by SJ McCoy
“Another bottle, then.” Diego grinned. “And tell us what you’re celebrating, so we can join in?”
“It’s my—” began Audrey.
“Audrey here is beginning a new chapter,” Izzy spoke over her.
Diego waved Kenzie over to order more champagne.
“What kind of chapter?” asked Ted.
She felt as though his voice vibrated through her—and it felt good. She smiled, feeling a little embarrassed. She could hardly explain. She was celebrating the fact that she finally felt like her own person again.
Izzy didn’t mind answering the question for her. “Audrey’s had a tough time for the last few years, and now she’s coming into her own.” She raised her glass and smiled at them. “She’s ready to have some fun.”
Audrey didn’t know where to look. Izzy couldn’t make it more obvious that she was implying that the door was open for Ted to … to what? To talk to her? To dance with her? To take her home?
His smile was so kind. It seemed that he sensed her discomfort and wanted to put her at ease. “I’m glad your hard times are behind you. I hope this next chapter is the best one yet.”
For a crazy moment, she believed that he was including himself in that chapter, that he was saying … no! She had to pull herself together. He was just being kind and helping to get her out of the spot that Izzy—she’d throttle her later!—had put her in.
“Thank you.”
Diego held up a fresh bottle of champagne and two more glasses. “May I suggest that we move to a table? The band is about to take their break, and that will mean a rush at the bar.”
Izzy slid down from her stool with a grin. “I was just thinking the same thing. There’s a booth open over there, see?”
Ted smiled at Audrey as the others headed toward the booth. “Is this okay with you? Diego can be a little … full-on.”
She had to chuckle. “You may have noticed that Izzy’s the same way.”
“Do you mind?”
She shook her head. She didn’t mind at all that their friends were giving them this opportunity. “Do you?”
“The only part I mind is that they’re joining us. I wish I’d seen you first, and that we could take a table by ourselves.”
Audrey’s heart hammered in her chest, and at the same time, butterflies took to flight in her stomach.
“Was that too forward of me?” he asked when she didn’t say anything.
“No. It’s not that.”
He raised an eyebrow.
What the heck? She was just going to say it. “Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”
His smile was back. “Do you want to leave them to drink champagne? We could get out of here. Get a drink and talk somewhere quieter.”
She shook her head sadly. “That sounds like just the kind of thing the old me would never do, and yet the new me would love to.”
“Isn’t this a new chapter? Don’t let the old you win.”
She sighed. “I can’t. This is my children’s birthday party. I can’t just leave.”
“Ah. Okay. I’m sorry.”
He looked disappointed, and she wanted him to know that she was, too. “It’s not a brush off. I just can’t walk out on my children’s party.”
“No. I understand. Maybe …” He stopped. “We should catch up with them.” He nodded to where Izzy and Diego had claimed the empty booth.
Audrey wanted to ask what his maybe had been. She wanted to suggest that they could do something tomorrow instead. But tomorrow was Sunday, and he’d no doubt be leaving to go back to his life, wherever that was. She glanced at his left hand and was relieved to see that there was no wedding band. Though that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
~ ~ ~
Ted slid into the booth to sit beside Diego who slid a glass of champagne in front of him. “Let’s toast to a new chapter.”
Ted caught Audrey’s gaze. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, and it seemed that she felt the same way. It made his heart race. “To new beginnings,” he said and raised his glass toward her.
She raised hers with a smile. “New beginnings,” she echoed.
“So,” Izzy grinned around at them, “we know that Eddie is your son, and Diego tells me that you guys live in Laguna Beach. What else do we need to know about you?”
Ted laughed. Izzy struck him as a female version of Diego. “What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Everything.” She looked more serious as she continued. “I suppose the first important thing to get out of the way is, where’s Eddie’s mom?”
She might as well have thrown a drink in his face. The question brought him down to earth with a bump. He didn’t talk about Irene.
