California Dreaming: Four Contemporary Romances

by Casey Dawes

  “Then let’s go see the aquarium.”

  They walked hand in hand down the sidewalk toward Monterey’s famous attraction. The day was blessedly sunny, and many people had come to the coast to enjoy one of the last days without rain. Bike-pedaled surreys competed with pedestrians on the wandering paths that twisted around the contorted Monterey pines. Small children scattered before them.

  None of it mattered. She was in a protected bubble with James.

  He paid their fees at the aquarium and they spent the next few hours gawking at strange fish, laughing at the antics of the sea otters, and tentatively touching starfish. They stood in the rotunda and stared at the jellyfish.

  “Aren’t they amazing?” Mandy asked. “So many different kinds.”

  James nodded. “They can be deadly, but they are beautiful.” He glanced at the pamphlet in his hand. “Like everything else, they’re threatened by our misuse of the ocean as a dumping ground. We’ve got to get back in balance with nature, somehow.”

  “Yes.” The thought overwhelmed her. There was enough going on in her own life to keep her busy. She didn’t need to take on the ocean.

  He pulled her close and hugged her. “Even little things help. Don’t let it overwhelm you.” He reached into his shirt pocket and produced a small laminated trifold. “I got two of these. Sustainable fish guides. It’s one small way we can help.”

  Her body tingled from the warmth of his. While she heard the words, she was more fascinated by the way his lips—his strong masculine lips—were moving.

  When had talking about fish become so sexy?

  “I’ve got reservations for dinner at six. Shall we walk back and get ready?”

  She checked the time. Already four-thirty. Time with James had flown by. She smiled. “Sure.”

  He took her hand and led her past the kelp forests and out the front door. The day was still clear, but the fog bank had moved closer. “Could get cooler later. Did you bring something warm?” he asked.

  She moved closer to him. “You. Aren’t you going to keep me warm?”

  He put his arm around her. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  It took a half hour to get back to the hotel. James gave her a brief kiss, and went off to his room in another wing of the hotel.

  Didn’t look like he was planning on seducing her.

  A little deflated, she went to her room and took a quick shower before dressing for dinner. She hadn’t worn a dress in a long time, but the sleek black fabric fit her well. The lace at the top showed a trace of her cleavage, adding a sexy demureness to her outfit. Onyx dangles and three-inch black heels completed the look.

  Maybe she could change his mind.

  “Damn!” James exclaimed when she walked into the lobby. “You’re hot!”

  She giggled in delight at his reaction, then brushed her lips against his.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Mmm, you smell good.” He nuzzled her head with his before releasing her. “I had the valet get the car.”

  Fifteen minutes later they were seated at the Passionfish, an upscale restaurant in Pacific Grove.

  “Any choices on the wine?” James asked her. “Would they have your friend’s wine here?”

  Mandy shook her head. “Marcos is doing his first harvest in California this year. He’s not sure he’ll release it—he’s a stickler for quality—but if he does, it won’t be for a few years.” She glanced over the wine list. “How about a Burrell School Chardonnay? It’s one of the wineries involved in Sarah’s and Linda’s tours, and our guests always rave about it.”

  “That’s what we’ll have then.”

  They chose crab cake appetizers and tilapia entrées. Easy conversation and wine paired perfectly with the crab cakes. Savory tastes, alcohol, and mutual enjoyment spun fine filament around their relationship, binding them closer together.

  “Have you decided about the future?” James asked after their entrées had been delivered.

  “I’ve been too busy to think about it.”

  “But not too busy to call Sally.”

  Mandy put her fork back on the table. “You know about that?”

  James grinned like a small child caught in the act of sneaking a cookie. “She called me to let me know she’d apologized for butting into your business.”

  “Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, isn’t it?”

  “Why?”

  Mandy laughed. “You butted into my business by calling her.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” James shrugged, and his grin stretched wider.

  She couldn’t find it in her heart to be mad at him.

  “Besides, I’ve got a vested interest in your decision. I mean, if Sally retires like she’s threatening to do, who am I going to rely on?”

  Her heart took a dip. “You mean it’s just business.”

  His laugh roared out. “Tell me, Miss Parker, do I kiss you like it’s just business?”

  With heated cheeks she stared at her food and shook her head. She didn’t trust the words would come out right. James kissed her like he never wanted it to end.

  Neither did she.

  “So?” he asked.

  No wonder he was successful at his job. He was like a politician with a point to make on a Sunday morning news show.

  She ate a piece of the fish while she considered the question. The tilapia was cooked to perfection, and the sauce was lemony without being too tart. “If I could cook without having to convince people to hire me, it would be heaven.”

  “What about working in a restaurant?”

  She shook her head. “It’s tough for women chefs in restaurants. It would take me a long time to move up in the ranks.”

  “You could open your own, you know.”

  “Then I’m back to having to find business.”

  He took a sip of his wine and leaned back. “Isn’t that what Sally’s offering you though? A chance to cook without worrying about finding business?”

