San Francisco Series- Complete Edition

by Nicole Pyland

  “Yeah, right outside.” Keira laughed. “I hope it’s not creepy or anything. I’m outside the building.”

  “You are?”

  “There’s this great Indian place on the way to the BART station. I thought we could grab something there and then take the train to the shop after.”

  Emma hadn’t prepared herself for dinner. She stood and slid the bag over her shoulder. She couldn’t exactly turn Keira down; she was standing outside the building. But she also knew that she didn’t want to turn her down. She wanted to go to dinner with her. She wanted to see her over a small, intimate table as they ate and talked. She wanted to see her blue eyes flickering thanks to the flame from a candle and see how her hair may be changing color when exposed to different levels of light.

  “Sure. Okay,” Emma said after a moment and closed her office door for the night. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  She tapped her foot nervously in the elevator. This wasn’t a date; she knew that. But it still felt like one. She had those thundering butterflies in her stomach as a result of the adrenaline coursing through her body. She had sweaty palms she attempted to dry by sliding them up and down the sides of her dress slacks. She couldn’t slow the rampant beating of her heart no matter how many deeps breaths she took as the elevator descended. She hadn’t been on a date in a while. Eli had been her last real date. She’d flirted a few times and had chats with women at bars but hadn’t amounted to anything. Eli had destroyed her, and that was right after she’d lost Hailey again. She’d thought she was ready with Summer, but that hadn’t gone well either. This wasn’t a date, she reminded herself.

  “Hi. Sorry, I kind of sprung this on you,” Keira said the moment Emma was out the door. “I do that sometimes.”

  “Spring things on people?” Emma asked with a smile.

  “I can be a little impulsive, I guess.”

  “I’m one of those people who plans a lot, so maybe a little impulsiveness is a good thing,” Emma replied as she stood in front of her. “I feel slightly overdressed.”

  Keira had changed from her business clothes and wore a simple blue sweater and jeans with black flats.

  “Sorry. I had time to go home and change.”

  “So, you went all the way home, came back into the city to meet me here just so you’d have to go all the way back home again?” Emma asked.

  “There are no good Indian places near me,” Keira said.

  Emma bit her lower lip because this move of Keira’s – going completely out of her way to spend time with Emma – was one of Emma’s patented moves when she was trying to get the girl.

  “Well, this place must be really good then. Which way to the great Indian food?”

  Keira’s smile went wide. She turned to her left, and her arm lifted from her side in a movement that requested, without words, for Emma to join her in the walk. Emma did.

  “So, how was your day?” Keira interrupted their silence.

  “Oh, it was okay. I’m still getting used to things, but I like it so far.”

  “I guess you kind of had a lot dropped on you when you first got here. I had no idea Ivy was just going to drop this into someone’s lap. She was so focused on it when we first started. She treated it like her baby. I guess you should take that as a compliment.”

  “Why?” Emma turned her face to Keira’s as they walked.

  “Because she trusts you with it. From what she told me, it’s a big deal. The fair is designed to bring people to the park and get active, but also to support the blood drive, flu shots, and to educate people about how to get healthier with exercise and nutrition. She really pulled out all the stops.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought of it that way. It was just something I had to take on.”

  “What got you into it?” Keira asked.

  “Into what? Planning the event?”

  “No, the work you do,” Keira clarified.

  “I took a class in college in Public Policy. There was a guest speaker who worked for the Health Department in New Jersey. I guess I liked what she had to say. I started down the path of Health Administration after that.”

  “New Jersey? I thought you were from Chicago.”

  “I went to college at Rutgers, though, and moved home after for work. I actually planned on going to vet school there after my undergrad, but I changed my plans,” Emma said. Keira laughed, and a stranger walking past them gave her a confused stare at the sound. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. Sorry, it’s just interesting.”

  “How so?”

  “You were almost a vet, and Kellan is a vet.”

  “Kellan’s a vet?” Emma questioned.

  “She is. She’s working at one of those clinics now, but her goal is to have her own practice one day.”

  “That was my plan back then too.”

  “I guess you and Kell have a common interest.”

  “More than one, maybe,” Emma said.

  In the moment immediately following, she regretted it, but after that brief moment where she felt her heart thud wildly, she no longer wished she could take it back. She smiled down at the sidewalk and then looked straight ahead before risking a sideways glance in Keira’s direction. She was smiling but remained looking forward.

  “Cats and dogs, I presume?” Keira teased with a tiny giggle emerging at the end of her question.

  “Yes, cats and dogs,” Emma agreed and felt comfortable in the knowledge that Keira had understood her meaning but decided to allow them to enjoy the ambiguity of their connection for at least a little longer. “Do you have a preference?” Emma asked. “You know, cats are maybe the friendlier of the two, but dogs are more loving. Maybe that’s the right word. I don’t know.”

  “I guess my preference would be both.” Keira turned to face her. “A cat would be great. I could use another good friend.” Emma’s body tensed at the intense stare the blue eyes were giving her. “I wouldn’t be opposed to something more, though. But if I had my choice, I’d prefer the foundation of friendship.” She paused. “With a cat,” she added and smirked at Emma. “And then something more too.” She turned back to face front. “With a dog – the cuddlier of the two species; most of the time anyway.”