Diego caught his eye. He knew the score.
Audrey was watching him carefully. He knew what she must be thinking, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Where is she? I have no idea. I haven’t seen or heard from her in …” he had to think about it, “almost twenty-five years.”
Izzy looked thrilled to hear it. Although she hadn’t picked up on how uncomfortable the question had made him, it seemed that Audrey had. She gave him an apologetic smile, and he’d swear that there was understanding in her eyes.
“What about you, Audrey?” asked Diego.
Dammit. It was typical Diego, stepping up to defend him. He didn’t need it. And it wasn’t as though they didn’t already know her situation—from their eavesdropping. Her ex-husband was here, with his new, young wife. Ted turned to glare at his friend. He shouldn’t have put her on the spot like that.
“I’ve been divorced for almost three years now. Unfortunately, I can’t say I haven’t seen him in that time. In fact, he’s here this evening. This is our children’s birthday party.”
“And what about you, Diego?” Ted didn’t see why he should get away with it. He knew full well that Diego and Izzy were trying to play matchmaker and protective friend at the same time, since his attraction to Audrey was so obvious. But since they were both behaving badly, as far as he was concerned, he wanted them to be put on the spot, too.
Diego shrugged. Nothing phased him. He smiled at Audrey. “My son is here, also. His name is Zack. His mother left us when he was six.”
“I’m sorry.” Audrey’s expression said a lot about her. It told Ted that she truly was sorry to hear that—and also that she couldn’t imagine a mother ever leaving her child.
“And before anyone asks me to share my tale of woe,” said Izzy. “I have no children. I couldn’t, and I’ve been divorced for eight years from a man who swore to me that it didn’t matter. He’s remarried with a six-year-old daughter.” Her smile didn’t fade as she spoke, but Ted could only guess at the pain behind it.
“Well.” Audrey looked around the table. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way …” she smiled. “Perhaps we can bring it back to regular chitchat. Are you two here for the weekend? Where’s home?”
Ted liked her for wanting to move the conversation past that awkward moment. “Home is Laguna Beach. And I’m here for the week.” He smiled. “My grandson asked me to stay.”
Diego cocked his head to one side. “Did I know this?”
Ted laughed. “I thought I told you, but perhaps I forgot.”
Diego shrugged and looked at Izzy. “I’m going home to Laguna tomorrow. You?”
She grinned. “I have to go home tomorrow, too.” She turned to Audrey. “But this one is staying until next weekend, while I go back and run the office.”
Audrey laughed. “Don’t go for the sympathy vote. You’re the one who insisted I take some time off. I can come back with you, if you like.”
Izzy shook her head rapidly. “No way!”
Ted couldn’t believe his luck. He’d assumed that they would be leaving tomorrow. Instead, Audrey was staying the whole week—and her friend wasn’t. “What are you plans while you’re here?”
She smiled at him. “To rest and relax.”
“To have some fun,”
added Izzy. She caught Ted’s gaze and gave him the hint of a nod.
“Perhaps you can both have some fun,” said Diego.
Ted wanted to tell them both to butt out. Audrey looked as though she felt the same way.
“Would you excuse me for a moment?” she asked. “The kids are coming over.”
Ted turned to see a young man and woman coming toward them. As he watched, Eddie stepped out of the crowd, and they stopped to chat with him. For some reason, it made him happy to think that they all knew each other.
He glanced back at Audrey and she smiled. “They did mention that they knew the guys in the band.”
He got up. “Do you want to go and say hello?” He was glad when she got to her feet and joined him. He knew that Diego and Izzy were only trying to help them along, but he’d much prefer to do without their help.
“Mom! There you are.” The girl came toward them. “We were looking for you. How do you know Eddie’s dad?”
Audrey cast a shy glance at him, and he guessed that she wouldn’t want to explain that they’d just met.
“We have some mutual friends,” he explained. It wasn’t a lie; he now knew Izzy and she knew Diego.
