“Right.” We meander through the crowd, dodging sightseers who stop in the middle of the sidewalk. “We can head down toward the Village and see Soho after we eat. That’ll take two things off your list.”
She does a little excited skip. “Can we go to Magnolia Bakery and get cupcakes?”
“We can do as much as we have time to do.”
Traffic is a nightmare, but we manage to get all the way to Whitman’s in the East Village. A short wait, and we’re digging into two Juicy Lucys. Pimento cheese spills out, and Ruby squeals, wiping her chin.
“I can’t eat all of this.” She leans forward, and I wipe a spot of mustard off her cheek.
“Get a go box. We can eat it tonight after we meet Stephen.”
“You’re not cheating too bad. It says, ‘fresh local ingredients.’” She takes another bite of cheeseburger.
“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing healthy about this lunch.”
It’s perfect, and as soon as we’re done, we’re out on the street again, leftovers in hand. We come out of Alphabet City and walk over to the East River, facing Brooklyn. The sun is high overhead, and a light breeze ripples across the water. We continue walking south until we reach a set of park benches facing the water. A large bridge is in the background.
“Is that the Brooklyn Bridge?” She takes my hand and leads me to sit.
“Williamsburg.” I sit beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders. “Brooklyn is further south.”
“Is this the one from the movie?”
“That’s Queensboro. It’s further north.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m all mixed up.”
“It’s okay. I know the way.” Reaching for her hand, I lace our fingers again, loving this day, the time we’re spending together. “I’m really glad you came with me.”
“I’m having an amazing time.”
I like that again, she doesn’t pull away. She leans her head against her hand and studies me. “How do you know so much about New York? I thought you grew up in Seattle.”
“My mother loved it here. She always wanted to live in the city.” A pinch of sadness is in my stomach. “My father hated the city. It’s too noisy, too crowded. You have to have a reservation at every restaurant. If you do get a table, the service is terrible… ”
“He sounds like a lot of fun.” The sarcasm in her voice makes me laugh.
“He was the proverbial dark cloud. I never want to be like him.” Exhaling deeply, I look out at a barge slowly passing.
Ruby gives my hand a squeeze. “I told you. You’re nothing like him. I don’t know your mom, but it sounds like you’re much more like her. You like to have fun, and so far, you’ve shown me all the cool parts of the city.”
Standing, I pull her to her feet. Melancholy is not a mood I want to have on this trip. “We’re only getting started.”
By the time we stumble back into the hotel lobby, it’s after five, and we’ve strolled through SoHo, wandered up to Washington Square Park to see the arch, continued northeast to Gramercy Park, past the Flatiron building until we hit Korea Town just before the Empire State building.
“I feel like I’m walking on my ankles.” Ruby is hanging off my arm, and I give her a bump.
“We’ve got to meet Stephen at seven. Take a quick shower and change.”
She does a little whine. “Where are we meeting him and do I have to walk?”
“It’s seven blocks to the Top of the Rock. Since you’re new in town, I thought you’d like to see the view.” Her adorable pouty face makes me grin. “Do this and I’ll order cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and give you a foot massage after.”
“Deal!”
23
Ruby
