Darcy and Lizzie walked along the street past the Peace Plaza to the car.
"So you don't want to go to the Asian Art Museum event," he continued, "because you're not dressed right." Lizzie stopped walking, feeling her temper rise. Then realized he was perhaps just asking her for confirmation, and after all, she had said she wasn't dressed appropriately. Darcy took a few steps before turning to look at her.
"Actually I don't think I am up for the crowds," she said, "perhaps Gigi is right that another destination, going to see the sights might be nice, something with a view." She started walking again, and he fell into stride next to her.
"So do you want to see Coit Tower? It is a tourist attraction," and he smiled that comfortable smile that she was getting used to seeing today.
"No," she answered unhelpfully.
"Something really touristy like Pier 39?"
"Oh God no!"
They reached the street door to the parking garage and he held the door for her and they walked along the long rows of cars to his. He opened the door for her and waited for her sit down before closing it behind her.
He settled in on his side of the car, but didn't start the engine. His gaze caught hers and she could no longer keep looking through the windshield.
"So where to? Dinner first, or sight-seeing?"
"I want to go to the beach," she finally answered, surprising herself.
He raised an eyebrow and then smiled with his eyes.
"I know the perfect place."
They drove in a comfortable silence. The sun was beginning to set behind those golden California hills, but clouds crowding over the top of them did not bode well for a beach trip. Lizzie was glad that Darcy had insisted on her bringing some layers of clothing. Her feet appreciated the rest in the car as they drove towards the setting sun.
"A little secret, this place always has parking." He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant. Reaching into the back seat he handed Lizzie her jacket. "You'll need this."
It was windier here at the restaurant. It whipped her hair around and she pulled her jacket on quickly wishing she had done it in the car.
"Let's go put our names down for dinner, than we can go walk to the beach."
"Where are we?"
"The Beach Chalet. Fabulous food, but the view is why you come." The building was older and not the high-end CEO hang-out Lizzie was expecting after he mentioned gate-crashing the Asian Art Museum. It was a simple two-story adobe building with a lot of windows. They walked up the steps to the main entrance, then up another stairwell to the second floor and gave their names to a hostess. She said that there was only a short wait.
"Do mind eating now, or should we make a reservation for later?"
Lizzie looked over the restaurant. It was actually small, given how large the building seemed on the outside, but the view, as Darcy said, was fabulous. There was no spot that was more than three or four tables away from the windows that spanned the entire Western wall of the building.
"Let's eat."
The menu took some time for Lizzie to peruse. Darcy knew he wanted the sea bass, so it gave him time to surreptitiously watch her as she scanned each item, frowning as she read the ingredients and weighed her options.
"The chicken looks good, but it has winter squash hash," she smiled wickedly. "I think I dealt with enough squash at Collins & Collins." They laughed together, their eyes meeting.
They ordered. Darcy ordered a bottle of wine and Lizzie was sure it was expensive. It certainly tasted wonderful and she was no connoisseur.
They ended up talking about work, as they had at lunch.
"I hope you have enjoyed your time at Pemberley," he sipped his wine.
"I have, it has been a wonderful experience. I can't even begin to think that my next stop will hold a candle to it." His face fell. He took another sip of wine.
"I'd forgotten that you leave at the end of the week. Do you already have another company lined up to work with?"
"Yes, Dr. Gardiner has my last company in Los Angeles all set up for me. I am going to go stay with Jane and I should be able to finish my shadowing there by the end of February, write my thesis in March and then finish graduate school." Lizzie's face was a mask as she finished.
"And what are you going to do after graduation?"
"Isn't that the $64,000 question that everyone keeps asking me? It seems Charlotte and my Mother and my Father and Jane keep asking me." Lizzie evaded. "Leave home, find work, rent an apartment, furnish it, that sort of thing. Tear the next page out of the playbook, move on, turn over a new leaf, make my way in the world—you choose your favorite analogy!" She turned away, feeling tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Lizzie," he reached across the table and gently stroked the hand that was clutching at her wine glass. "I didn't want to make you sad. I wanted to know." He pulled her whole hand into his and held it between his two.
