Romance, Loves & Lives: Elise's Time: The Warren Sisters Contemporary Romance Series Read online

  The Warren Sisters –

  Elise’s Time

  JD Strand

  Copyright©2018 JD Strand

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  “Men come and go, but sisters are forever.” Elise’s words hung in the air for a moment before they were scattered by the pinging of champagne glasses.

  Elise and her sisters turned to look at the young well-dressed couple at the next table of the restaurant. The pair at a table against the wall a few yards away were clearly celebrating some big event in their relationship. Bright smiles stretched across the faces of the man and woman. Elise quickly lost interest and turned her gaze back to the table to study her sisters.

  Jen was smirking at the couple from over the top of her martini glass. Elise glanced down at her sister’s arms to see if any new tattoos had been added to the nearly covered flesh. As usual, her clothes revealed too much skin, her unnaturally dark black hair was uncombed and held by a bright red headband.

  Bonnie was looking at the couple with her head tilted slightly as she regarded the plates of food set out on the table. About to say something, she bit her lip as if to keep her comment from escaping from her mouth. Elise noticed that Bonnie’s light green blouse was in need of ironing.

  Her youngest sister Beth was gazing at the couple and unconsciously twisting her long blond hair. This week dark purple streaks had been added. The numerous metal rings on her wrist jingled as she wrapped her hair around her fingers. Her casual peasant blouse seemed designed for a teenager and made Elise wonder if Beth would ever grow up.

  Elise was still scrutinizing her youngest sister after everyone turned their eyes back to the table. She looked around to find herself the object of their attention. As way of avoiding the eyes, Elise brushed a strand of her dark brown hair off the sleeve of her business suit. After just a second, she looked back up to meet the eyes of her sisters.

  “Okay, let’s get down to business,” Elise pronounced in the same strong voice she had used in so many business meetings. Her sisters reflexively snapped to attention just as they always had. “Today is September fifteenth, and Mom & Dad’s anniversary is March fifteenth. That’s six months away, but the time will go quickly. It’s a huge event, and we must be sure everything is perfectly planned.”

  “Thirty-five years with same person… Crap!” Jen commented loud enough that it was now the young couple’s turn to look over at Jen’s table.

  Elise locked Jen in a cold gaze until the younger sister made a gesture of straightening her headband as a way of breaking away from the disapproving expression.

  Just as she had so many times, Beth stepped into and tried to make peace. “Come on, we have a party to plan!”

  Bonnie offered, “I was thinking that I’d try out some new recipes from the restaurant. Otherwise, Dad’s gonna want to barbecue and we--”

  “Cannot let that happen!” The sisters exclaimed together and roared with laughter. The next few minutes was spent in talking about times that their father had turned meat into charcoal.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. I really don’t think Dad could barbecue even if he wanted to,” Beth said. “His back has been bothering him quite a bit lately.”

  Elise felt a twinge of guilt that she had not known about her father’s pain. “I don’t suppose he’s gone to the doctor,” she commented.

  “We all know the answer to that,” Jen replied. “You know how stubborn he can be. How the hell Mom put up with it all these years is beyond me.”

  Elise tried to hold her words inside, but, despite her normally strong skills of self-control, she blurted out, “That’s kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think? I’d say stubbornness is the one quality that Dad definitely passed on to you.”

  Jen looked as though she was about to lunge across the table at Elise.

  Beth broke the silent tension by saying, “I swept out the fort last week.”

  The mention of the fort instantly brought a smile to all of the faces around the table. Each of the sisters was instantly transported back to a time when they were all living at home with their parents.

  When Beth was very young, she used to play in the woods with her sisters. Her older sisters Jen and Bonnie used to fight a lot, and Beth always got scared when they did. Usually, Elise would comfort Bonnie after breaking up the fight, and Beth would go to Jen and try to comfort her, only to be rejected most of the time. Once, Jen and Bonnie got into a fight out in the woods. Jen hit Bonnie, and Bonnie ran off and got lost. Elise forced Jen to help look for her, and Beth tagged along, crying the whole time. They eventually found Bonnie under an old stone bridge, and there, the four sisters made a pact; that the four of them would always take care of each other, no matter how mad they were. The old bridge became their fort, and they spent a great deal of their childhood there.

  “Darn, I haven’t thought about that place in a helluva long time,” Jen said.

  Bonnie looked at her sister and unconsciously rubbed her cheek where Jen had hit her those many years ago. “Are our names still carved in the wall?”

  “Of course, they are!” Jen answered, looking over to Beth. “Our names will be there forever. We’re sisters.”

  Beth giggled and said, “Yes, our names are all there right under the motto.”

  “Boys come and go, but sisters are forever” all of the sisters repeated in unison.

  “Except boys have become men,” Elise added.

  “Sounds like a band name,” Jen replied, causing everyone to laugh.

