| The Courtyard Chapter 2 |
| Hanna couldn’t stop herself from watching every face that passed near by as she told Marcy and Jodi what had happened at the stroke of midnight. “It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had,” she confessed as she touched her lips absently. “Wait a minute,” Jodi stopped the conversation. “You’re telling us that you don’t even know this guy’s name?” Hanna shook her head swiftly. “He disappeared after that. I didn’t even have the chance to ask him. One minute, we’re talking at the bar and the next he’s gone.” “There you are,” Toni said as she stepped up to them. “I’ve been looking for you for the last half hour. I want you to meet Nicki.” She introduced the woman trailing behind her as she slipped her arm around her shoulders. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” Hanna said politely as she reached out to shake her hand, but they were bumped even further apart as the party-goers around them began to close in. “It looks like we’re going to have to wait talk,” she called out apologetically, then turned when she felt a hand at her shoulder. “There’s Lance,” Jodi said hurriedly, trying to direct her attention as she moved in his direction. “Let me grab him real quick and maybe we can find out who your mystery man is. He knows practically everyone here.” “So what did this guy look like?” Marcy asked as she scanned the room for possible candidates. “Tall,” Hanna said without hesitation as reached out for the back of a chair to steady herself when another shift in the people surrounding her caused her to stumble. “Probably around six-two, I’d guess. Light brown hair and the most incredible eyes I’ve ever seen.” “You just described most of the men here!” she complained. “We are in California, you know. Light brown hair and incredible eyes are a dime a dozen.” “Not like these,” she whispered to herself. She barely had room enough to turn as she searched for Jodi in the crowd, then, when she came into view, Hanna shook her head at the person she had in tow. It was the same man that she had been looking for. “You’re Lance Kline,” she said with a note of disbelief. “Just your average, old-fashioned, boring architect,” he recounted jokingly as he held out his hand to her. Hanna closed her eyes tightly in embarrassment, then dared to peek up at him. “Sticking my size eights into my mouth is one of my specialties,” she said in return, taking his hand grudgingly. He was the last person that she had expected to be her mystery man. “I suppose that saying I’m sorry would be horribly insufficient at this point. I have a tendency to say what’s on my mind without thinking when I’ve had champagne. But this isn’t all my fault,” she charged. “You could have told me who you were.” “And miss out on all those wonderful things you had to say about me?” Lance laughed as he took advantage of the push from the crowd to move closer. “Well, at least you liked my idea of a party so you can’t be all bad.” “You have me at a definite disadvantage,” she whispered, knowing that she should be uncomfortable with him so near, but guiltlessly enjoying it. “I tend to talk way too much when I drink.” “Then let’s hope that you don’t have any government secrets,” he teased. “You’re just not going to cut me any slack, are you?” she asked coyly. “Perhaps I should ask you for something more personal,” he countered without missing a beat. “Government secrets are far too boring and I wouldn’t want to do anything to ruin my tarnished reputation.” “I see that you finally managed to meet Lance,” Toni interrupted when she finally managed to break through the crowd and stepped up to him for a quick kiss in greeting. “You have been extremely elusive tonight, but I suppose that’s what happens when you have to play host to a few hundred of your best friends.” “I’m a regular social butterfly,” he joked as he leaned in to give Nicki a kiss as well. “I’m always interested in meeting new people,” he said with a look in Hanna’s direction. “Especially ones that taste like champagne and strawberries.” He was delightfully surprised when he saw her blush. “I’ve heard that you have an old Spanish villa that you’re thinking about refurbishing,” Nicki said, completely oblivious to the sensual banter. “What are the chances of some old friends getting a private viewing?” Lance smiled easily. Nicki was very self-assured and she didn’t hesitate for a second to go after what she wanted. “It’s funny you should mention that,” he told her. “I’ve been thinking about getting a group of people together to do the preliminary clean up of the building before starting the actual reconstruction.” “That sounds like fun,” Marcy interrupted, unable to avoid hearing the conversation in the close quarters. “We could make a weekend out of it and everyone could stay at the villa.” Lance hesitated for a second at the suggestion, then nodded. “That would work. There are plenty of rooms and the building is structurally sound. We could even have it catered and turn it into a party.” “A cleaning party?” Hanna jumped in with a shake of her head as she smiled at the thought. “Only in San Francisco!” “I hope that doesn’t mean you won’t be joining our little