It would be so easy to offer her a job, but that would just make her more skittish. So he just held her hand and stroked it while she stared down at her lap and tried to figure out why her heart was beating so quickly and trying to blame it on three sips of very expensive red wine.
Their waitress brought their entrees, and he released her hand. Lizzie tackled her filet with an enthusiasm she forced. She hadn't been all that hungry which is why she had suggested the beach visit first. But to look up at Darcy right now would be impossible. Her mind tried sorting through all the emotions it had felt during the day, but all she could really concentrate on was the pleasant sensation of his hands stroking hers.
The sun slowly set and they moved from work to the weather which stayed a safer topic. Darcy had been correct, the view from the second floor of The Beach Chalet was fabulous and they watched as the daylight faded and the clouds rolled in suggesting that rain was not too far behind.
She declined the offer of desert, but they did manage to linger and finish the wine. It was getting easier to look at him over the top of her wine glass. Handsome, she had always said he was handsome. She mentioned that early on in her videos. And he had said, episode 60—she had him on tape—that he was in love with her. But then she stopped herself and looked down again. He couldn't still love her, could he?
She looked up over the top of her glass again at him. His empty one was in front of him and he was twirling it between his fingers, but he was looking at her with that same look that had always been there. The one that she had mocked in her videos.
Lizzie put her wine glass down.
"Shall we hit the beach while the weather holds?" Lizzie inclined her head outside.
"Let's do it," he held her chair for her.
They retraced their steps, down the stairs, past the car, and walked back out to the road. It was a two-lane divided highway, The Great Highway, that separated the restaurant from the beach.
"We'll have to run for it," and held out his hand. She took it and they sprinted across one lane to the center divider, waited for the traffic to clear the other way, and then sprinted again. Her walking boots were better suited to this than visits to the Asian Art Museum however wonderful that would have been.
They seemed to have forgotten to let go of their hands, and fingers entwined they walked across a little parking area and then down onto the beach. Being on the beach at night was different and Lizzie wasn't ever able to recall a time that she had been to a beach at night. There was enough light from the street lights that they could see the waves crashing on the shores.
They crunched through the uneven sand, helping each other to keep balanced until they reached the edge of the wet surf.
"It is really the Pacific, and then it stretches on forever until it reaches Japan," mused Lizzie who felt compelled to say something pithy.
"Yes Lizzie," and he tentatively pulled her closer, "but it's not like you haven't see it before."
"No William, you're right," and she looked up at him. "I have seen the Pacific Ocean before," and then they were wrapped in an embrace, their lips first testing the sweetness of each other before becoming more heated. It was a long kiss.
She pulled back and just leaned in to hold him and he crushed her against his chest. Lizzie wasn't sure if she was hearing the sounds of the surf or the sounds of his heart beating. She could feel what felt like the spray of the waves on her exposed cheek.
"I think it's raining," she heard his words in his chest. Lizzie didn't want to let go of him. This moment seemed so incredible that to change it meant to change her reality. One hand loosed its hold on her and fumbled in his jacket pocket to produce a small umbrella which he shook, pushed a button and persuaded to open. He dutifully held it over them while still keeping a firm grip on her with his other arm.
"Mr. Totoro always carries an umbrella. Or so your sister claims," Lizzie talked into his chest without letting go. "She said you have to love a man who always carries an umbrella."
Lizzie leaned back to look up at Darcy.
"I was thinking maybe I should go home and watch the DVD your sister loaned me." Darcy kept a firm grip around Lizzie. "Maybe try to figure out who this Totoro guy is and why he carries an umbrella."
Darcy looked at her.
"Perhaps you would like to come over and watch him with me?"
Darcy kissed her again.
After shaking off their coats and settling in the car, Lizzie realized that she was house-sitting and wasn't sure if the house had the appropriate equipment for Totoro-viewing.
"Do you want to come over to my house to watch it then?" He asked, very, very tentatively. Lizzie nodded, the wipers flipped a sheet of water off the windshield and they started off.