Eddie stepped forward. “I hope you’re all having a good time?”
“It’s great, thanks.” Ted smiled at his son and then looked at Audrey as he added. “Much better than I expected.”
“I’m surprised you’re still here. I thought you were going to duck out when it got busy.”
Ted gave Audrey a rueful smile. “So did I, but I changed my mind.” He hoped that she would understand that she was the one who’d changed it. “I’m sorry,” he added. “I haven’t introduced you. Audrey, this is my son, Eddie.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Ally and Brayden have told me so much about you. I’m glad you could come.”
Ted made a mental note to ask Eddie what he knew about her.
“Thanks. I’m honored to be here.” Ted loved the way she smiled at her kids. “Ally and Brayden, this is Ted.”
They greeted him warmly. Ally especially seemed pleased to meet him.
“Well, I hate to break it up,” said Eddie, “but I’m going to have to get back on stage soon.”
Brayden looked around. “Do you have a minute? I said I’d introduce you to my dad.”
Both Audrey and Ally tensed at that. “We can find him later,” Ally said.
“No, look. There he is.” Brayden waved at a man who looked to be around Ted’s age who was standing with a woman who looked to be more Ally and Brayden’s age. He guessed that was the ex and his new wife.
Ally scowled and gave her mom an apologetic look.
Audrey shrugged and mouthed It’s okay.
Ted felt as though he should probably go and sit back down, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he watched them approach. The wife was pretty. Izzy had been right, though; the wife was just a girl, while Audrey was a woman—a very beautiful woman.
He watched as Brayden introduced Eddie to Richard and Natalee. He could tell that Eddie took an instant dislike to Richard. He had great instincts about people. He doubted that anyone else would pick up on it, but Ted could tell that Eddie didn’t like the guy.
Eddie turned to him with a smile. “This is my dad, Ted Rawlins.”
Richard’s eyes widened. “As in Ted Rawlins of Rawlins-Águila?”
Ted nodded. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Richard recognized his name. He could feel Audrey’s eyes on him. He’d guess that she wasn’t familiar with it.
Richard grinned and stepped forward eagerly to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure. I hope we’ll get the chance to talk some more. In fact, do you want to come and—”
Ted couldn’t manage to keep his smile in place. He could sense just what kind of guy Richard was. He encountered them all the time. The ones who had no time for anyone who couldn’t help them advance in some way, and who were all over those who they thought could be of use to them. “No. I don’t mix business and pleasure.” He turned to Audrey and without stopping to question whether he should, he put his hand in the small of her back and drew her a little closer. “And tonight’s about pleasure.”
The expression on Richard’s face told him that he’d made the right move. He was stunned. It was obvious. And he was not happy. To his relief, Audrey seemed very happy. She leaned a little closer to him and gave him a grateful smile.
“Oh. Of course.” Richard recovered quickly. “Some other time.” He backed away a few steps and then seemed to remember his wife. He put an arm around her shoulders and nodded at the group before steering her away.
Eddie gave Ted a puzzled look. “Dare I ask?”
“Probably best not.”
“No way!” exclaimed Ally. “Are you guys a thing? Or were you just helping mom out? Either way …” She held her hand up in the air and Ted only missed a couple of beats before he high-fived her. She grinned. “You are one of my new favorite people.”
Brayden was looking at them and Ted remembered that he still had his hand on Audrey’s back. If her son didn’t like it, he should probably stop, but he didn’t want to.
Brayden smiled. “Are you guys a thing, then?”
Ted looked down at Audrey and was thrilled when she smiled. She didn’t deny it, didn’t explain that they’d never laid eyes on each other before this morning. Her smile made his heart race.
He decided his best bet was to follow her lead. He smiled at their kids and shrugged.
Eddie chuckled. “Does that mean you’re not answering yet?”
He nodded.
“Well, I’m saying that you are.” Ally grinned. “Especially to Dad.”
