A Year in His Life Read online

  With that, he downed the remaining contents of his glass, then got up and headed out of the bar, shooting her a little wink on his way out. Elena stood rooted to the spot, staring at the door as it swung shut behind him.

  In a thrice, Giselle and Martha were at her sides, practically bouncing with excitement.

  “Who was that guy?” Giselle wanted to know. “He’s hot. Rawwrr.”

  She made a claw-like gesture with her fingers, baring her teeth like a wild cat, her voice sultry all of a sudden.

  “And he’s clearly into you, hermana,” Martha said. “You gonna tell us about him or what?”

  Elena let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night, she knew. Without another moment’s hesitation, she filled her friends in on her meeting and discussion with Justin. All through her story, the two women kept gasping and making facial expressions. Between Giselle’s oohs and Martha’s occasional whistle, Elena couldn’t tell which was more annoying.

  “You should definitely go on that date,” Giselle said, barely a second after Elena was done with her story.

  Elena looked at her friend as though she’d just suggested they burn Disneyland to the ground in front of Madison. Surely, she couldn’t be serious about this. Elena had been expecting her friends to warn her against going on the date with Justin. Hearing this from Giselle…well, it definitely shook her to the core.

  “Did I hear you correctly?” she said, blinking repeatedly.

  “She has a point, Elena,” Martha piped up, reaching for an empty glass and the nearest bottle. “This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss. I mean, it’s not every day a hot billionaire walks into the bar and asks you out on a date.”

  “I am not after his money,” Elena said, positively offended.

  “I know, chica, I know.” Martha held up her hands as if trying to placate her friend, but what with the fact that she had a bottle and a glass of liquor in each hand, it looked like she was asking Elena to pick one. “But at least he’s hot. And he’s totally into you. You really want to lose the chance to be with a guy like this?” She gave a snort. “I know I wouldn’t think twice before saying yes to him if he proposed to me on the spot.”

  Elena heaved another sigh. “Look, it’s not like I’m not attracted to him. I just don’t think I’m ready to start dating again. For goodness sake, I just got out of a marriage!”

  “Yeah, like six years ago,” Giselle said, shooting her a look that said, Oh, honey, you don’t know what you’re missing out on. “You need to get out there, Elena. You need to loosen up.”

  “But –”

  “No buts,” Martha interjected, thrusting a glass into her hand and pouring some vodka into it. “We’re your friends, and we’re never going to let you make stupid decisions for yourself. Have we ever steered you wrong?”

  Elena tapped her chin, pretending to think. “Well, there was the time Giselle told me to hang out with her and kept me at the restaurant till it was way past Madison’s bedtime.”

  Giselle’s face flushed. “Guilty. The point is, we think this date is just what you need to –”

  “Loosen up,” Elena finished with a groan. “You guys make it sound like I’m going to end up as an old lady with a hundred pets for company.”

  “You just might,” Martha said. “Giselle and I go on dates every once in a while. You’re the only one who hasn’t been with a man in centuries – ow!” She winced as Giselle gave her a sharp nudge on the arm.

  “What she means to say is that she’d like you to date someone for a change.”

  Elena thought about it for a moment. The more her friends egged her on, the more tempted she was to agree to go on that date with Justin. After all, what could possibly go wrong? It would be like every other night. She’d leave Madison with Kelsie and let Giselle and Martha run the bar together while she was with him. Elena had to admit, despite the fact that this man had nearly run her over with his car earlier, she really enjoyed his company. It was the first time in years she’s been so happy to have a man around her.

  But that was what scared her. The possibility of her getting too comfortable, the possibility that she’d be so lost in infatuation with him that she’d be caught off-guard when he eventually did a Darrel and waltzed out of her life.

  “The answer is no,” she said firmly, setting the glass down on the counter. “I’m not going on that date with Justin, and that’s final.”

  ***

  Granny Pat had other ideas.

