An additional bonus of first-class travel was being one of the first ones to deplane. Instead of having a half hour wait trapped in the back of the plane, we grabbed our bags and headed off the plane. As we walked down the concourse my hand and Jack’s seemed to find each other, without our conscious input, as though magnetically drawn. Holding hands just felt so right and comfortable. Not a promise or a demand. Just acceptance.
I steered Jack to the first gift shop on our way. At his raised eyebrow I silently pointed towards a rack of sunglasses. He nodded his thanks, bought a pair and an I Love NY ball cap, put them on and we continued unmolested to the baggage area.
At the luggage carousel we waited side by side in silence. Jack released my hand only when I spotted my suitcase and he hefted it off the carousel for me. He turned to me and looked earnestly at me, as if debating whether or not to say something. Finally, he settled on, “Are you taking a cab?” I nodded and he said, “Let me help you with your bags.” He grabbed the suitcase and walked me out to the curb and the waiting line of taxis. As the cabbie stowed my bags in the trunk, Jack pulled me into a hug. “Thanks for everything, Eve.”
“It’s been my pleasure to get to know you, Jack. I hope everything goes well for you. And I can’t wait to hear that song!” I tried to inject brightness into my voice that I didn’t feel.
“This doesn’t have to be goodbye, Eve,” he whispered into my ear. “We’re in the same city. We could still see each other. I could introduce you to the best pizza in New York.”
“That’d be nice, Jack.” It would be nice. But I also knew it would never happen. “Goodbye Jack.” And I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Then I quickly got into the cab. As the cab pulled into traffic, I didn’t look back. I don’t know if I’d rather he was still at the curb, gazing forlornly after me, or if he’d just gotten into his own cab and driven away without giving me another thought. I figured, on balance, I’d pick forlorn, because that was certainly how I was feeling. I dashed tears from my cheeks with my fingertips and gave the cabbie my address.
Chapter 10
I felt like I had accomplished enough on my trip, so after giving my files a quick look-over, I took the rest of the weekend off. I traded my business attire for yoga pants and a sweatshirt and went to the gym for a sweaty session. After showering and dressing, I went at the store for groceries to restock my fridge, did laundry, and lounged in my favorite comfy chair with a new book. Sunday, I called my grandmother for our Sunday time. I had much to tell her.
She was like a hungry chicken pouncing on a fat worm when I told her about Jack. She wanted to know all about him and what had happened in Arizona. I tried to tell her everything, but I held back my feelings about the situation. How I was conflicted, see-sawing between irritated and twitterpated.
We hung up with our usual kisses and I promised to keep her apprised of the Jack situation. Which wasn’t a situation. Obviously. It was a weird, isolated incident. What happened in Arizona stayed in Arizona.
The whole weekend, the thought of Jack was always close to the surface in my brain. It was almost like a dream that it had happened. I should have taken his picture on the plane while he was asleep. Then I would have had tangible proof that it had been real. But deep down, I knew I didn’t need proof. I remembered the way he smiled at me, and that was enough.
I walked into the office the next morning with my arms full and my brain fizzing. There were so many memories jostling for mental space, competing with the plans for the next phase of the Duvier/ Luxe deal. I tried to stuff the Jack part of the past week into a closet and lock the door so that I could be professional.
As she caught sight of me, my PA, Diane, jumped up from her desk with a big smile. “Welcome back, Miss Lambert. I hope you had a good trip. Here’s your coffee.”
I had been a bit unsure when I’d hired Diane 3 years ago. I wasn’t confident that she’d project the right image—for corporate and for me. Where I preferred muted colors, classic designs, and minimalist jewelry, Diane tended toward bold colors, textured fabrics and chunky jewelry. But I’d been impressed with her eye for detail, her work ethic, and her ability to throw together travel arrangements on the fly, and I hadn’t regretted a day of her time with me. She maintained a very professional relationship with me. In public. In private was another matter.
Following me into my office she shut the door behind us and squealed, “Eve! Stephanie in legal says you’re dating Jack Garcia! And Andrea in accounting says you’re sleeping with him! Girlfriend! Dish the dirt! What’s happened to Miss I-Don’t-Have-Time-For-Relationships?!”
I put my laptop on my desk and muttered yet another curse at Jack for so thoroughly pulverizing every aspect of my life. I hadn’t considered that word of my “boyfriend” would follow me back to NY. But of course it would. People talked and news travelled and if that gossip happened to be about a handsome celebrity, it travelled at the speed of light.
I waded into the conversational rainbow, heart, and sparkle eyes emojis that was Diane’s milieu. “Hi Diane. Thanks for the coffee. It’s good to be back,” I said slowly, stalling for time. How much should I share, knowing that Diane herself was a link in the chain of gossip?
“Well??” she demanded, arms, crossed, foot tapping. “Spill the beans! Did you do the dirty with the totally drool-worthy Jack Garcia?” She rolled her eyes in a swoon.
I laughed and shook my head. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Diane. There was no dirty going on with Jack. We just met and…hung out.” It sounded so lame when I put it like that, but I didn’t even know how to encapsulate our time together. It had been just a couple of days, but it felt like it could have been a couple of weeks. I shrugged regretfully. “I’m sorry there’s not more to tell.”
Diane’s pinched face showed she was disappointed. She was forever trying to set me up, sure that I was just one man away from happiness.
“Are you going to see him again?” she asked, like a terrier with a chew toy, refusing to let go of the idea of me and Jack together. #Forever. Heart Heart Heart.
“Honestly? I doubt it. We’re both in New York, but it’s a big city, so not very likely we’d bump into each other in the produce aisle of Whole Foods.”
“No, I mean, will he call you? Ask you out? Propose and give you gorgeous babies with big brown eyes?”
I laughed at her enthusiasm. “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself, Diane. Let’s just wait to see if he calls. And in the meantime, how about we do our jobs?”
She shot me a grumpy look from under her eyebrows. “I’m very disappointed in your lack of details, Eve.”
Shaking my head, knowing I’d regret it, I said, “He wears plaid boxers. Now go and get me the Kingston files.”
Diane squealed, clapped her hands and practically skipped from the room. Sigh. It was going to be a very long day.
I was arranging my work on my desk when Diane came back with the files. To forestall her questions about Jack, I went on the offensive.
“How are things going with, who’s the current love of your life, is it Tim?”
Diane’s romantic entanglements were legendary in the break room. The number of men she could keep on a string at any given time was amazing, but she never seemed to be able to just pick one and settle down.
