I Only Have Eyes For You Read online

  I Only Have Eyes For You

  Khardine Gray

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  End Notes

  About the Author

  Coming Soon

  Coming Soon

  Thank You

  I ONLY HAVE

  EYES

  FOR YOU

  Copyright

  I Only Have Eyes For You

  Copyright © 2016 by Khardine Gray

  All rights reserved.

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  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.

  The author asserts that all characters and situations depicted in this work of fiction are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Erin Dameron-Hill

  Formatting by Enterprise Book Services, LLC

  Acknowledgments

  I’m grateful to God for the talent that he has given me, and for the enjoyment I get from writing and going on one adventure after another. I don’t think I’ve ever been bored.

  A lot of people made this book possible. As such a lot of thanks are in order.

  I’ll start with my beautiful, amazing mother, Paulette, for encouraging me to do what I’ve always been good at, for supporting me and inspiring me. I wish I had listened to you years ago and took that leap of faith to write. Thank you for all the stories you told me when I was younger. I loved the one about the rabbit the most. There is no one in this universe like you. You are my world.

  To my super supportive husband, Daniel. Thank you for being the soul behind all my heroes and being the amazing person you are. I always knew you had to be an angel. Thank you for not screaming at me when I get up to write at 3am, and consume all the sugar and the honey in the house for energy. You are my muse.

  To my adorable boys, Liam and Harrison, for being my heart and soul. You both fill me with happiness and joy.

  To my sister, Tara. Thank you for being my sunshine bear. You were the very first wish I had that came true. Thank you for being the sunshine in my life.

  To my father, Winston, and brothers, Romond and Christopher. Thank you for all your support, the fun and the adventure.

  To my friends. I’m blessed to have a long list of you. Here goes:

  To my dear Lorri, you have always been there for me. Have always encouraged me and strengthened me. You are like family to me.

  To Anne John-Ligali, who without which this book wouldn’t exist. Seriously, I don’t know what would have become of it. I’m so glad I found you and I am truly grateful for the creativity we share. Guys check out Anne’s work and look out for her upcoming releases at www.booksandauthors.co.uk.

  To Sue G, Sue H, Susan R (my very first editor when I was 11), Simone S, Simeon B-P—I know I have a lot of friends whose name begins with S. It’s easier to remember.

  To Leanne T, Emma O, Tina C, Juliana M, Peter H, and all my other friends. Thank you for the fun and friendship.

  You guys are amazing; amazing and just the very best. Thank you for helping me on this journey, and for helping me to bring this book to life.

  My deepest thanks to you all.

  Chapter 1

  It was going to be one of those nights again.

  Savannah could just tell from the proud look on her mother’s face and the excited chatter that poured out of her father. If that wasn’t enough confirmation, you only had to look around the kitchen where they all stood.

  Across the long granite countertop lay an exquisite feast of honey roasted ham, roast beef and banana shallots, baked salmon with fennel, chicken piccata, and an assortment of roasted vegetables. It was probably enough to feed a small village, and the heavenly, delicious aroma filled the entire house.

  They’d worked hard all day to bring the vision before them to life. When Savannah arrived this morning, there were instruction sheets everywhere, and menus. Yes, menus.

  Apparently, one set meal for dinner at home wasn’t enough for Judge Susan and Dr. Frank Cavenaugh. There had to be a minimum of three food choices. To say they’d gone all out would have been an understatement.

  But, they always got like this when Jake came to visit. Tonight, however, required even more extravagance because he’d invited his friend.

  A guest.

  Having guests were the only other thing her parents loved more than getting to show off their cooking skills, and their ability to host a great evening. Having guests was an excuse to really dress up and show off absolutely everything.

  From their stylishly contemporary, generously proportioned home, which had just been redecorated, to the new grand piano which was even grander and glossier than the previous one. That, of course, meant her father would give them a display of his musical talent and perform his favorite Lionel Ritchie songs.

  And since the majority of redecoration had gone into the kitchen, the main focus would be there. Her parents would make a show of pointing out the professionally designed bespoke work that had been done to enhance the classic San Francisco Victorian features.

  Just the thought of all the extravagance gave Savannah a headache.

  “I wonder what news he’ll have to tell us this time?” Her mother’s large brown eyes twinkled as she spoke, and her long dark locks that danced between a deep brown and black caressed her shoulders. She looked good, as always, and sophisticated in her turquoise wrap-over dress.