  They laughed and talked about things going on their lives without touching on anything too serious.

  After a bit, Beth said, “Well, I’ve got a long drive home.”

  “Good thing you don’t have a job,” Jen teased.

  There was a long awkward silence, before Beth giggled and said, “It is kind of convenient, isn’t it?”

  All of the sisters joined in the laughter.

  They spent a few minutes totaling up the bill. As usual, Beth did not have enough to cover her part. Just as she had many times, Elise paid for Beth and told her sister that she could owe it to her.

  Chapter 2

  The next day was Monday, and as usual Elise rolled out of bed at 4:45. As odd as it might seem to others, Elise actually looked forward to Mondays. To her, Mondays meant the start of a new week and a return to the comfort of a schedule. Truth be told, she often dreaded the unregimented hours of the weekend and usually spent the time planning for the coming week.

  Elise walked quickly into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror above the basin. Not pleased to see the tired-looking face staring back at her, Elise said aloud, “Well, that certainly doesn’t look like the face of a strong executive. Guess socializing doesn’t agree with me.” She smiled weakly before turning away from the mirror.

  Elise pulled on her favorite sweatshirt and dark blue running shorts, grabbed her keys, and headed out the door.

  Walking down the hallway to the elevator, Elise smiled at the silence of the apartment building at this time of morning. As she stood in front of the metal elevator doors, her reflection jumped out at her. Something about her face this morning brought thoughts of how much she resembled her sisters. Her mind flashed back on th
e previous evening, and a smile curled her lips. “I need to spend more time with my sisters,” she thought as the elevator doors opened and thoughts of family disappeared.

  For the next thirty minutes, she jogged and reviewed her agenda for the day. After a shower, the young woman put on some makeup, had a light breakfast of yogurt and a blueberry muffin, and got ready to leave. As she checked her appearance in the mirror next to the door, Elise was happy to see that the face looking back at her no longer showed signs of weariness.

  Heading to the office, Elise slipped into full executive mode. These days all of her efforts were targeted at opening a new Smart-Stop store in the Haight-Ashbury section of San Francisco. The project had been assigned to her by Stewart Olson, the director of the Smart-Shop Corporation’s western division.

  Elise had been working for Smart-Shop for five years since graduating from USF with her MBA.

  Olson had obviously seen something in Elise when she applied for an entry level position in his office.

  “So why in the world would a gifted student with a bright future want to start here in our little company?” Stewart Olson did not look up for an answer but continued looking down at the manila folder on his desk. “I see here you graduated Magna Cum Laude with your Bachelors and MBA plus president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority all in just over five years. With a history like this, any Fortune 500 corporation would throw open their doors to you.” When he finally looked up from the folder, Olson was astonished by the striking mint green eyes watching him. Stewart Olson was not a man who was used to being astonished, and it took him a second to regain his thought. “Anyway, as I asked before, ‘why in the world would such a gifted student with a bright future want to start here in our little company?’”

  Elise sat up as straight as possible and smoothed some imaginary wrinkles from her sleeve. “Well, Mr. Olson, I believe it is important to go where you see potential.” Elise smiled, and Stewart could not help but smile back. Truth be told, he did not hear much of the rest of the young woman’s response. Elise’s beauty as well as her strong presence combined with an obvious knowledge of the company’s past performance captured every ounce of his attention.

  While Elise did not have a great deal of experience with men, but she had gotten enough leers from men at school and at work in the store to recognize her power over the opposite sex. She enjoyed the attention and had learned to use it to her advantage. Not that Elise was a tease, but she simply realized her attractiveness was a tool to be used to her advantage.

  At that moment in Stewart Olson’s office, the attraction was mutual. Elise felt as if she already knew the man seated before her. She had spent hours researching Smart-Shop Corporation before applying. She had not realized until meeting him that the fit, fiftyish man before her had such a warm smile and deep blue eyes.

  After a long pause in which the two stared at one another, Stewart said, “Well, I guess the only thing to do is welcome you to the Smart Shop family.”

  Over the coming months, Stewart and Elise had spent a lot of time together. While the electricity between them never disappeared, it did not prevent them from working well as a team. Stewart admired her dedication and energy, and Elise admired his experience and wisdom. The more they worked together the more the trust of one another grew.

  “Okay, I think you’re about ready to fly on your own,” Stewart said to her one night, working late in his office.

  The comment caught Elise by surprise. “What? Are you tired of working with me?” Unconsciously, she began biting her lip, something she had always done when her feelings were hurt.

  “Oh, you should know better than that,” he chuckled. “It’s kind of the opposite. The fact of the matter is I may be holding you back.”

  Elise vigorously shook her head like a child refusing to hear the word no. “You are one of the kindest, funniest, smartest men I’ve ever met, and you have taught me so much!”

