A/N: This is my first ever O.C fan fic, so apologies for any errors, plot holes etc etc. It's huge so i'm posting it two chapters at a time. Please read and comment if you have anything to say, and please be nice.
Not The Girl Next Door:
Chapter One:
The heels of her shoes echoed loudly on the hardwood floor, the sound bouncing off every available surface, or so it seemed. She stopped and turned around in a slow, small circle and allowed the memories to flow through her. The Bait Shop, once upon a time it had been the most happening place in Newport Beach where the youth of Orange County hung out several times a week. It had been closed down for a long time now but Kate had plans for this place, big plans. She was going to completely renovate and refurbish and reopen.
But right now it looked like a glorified refuse dump, with empty and broken bottles littering the bar and the tables, overturned decrepit furniture, dust a foot thick. She'd sneezed two or three times not five minutes after entering the place. All she saw was potential, it screamed out to her and for the first time in a long while she felt excited.
She walked along the sidewalk, taking in the ambience of the small community. A small but predominantly wealthy community. After all of this time she still felt like an outsider here, though everyone in the whole wide world seemed to know all that there was to know about her. he'd returned to the hell of her senior year but she refused to let the memory of it intrude right now. She had left with a backbone, determined to make it in the world and she had. Now she was back. It was the height of the tourist season, the beaches were busy with holiday makers, the marina full to bursting with avid summer sailors and the sidewalks heaved with more sun seekers, who, like she, window shopped and enjoyed the warm sunshine that always seemed to bless this part of the world.
She paused in front of the small townhouse, set back from the oceanic vista. She looked down at the address on the small business card that announced the building to be "Cohen and Atwood, architects" in small elegant black lettering. There was a brass plaque screwed into the white painted wall that proclaimed the same name. Cohen and Atwood? Surely not. There was only one Atwood that she was familiar with and she hadn't seen him for a long time, not since she'd left for pastures new. But an architect? It took her a second to absorb that nugget of information. She refused to believe point blank that the Cohen in question was his best friend and wannabe comedian Seth Cohen. She took a deep breath. There was only one way to find out. She pushed her way through the glass and bronze doors. Only one way to find out.
The interior breathed elegance. For a second she was dumbstruck and stared around at the clean lines and huge windows that allowed the Southern Californian sun to pour through. Above her fans rotated lazily, cooling the lobby to an acceptable level. She looked around again and saw the blue prints of past projects framed on the walls along with photographs of those projects brought to life.
"Excuse me. Can I help you?" a polite feminine voice intruded from behind and Kate turned her head. Tall, blonde and polished, she had 'Newport Princess' written all over her. The girl's pure blue eyes widened as she recognised her.
"Aren't you Kate Carpenter?" Kate should've been used to the recognition by now but it always felt like the first time to her and it always felt uncomfortable. She just nodded and the girl, she couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty and a trust fund princess in creation, smiled.
"I love your music…you're very talented. Is it true that you're from around here?" Kate nodded.
"Yes it is" The girl's eyes rounded. Then she seemed to remember where she was and a veil of professionalism that belied her tender years dropped into place.
"Do you have an appointment Miss Carpenter?" she enquired and watched Kate shake her head.
"I don't, but the firm came highly recommended" she explained as she followed the girl to a desk and watched her open a huge leather bound diary.
"Mrs Cohen is out of town on business at the moment, but Mr Atwood is free. Perhaps you'd like to talk to him?" Nerves butterflied in Kate's stomach as she opened her mouth to reply.
"What's going on Kerry?" a lazy sounding voice intruded and both women turned to its source. Kate's breath caught in her throat. There he stood, in the doorway, his shoulder propped up against the jamb. Ryan Atwood.
Chapter Two:
Ryan was bored. Inspiration was playing cruel mind games with him today and he wasn't in the mood to sit and brood and make himself miserable. It was a beautiful day outside and he had been on the verge of calling it a day and heading home but had stopped when he'd heard Kerry's voice. Intrigued, he'd peeked his head out of the door and straightened when he'd recognised the tall blonde standing with his receptionist. Kerry had turned, his diary in her arms and she'd smiled at him, but Ryan couldn't take his eyes off her companion. Kate.
"Ryan?" her voice rose in surprise. It had been that Atwood after all and a smile briefly illuminated her face. He allowed a smile to flash across his face as he walked towards her. His heart was pumping in his chest, unable to believe that she was actually here.
