In the process of setting up a call with ELI GOLD
Also – Mahjong Muses…yay or nay?
The glittering city was ahead, just eight miles away, according to the sign. But you didn’t have to be a New Yorker to know that time mattered more than the distance.
Avi expertly navigated Bertha off the bridge toward 12thAvenue, every maneuver and prayer jockeying them closer but the minutes were ticking by.
“Can you put the GPS on?” Avi hated to even ask, because the GPS in his head said that even with her genius Jersey shortcut, they were never going to make it. They needed more time.
He glanced over at Leah, and the words echoed in a brief flash.
More time.
Even if they didn’t make the boat. He wanted more time with her.
Leah took a deep breath beside him. From the corner of his eye, he saw her reach for the phone in her lap, but not before giving a rub to the lucky dice and dragon trinket hanging from the mirror. She let out a gasp.
“I forgot aboutChaitime!”
He glanced over. She was rubbing her finger over the Hebrew charm dangling from it and laughing, shaking her head. “Avi, I can’t believe I didn’t mention this!”
She held up her phone. “Bertha’s clock is exactly eighteen minutes fast.”
Avi whooped, punching the padded ceiling in victory. He could actually see the familiar hulking shape of the USS Intrepid Museum at Pier 86 now coming into view.
“It’s been that way forever, no matter how many times I try to fix it.” She giggled, a memory sparking in her eyes. “I even yelled at my dad for making me do math first thing in the morning when he asked me if I could stop in Kismet.”
He couldn’t believe it. They actually had time to make it the last few blocks, hand over the keys to the VIP valet, and board the ship.
“Forget the miracle of the oil light,” he laughed. “We’ve moved on!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“We call this running the gauntlet. You ready?”
Avi’s hand firmly took hold of Leah’s. More years than not, he was on the boat so early that he thankfully missed all the press junket action. Jay and Katz Event Concepts ran a tight ship in that they didn’t allow any press to board the ship at all, making the Baller a haven and a respite from current affairs and celebrity gossip. Obviously the right call, given the number of high profile attendees who returned year after year.
But that meant the Pier itself became one long red carpet. Camera crews, security, and New York’s finest – all doing their jobs. Organized chaos. Luckily, Avi knew a thing or two about that.
“Avi, what are you wearing tonight?” A woman pushed a mic as close as she could. Camera shutters clicked like mad.
“Vintage Diesel and Persian wool,” he beamed, opening one side of his coat wide to show off his RACK & ROLL shirt. “And T-shirt courtesy the Mahjong Muses.”
Avi nudged her with their intertwined hands. “What are you wearing, Letty Gellman?”
“Madewell jeans, Doc Marten knockoffs…and a Tilly Ackerman original?” She proudly displayed her sweater and laughed that infectious laugh, unabashed and uninhibited, and Avi felt a warmth spread through him. His next whisper just between them.
“And curls, courtesy Avi Wolfson.”
Ah, there it is.That blush he was becoming addicted to seeing.
They hurried on board, swept along with the crowd. Avi couldn’t remember the last time he had been part of gen pop, as they called it in the music business. Just another winter coat in the crowd…except his had a great backstory.
He knew the first order of business was to find Jay and luckily, he didn’t have to look too long. The mastermind event planner strode across the deck right into their path, as if he had been lying in wait.
“Last year it was Nora. This year, you? Bro, you’re honestly the last person I ever thought would almost miss the boat.”
“But for the grace of God – and broken car clocks.”