  Emma smiled at the thought of Keira understanding her and then she exhaled and decided to embrace it. They’d only be working together through the weekend. She was obviously attracted to Keira, and it felt as if Keira might be equally attracted to her.

  “I have to confess – I don’t think I’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant,” Emma admitted once they’d sat down at a table for two, practically in the middle of the busy restaurant. “This place is packed.”

  “I told you, they have great food. I would have made a reservation, but they don’t take them. Sorry, we’re kind of out here in the open,” Keira said as she looked around at the other occupied tables. “And how have you never been to an Indian restaurant? Do they not have them in Chicago?”

  “I’ve had Indian food,” Emma replied. “I’ve just had it delivered. We have delivery in Chicago,” she returned as their waiter placed two small glasses of water on their table and took their drink order.

  “We have delivery here too. But, sometimes, it’s nice to get out,” Keira said after he’d walked off. “I thought it would be good for you to know the good restaurants near your office.”

  “Thanks for that.” Emma smiled and received one in return. “What made you want to get into event planning?” She took a drink of her water; suddenly taken over by a case of severe dry mouth.

  Keira’s mood shifted again. Emma wondered how she was able to pick up on these tiny, almost imperceptible shifts in Keira Worthy’s tone and body language. It made Emma feel special that she noticed, but it could have just been that everyone noticed Keira’s subtle changes and how her shoulders hunched down ever so slightly or how she spoke slower sometimes and her tone deepened a little when that happened. Likely, everyone noticed, but Emma hoped she was the only one that could
connect it to whatever Keira was about to reveal about herself.

  “That’s kind of a long story,” Keira stated as their glasses were sat down in front of them.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  “No, it’s not that. It’s just that one part of the story isn’t my favorite thing to talk about.” She sipped from the red wine she’d ordered. “It’s a thing I don’t talk about at all, actually.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Keira’s smile returned briefly. “I grew up in Southern California, went to UCSD and met Michelle. She and I became best friends. We started out as those cater waiters at parties and had a lot of fun. We decided to both try event planning. I got a job up here, and she had one down there.” She paused, and her eyes met Emma’s before flitting away to around the restaurant. “I decided to break out on my own, and she joined me. We started the company together.”

  “Let me guess. You dated, things didn’t end well, and she left the business,” Emma said.

  “Michelle was straight. Kevin, my roommate, was her boyfriend. And she didn’t leave the business; she died.” Keira’s eyes met Emma’s again at that reveal. “She was on a bike, and she got hit by a car.”

  Emma instantly hated herself and the fact that she’d made a ridiculous assumption when she should have just let Keira finish telling her own damn story.

  “Keira, I–”

  “Please don’t say you’re sorry,” Keira told her. “Everyone’s sorry. I know. But it doesn’t change anything.”

  “That’s why you didn’t say it when I told you about my dad,” Emma recalled. “I was grateful, and then I just almost did that to you.”

  “It’s human.” Keira lifted and dropped her eyebrows along with her shoulders. “The business was better with her around. We balanced each other out. I was kind of the theme person.”

  “Theme?” Emma wanted to smile but didn’t think it was appropriate.

  “That’s what she called it. I was the creative one. When we’d plan weddings, for example, I could make the bride’s wishes come true with the perfect wedding even if her colors were hideous and didn’t match the flowers she’d picked. I had the picture of the event in my head, and I could make it a reality.”

  “And what was Michelle’s specialty?”

  “Reeling me in.” Keira laughed a little. “She was better with the business part. She’d take the budget and make sure I stayed within it, and she kept me on a schedule. I’m not great at being on time.”

  “I remember.” Emma smiled at her then and was rewarded with one back.

  “I’m pretty much always late,” Keira confessed. “I drove into the city earlier today, and I drove home this afternoon. I was worried I’d be late for tonight, so I took the train. I got to your building at like 5:30 just to be on the safe side.”

  “But you waited to call?”

  “I told you, I didn’t want to interrupt your work. I was proud of myself for actually being on time for once.” She smiled a little bigger as she continued. “Michelle was always the one pushing me out the door. She found our old office in the city once we’d made enough to afford a small space.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t–”

  “I lost it,” Keira revealed.

  “Oh.” Emma took a drink of her own wine.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t talk about this stuff for a reason. It’s not exactly an uplifting story and definitely not one that’s good for a first–” Keira stopped herself, her eyes grew three sizes, and her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson.

  ◆◆◆

  She couldn’t believe she’d almost said that. Keira gulped as her eyes remained locked on Emma’s. That was taking a lot of effort, because she wanted to stare down at the table, or at the purple tapestry hanging from the left wall, or really anywhere other than at Emma’s dark eyes that had grown a little larger with Keira’s statement. Keira took a long drink, which only seemed to make her face hotter. Emma’s expression was unreadable, or maybe it was just confusing. It had gone from concerned to confused to what appeared to be intrigued in an instant. Keira wondered if she’d gotten those emotions in her expressions correct.