  “Oh, you know that boy,” her father mused, smiling wide. He took hold of the icing decorator with his burly hands and finished applying blue buttercream icing to the top of a delicious looking cupcake. He then set the cake on the stand with the others. “He always has something exciting to tell us.”

  Savannah bit her lip and closed her eyes, sighing. Yes, it was definitely going to be one of those nights.

  Which, sadly meant she was either going to be subjected to insult or humiliation, or both.

  Not intentionally. It was just the way things were.

  She was excited to see Jake, too. What she wasn’t looking forward to was the fuss her parents would make over him. Fussing over him usually meant highlighting their not-so-happy thoughts on her. That was inevitable.

  Jake was five years older than her and her only sibling. They’d always been close growing up. He’d taken exceptional care of her, and she looked up to him. Sometimes it felt like he was the only person she could relate to. Most would agree w
ith that quality about him. Jake was one of those guys who was a real people person, always welcoming, humorous, and could make light of a bad situation to cheer you up. Aside from that, he was super intelligent, ambitious and successful. Her parents had never gone as far as saying this, but she knew they wished she could be more like him. They were extremely proud of him, and it was always clear that he was the pride and joy of the family.

  Turning back to the glass cupboard behind her, Savannah retrieved the guest China and placed them next to the drinking glasses on the kitchen island. She then lined up and started polishing the silverware, getting them ready for the table.

  Savannah wasn’t like the rest of her family. On a social level they got on well, but it wouldn’t take long to spot the differences. The most prominent being their career choices. Her mother’s side of the family was overrun with lawyers. No one in recent years had even thought to do something different. Her father’s side had all the technical people. Doctors, engineers, and computer science geniuses.

  In her immediate family she had her mother, the Supreme Court Judge, who was extremely proud to be not only one of the few African American judges sitting in the Supreme Court, but also one of a few women. It was a significant and notable achievement her mother held close to her heart.

  Savannah’s father was the lead cardiothoracic surgeon at San Francisco General. He’d devoted his life to medicine.

  Jake followed in their parents’ greatness as a computer systems architect. He was currently vice president of the Washington branch of Fujita Technologies, one of the world’s leading technological companies.

  And then there was Savannah. Savannah, the journalist, who had been freelancing for nearly a year now, much to her parents’ horror. It was bad enough to choose a career that was so far outside what any of their family members were used to, but turning to freelancing was like committing an abominable sin. Especially if you were thirty.

  She remembered her father saying that freelancing was for the twenty-year-olds who didn’t know what they wanted out of life. Not for her. He wanted her to stay at her full-time job writing for The Bay News, even if she had no prospect there. No one, except Jake, had understood that she needed to do what she was most happy doing. For her, that was travel writing.

  Her career was always frowned upon, and her family continuously associated her with great, great, great Aunt Millicent, who’d gone crazy and decided to braid grass for a living. Journalism was the same thing to them.

  “Is everything ready?” her mother asked with a radiant smile. Her heel clicked against the marble floor as she walked over to Savannah and gathered up the silverware.

  Savannah nodded, putting both her thumbs up. “Ready, and perfect. All we need is the salad.” Which they insisted had to be done last to be classed as fresh.

  “Do you want to stay in here and do that? Or you can help your dad set the table.”

  “I’ll do the salad.” Savannah wanted to do something. All day she’d just assisted. At least the salad would be her claim to contribution.

  “Okay.” Her mother smiled and started placing the silverware in a wooden tray to make it easier to carry.

  The whole setting was indeed perfect and comparable to the exquisite dining you’d expect in a Michelin five-starred restaurant. Savannah had every intention of eating as much as she could handle, saving just enough room for dessert. Aside from the cupcakes, her father had made a tasty looking apple and rhubarb pie and peach cobbler. A slither of each would hit the spot, along with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream.

  She’d just have salads for the next two days to balance it out, and do laps around Golden Gate Park. Maybe add a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and she’d be fine. Savannah only lived ten minutes away.

  At least she knew she’d eat well tonight.

  A gust of wind blew through the window over the sink, spreading the pastel curtains out either side. The edges brushed against the base of the mounted wall unit. It smelled damp outside, like it might rain. Again.

  The weather in San Francisco was usually better at this time of year. It never really had the frequent April showers most places got, but this past week had been terrible with the rain. Maybe she’d have to hold off on the laps, and the walk, and do some indoor exercises. She hated the rain.

  “I’ll grab the plates”, her father stated proudly, with a warm smile that lifted the edges of his thick salt-and-pepper mustache. He came over, took the stack of plates and made his way into the dining room.