soiree,” Lance countered as he lightly placed his hand against the small of her back when she was bumped again. Her eyes dropped to the soft mound of his lower lip as their kiss returned fleetingly to her mind, then raised her eyes back to his. “I suppose that it would be the least that I could do after insulting you in your own home,” she said softly. “That’s good,” he returned, then put his cheek next to hers. “This way there won’t be any doubt that I’ll get to see you again,” he whispered against her ear. “That is such a fantastic idea,” Nicki chimed in as she warmed to Marcy’s suggestion, completely oblivious to Lance’s current state of distraction. “We could invite Brian who’s a whiz with electricity and Chad has a way with tile that borders on art.” She turned to Lance once more, lightly tapping him on the shoulder. “You just make sure that you have plenty of food and we’ll handle the guest list.” His orders dispatched, Nicki turned back to Marcy to continue discussing the list of people. Toni shook her head. “You’ve done it now,” she told him. “I hope that you planned on having a small army at the villa because that’s what you’re going to get.” “The more the merrier,” Lance laughed, then looked back at Hanna when he was given a moment’s reprieve from the conversation. “It looks like we’re going to reintroduce you to San Francisco society the right way.” “On my hands and knees scrubbing a floor?” she quipped, then smiled. “Actually, it does sound like it’s going to be fun. After all, how often does one get to stay in a real Spanish villa?” “Daddy!” Lance’s eldest daughter, Sarah, sounded out when she finally found him. “Willie threw punch all over my new outfit!” she complained and gestured to the large stain on the front of her white skirt. “I did not!” Willie defended himself promptly on his sister’s heels. “It was an accident!” “It’s completely ruined!” Sarah whined and her father turned her toward the stairs. “Duty calls,” he said to Hanna with a shrug as he maneuvered his children away. “You’re just mad because Todd Pearce was kissing on Carol Swenson instead of you,” Willie taunted his sister, making loud smooches in the air as he flutter his eyes. “I am not,” she returned vehemently and thumped him in the back of the head sharply. “Ow! Dad!” Willie started as he rubbed his head, but their father kept pushing them toward the stairs. “I’d say you made a lasting impression,” Jodi whispered from just over Hanna’s shoulder as they watched the trio disappear. “He definitely did too,” she returned, then gave her friend a smile. * * * Hanna hooked her arm around the pole of the trolley and leaned out into the street, letting the crisp January air blow in her face and hair. Riding the trolley as it zoomed down a steep hill was one of the things that she had missed most about San Francisco. She just loved taking it everywhere that it ran. She was energized as she stepped off into the street and maneuvered between the cars to get to the sidewalk. She felt the urge to hum as she practically skipped down the walk, but she wouldn’t allow herself to give into it. Jodi would have been singing at the top of her lung if she had been there, but Hanna wasn’t Jodi. For better or worse, Hanna had become slightly withdrawn since moving to Saint Paul. The people that she had associated with were self-conscious about maintaining an image of decorum and that had rubbed off on her. Now that she was back in her home town where images were created, not maintained, she was ready to cut loose. If only she could remember how. Things had changed so much that she was forced to double check her directions and she was half-afraid that she was going to have to ask for help when nothing around her looked familiar. The trolley ride had helped to lighten her step, but she still felt too much like a tourist in her own home town. Turning swiftly at the sound of her own name, Hanna saw Toni waving to her nearly half a block away. “Did you get lost?” Toni asked while she waited for her friend to walk up the steep incline. “No. I got off right here just a few seconds ago, but I turned in the wrong direction.” She looked up at the face of the building and saw Se Chic written in bold letters across the polished brick wall. “I’m so glad that you and Nicki invited me to lunch. I was about to tackle painting the living room.” “I thought you were going sight seeing today?” she asked politely as she held open the huge smoke-glass door. “I did that yesterday to get away from the painting,” she admitted, then laughed at herself. “Maybe I should take a note from the San Francisco guide and have a painting party.” “Now you’re talking,” Nicki said as she swooped in from across the room to greet them. “Just let me know and I’ll pull out the address book.” “Fair warning, Hanna,” Toni said. “If Nicki gets out the address book, you can count on at least a hundred people.” “Could you imagine trying to fit a hundred people in my apartment?” Hanna returned and they laughed. “She’s just teasing you,” Nicki inserted, then slapped at Toni harmlessly. “I’ve only got about thirty people going out to Lance’s villa next weekend.” “Yeah, I got my invitation in the mail