  “You’re going on that date, dear,” she said, absent-mindedly stroking the Siamese cat on her lap. She was a grand woman with a round face and almond eyes, and grey hair, the only glaring sign that she was ageing.

  It was Saturday. Elena, Madison and her grandmother sat in Granny Pat’s living room, surrounded by cats. It was the last Saturday of the month, the only time when Elena and her daughter generally came to visit.

  “Granny” Patricia Matthews had a lot of cats, which was no surprise to Elena or her daughter. They knew how much the elderly woman loved to have the creatures around her. Granny Pat had had a few of them in her prime, and it seemed that she adopted half a dozen more with each year that went by. Her generally kind attitude towards friends and family was the only thing that convinced people that she wouldn’t rather have cats as company. Elena wasn’t a very big fan of the feline creatures. They stared too often.

  Frankly, she wasn’t so thrilled to be here. Not because of the cats or that she didn’t like Granny Pat, but because her mind wasn’t really in one place. Right now, she could be working on another song. Maybe she should have brought a notepad along.

  Perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad if she hadn’t blurted out about Justin and his date proposal. But by the time she realized her mistake, it had been too late. Now she had to listen to what Granny Pat had to say on the whole subject.

  “You know you’re just being silly, thinking that keeping yourself away from men is the best idea. Believe me, it’s not. Not one bit. It’s obvious you need a man in your life.”

  “I do not,” Elena said sharply, causing the cat closest to her to start and saunter away from her.

  “Elena, I raised you as a child,” her mother said dryly. “I know you, maybe even better than you know yourself.”

  A sudden shriek of laughter caught the attention of both women. It was Madison. She was sitting on the floor, playing with some of the cats, apparently oblivious to everything else that was going on.

  “Such an adorable child,” Granny Pat said, her lips curving into a smile. She stroked the Siamese cat and he purred, stretching across her lap. “Anyway, it’s obvious that you’re attracted to that man. You’re just scared.”

  There was no point denying it. Elena nodded slowly.

  “I understand your fear, but don’t you think you’re being a little too paranoid? Maybe this Justin man is different. Darrel was one man who made a dumb move. That doesn’t mean every other man is likely to make one.” Her mother paused for a moment then added, “I don’t remember your father walking out of my life. He stayed loyal to me until his death, bless that sweet soul of his.”

  Elena stared down at her feet. She hated how Granny Pat always seemed to have a point. Now she felt stupid.

  “Go on this date first, dear,” Granny Pat said. “Get to know each other better. If all goes well, go on another date with him. If you decide you’re not interested, stop seeing him. It’s that simple.”

  “I understand, Mom,” Elena said softly, raising her head to meet her mother’s gaze.

  She climbed to her feet, startling the cat out of her lap, and beamed at her daughter. “I made cookies. Who’s hungry?”

  There was another squeal of delight and Madison’s little hand shot into the air.

  Chapter 3

  Or You Could Just Punch Them In The Face. That Works, Too

  Chin Enterprises was nearly global, but it had its headquarters in New York, Manhattan to be precise. It was a pretty odd location when you thought abou
t it, but Justin wasn’t bothered the least. He liked the view from his office on the thirty-sixth floor. When he wasn’t too busy working at the office, he often walked to the big window and stared out at the city below.

  Justin wasn’t too busy with anything right now. Unless you counted the thoughts flooding his mind.

  For some reason, he couldn’t seem to get the thought of that barmaid, Elena, out of his head. He remembered when he’d first met her, having nearly run her over. He was horrified at the idea that he could’ve killed someone, let alone a woman this beautiful, but somehow, he’d managed to play it cool. And then he met her down at the bar where she worked and heard her sing, and he’d been even much attracted to her.

  It wasn’t much of a big deal when he thought about it. Justin met beautiful women all the time. The funny thing was, he didn’t even have to go looking for them. They came to him. He was handsome, he knew it, and he was rich. That sort of thing tended to attract women from all around. Heck, he was pretty sure half the women working in this building had a crush on him.