  “They’ll be here very soon.” Her mother clasped her hands in delight. “Sweetie, you know, if you want to change, you could borrow that silver top I bought at Nordstrom.” She was giving Savannah that look again. Like she was actually insisting she change her clothes.

  Savannah winced and mentally rolled her eyes. “No Mom, this top is fine,” she replied, silently taking pleasure at the annoyance on her mother’s face. That was the fifth thing her mother had had a problem with today.

  Her clothes were fine. Savannah was a fashion expert, so she knew how to dress. Her mother was just annoyed at her casual attire. Savannah was wearing a slinky cerise top with spaghetti straps and khaki Capri trousers. Aside from being part of the Dior spring collection, she liked them because they showed off her toned shape. The circuit training she’d added to her weekly jog was finally paying off.

  Anyway, there was no way she was underdressed for a home-cooked dinner for five people. Her mother was just being extravagant, and acting like the president himself was coming.

  “Okay,” her mother sighed. “But if you change your mind just run upstairs and grab it.” Before she left, she looked Savannah over from head to toe, as if checking for more flaws.

  Her parents made three trips back into the kitchen between them to get out all the food, and the rest of the dinnerware, but as soon as they were done and the door closed Savannah released a pent-up sigh.

  Geez, finally a moment to herself. She wondered what else her mother would find fault with tonight. First, it was Savannah’s hair. Her mother asked if she couldn’t have done something better with it. So Savannah had taken it out of a bun and left it down. Next was her lipstick. Her mother thought the light pink M·A·C lip polish made her look like she was frothing at the mouth, so that was changed to a nude color. Then it was her earrings. Her mother asked why she wore silver when she could wear gold. After that, she complained about her nail color, and now her clothes.

  Savannah swore if Jake wasn’t going to be here she would just call it a night, and take the chicken and cupcakes for her troubles. In fact, if Jake wasn’t going to be here she would have probably passed up the dinner invite altogether. Even if she really needed the good food. She hadn’t eaten properly in…well since the last time she came to visit. Three weeks ago. To save money to fund her trips, she’d been living on tin soup and discounted bread.

  Every cent was needed for her next trip, which at the moment was a toss-up between Mexico and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Either of which would require her to keep tabs on her expenses until her next paycheck. She’d gone wild the other week in Nordstrom with her friends. She blamed Robert Cavalli for designing fabulous shoes and matching purses that tempted people like her to buy them. Both had done her in for the rest of this month, but had helped her be stricter with herself.

  To keep her goal in sight, she couldn’t afford to fall prey to her shopping addiction. So she was staying clear of the mall and online shopping sites. No more sprees and spur-of-the-moment purchases for a while. The strictness would pay off one day, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

  Savannah was freelancing for Traveler Magazine; a magazine she’d always, always dreamed of working for. It was ultimately one of the best travel magazines in the world, which brought you the latest information, ideas and guides on the greatest travel locations across the globe. Just thinking about them gave her a quiver of excitement. Her dream was to secure a staff position with them.

  Contrary to he
r family’s controversial beliefs on her career, she was actually doing quite well for herself in the journalism world. Not any- and everybody could have been lucky enough even to get the freelancing opportunity with Traveler. But, Savannah had. Great old great, great, great Aunt Millicent might have lost her mind, but she definitely passed down her creativity and eccentric imagination to Savannah.

  Traveler had taken a keen interest when she’d first applied because she went to UCLA, did her internship with National Geographic and followed that with a two-years fixed term at Time magazine. She supposed she also had the Bay News to add to the mix. Savannah had big names under her belt, but the problem was Traveler had no vacancies.

  Not wanting to let her go, Brian, the assistant editor in chief, had challenged her with an idea he’d created. He told her that if she could impress the editor in chief they’d consider allowing her to freelance for them.

  That was a challenge she seized by the reins, and not only impressed them but blew them away with her application articles. She spent two weeks in Greece where she prepared articles on mainland Greece and all the Greek islands. Then she went to Italy and traveled to every major city and town, writing about all the amazing things there, like the history and culture. She went to Rome, Venice, Sicily, Milan, everywhere, and it was all incredible.

  After that, they not only gave her the freelance position, but offered her a regular spot on their online website. It was the closest thing they could give her to a staff position. The deal was if she was able to provide regular articles she could have the spot and get paid a decent sum, which worked out to be five hundred dollars for a full article. She also had the promise that if a staff vacancy ever came up, she would be the first to know about it.

  Brian was very impressed by her talent and determination. He was good to her and encouraged her to not wait for a vacancy, but to impress them into creating one just for her.