  Now, it was Stewart’s turn to shake his head and even blush a little. “Thanks for the nice words, but you really sell yourself short. You started here with more knowledge and better business instincts than anyone I’ve ever seen. The only thing I did was give you a chance to show your talent.”

  The usually pragmatic, dispassionate Elise was suddenly overcome with emotion. She started to say something but found herself unable to form the words. At that moment, Stewart moved closer and kissed her passionately. His arms were immediately there pulling her close. Their movements grew more passionate and their desire heated. In the height of passion, a moan escaped from Elise’s mouth.

  The sound surprised her and brought the young woman back to reality for an instant.

  “We can’t do this,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

  Stewart showed an expression of shock and confusion. An instant later, he returned to his usual manner of calm detachment.

  “I’m sorry if I made you think…if I lead you on like--” Elise started before being interrupted.

  Stewart spoke slowly as if choosing his words carefully, even while trying to sound casual. “Don’t worry about it,” he chuckled coldly. “We’ve been working a lot lately and we’re both tired.”

  The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a few seconds until Stewart’s phone buzzed.

  “It’s Theresa,” he muttered. With that, Stewart turned and quickly left the office.

  It took her a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. As she straightened out her blouse and skirt, Elise considered what to do next. She could run after him and probably catch him before he got on the elevator. Maybe she could explain that it was just something that happened and didn’t mean anything. But if she said that, he might think she made a habit of making out with her boss. While she was still considering what to do, Elise heard the ring of the elevator arriving and the doors opening. The last thing she wanted to do was come off like some lovesick teenager chasing her latest crush. She did not move and eventually heard the elevator doors close.

  “Good,” she thought. “Better to give him some space rather than rushing after him. I bet after some sleep this whole thing will seem stupid tomorrow.” Elise smiled, trying to convince herself that she was right. After a little time, a late night kiss in the office would just be forgotten. Tomorrow, everything would be back to normal. Somehow, even as she nodded, deep inside Elise knew that was not the case.

  By the time she got down to the parking garage in the basement, the lot was empty. While she and Stewart had worked other late nights together in the office, this was the first time she could remember being here by herself. It would be a lie to say that it did now make her a little nervous. Before stepping out of the elevator, Elise fished through her big canvas purse for her keys and her trusty little pepper spray.

  She left the elevator ready for anything, keys raised in one hand and pepper spray in the other. The only thing waiting for her was the cold night air. Elise smiled at her own foolishness as she lowered her hands.

  The overhead neon tubes seemed to flicker more than usual and parking lot seemed darker, but the young woman knew that she was just imagining these differences.

  The space which normally held Stewart Olson’s silver Mercedes was empty as were all the spaces save for the one occupied by Elise’s black Toyota.

  Despite her efforts to convince herself that there was no reason to be afraid, Elise felt more afraid than she could remember. As she hurried toward her car, she looked quickly around for one of the security guards who usually patrolled the parking area but saw no one.

  “Typical,” she thought. “Never a man around when you need one.” Under different circumstances, Elise might have chuckled at the thought. However, at the moment, the only thing that concerned her was getting to her car and getting out of this place.

  As she pushed the button on her keychain to unlock the car door, Elise thought she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around only to find the parking lot empty and still.

  She yanked open t
he door, jumped in, threw her purse on the passenger seat, and pushed the button to relock all the doors in one motion. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Elise looked through the windows at the area outside the car. Nothing had changed.

  “Elise Jane Warren, you are definitely losing it!” she said aloud with a nervous giggle.

  She sped out of the garage and didn’t relax until she was driving on the street.

  Her mind instantly began reviewing the speech she had written for Stewart to give to a Haight-Ashbury community group.

  Stewart had told her that the speech needed to convince the group that the store would be a beneficial presence and contributor to local causes. Such causes usually included things like legalizing marijuana, promoting hemp, and reforming police practices. Haight-Ashbury or the Haight as locals called the area had quite colorful past. Most people knew it as the place which gave birth to the flower children of the sixties.

  However, over the years, the Haight had gone through a number of changes. For a long time, the area suffered from a lack of maintenance and renewal. As a result, the once colorful, charming area had become a crime-ridden part of San Francisco known for hard drug use and homelessness. Fortunately, city officials and a group of local investors had recognized potential in the Haight. They had stepped up to preserve its history while transforming it into one of San Francisco's most popular commercial centers with unique boutiques, chic vintage clothing shops, and trendy restaurants.

  With all of these changes came a group of residents and small business owners called PATH –Protect All the Haight. As the name implies, they were dedicated to preserving the distinct character of the neighborhood, and this mission included keeping big chain stores away. This was the challenging audience to which Stewart was set to give a presentation the following week. While the Smart-Shop Corporation had paid all of the fees and been granted every necessary permit for a new Smart-Shop store in the Haight, Stewart Olson knew that without PATH’s support the new store was sure to face a long, difficult struggle.