  “I’d still like to hear more if you’re okay talking about it.”

  Emma’s expression returned to concern, but her eyes remained locked on Keira’s, and Keira thought there might be something in them. They were intense and seemed a shade darker than they’d been a few moments prior.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Emma replied.

  “I can tell you the whole depressing story, but you have to tell me more about this Hailey woman that used to be your Hailey,” she bargained.

  Emma laughed, and her eyes left Keira’s and landed on that tapestry.

  “I can do that.”

  CHAPTER 9

  “So, Kevin and you are roommates because…”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Keira completed for her. “After Michelle died, it took me a while to get going again with the business. I lost a lot of money in the process. We weren’t exactly rich to start with, and not working for a while didn’t help. Add to the fact that rent in this city is so damn expensive along with everything else; I lost the office space. Kevin was kind enough to stay in the apartment with me so that I wouldn’t have to find a roommate,” Keira explained as she hopped off the train.

  They’d finished their meal with Keira talking more about how she and Michelle met in college, how she’d gotten her first big break up here, and when Michelle had followed her up and then met Kevin. Emma listened intently as Keira relayed the story of how Michelle had fallen for Kevin and how he’d fallen equally as hard for her. She’d talked about Kevin as they walked to the BART station after dinner, which Emma insisted she’d pay for since Keira was being gracious enough to introduce her to the restaurant that really did offer amazing food and take her to a store where she could find things for her office. Keira objected once because that was the polite thing to do and then allowed Emma to pay.

  It was strange to Keira, talking about Michelle like this. The only person she’d spoken at length about her with had been Kevin. No one else knew her like the two of them. And when she’d spoken briefly about her to others, they been sympathetic, but it was uncomfortable. With Emma though, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. It felt nice to finally be able to talk about her best friend, what it felt like to lose her and have to change course with the company they’d created together.

  “I was pretty surprised when I was looking at places here. You hear that things are expensive, but until you’re the one looking, it doesn’t really click,” Emma replied.

  “Kevin’s a great guy,” Keira told her. “I think he’s been on a few dates since Michelle died, and he keeps the women away from the apartment for my benefit. I keep telling him it’s okay; I understand. Because Michelle would understand. She would want him to be happy. I also worry that I’m holding him back,” she confessed.

  “Why?”

  “Because he can afford to have his own place. He’s not a millionaire or anything, but he’s offered to loan me money a few times. I know he can get his own apartment in the city. I’m worried he’s hanging on as my roommate because he feels like he has to help.”

  “How bad is it?” Emma questioned as Keira turned them down the right street for the shop that would be closing at nine. And thanks to their leisurely dinner and train ride, it was already twenty minutes till. They wouldn’t have long to shop, but as she caught Emma’s eyes on her for what must have been the hundredth time that night, she figured Emma wouldn’t have a problem with that.

  “It’s not great,” Keira replied.

  “That’s not vague.” Emma laughed. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

  “It’s not that.” Keira laughed and brushed the side of her body against Emma’s in the process. There was a tingling sensation that nearly overtook her, and she had to take a step to th
e side to separate them. She didn’t move too far away though, enjoying the closeness they’d shared all night. “It’s just that you and I are technically working together. I probably shouldn’t even have told you what I told you. The last thing you want to hear about the woman planning the biggest event of the year for your job is that the business is almost broke, and the woman is barely holding it together.”

  “You seem to be doing just fine to me,” Emma offered.

  Keira took in the compliment, if it could be called that, and looked ahead.

  “We’re here.” She pointed at the door on the right a few feet ahead of them. “I probably should have told you they close soon.”

  “We’ve got plenty of time. I’m a fast shopper.” Emma walked a little faster, leaving Keira behind her for a moment.

  Keira wondered if she was rushing to get into the store before it closed, but she stopped wondering when Emma opened the door and held it that way for her to enter. Emma walked in behind her. Keira felt her hand on the small of her back as she closed the door. Keira walked in a few more steps, and Emma’s hand dropped. Keira missed it immediately.

  “What are you interested in?” Keira asked, hoping her voice hadn’t betrayed her nerves.

  “I don’t know. This was your idea.” Emma laughed. “What would work for my office?”

  “I think you need some artwork. This place has some prints, I think.” Keira distracted herself by walking toward the back of the small shop.

  There was a woman behind the counter who nodded at her as she passed it. She was helping the only other customer in the place. Emma joined Keira at the stack of prints that ranged in size from 8x10 to poster size. Keira remarked on a couple of them and pulled them out further for Emma to look at. Emma seemed to like one of them immediately and set it aside. They searched for a couple more in silence. Emma would like one and she’d pass it to Keira or hold it out for her to see. Keira would nod yes or no. Keira smiled every time Emma would put one she’d said no to back in the stack and keep all the ones she’d said yes to out to consider later. By the time they’d gone through the entire selection, there were five prints Emma had to choose from. She picked three and set them on the counter to purchase while Keira moved about the store. She stopped at a vase that was made from blown glass in the colors of red, orange and yellow, like fire, and Emma picked it up immediately.