  But, for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, he was more interested in Elena than he’d ever been in anyone other woman. It would explain why he’d asked her out on a date without even bothering to get to know her better.

  Stupid, stupid. He raked his fingers through his locks and gazed out the window. He could barely make out the people moving about below. From up high, they were all pinpoints. Justin left the window and plunked back onto his seat, propping his legs up on the desk.

  Asking her out had been a really dumb move. It had made him seem very desperate. The second the words were out of his mouth that night, he’d realized his mistake. And she hadn’t said yes to him. No surprise there. What had he been expecting, for her to scream her consent and jump into his arms? They barely knew each other and he’d acted like a total goof. There was no way she’d ever want to date him now.

  Speaking of which…that was an area he wasn’t ready to start thinking of just yet. Justin knew what would happen if he and Elena dated. He would end up breaking her heart. How many hearts had he broken in the past? He couldn’t be certain, but he had a feeling he’d left more broken hearts in his wake than he’d written checks to people.

  Something about this woman was different, though. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

  All of a sudden, the intercom crackled to life. Justin put the receiver to his ear just in time to hear a woman’s voice say, “Alicia Hargreaves, here to see you, sir. Shall I send her up?”

  The corners of his mouth turned down. Alicia was one of his many exes, and the most recent one, to be exact. He’d dumped her only a couple of weeks ago, but she didn’t seem to understand the fact that he was no longer interested in dating her.

  “Sir?” The receptionist’s voice came through the intercom and Justin imagined her staring at Alicia from behind the counter on the first floor. “Shall I send her up?”

  “Tell her I’m busy, Eleanor,” he said before dropping the receiver.

  He could imagine the look on Eleanor’s face as she heard his lie. Justin wasn’t busy for the rest of the day. He had lots of time on his hands. There was so much he could be doing right now. But having a lengthy discussion with his ex? That wasn’t exactly what Justin would describe as ‘fun’.

  He walked to the window again and stared out. The whole of Manhattan was a busy place this time of day. Somewhere, several blocks away, Elena was working at the bar. Justin briefly wondered whether she was thinking of him right now.

  Maybe he should head to The Sparkling Spout. He could definitely use a drink or two.

  ***

  Elena wrote most of her songs in the afternoon, while she was at work.

  Look into my eyes, hold me tight,

  Baby, you know I’ll never put up a fight,

  So what are you waiting for?

  Come, make me feel like a woman tonight –

  “What are you working on?” said a voice, and she dropped her pencil. She glanced up from the tissue paper she was writing on and smiled when she saw her friends leaning against the bar.

  “Nothing much,” Elena said dismissively.

  “You ready for your big date?” Giselle said, flashing her a knowing look, and Elena felt her face grow hot. One only had to take one look at her, at the short black dress she had on, to know that something big was going down today. At this point, she was beginning to wonder whether she’d made too much of an effort to look good.

  A couple of days had gone by since she agreed to go on the date with Justin. She could still remember the way his face had lit up when she told him her decision. Elena was pretty sure her face had glowed even brighter that night. They’d agreed that he would pick her up at 1:30 PM that Wednesday.

  Elena looked up at the clock. It was 1:16. Justin would be here to pick her up in about fourteen minutes.

  “I’m ready,” she said rather breathlessly, wondering if her friends could tell she was fibbing.

  She was not ready for this date with Justin. For goodness sake, she hadn’t gone on a date with anyone in close to a decade! Elena felt a shiver race through her body. So much for trying to avoid men for the rest of her life. Now this Chinese guy who wasn’t Jackie Chan had come and swept her off her feet.

  “Dates,” said a grumpy voice, and all three women looked up to see Gary frowning at his beer. “Waste of time, if you ask me. Why not just jump right into the sex, since that’s what you youngsters want in the end?” He took a gulp of beer and nearly choked. “Going on dates is just pretending to be someone you’re not.”

