I was relieved we weren’t going to some fancy benefit type thing that evening. I’d brought a full-length evening dress, just in case, but as it was just dinner, I kept things a little more casual in a tight fitting, high-waist satin pencil skirt and sheer-sleeved silk blouse. I also made a special effort with my hair, first curling it and then pinning it up loosely. When I wasfinished, I put some make-up in my clutch and went to find Ethan. I almost ran into him as he was coming out of his office.
“Hey, I’m ready.”
“You look incredible,” he said, reaching his hand out to cup my ass.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” What I meant was he looked heart-stoppingly handsome. He was wearing a suit but no tie. He seemed to get better looking, if that was at all possible. “I like your hair longer like that,” I said, pushing my fingers through the strands as he bent to kiss my neck.
“You’ll need your coat. And gloves and a scarf.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Anna,” he growled.
Ethan had hired a car for the evening and we headed uptown to the restaurant.
To my surprise we pulled up at the entrance to the Time Warner building. We seemed to be going to the Mandarin Oriental.
I looked at Ethan and he smiled at me and took my hand as we walked inside. We didn’t end up going to the hotel. Instead we headed to the fourth floor, to a restaurant called Per Se.
“I thought you might like to look out from here. It’s lower than from the suite, but still beautiful and I know how you love that view.”
“Ethan, it’s beautiful and thoughtful and—thank you.”
They seated us kitty corner by the window and a stunning view of Columbus Circle and Central Park.
“Have you been here before?”
He shook his head “No. But I always wanted to come. I’ve never had the opportunity until now. And tonight seemed to be the perfect time to share this with you.”
“You’re right. Itisperfect.”
I had butterflies in my stomach. The evening felt big. Ethan had clearly put a lot of thought into picking this place.
“Shall we have a glass of champagne?” he asked
I nodded a little too enthusiastically.
“Maybe a bottle?” he asked the waiter. “Are you okay?” he asked me when we were alone again.
“Yeah, of course. A bit overwhelmed coming back here, you know?”
He nodded. “To where it all began? It was only going to be for the night and now you’re moving here.”
“Are we being crazy?” I asked him. “Maybe this is a little nuts,” I said, thinking out loud, my heart starting to thump in my chest.
“What do you mean crazy?”
“I mean me moving to New York and us living together. I had a job and I have friends and family in London and I’m going to start again in New York. I mean it sounds like maybe it’s a little crazy?”
“Are you worried? Are you thinking you might not want to?”
I took a deep breath and thought about the question. Was I worried? I shook my head. “I don’t feel worried. I know in my heart like it’s the right thing to do, but I think that if I was looking at my decision, not knowing how I feel about you, then I’d think I was a little nuts. Does that make sense?”
All I could think was that this was happening so quickly. Coming back here brought it all in to focus. I needed to calm down. It wasn’t like I couldn’t undo things if it all went badly wrong, right? If I could handle the worstcase scenario—Ethan and I breaking up once I’d moved here—surely I would feel better.
Ethan didn’t respond, he just looked at me. I couldn’t read him.
“And it’s not like I don’t have a job. And we’re getting married or anything, god forbid.”