  “I don’t know. We haven’t discussed the details.”

  “Because you haven’t asked.”

  Of course. His statement was obvious. Why hadn’t she thought of it? How could she make a decision without facts? “Good point.”

  James smiled. “Why don’t you come to LA for Thanksgiving? My mother would love it. You could talk to Sally. Maybe you could even stop in at your father’s.”

  Regret and relief vied for her attention. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I have to work and Elizabeth’s already invited me. She might have an announcement I don’t want to miss.”

  He smiled, but his effort wasn’t one hundred percent. “Ah, yes, the wedding. I understand.” He touched her hand. “I’d still like you to meet my parents.” He grinned. This time it reached his eyes. “Seems like the next step in a white-picket-fence relationship.”

  She studied him. He was serious. If she moved to LA, she’d be investing in a future with a man who might give her everything she’d always dreamt about—a life that might fade the unhappy betrayal of the woman who raised her.

  “Soon.” She took his hand.

  His smile held tenderness. “You make me laugh, and you make me think. You make me feel good.” He leaned forward. “You make me want to make long, sweet love to you—to take you places you’ve never been before.” His eyes were intent on hers. “And you’ve made me throw my life plan right out the window.”

  She swallowed. He was giving her a chance at everything she’d ever wanted.

  She was scared to death.

  James must have discerned Mandy’s fear, because he steered the conversation away from personal matters and back to more mundane, but interesting, topics: favorite movies, the continual mess in Washington, and places they’d been. By the time they reached their chocolate truffle tortes, she knew more about him than she’d learned in the past three months.

  “An after dinner drink?” he asked after they’d turned the car over to the hotel valet.

  “Sure.” Any
delay before they hit the awkwardness of saying good-night, or not saying good-night, was good.

  After checking in with her, he ordered them each a tawny port in the hotel lounge.

  “I’m going to talk to Sally next week,” Mandy told him. “You’re right. I don’t know what I’m turning down.”

  “Let me know if you want to discuss it. I’m sure she’ll offer you a good deal, but you might want someone in the industry to review her offer.”

  “Okay.” She smiled. Not only was he good looking and considerate, he was going to be helpful in her career.

  His phone must have buzzed because he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the display. He glanced at her and said, “Sorry. I have to take this.” He left the lounge and went into the lobby.

  As she sat alone, Mandy considered the options for her future. She’d made a big move coming across the country, but she’d been trying to get as far away from Lola as she could. She hadn’t been moving toward something. Now was the time to think about what she wanted in her life and go after it.

  The squeak of a leather chair brought her out of her thoughts.

  James’s expression was sober. “I have to leave early tomorrow morning—around five. I’m sorry to cut our time short, but there’s a meeting I can’t miss.”

  Her regrets mixed with excitement. “Is it a new project?”

  His face relaxed into a smile. “Yes. I have one more meeting to pass and then I’ll get my second project as full location manager.” He grinned. “Best of all, they’re shooting in Maui for three weeks in January.”

  “Guess you’ll need a movie caterer there, then.” Her heart fell. He’d be there with starlets in string bikinis, and she’d be bundled up in rainy Northern California.

  “I thought you didn’t want anything to do with the movie business.”

  She sipped the port’s amber liquid. “I don’t.”

  He laughed. “Then you don’t need to be upset. I’ll probably still hire Sally to supervise. I need someone to convince servers that ‘Maui time’ doesn’t work on a movie set.”

  “Who’s doing the movie? Is it Beth Ann?”

  A frown crossed his forehead and he shook his head. “A director I’ve never worked with, Lena Dunham.”

  “Oh.”

  The look of relief on his face made her realize she hadn’t asked the right question.

  “Who’s producing?”

  James shifted his glass from his right hand to his left and back again. “Dana Russell.”

  “Oh,” she repeated.

  “He’s one of the best producers in the business. If can get this job, it will be a huge step in my career.”

  “I thought you didn’t care about your life plan anymore?”

  “I don’t.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I mean, I do. The career part is important to me. You need to understand that.”

  “But what about us?”

  “I want you to come to LA. Take the job with Sally. Meet my mother. But I still have to earn a living. Look. I lo—I care about you. I want you to give us a chance. You’re the one who wants to stay up here.”

  “You can have a career without working for my father, can’t you?” She knew she was being unreasonable, but she couldn’t seem to help it. It seemed unfair that James develop a relationship with her father before she did.

  “I thought I just explained how good this opportunity was.”

  “Well, have fun.” She picked up her purse.

  “Mandy, don’t be like this. Don’t make me choose between you and my career.”

  They stood at the same time.

  Her head told her she was being childish. Her heart ached with sorrow.

  She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for everything, James. I’ll be in touch.”

  Then she walked back to her room, holding back tears of pain and confusion.

  Chapter 23

  James stared at Mandy’s rigid back as she left the lounge.

  Damn! There had to be a way to convince her she was wrong.

  He scribbled his name and room number on the check, and stormed after her. She’d disappeared by the time he reached the bank of elevators.