  “Ignore that pendejo,” Martha said to Elena, shooting a disgusted glance in his direction. “He’s just jealous because he’s not the one who gets to go on a date with you.” She seemed to notice the anxious look on Elena’s face and laid a hand on her friend’s arm. “Look, there’s no need to worry. You’re going to do just fine on this date.”

  “If you’re too chicken,” Giselle muttered, “I can go on the date with him instead.”

  Martha elbowed her in the arm. “Not helping!”

  Giselle shrugged. “What? I’m just saying. He’s a really hot guy. I know thousands of women who would literally kill just to get a chance to speak with him, not to talk of going on a date with him.” She looked at Elena and mumbled, “Sorry.”

  Elena wasn’t really listening. A bazillion thoughts were hurtling through her mind at lightning speed. She had so many questions she didn’t know the answer to. What was she going to say when he finally showed up? Did she really look as good as she’d thought? Would Justin be impressed? Where was he going to take her? Elena tried to calm down, telling herself that it was just a date with a man, but it didn’t work.

  If it had been a date with just any man, things might’ve been a lot different. Sure, Elena had had a lot of experience turning different guys down, but if she’d agreed to date any of them, it would’ve been a breeze. Only Justin wasn’t just any guy. Somehow, the mere thought of this man was enough to make her heart beat faster, thumping like crazy.

  Calm down, Elena, she told herself, taking slow, deep breaths. Everything is going to be alright.

  “Speaking of hot guys...” Giselle licked her lips sultrily. “Guess who just parked right outside the bar?”

  Holy cr–

  As if on cue, the door swung open and Justin Chin walked in, dressed in a blue suit and a red tie. Damn, this man could take a dip in the Hudson and still come out looking like a meal.

  His gaze swept around the bar, past the few customers who sat staring at him, past Gary and the two other women. When his eyes landed on Elena, they brightened. His lips curved into a smile.

  “I hope I’m not too early?” he said, heading towards the bar. He shook hands with Martha and Gisele, who looked as though they might melt like popsicles in an oven, and took a seat on a stool. “I was trying not to be tardy on our first date.”

  It took a couple of moments for Elena to find her voice. “Um, h-hi
,” she stuttered. Then she said, “You’re not too early.”

  “Well, in that case…” He got up from the stool and gestured in the direction of the door. “Shall we?”

  ***

  “You look beautiful.” As always, Justin wanted to add.

  They sat at a table at La Grandiose, a restaurant in a skyscraper with a view of the city below. Justin had considered taking her to Long Island for their first date, but then he’d figured it would be too much. Even now, he wasn’t sure what she thought about being in such a luxury place. He fleetingly wondered if she was uncomfortable.

  Elena flashed him a small smile. She had let her hair down; it flowed across her shoulders like a stage curtain, practically glowing.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  “Well, I aim to please.” He forced himself to take his eyes off her as the waiter took their order. When the man bowed and left, he leaned forward in his seat and said, “So, what made you agree to go out with me?”

  She reached for the glass of water in front of her. “My mother. She can be pretty convincing when she wants to be. I bet she could’ve talked me into doing more than just go on this date.”

  Her words sank in, and Justin’s eyebrows rose. Elena seemed to realize what she’d just said. Her eyes widening, she raised her glass to her lips and nearly choked on the water.

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said quickly, looking as though she would like the ground to open up and swallow her up this very instant.

  Justin let out a small chuckle. “It’s no problem. My mother couldn’t make me wear a bowtie if I didn’t want to. She was always going on about how stubborn I was.”

  “Was?”

  “She passed away a couple of years ago. Shortly after my father did.”

  There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Then Elena said, “I’m so sorry. I lost my father nearly fifteen years ago.”

  “Well, these things happen,” Justin replied. He cleared his throat. “Tell me more about yourself. Who is Elena Matthews?”