Page 69 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“I’m sorry I’m pulling you away from your work. And from Asher.”
I shook my head. “Don’t be sorry. This is important. We should have done it sooner.” Even as the words left my mouth, I was glad we had waited until now to go to New York. I was glad to have had extra time with her before she pulled back the curtain a little farther on her old life. “We’ll be back in Pittsburgh before you know it.”
We arrived at Lina’s old university at four in the afternoon. Young students were milling about on campus, all bundled up in their winter clothes. We cut across the grounds and made for the office, where Lina introduced herself and asked for her student records. The woman on the other side of the counter was elderly, with a perm straight out of the seventies and gold-framed cat’s eye glasses. They were attached to a beaded chain that she hung them off of when she handed Lina her folder.
“Here you go, dear. These are all photocopies. The school maintains the originals.”
“This is perfect,” Lina said. “Thank you so much.”
The woman, who was wearing a name tag that read “Glenda”, gave Lina a friendly smile. “Is there anything else I can help the two of you with today?”
Lina shook her head. “No, this was all I needed. Thank you. Have a good day.”
“You too, dear. Sir.” She nodded at me.
“Thanks,” I said, and Lina and I left her office and made our way back to the street where my rental car was parked.
When we got in the car, Lina opened the folder and stared down at it in her lap. “I was top of my class.”
“Really?” I asked as I put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. “To be honest, that doesn’t surprise me. You were always a nerd.”
Lina laughed. “A nerd?”
I nodded. “You heard me. A goody two shoes, too.”
Lina’s laughter filled the car, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was, without a doubt, one of my favorite sounds in the world—besides Asher’s laugh.
“Was I a goody two shoes, or did teachers just like me because of how charming I was?” she asked.
I smirked. “Maybe it was a combination of both.”
Lina continued sifting through the papers in the folder on her lap. I let her read in peace, and I navigated the busy New York City streets to get to our hotel for the night. It was a nice place two blocks down from Times Square, with a modern feel and a room that was much bigger and much nicer than I’d been expecting. After checking in and being seen up to our room by a bell boy, who I tipped generously, we stepped into the room, and Lina’s eyes widened.
“Cal, you didn’t need to get something this extravagant.”
I put our bags down on the king-sized bed. “I didn’t realize it was this swanky.”
Lina shrugged her coat off and draped it over the bed beside our bags before peering around the room.
It was massive. The bed was sectioned off from a living room area with cream-colored sofas and powder-blue cushions. A coffee bar sat behind one of the sofas, and a kitchenette was around the corner. The fridge boasted a bottle of champagne, beers, and sodas.
The bathroom was the most luxurious room in the place. A giant soaker tub with jets was right smack in the middle of the room, and it was filled from a tap in the ceiling. Lina walked around it, her lips parted in awe. “Well, I’ll be getting in this bad boy later.”
“Want company?” I winked.
Lina’s cheeks turned pink, and she nodded. “I would love company.”
“Well, how about we go for a walk and find a nice place to sit and have dinner? Then we can come back here and relax.”
“That sounds lovely.”
After freshening up and changing into slightly nicer, but still very warm clothes, we headed back out into the city. The sidewalks were packed full with people, all hustling and bustling to and from their jobs or social outings. People were running by with gift bags, most likely meeting friends or family they hadn’t been able to see for Christmas. The holiday decorations were being swapped for the glitz and glamour of New Year’s Eve, and when we emerged in Time Square, we could see everything in place for the big ball drop.
We found a place to eat with an enclosed heated patio made of glass. That way, we could still enjoy watching everything happening out on the street while we sipped red wine and ate delicious peppercorn marinated steaks.
Lina was a much better view. I watched her as she watched the city. Her eyes were bright and curious as they followed people back and forth on the other side of the glass. She smiled at children who paused to wave. She was a bright beacon of light that I definitely did not deserve to be in the company with.
I certainly didn’t deserve to take her back to my hotel room and have an intimate night with her.