  What was her room number? She’d told him at dinner, and he’d filed the information away in his mind, but the pain at her rejection was driving every rational thought out of his mind.

  Three-twenty-six.

  He punched the up button.

  When he reached the third floor, he glanced at the signs before taking off down the corridor.

  When he got to room three-twenty-six, he hesitated as his anger-driven steam loosened its grip. What if he was acting the fool? He’d look ridiculous if someone saw him standing like a lovesick puppy outside a hotel room door, begging to be let in.

  But damn it, he wasn’t going to let her run away from him just because she had parent issues.

  He pounded on the door.

  “Who is it?” Her voice was tiny behind the barrier.

  “James.”

  “Go away. Please.”

  “Let me in, Mandy. We have things to talk about.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  The sound of a door chain sliding let him know his voice could be heard.

  He leaned closer to the joint where the door met the doorjamb. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, Mandy. I’m sure you don’t want to cause a scene in this swank hotel.”

  The bolt clicked, and the door opened.

  “Five minutes, James.”

  Hastily rubbed splotches on her face told him she’d been crying. He tried to come up with the right words. Push too hard, and she’d run. Too soft, and he’d be wishy-washy.

  “When we were talking in the restaurant,” he began, “I told you how much you mean to me, how much I’m willing to do to see if we can make things work. Remember?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ve changed. I can see how stupid it is to pass a chance for love by when it appears because of a damn plan—or fear.” He tilted her face up to his. “I think you’re afraid, Mandy. My work with your father is only an excuse. You don’t have a good example of love in your life. I’m sorry for that. But I do. I know what love takes, and I’m willing to give it to you. Every day in every way that I can.”

  He kissed her, but kept it gentle. “Don’t you think we deserve a chance?”

  She moved away from him and sat on the bed.

  Had he blown it?

  When she looked up, the tears had started again. “I am afraid, James. What if we don’t make it? What if I can’t get beyond my past? Dr. Graham says I’m not bipolar, but what if I turn out like my mother anyway? She … she … ” Mandy broke down into sobs of anguish.

  He crossed the space between them, sat down, and put his arms around her. “Hush. It’ll be okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you, ever again.”

  If only he could erase her memories of the past.

  “But you don’t know what she did.” Anguish howled from her voice.

  “Tell me.”

  “I can’t. It’s too embarrassing. And he touched me!” The wails began again.

  This time he simply held her and let her cry it out.

  He was going to track down whoever hurt her and beat him black and blue.

  When her tears began to slow, he retrieved a warm washcloth from the bathroom, as well as several tissues from their holder.

  She took them, cleaned up, and began to talk.

  His gut wrenched as she told him about her mother and George Stubbins, and his heart ached for the little girl who’d never known her father.

  After she finished, he hugged her. “I’ll tell you one thing. If I ever work with Beth Ann again, I’m going to tell her it’s a choice between me and Stubbins. I don’t want that SOB anywhere around me.”

  “Won’t that interfere with your plan?” Her smile was small, but it was there.

  “Honey, I told you. I will never let anyone hurt you again. My career will survive, but I’
d never forgive myself if I put you in a position of having to deal with that man.”

  The smile broadened a little more before it dimmed again. “But what if I hurt you, like Lola hurt Dana?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t believe that’s going to happen, but you’ll never know if we don’t try. I’m in love with you, Mandy. If you walk away it’s going to break my heart.” He took a deep breath. “But I’m willing to take that chance. Will you?”

  She gazed at him intently. “You’re a good man, James. I think that’s what frightens me most of all. I don’t know what to do with a good man. My mother certainly didn’t bring them home. As for my father…” She shrugged. Staring at him intensely, she continued. “I want to love you, James. I may already, but I’m afraid to admit it to myself. Can you give me a little more time?”

  Would she slip away and never return?

  He had to take the chance. “Of course.” He kissed her to seal the deal.

  She pulled his head down to hers and returned his kiss—a little less gently.

  He answered her gesture with renewed intention. Her mouth was soft and yielding under his. Women were amazing creatures—so soft in their features, but with an inner strength few men could match. He tasted her and lost himself in the passion of their connection.

  She pressed into him.

  He pulled her back onto the bed, shifting her so they were lying next to each other. Their kiss deepened, and their bodies strained against each other, his hardness impressing on her small but feminine frame. Her breasts flattened against his chest, their heat sending an electric charge that went to his groin.

  He groaned and pulled away, but kept his hands on her arms. “I know this sounds strange coming from a guy, but I want to wait until you’re sure you love me. I don’t want you to have the slightest suspicion you’re like Lola. I know you love me, and when you’re ready to admit it to yourself, we can finish this.” He kissed her once more on the lips. “I’m going to leave now.”

  She started to protest.

  He put his finger on her lips. “I need to, for both of us. I’m going give you some time, but the day after Thanksgiving, I’m going to call you. If you say what I hope you’ll say, there will be a ticket for a flight to John Wayne Airport waiting for you in San Jose.”