomorrow. I have some people in Hollywood, a small company I’ve worked with before who can probably get me some simple finger foods in a hurry.”

  “Let me handle the food. I’m pretty sure I can get it donated.”

  “Really? That would be fantastic. We need to get on it soon, though.”

  I suggested we go back inside so I could make a phone call. It was getting a little cold for me, anyway. My grandmother’s friend, Ida, ran a successful catering company out of Newport Beach. I was worried about the timing, but thought if we kept the food minimal, as Elijah suggested, it could work. I dialed her number, putting Ida on speaker. After the pleasantries and introductions, I plunged right in.

  “Ida, I have a huge favor to ask you. And don’t be afraid to say no, which I know you won’t. Elijah and I are putting together a benefit for The Sea Life Rescue, next week. Bluntly put, we need food for about 200 people. Something simple; hor d’oeuvres and finger foods, you get the idea. And, we were hoping to find someone who would donate these items.”

  There was a pause, making me feel a bit deflated. This was asking a lot, even from a woman I had known since birth.

  “Hmm,” said Ida. “The timing is bad. We have four major events in the next week, alone. But, if you’re looking for simple…I think I can make it work. Lucky for you, I just hired some new people. You certainly know how to put a lady on the spot, Alice. The Sea Life Rescue is a worthy organization and I’m happy to donate my time.”

  “Thank you, Ida!” I didn’t mean to shriek, but I did. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

  Ida had come through in a big way. This score also made me feel like I had made a significant contribution to the benefit. Elijah was pleased. We were both excited about the possibility of what we could do for those like Charlie. An hour later, Elijah and I dro
pped, dead tired into his bed.

  “You’re actually going to stay and not sneak out this time?” he asked, playfully.

  “I suppose. Especially if you make the French toast you were bragging about.”

  Just as we were cuddled up, close to falling asleep, my cell rang. I groaned, rolling over to the nightstand. “No one ever calls my cell.”

  Expecting an unknown number, I instead see Jude’s. Alarmed, I answered immediately. “Jude, what’s wrong?”

  The first thing I heard was my friend blowing his nose on the other end.

  “Jude, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

  “Ben and I had a terrible fight. He stormed out. I think…I think it’s over.”

  “What’s going on?” Elijah touched my arm.

  I muffled the phone. “Jude and Ben had a big fight.”

  “Tell him to come over.”

  I was no longer surprised by this man’s kindness. Jude wasn’t at all taken aback by the fact that I was at Elijah’s. Twenty minutes later, he rang the bell. Never had he been such a mess. I pulled him inside, walked him over to the sofa, and gently made him sit. Elijah handed me a box of tissues, which I gave over to my devastated friend. Sitting next to him, I put my arm around him.

  “I’m so sorry, Jude. Do you want to talk about what happened?”

  Jude blew his nose, nodding, while taking another tissue to wipe his face. “It was about money. Ben was laid off last month, you know. He needed to make his car payment and pay a few other bills. So, I offered to give him the money. He’s my boyfriend. We live together, share a life together. Why wouldn’t I offer to do that?”

  “And he didn’t take your offer well.” Elijah crossed his arms, taking a seat on the edge of the sofa.