Once Upon a Summer

by Brooke Moss

  “No, he didn’t take it well, at all. In fact, I was shocked by just how badly he took it.”

  “I’m sure his pride was just wounded, Jude. It’s been hard for him. I know he’s been looking like crazy for a new job,” I offered.

  “I understand all that. But, his reaction was extreme. He was so mad and defensive. So, I became mad and defensive. Then, we were fighting about ten other things in no way related to the current argument.”

  I just rubbed Jude’s back, unsure of what else to say. I wasn’t exactly a relationship expert. I hoped Elijah would chime in with a pearl of wisdom, probably being the most experienced of all of us, but he remained silent.

  “Money is one of the most common things couples fight about, right?” I looked to Elijah, who just nodded. “Well, this isn’t something you guys can’t work out. So, do you want to call him, see where he is?”

  “No, not right now,” answered Jude.

  “That’s probably smart. Let him cool off for the night.”

  Elijah rejoined the conversation. “Why don’t you stay the night, Jude? You are more than welcome to sleep in one of the guest rooms. I have everything you’ll need. The change of scenery may be good. You can call Ben tomorrow morning, if he hasn’t called you by then.”

  I beamed at Elijah and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  I walked Jude to the guest room. “He’s a keeper, Alice.”

  I had to agree. Elijah took care of my friend he had just met, as if Jude were his friend as well. The next morning, we found a note on the kitchen island from Jude.

  Ben called first thing, at dawn, to apologize profusely. All is well.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The day was a good one. In fact, it was probably the best day I ever had. It began with Elijah making a feast of eggs benedict, bacon, fruit salad, and freshly squeezed orange juice. Apparently, he needed special bread for his French toast. After leisurely eating our decadent breakfast down on the beach patio, we planned to go back to my place, so Elijah could meet Sylvie. I hadn’t introduced a man I was dating to her in quite some time. She would no doubt be surprised, and pleased, in equal measure.

  The slightly overcast morning slowly cleared into a bright, sunny afternoon. Taking a deep breath, I knocked once, then entered in my customary way. Sylvie was washing dishes at the sink, her back to us.

  “Good afternoon. Need some help?”

  “All done.” Sylvie turned around to give me a hug. Spotting Elijah, her mouth turned into a wide grin. “Who might this be?”

  I made the introduction, and they shook hands warmly, exchanging pleasantries. We spent the afternoon with Sylvie, with her and Elijah chatting away like long lost friends. When Sylvie asked if we had special plans for the evening, Elijah informed us he had made surprise plans for dinner. So, after a couple of hours of talking and drinking coffee with my grandmother, we stopped by my little home to pick up a few things.

  Back at Elijah’s, I took a long, hot bath, before getting ready for the evening. All I knew was to wear something casual. For this, I was grateful. Dressing up had become a little tiresome. When we were in the car and headed in a familiar direction, I suspected our destination was the rescue. Wanting Elijah to have his surprise, I remained silent. A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot.

  “Is this where we’re having dinner?” I asked.

  “Is that alright with you?”

  “Is anyone even here?”

  “Jamie is here until eight, doing inventory in the gift shop. She’s not staying specially for us, I just took advantage of the opportunity.”

  I wasn’t sure how this was going to work, but was excited to find out. Elijah popped the trunk, pulling forth our beach blanket, and a large picnic basket from the dark recess. He looked at me with a wide smile, his arms loaded.

  “Picnic with the seals? It isn’t La Plage, but I thought you might enjoy it. What do you think?”

  “I think this is the sweetest idea, ever. La Plage was wonderful, but this is more me.”

  Elijah swooped down to give me a kiss, then handed me the blanket. This freed us up to walk inside hand in hand. The rescue closed to the public at five. Somehow Elijah had a key to the gate, which he opened, then locked back up behind us. The evening was clear and warm, and the grounds were quiet. The only sounds were those of the seals in the nearby pools, but even they were mostly silent.

