I Do

She shrugged and slowly walked to the couch and exhaled loudly as she sat down. It was only after she sat down that she realized just how perfect the night skyline looked from that angle.

“How is it that I have never noticed the view from this angle?” she asked and Ethan smiled.

“That only tells me one thing. I might be overworking you.”

She smiled and shook her head.

“No, I think you have too many views. That’s the problem.”

Ethan forced a laugh.

“What is that supposed to mean.”

She waved her arms around.

“Look at this place. You have a great view of the city despite where you stand. But I have to admit, this place…this couch is perfect.” She shrugged. “Honestly, I never thought San Diego could ever look so perfect.”

“Yeah, the first time I visited this building was at night. It was late in the evening when we walked into the building with the realtor but when I got to this floor and I came into this office, I saw the lights bouncing off the water and that was when I knew that this was the space I wanted for my San Diego office.”

“You made a serious decision based on how the lights bounced off the water?” she asked and he shrugged.

“I had spent a lot of time in New York and unfortunately, the first office I had did not have the Feng Shui factor. I needed a relaxed space out here.”

“How come you didn’t just move into another space in New York?” she asked before taking a sip of her champagne.

“The office I was in out in New York was the birthplace of Beckett Industries. It meant a lot to my family, so, there’s that. We did open a second location in New York since the old place was not big enough, but Noah spent most of his time out there.”

“How did you end up coming here?” she asked and he took a long sip before he refilled his glass.

“Well, after we set up a second office, I was ready to move out here and just make sure that everything was up to code. It was around the same time the franchises were getting started out here. We had tried setting up in California but it was a little harder than we initially thought. Apparently, the actors and aspiring talent do not carb-load as much. So, things were a little slow and we had to shut down two locations but San Diego was different. I came out here to check things out but I liked it so much that I ended up staying.”

She nodded.

“Great story.”

“Your turn.” He said in a soft voice. “Tell me something about you.”

She shook her head.

“There isn’t much to say about me.”

“What if I asked the questions?” he asked and she shrugged.

“What kind of questions?” she asked.

“Personal.”

She looked at him and held out her glass. Ethan smiled as he topped up her glass. She took a long sip and then looked at him.

“Shoot.”

He grinned. This was the opportunity he had been dying for since that first day he met her.

“How is a woman like you single?” he asked and she took a long, deep breath.

“That’s a long story and besides, I should be asking you that not the other way around.”

He shook his head.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Well, a man like you, good looking, wealthy… women should be fighting each other over you.”

Ethan forced out a laugh.

“Please, nothing like that. But I have had situations with women. Nothing really solid.”

“Why not?” she was curious.

“Let’s just say when you are a man in my position, you are prone to meet a lot of gold diggers and other people looking to get ahead. One woman actually dated me long enough to get her to a Hollywood meeting.”

Josie’s eyes grew wide.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I was on the guestlist for this party a big Hollywood A-lister was throwing and this girl I was dating at the time had been looking for her big break for a long time. When we first met, the woman was indifferent. Matter of fact, she seemed more into my friend Mackenzie and then suddenly she did a one-eighty. I didn’t think anything of it and my friend moved on from the situation pretty quickly. So, I had my friend’s blessing and a beautiful woman by my side… It was a no-brainer. However, at the party, she was more interested in cosying up to directors and producers and before I knew it, she was dating Victor Muccio and being announced as the next woman to headline his show.” He took a sip. “The situation did not need a rocket scientist to put two and two together.”

“Wait, you dated Lillian Barnett?” Josie asked, surprised.

“Well, I wouldn’t really say ‘dated’ considering we were together for just a couple of weeks Maybe three if I am being generous.”

“Wow, speaking of someone who leads an interesting life.” Josie took a long sip of her champagne “How about actual relationships. I am talking about real ones.”

Ethan exhaled loudly.

“If we are talking about people I have had a real connection with, let’s just say two. They both ended really badly.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Please, it’s the past,” he said. “How about you?”

She smiled.

“Coincidentally, I have also just had two relationships in my life. My high school sweetheart and my ex.”

“Oh, what happened there?” Ethan asked as he looked into her eyes.

“Well, Tony James’ family moved to Maui when his dad got a new job,” Josie smiled. “You know how high school romances end and with my ex, it was just… I don’t know what to say. I guess we were just in different places in life.”

“What does that mean?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I have been with him for the better part of my adult life but it is like he never wanted to commit and honestly, after giving him more than five years of my life, I think it just made sense to get my space, you know?”