Page 9 of Long Story Short

‘Here.’ Jake leaned around me and pulled it off easily, then grabbed his. ‘You have a car waiting for us?’

I bristled as I pulled out my suitcase handle, tilted it and began walking. ‘Of course I do,’ I muttered, annoyed he was questioning my capabilities. I knew I had been functioning even less like a grown-up than usual in front of him but it was bloody annoying that he was worried I hadn’t organised our trip properly. Then I remembered my car in London had arrived late despite all my double-checking and I crossed my fingers that wouldn’t happen at this end too.

We weaved our way through the airport and finally breathed in New York air. I scanned the area nervously but with relief, I saw a man holding up a sign with my name on and headed towards him, Jake following behind me. It was a sleek, black car and the driver stowed our luggage while we climbed into the back. Then finally, we set off for the city itself.

‘First time in New York too?’ Jake asked after a few minutes of silent travel. I studied the view out of the window, angling myself away from him, and I didn’t turn around to answer.

‘Yes.’

‘I thought so.’

I glanced over but he was looking out of the other window. I shook my head but didn’t respond. So what if I hadn’t travelled by first class or hadn’t been to New York before? Did that make me even more inferior to him? I wasn’t going to let his indifference bother me. I couldn’t wait to see the city for myself even if he was immune to the delight of it all. I needed to make sure that Jake Richards didn’t stop me from enjoying myself.

‘I suppose you’ve been to New York loads?’ I asked him.

He turned to look at me briefly. ‘Many times.’

I shrugged. ‘Well, maybe you can remember your first time and understand why I’m glad I’m here.’

Our eyes locked. ‘I do remember my first time,’ he said.

Was it only me whose mind went in a very different direction to New York? I knew that my dry spell was probably to blame but I had to look away.

‘Well, then,’ I muttered. Mercifully, Jake didn’t respond.

As we approached the bridge, I forgot all about the man beside me and watched as the famous skyline came into view and we drove over the water, yellow taxis on either side. I smiled to see them. A quintessential New York moment. The skyscrapers seemed so familiar as we drove closer, like they had been there waiting for me all along. Our car took us right into the heart of Manhattan towards the Waldorf Astoria and my heart leaped to see the sights I had always wanted to. Whatever happened at the romance conference and with Jake, I was finally getting to see NYC first-hand and that made the stressful past few days worth it.

I snapped a photo of Times Square as we paused in traffic. When I put my phone down, I turned from the window and saw Jake’s eyes, which had been on me, swivel quickly to the front. I supposed he found it amusing that I wanted to take so many pictures of my first time here. But I wanted to document as much as I could. This wasn’t what I’d planned for my first trip here but I needed to make the most of it.

Our hotel came into view then; the car dropped us off with our bags and we walked in to the grand and bustling lobby.

‘Why did you choose this hotel?’ Jake asked as I turned towards the check-in desk.

‘It’s in one of my favourite films.’

‘There are better hotels in the city,’ he commented from behind me.

I rolled my eyes. Of course my choice of hotel wasn’t good enough for him. I forced on a smile for the woman at the check-in desk and ignored him. We were given our room cards and directed to our floor, and when we stepped into a lift, we had to endure the excruciating silence as we rode up to where our rooms were.

When the doors finally opened and we stepped out, I turned to Jake. He had really got my back up with his comment in the lobby and if we were going to spend the next few days together, I knew I couldn’t stay quiet about his attitude. I put a hand on my hip and looked up at him, wishing I was taller as it wasn’t easy to give the man a dressing-down.

‘The romance conference is in the hotel opposite so we have literally a few feet to go to get there,’ I told him in the haughtiest tone I could manage. ‘As you were a late addition to the line-up, there were no rooms left in that hotel so I thought it made the most sense to come here. And yes, I have always wanted to stay here after watchingSerendipity. If it isn’t up to your standards, maybe Hayley would be willing to let you move hotels but I think most people would be delighted to stay here.’

The air between us was thick as Jake stared back at me for a moment. Then he shrugged. ‘It’s fine, Freya; no need to put on your schoolteacher voice about it. Maybe you should lie down for a bit. It was a long journey. I’ll see you at the welcome drinks.’

He strode off with his case, leaving me watching him go and wishing I’d been the one who had flounced off. With an irritated sigh, I followed at a slower pace, watching him go into his room and then I headed into mine, closing the door harder than was strictly necessary.

7

My hotel room was lovely with a huge, comfortable bed and a marbled bathroom. Best of all, I had a front-facing room so I could look down on the city below. The people and cars looked no bigger than ants from up here. I was surrounded by iconic buildings and my smile was wide at being able to see it all. I ignored Jake’s patronising suggestion to lie down and hastily unpacked then had a shower and got changed, ready for the conference welcome drinks, which started at 7p.m. I was tired from travelling but this was a mandatory event and I knew it was important for Jake to be seen there and to make the best first impression he possibly could.

I pulled on my long, silky, black dress that I kept for special occasions which I’d found at a designer outlet place and would never have been able to afford otherwise. It wasn’t my typical style of short dresses and boots but it felt like this event called for something more elegant. The dress clung to my curves in the right places and when paired with my four-inch heels, I felt pretty good. I made my eyes look smoky and kept my hair down.

When I left my room, I hovered outside Jake’s for a moment, wishing we’d agreed to meet at the conference. Going to collect him from his room gave the whole thing a slight date vibe even though I knew it was ridiculous to think that. Jake was the last man I’d ever go on a date with. But that thought made me feel more nervous than I was already.

I finally summoned the courage to knock.

Seconds later, Jake opened up the door and we both took a visible double take at one another.

---