  I spread the blanket on the one patch of grass with a view of the seals. There was one light on over the gift shop. It was bright enough to see by, but dim enough to be romantic. Charlie was inside the medical building, getting better by the minute. We couldn’t go in, but I was fine, knowing he was doing well and likely sleeping.

  Elijah’s picnic basket was a sight to behold. Inside were special compartments for plates, utensils, glasses, even a bottle of wine. He pulled out individually wrapped tomato, mozzarella, and basil baguette sandwiches, drizzled on the inside with balsamic glaze. To accompany the sandwiches was a summer fruit salad of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew in a light honey, lime syrup. The wine, a light, refreshing Riesling was the perfect beverage. Dessert was my favorite part; chocolate cupcakes topped with a chocolate ganache, purchased from a local bakery.

  “This is the best picnic I’ve ever had in my life. Although, I’m not even sure this qualifies as a picnic; more like a posh restaurant meal. You are a treasure.” I joked. “Seriously though, this is amazing. Your thoughtfulness level is off the charts. Thank you.”

  Elijah chuckled. “You’re welcome. Seeing you happy was the end goal. I’m glad to have accomplished that.”

  I was happy. This date was planned especially for me, with all the food made by Elijah, except for the dessert. When had he had the time to make this? When I was sleeping, or maybe in the bath? I was so touched by his kindness. If only I could let go of the nagging feeling in my belly. Yes, it was still there. It lingered because of my past. Elijah had done nothing but prove, again and again, he was the real deal. It was time I accepted his feelings as genuine.

  By the time eight o’clock rolled around, we reluctantly packed up the picnic items, and waved goodnight to the seals. Jamie wanted to go home, staying any later wouldn’t have been fair to her.

  Idling on the street outside of Elijah’s, we waited for his gate to pull itself back. Oddly, there was a BMW in the driveway with a person sitting in the driver’s seat. Both were unfamiliar to me, but not to Elijah, as he cursed under his breath.

  “Is everything ok?” My stomach tightened.

  “Alice, this will likely not be pleasant. It’s my ex-wife. I don’t know why she’s here.” His words fell from his lips in a rush as we parked alongside of her.

  My stomach twisted more. “I’ll just go home, so you can have some privacy. I don’t want to be in the way.”

  I moved to open the door, my mind spinning. Elijah reached out and touched my leg. “Please don’t. You’re not the one in the way. I want you here. If you want to go straight in, I’ll deal with this out here.”

  Elijah handed me the keys, and we both got out. His wife, whose name I realized I now knew, was standing next to the trunk of her car. I recognized her immediately, as I had seen her many times on screen. She was a stunning woman, more so in real life. Her curly red hair hung loose to her shoulders, her skin the purest of any human I had ever seen. I would have been lying if I said I wasn’t feeling intimidated.

  “Who is this, Elijah?” she asked, in a practiced, steady voice.

  “This is Alice. Go ahead inside, Alice.” He spoke without looking at me. He was clearly afraid of a confrontation. His voice and body were tense.

  I turned around and made my way to the door. I didn’t even reach the handle before the restrained yelling began. I say restrained, because they were both trying to keep their voices down, but not succeeding.

  “Who the hell was that?” I heard her say, angrily.

  “You don’t get to question me, anymore. What are you doing here?” Elijah’s v
oice remained neutral. It seemed to me he was doing a bang-up job of staying calm, while I felt the panic rising within me.

  I went inside and shut the door softly behind me. This was bad and why you never date someone who was freshly divorced. I slumped down on the couch and dropped my head into my hands.

  A couple of minutes later, the door slammed open. The sound of high heels clicking on the floor, echoed through the house.

  “I don’t know who you think you are, girl. But, you need to leave. Elijah and I have unfinished business, you are just in the way.”

  I stood up, shocked. Elijah was at her heels, his face red with anger. Elijah wiped a hand across his face. “Vivian, leave Alice out of this. We are divorced. You made the choice to disrespect our marriage time and again. Now, it’s over. Please go.”

  Vivian started to speak, but I interrupted. “Don’t call me girl. And if you want to stay, have at it.” I stormed past them, and out the door.