yesterday,” Hanna said hesitantly as she looked at Toni. They were of like minds when it came to the San Francisco need to party. For a special occasion, it was great, but for having your pet fixed, it was just plain weird. “Weren’t those great?” Nicki gushed as she linked arms with both women to guide them further into the studio. “A friend of mine whipped them up. I’ve got a couple of his pieces right over here. He’s such a dear and he loves a party just like the rest of us.” Nicki launched into her saleswoman routine for several moments as she showed off some of the art, then stopped abruptly when a familiar face walked into the gallery. “Lance!” she called out with a smile and a wave as she crossed the room to greet him. “Please tell me this wasn’t a set up,” Hanna whispered as she reached up to attempt to straighten her hair without Lance noticing. The wind-blown look might be in, but the roller-coaster look was definitely out. She moved slightly so that her friend could have a little cover for a quick sprucing up. “You know I wouldn’t do that, but I wouldn’t put it past Nicki. This is exactly like something she’d pull,” Toni returned in the same hushed tones, chancing a glance over her shoulder and saw Lance and Nicki moving in their direction. “Remind me to kill her later,” she said as she straightened and attempted to appear casual. “My pleasure.” “What a pleasant surprise,” Hanna said when they joined them a few seconds later, then she shot Nicki a glance. “Well this is perfect,” Nicki interjected as she gave his arm a final squeeze before releasing it. “We were just about to have lunch and now you can make it a forth,” she told him. “I wouldn’t want to intrude,” he began, but wasn’t allowed to finish. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Nicki returned, then took Toni’s arm to guide her away. “We always have more than enough food.” Hanna shook her head at the departing pair, then looked over at Lance. “I feel like I should apologize for getting you roped into this, but I didn’t know a thing about it, I assure you.” “Well, I have to admit that I’m a bit grateful for Nicki’s meddling in this case,” he returned as he slipped his hands into his pockets and gave her a smile. “You managed to slip away from my New Year’s Eve party without giving me your phone number. I thought that I was going to have to wait until next weekend to see you again.” Her head tilted to one side as she returned his smile. “Then I guess I’m going to have to forgive Nicki too because that’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard in a long time. And before I forget,” she began, then pulled a business card out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Now you won’t have to wait to be set up to get in touch with me again.” “You’ve already had business cards made?” he asked incredulously as he glanced at the card. “I thought you just moved?” “I did. I just printed those out on my computer. It’s amazing the things you can come up with to do to get out of painting,” she joked. He put his hand into the small of her back as they followed Nicki and Toni out of the room. “That bad, huh?” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes. “Since I already have you here, what do you think about going out to dinner with me Friday night. There’s a new restaurant opening up and I just happen to have an invitation for two.” “Another party?” Hanna asked in mock surprise. “I guess you can’t even go out to dinner with a handsome guy without having a party these days.” He smiled at her compliment. “I’m sure that I can arrange for a private moment or two,” he returned easily. “Just help yourself,” Nicki instructed them the moment they walked into the dining room. “I’d love to,” Lance whispered for Hanna’s ears and received another blush. “We like to keep everything informal around here,” Nicki continued, completely unaware of the private conversation still going on. A small table and chairs were arranged for them to eat at and a second table was stocked with an wide assortment of food. “Informal meaning buffet,” Toni supplied as she shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up on the brass coat rack standing in the corner. “If you see something you like, just grab it,” Nicki concluded. Hanna held up her finger quickly when Lance turned back to her. “I’m almost positive that she meant the food,” she said, then laughed softly when he gave her a disappointed look. The conversation was reduced to what looked interesting to eat while everyone fixed their plates, then Nicki turned to the topic foremost on her mind as they sat down at the table. “I’ve been going over the guest list and I’ve got electricians and carpenters and plumbers, but what I need to know is if you intend on keeping any of the furnishings or artwork that’s still in the house. I know a guy who does restoration work part time. He’s wonderful. He can repair practically anything. He won’t be available for the party, but I’m sure that I can talk him into reducing his fee if we were to send a lot of work his way. He wants to get into the business full time, but he just hasn’t had the clientele yet.” Lance wiped his mouth, pausing for a moment