Where You'll Find Me

Chapter 1

"No you don't" she said firmly. "It's still yours. If I need it back, I'll let you know."

I stared at her for a minute to make sense of why she wouldn't just take it back now and get it over with, but in the end I decided not to question it and dropped the necklace back in its place. "Okay."

"Come on you two. We're taking you out for some food. You must be famished," the guy next to Anita said.

I had almost forgotten he was there. "I don't think we've met," I told him. I held out my hand. "I'm Olivia Harris, Anita's niece."

He looked at Anita and they both laughed as if sharing in some kind of inside joke when he said, "I know who you are, Olivia. Your aunt has told me all about you." He bypassed my hand and reached out and grabbed me in what I would describe as a bear hug. Okay then.

When he released me he must have saw the look on my face, because he gave a hearty laugh. It was only then that I noticed a slight twinkle in his eye that seemed so familiar that it felt I knew him better than I actually did. Had I met him before?

"Olivia, Thomas, this is Shane Harper, my friend."Anita said in way of introduction.

"It's a pleasure," Thomas said when Shane shook his hand.

Anita clapped her hands together. "Alright, now let's go see about that food."

Food consisted of dinner at a very nice, elegant restaurant that Thomas nor I was dressed for. Apparently it was looked over though, because the restaurant hostess immediately perked to attention when Shane walked in, and showed us to our seats without wait.

Thomas and I both shared the same slightly confused look.

The waitress shuffled over as soon as we took our seats and took our drink orders. When she returned with them and left to give us a moment to order I took the time to study Aunt Anita's new "friend". He looked older than her by a few years and had a slight gray streak through his sandy brown hair that was just starting to turn. His face though, still had a young quality to it. He had very little wrinkles and had a well build frame. Not like a body builder, but more like someone who took care of themselves and didn't mind the gym. I could see why Anita would be dating him. But why did she call him her "friend"?

Maybe that's all he really was. It is possible to have friends of the opposite sex.

I glanced over the overly grandiose descriptions of food on the menu and rolled my eyes.

After the waitress returned to take our orders and scurried off to place them, Anita and Thomas both excused themselves to the bathroom. That left me and Shane at the table alone together. I looked around the restaurant not really sure what I should do or say, after all, I barely knew this man. Apparently he was not hindered by the same fact because he immediately dived into conversation, taking a surprising interest in my life. Perhaps it was all in effort to win over Anita so she would stop referring to him as "friend."

"How do you like California so far, Olivia?"

I shrugged. "It seems nice. I'm sure I'll like it even more once I've had time to look around."

"Indeed. Allow me to show you around a little before you go."

"Sure."

Again, I took a look around the restaurant taking special interest in the waiter at the next table writing down orders. His pen scribbled along the pad in his hands while the customers prattled on.

"Have you decided what you'd like to major in in college? You're going this fall, aren't you?"

"In September. I'm currently undecided, but I'm thinking about following in my dad's footsteps and possibly doing something in finance."