“Don’t worry,” he whispered back. “I put a dime in your purse in case you have to call me from a pay phone.” He winked.
We made our way down Fifth Avenue, and stopped in front of the Viceroy. For a moment, I was nervous that he was taking me to a hotel room, which would be about the seediest thing that could happen. But when the elevator opened, he pushed the button that would take us to the Roof, which was, in my very limited opinion, New York’s best rooftop bar. Martin must have filled him in on that.
As Harris opened a door, I could already picture how crowded it would be, but, instead of the throngs of people I was expecting, the Roof was completely empty, save one table, two chairs, and a ton of candles.
“Am I on The Bachelor?”
Harris took my hand. “It’s a new concept. A cross between Survivor and Bachelor Pad.”
“Harris, honestly, this is a hair extravagant.”
He nodded. “Oh, I know. Next date is pizza and boxed wine.” He grinned as he popped the cork of a bottle of Veuve.
I didn’t think of myself as a girl who was swept up in romance. In fact, I could hear myself speaking with disdain about this very thing. But I couldn’t help but be. Here I was with this man I really liked, on a stunning rooftop with a peerless view of Manhattan, in a vintage gown, holding a glass of champagne.
Harris raised his glass and said, “Here’s to diving headfirst into the great unknown.” He paused and added, “Again.”
We both laughed and clinked glasses. And I had to hope that my second foray into the great unknown this year would turn out a little bit better than my first.
Parker
ALL RIGHT
THE TATTERSALLS LIVED IN A historic Palm Beach stucco home that was completely invisible from the road, obscured by mature bougainvillea. They had been the McCanns’ best family friends since the beginning of time, it seemed, and when Greer lost her mother, she turned to Kathie Tattersall for comfort and advice. I think losing Greer had hit Kathie almost as hard as it had hit George and me. Or maybe it was that Greer’s death had compounded Karen’s death.
I thought back to those failed embryos, and I realized that I understood how that felt. That second loss had compounded the first.
Greer had loved this time in Palm Beach—“the season.” She loved the parties and dressing up, loved that the population doubled. Over the past three years, going out without Greer on my arm, where she had been for so many years, had felt impossible. But, little by little, my father in law had asked me to attend functions for some business purpose or another and I had agreed. He had lost his wife and his daughter, and his other daughter, who was not close to the rest of the family, was all the way in California. It wasn’t fair to make him face the world alone.
Kathie greeted me at the door. All the ladies in Palm Beach marveled at Kathie’s agelessness—although no one credited her good genes. Everyone had a half-dozen plastic surgeons on speed dial. But plastic surgery was like cologne: easily overdone. Kathie always stayed on the right side of that line, or so they said.
Greer always said that no one did Palm Beach chic decor better than Kathie. I never knew exactly what that meant, but I knew it was a very nice, colorful house with a great dock. As I pulled away from Kathie, a tall blonde caught my eye. When she turned, locked eyes with me, and smiled, I realized it was Lindsey.
George leaned in. “You’re right, son. Sea & Sky is the perfect move. I’ve made an offer, and I think they’ll accept.” He winked. “Or they will if they know what’s good for them.” He was wearing the ridiculous slippers.
“Great news.” This meant I was going to have to go to New York. I’d have to tell Amelia. I didn’t want her to be ambushed again.
But I couldn’t worry about that as Lindsey sashayed over to me, her heels so high I didn’t know how she walked in them, in a green dress. She put her arm in mine and said, “Let’s get you a drink, boss.”
“Not until Monday,” I quipped.
She smiled at me disarmingly. “Are you saying that you might change your mind?” She laughed like that was completely impossible, and I realized that she was right. I couldn’t wait to see what she could do.
She steered us to the bar and said, “I’ll have a glass of rosé, and Parker Thaysden always has an old-fashioned with one ice cube.”
I laughed. “How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “I do my research.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, noticing that the crowd skewed decidedly older than me and certainly older than Lindsey.
“My parents and the Tattersalls have been friends forever.”
Oh. Of course. “So why didn’t you just have Kathie call George or me when you wanted the job?”
She shrugged. “Because I knew I didn’t need to cheat. Eventually you’d see how perfect I was for the job and make the right decision.”
I turned and caught my father-in-law’s eye. He winked at me. Could he think that I was interested in another woman? He raised his glass to me, and I raised mine back. I thought back to our embryo talk in his office, and I realized that George McCann, mogul, titan, and father-in-law, had just given me some sort of blessing to move on. But he was reading this one all wrong.
“So, do you enjoy these things?” I asked.
“Not usually,” she said breezily. “But I presume I will feel differently about this party.”
Because I was here? I wanted to jump in and save her feelings. I couldn’t count the number of times I had said, Look, I’m flattered, but Greer was the only woman for me, in the past three and a half years.
But then she said, “I have a thing for Tanner Prescott, and he’s here.” She smiled at me and said, “Your arm is a ploy to make him jealous.”
I laughed, suitably humbled. “You always have a plan, don’t you?”
She nodded and stepped away from me, handing me my old-fashioned and taking a sip of her rosé. “You have to stay a step ahead,” Lindsey said. “It’s a gorgeous night. Want to go out by the pool?”
“If we’re by the pool, Tanner won’t be able to see you.” I was very amused by this.
“Oh, he’ll follow me,” she whispered. “Just you wait and see.”
“We’re excited about your first day at McCann,” I said, following Lindsey outside and sitting down on the end of one of the chaises, pulling up my pants legs to accommodate the low position. Couples and small groups were scattered around the white pool deck, cocktails in hand.
“So am I!” she practically squealed.
“Tanner will be very impressed,” I joked.
She grinned. “So what about you?” she asked, sitting on the chaise beside me. “Any leads?”
“On stories?”
She sighed and looked at me, exasperated. “On women, Parker. Seriously?”
I shrugged but didn’t say anything.
“I have a girlfriend you would really like…” She trailed off.
“I don’t think I’m ready for all that.”
She looked into my eyes. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping. But she’ll always be there, won’t she? Do you think you’ll ever really be able to be with someone else without thinking of her?”