  “Alice, wait!” Elijah called.

  I turned around on the walk, facing the man I had spent a magical twenty-four hours with. It seemed like a lifetime ago. “Elijah, just don’t. I can guess everything you are going to say. Let me speak first.” I paused. “You’re incredible, you really are. But, this,” I gestured to the house. “This is too much for me. You’re not ready, you need more time, more distance to move beyond your ex. Clearly, she’s not ready to let you go. This will create more drama than a newly formed relationship can take.” I looked away. I felt strong, but was afraid that looking into Elijah’s eyes would break me.

  “I don’t want her here, Alice. Please understand Vivian and I are over. If you want to leave, I can’t blame you, I wouldn’t want to deal with this either. Maybe you were right all along. I’m sorry.”

  I bit the inside of my lip, to keep from crying and tasted the bitter metallic of my blood.

  “Goodbye, Elijah. Good luck.” I turned on my heel and practically bolted onto the sidewalk.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  My night was spent tossing and turning. I didn’t cry, though. I was more angry than sad. Angry at that woman for ruining the loveliest of days. Angry with Elijah for allowing her to storm into the house and confront me. Not that there was much he could have done, short of laying hands on her. He was as surprised by her as I was. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. My instinct kept telling me it was all too perfect.

  Getting ready for my first day at the gallery with bloodshot eyes and a broken heart, I felt like death warmed over. It was going to be a terrible first day. I was proud of myself for arriving with two minutes to spare. I walked up to Jude who stood in the middle of one of the gallery rooms, clipboard in hand.

  I pushed my sunglasses on top of my head. “Tell me there’s coffee in the back.”

  “Dear lord. When was the last time you slept?” He smiled. “I wouldn’t sleep either with Elijah around.”

  “If only my night was so pleasant. His ex-wife showed up at his house, after we had the most wonderful day. She caused a huge scene, confronted me, and I left. Right after Elijah and I broke up, again.”

  “Yuck. Ex’s are the worst. This lady sounds like she could take top billing.”

  “I’m pretty sure she’s used to being top everything. Did you know who his ex was?”

  I said her name, and Jude’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? I just love her. I mean before now. What about the benefit?”

  “I’m still willing to move forward with the benefit. Canceling now would be a nightmare.”

  “I’m sure Elijah would agree. Want me to text him for you? Let him know you’re still on board?” Jude offered.

  “No. I can do it. Thanks, though.”

  Before beginning my day at the gallery, I sent Elijah a quick text to say I was still in for the benefit and would continue to work on it. I hoped for a reply, but all I received was a thumb’s up. I was proud of myself for showing some maturity. A week ago, I’d have abandoned the whole thing.

  Somehow, I got through the next several days. Elijah never tried to contact me, other than to send an email copy of the original benefit invitation. The night of the party was going to be hard, there was no doubt about that.

  On the evening of the benefit, I did my best to remain collected. I’d get through it for the rescue. Then, I wouldn’t have to see Elijah, again.

  Wearing a brand-new white, silk shirtdress which tied around the waist, gold strappy sandals, and my hair blown out in sexy waves, I was ready. My outfit helped boost my confidence. Jude picked me up, so I wouldn’t enter the party alone. We decided to walk, being so close. I was sure there’d be a shortage of parking spots around Elijah’s. The street outside his house was packed all the way down on both sides. There were two attendants out front, parking cars. Voices and music, spilled outside to greet us as we walked up his front path.

  “This is quite the turnout. You guys are going to make a killing for the rescue.”

  I agreed. I was so happy to be a part of something that meant so much to the animals. The first thing I did was find Elijah. Best to get it out of the way. Rip off the bandage, so to speak. I noticed him standing near the terrace door, champagne in hand, and talking with a tall, elegant looking man.

  The house buzzed with people. Classical music played, softly enough to talk over. Tuxedoed waiters strolled around with trays of champagne and finger foods. All in all, the scene was more sophisticated than I had imagined.