"Kate! What are you doing here?" Briefly they hugged before separating. Kate just stared at him. He'd filled out some since high school though his hair was still a burnished tousled shade of gold; his eyes still that unfathomable shade of navy blue.
"I bought the Bait Shop Ryan and I'm looking for someone to renovate it. Interested?" he looked into her eyes, scanning her face.
"I could be. Want to come into my office and talk about it?" At her nod, he indicated his open door and watched her walk through it before turning to look at Kerry.
"Hold all my calls" he instructed and followed Kate inside.
"So, will this be a business venture or are you planning on staying here?" he enquired as he closed the door behind him. Kate turned from the huge picture window that offered an unrivalled view of the beachfront, of those perennial tourists below.
"Don't you read the newspapers anymore Ryan? I'm staying here," she confirmed. She watched him, standing across from her, he wore a light blue shirt, collar undone, tie long discarded, cuffs rolled up to the elbows. A far cry from the jeans and t-shirt persona of his teens. He pushed his hands into the front pockets of his trousers and regarded her.
"Really? I didn't expect to see you again, after the massive success you've had…"
"It was time to get out while I still could," she told him. He walked towards her.
"You loved your music, you lived to sing," he reminded her, as if she needed reminding in the first place. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Not anymore" and she turned to look back out of the window. Ryan stared at her back for a second.
Ryan could only stare at her in mild disbelief. He would never have imagined that Kate Carpenter would be standing in his office as large as life. She looked coolly elegant in blue jeans and a tight fitting white buttoned shirt. Her long hair was left around her shoulders and she looked just the same as the last time he'd seen her, the day she'd left Newport Beach to follow her dream.
"You can sit down if you like. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, mineral water, soda?" he enquired and she turned and looked at him. She shook her head, flashing a quick smile at him before sinking down into the leather chair opposite his desk. She looked around his office, the smile slowly returning.
"You've done well for yourself," she told him and he glanced at her, not sure how to take it. She was watching him, still smiling a bit.
"And you could never take a compliment. You have, it's great to see you doing something you love," he shrugged and sat down behind his desk.
"Who's the Mrs Cohen that your receptionist mentioned? Don't tell me Seth got married?" Ryan just regarded her.
"Well he's married but she doesn't work here. No, it's Kirsten," he told her and watched her eyes widen marginally.
"She left the Newport Group?" she breathed and Ryan slowly nodded.
"After her dad died she quit and started her own business. She took me on fresh out of college, made me a partner two years ago" he'd been determined to pay his own way into the partnership and they were business partners, fifty-fifty, straight down the middle. Kate absorbed the information supplied to her silently.
"And business is good?"
"Business is great. You were lucky to catch me in today, normally I'm out and about, checking on our projects" Kate glanced towards the window; the sunshine seemed to beckon her. She looked back at him.
"Call me forward if you like, but how about grabbing an early dinner? I can show you what I hope to do with the Bait Shop and you could come up with some ideas and we could take it from there?" she suggested. Ryan followed her gaze.
"We could do that. Want to go now?" he stood up and Kate followed suit. She watched him cross the spacious office and unhook his jacket from an old-fashioned hat stand that occupied one of the less cluttered corners. He shrugged it on and turned to look at her.
"Let's go"
He followed her out of the office and Kerry looked up in surprise. Kate saw her glance at her watch and got the impression somehow that Ryan leaving the office at the usual quitting time wasn't a regular occurrence. The younger girl stood up as Ryan paused by her desk and she handed him a sheaf of messages. Kate stood by as Ryan quickly sorted through them, handing some of them back to Kerry, promising that he'd deal with them first thing in the morning. A couple he pushed into his jacket pocket.
"Where do you want to go for dinner?" he asked her as they emerged onto the sidewalk. Kate looked at him.
"Why don't you choose?" she suggested and Ryan smiled, rolling his eyes.
"It was your invitation Katie," she shrugged, touched that he remembered the old nickname that she'd only given him permission to use.
"I don't know what's good here anymore, you're the local boy"
"Not really. I'm a Chino boy remember? Folks around here may commission my firm for business but they've never let me forget where I came from," he muttered darkly. Then he smiled, chasing the dark clouds away in an instant. Kate regarded him. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it lightly.
"Then we're two outsiders together. I'm sure you could recommend somewhere" he looked at her, still holding onto her hand. Her eyes were a vivid turquoise blue, fringed with thick dark lashes. Was she wearing any make up? He honestly couldn't decide. He flashed her a smile.
"I'm sure I could think of something,"