to make sure that she was finished, then nodded. “If you’re recommending him, I’m more than willing to give him a try. I’d like to keep as much of the villa as in tact as I can, but I’m not sure he will be able to do much with some of the furnishings. Some of it looks in pretty bad shape.” “Glenn is a miracle worker, I assure you,” Nicki stressed as she reached for her bottle of mineral water. “Is there much furniture left?” Hanna asked. “An entire house full,” Lance confirmed. “I don’t think that the person who inherited it even visited the house before selling. He was just looking to unload it including all furnishings and artwork.” “It sounds like you got a real deal,” she returned. “Oh I paid for the privilege,” he corrected. “It would be cheaper for me to build a brand new place than it would to refurbish this one, but you just don’t see architecture like that anymore and I just can’t stand the thought of someone tearing it down.” “Are you planning on living there when it’s done?” Hanna asked curiously, not noticing the shocked look on Nicki’s face. “I thought about turning it into an apartment complex,” he admitted. “It almost seems a shame to have only one family living there.” “Don’t you dare Lance Kline!” Nicki ordered, nearly choking on her food. “If this villa is everything that I’ve heard it is, you can’t just turn it over to a bunch of people who won’t appreciate the design like you do. Besides, can you imagine the sort of parties that you could have out there? You will be the toast of San Francisco. Everyone who is anyone will be killing themselves just to get an invitation.” Lance shook his head at her as he laughed. “I would love to know where you get your information,” he told her honestly. “You always seem to know about everything before it even happens.” “I know about it because I make it happen,” she returned without modesty. “In this town you can’t wait around for something. You have to make it happen before someone else does. That’s why the whole nation watches us to see what’s going to be hot and what’s not in the coming years. Around here, to be in, you have to be first.” “That sounds like a regular dog eat dog comment,” Hanna remarked. “What about us peons who just want to have a good time and could care less if we’re in fashion or not?” “You have to know the right people to be the right people and you won’t be going anywhere to do anything if you don’t put a little effort into it.” “I think that I have to agree with Hanna on this one,” Lance argued. “I didn’t have to put on a show to get to know people.” “Oh honey,” Nicki gave him a pitiful look. “You’re handsome, rich, straight and single. You couldn’t be more in if you bought the entire state of California. You just have to sit there and look pretty to have everyone climbing all over you and don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed.” Hanna and Lance turned to each other and broke out laughing. Nicki didn’t only have her fingers on the pulse of San Francisco, she was the beat itself and she was probably right in her assessment of Lance as well. * * * “It’s a good thing you came back,” Hanna called out in response to the knock at her door. “Nicki just called to remind you to...” Her voice trailed off when she opened the door and was faced with Lance instead of Toni. “Uh, hi,” she said awkwardly, then reached up to snatch the hair tie from her hair. “Have you ever heard the saying that the best way to get to know someone is to drop by unexpectedly?” he teased. “And here I thought that you weren’t one of those trend setters” she said in mock disappointment. “Creating a new saying is something that someone in the in crowd would do.” He leaned against the door jam as his expression became serious. “I decided that I didn’t want to wait until Friday to see you again,” he told her honestly. Hanna paused for a moment when she saw the warm look in his eye and she nearly blushed for a third time. “Why Mister Kline. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that you’re flirting with me.” “Then I haven’t forgotten how to do it after all,” he returned smoothly, then stepped into her apartment when she gestured for him to enter. He slowly walked the few remaining feet into the next room, took one look at the living room full of candles and balked slightly. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he asked hesitantly. He hadn’t considered the possibility that she might be seeing someone else. “Oh no. I was just...” She tried to think of something other than what she was actually doing, then laughed when she saw her Nintendo in plain view. “Playing a video game,” she confessed, then circled around him to shut down the game. When she caught a glimpse of her bare legs, she cringed. Suddenly, wearing comfortable clothes for lounging around the house didn’t seem like such a good idea. “Maybe I should change,” she said awkwardly, then tried to move past him once more, but he stopped her with a hand against her cheek. “You look perfect the way you are,” he whispered softly, then captured her lips with his. It wasn’t a demanding kiss, but the familiarity of it brought on the blush that threatened only moments before. * * * |