“How does he know you?” asked Brayden.
Ted pursed his lips. He could honestly claim that he didn’t know. But the honest answer was that most people who were in any kind of business in Southern California knew of Rawlins-Águila Bank, even if they didn’t know him personally.
“He’s a banker,” explained Eddie.
“Looks like Chase wants you back up there, Eddie,” said Ally.
“I’d better go.” Eddie grinned at Ted. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
“It was great to meet you, Audrey. I hope I’ll see you again.”
~ ~ ~
Audrey tried to get her heart back under control as she watched Eddie make his way back onto the stage. It was a difficult task, though. Ted’s hand still rested in the small of her back. Waves of heat emanated out from where it touched. Shivers chased each other down her spine and she didn’t dare look, but she guessed that all the little hairs on her arms were standing on end.
Ally turned back to her and gave her a meaningful look. “I know you weren’t planning to stay all night. We don’t mind if you want to duck out whenever you’re ready. Do we, Brayden?”
It made Audrey smile that even her son picked up on what she meant. “Yeah. Err, I mean no. You take off whenever you want. We’re just glad you came.”
“It was nice to meet you.” Ally smiled at Ted.
“Yeah,” agreed Brayden. “We’ll see you soon, I guess.”
Audrey held her breath wondering what Ted would say.
“I hope so.”
Once they’d gone, she turned to look up into his eyes. “Thank you.”
He nodded. “I overheard you talking with Izzy earlier. She was right. He’s a fool. Natalee is pretty. But you …” He looked into her eyes. “You’re a beautiful woman, Audrey.”
She heard herself sigh and felt as though her knees might give way underneath her.
He smiled. “Do you want to stay and show him what a fool he is?”
“What? How do you mean?”
“Most men are idiots when it comes to women. They only understand a woman’s worth when they see her with someone else.”
For a moment, Audrey wondered what had happened in his life to make him say that. But she was more focused on what he meant about her.
&n
bsp; “He let you go. Seeing you with me makes him realize what a huge mistake that was. I guarantee you that he’s kicking himself right now, feeling like a fool.”
She smiled. “In that case, I wouldn’t mind staying for a little while. If you don’t mind pretending.”
Her breath caught in her chest as he smiled down at her. “I’m not pretending, Audrey. I’m hoping.”
Chapter Five
Audrey didn’t miss the glint in Diego’s eye when she and Ted sat back down. She got the feeling that he was just like Izzy.
Izzy grinned at her. “I see you had the chance to talk with Richard?”
She nodded. She knew what her friend was getting at—that her wish for a gorgeous man to flaunt in front of Richard had been granted.
Diego grinned at Ted. “Judging by the way he was so eager to meet you, I’d guess that he knew who you are?”
Ted smiled back at him. “He did.”
Audrey turned to look at him. “It seems he’s more in the know than I am.”
“He’s probably heard mention of me in business circles.”
Diego chuckled. “My friend is too modest. I, on the other hand, am not. We’re bankers. Rawlins-Águila is a well-known and respected private bank.”
Izzy raised her eyebrows. “So, Ted Rawlins and Diego Águila?”
“That’s right.”
“And what about you ladies,” asked Ted. “What do you do?”
“Advertising,” said Audrey.
“Do you work for anyone we might know?” asked Diego.
Izzy laughed. “We both work for someone you know: Audrey.”
Audrey was used to men assuming that she was someone’s assistant.
“You have your own agency?” asked Ted. “Where are you based?”
“The office is in Ventura. We’re just a small team.”
Izzy rolled her eyes and looked at Diego. “My friend is as bad as yours for being overly modest. She went out on her own after her divorce from him. You know what the name Richard usually gets shortened to, don’t you? Well, in his case, there couldn’t be a more appropriate nick-name.”
“Izzy!” Audrey made a face at her. She agreed with the sentiment but didn’t think that her friend should go sharing it with people who they’d just met.