  Elijah spotted me, as I approached. When our eyes met, I couldn’t help but smile. I was so happy to see him. He smiled too, at first. Then, almost as if he had recalled how we left things, his smile faded.

  “Alice, it’s nice to see you. This is my friend, Richard.” Elijah motioned between the two of us.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Alice. You and Elijah should become event planners full time. This is quite the soiree. I’ll leave you two, I’m sure you have much to discuss.”

  As the man walked away, I felt as if I’d hardly helped. Elijah had gone above and beyond for this party and should have been acknowledged for it.

  “You’re the one who did all this, Elijah. Everything is beautiful. Thank you so much.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you, Alice. Don’t forget you provided the food, and the passion for this night. Neither of which were small things. Half of these people are locals, here because of you.”

  He was being generous, but I just smiled. Suddenly, I felt very awkward. “How are you?”

  Elijah looked at his glass and shook his head. “I’ll be fine. You were right all along, it seems. I just…” He didn’t finish his thought.

  “You just…” I prompted.

  “It doesn’t matter. I want you to be happy and comfortable, Alice. That’s all. I’m giving up the house, moving back to L.A. where I belong, at the end of the month.”

  He said it so easily, so matter of fact. I put my hand over my stomach, suddenly queasy. My heart was doing something too, something I didn’t like. I had to get away from him, I was dangerously close to losing it in the middle of this beautiful party.

  “I hope you’ll be happy.” I moved to walk away.

  As I turned to go, I ran straight into a lady who spilled her champagne all over my new dress. Liquid splashing on my clothes was becoming an annoying habit. I could not have looked like more of a fool. She was mortified, apologizing over and over. Assuring her it was fine, I moved quickly to the main floor bathroom. Thankfully, it was free. Ducking inside, I shut the door and let the tears flow freely. Everything was ruined. All I wanted was for Elijah to hold me. That wasn’t going to happen, not now. I kept saying this wouldn’t work out, until Elijah finally started to believe it himself.

  How was I supposed to get through the rest of the night? Not only were Elijah and I over, he was also leaving town. I would never see him again. I sunk to the floor and gave myself over to my emotions. Someone turned the doorknob. Before I could protest, the door was opened and promptly closed again. Strong arms
picked me off the floor and deposited me on the edge of the tub. I knew who it was. Those arms, along with the clean scent of lemon and cedar wood were well known to me.

  Elijah ran some water, then sponged off my face with a damp washcloth. “We have to stop this, Alice. My heart can’t take anymore back and forth.”

  “Neither can mine.” More tears spilled down my cheeks. “What can we do?”

  “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do.” Elijah hauled me gently, to my feet. “We’re going to clean you up, kiss, then go right back out there and do our job for the rescue.”

  “Kiss?” The tears magically ceased. A warmth bloomed in my cheeks.

  “Yes, that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do, you know.”

  “That’s what we are?” I raised my brow.

  “That’s what we are.” He continued, “we have some stuff to work out, but we’ll face it together. Can you do that? No matter how tough it might get?”

  “I can. I really can.”

  Elijah kissed me with a passion that took my breath away. My doubts were taken away, right along with my breath. This man was my future, and I was his.

  The evening went beautifully. My paintings were auctioned for a sum that was staggering. The best part; it was all for the rescue. I couldn’t have been more pleased. At the end of the night, Elijah, Jude, Dr. Williams, and I, all sat down to tally up the total we had raised. The sum was more than anyone had dreamed of. This money would allow the rescue to move forward with some much-needed improvements, and even hire Jamie as a full-time employee for the year. It was a wonderful feeling.

  After everyone had left, Elijah and I settled on the sofa. We were exhausted by the successful evening, but also by our earlier emotional scene. With Elijah’s arms around me, I felt the safest I’ve ever felt. I nestled myself into his chest, feeling as if I could give myself over to sleep at any moment.

  “We still have a lot ahead of us, Alice. Are you sure you’re up for it? We shouldn’t have a Vivian repeat, but you never know.”