Page 24 of Boss' Obsession

“We’ll come back, I promise.”

We say goodbye to the family and head into the village where I park the car and take Beth for a walk down Village Street. The village center is decorated for Halloween and the blackboard signs in front of the shops boast their offers of pumpkin spice goodies. We stop near the river and I point out the lighthouse. Beth continues to snap pictures of everything,

“I think we’ve seen everything. It’s time to go.”

“No, Daddy.”

“What do you mean no?”

“We haven’t seen everything. Take me to this horseman so I can take your picture.”

My grin lets her know I’ve been teasing her. I spin her around and point to the statue in the distance. “There he is, sweetheart. Let’s get this tourist crap over with.”

10

BETH

As promised, Bryan takes the day off work to show me around the city. I feel a bit guilty for taking time off so early into my tenure, but he’s the boss and what he says goes.

We begin our field trip with a carriage ride through Central Park. The clip-clop of the horse's hooves and the rushing of leaves through the trees drown out the hustle and bustle of the city. We sip coffee and cuddle up on the buggy’s bench seat while we take in the view.

The ride ends and Bryan lifts me off the carriage and places me on my feet. “What’s next? The Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building?”

“Lady Liberty.” I grin.

“That’s a ferry ride. Let’s go.”

We rush to the harbor to catch the ferry and I watch the city fade in the distance as we head toward the giant woman with the torch. It’s pretty amazing to see these things up close after so many years of only seeing them on my TV screen. If I hadn’t met Bryan, they would still be just images from another part of the world for me. I don’t think I could ever summon up the courage to go sightseeing by myself, and I certainly don’t have the money to spend on things that aren’t necessities.

“Is this your first ferry ride?”

I feel a bit foolish but I confess, “This is my first boat ride. Is that bad? I feel like every time you ask me about something, anything, I have no experience with it at all.”

“Oh, baby, I wish you knew how good that makes me feel. I like introducing you to new things. You’re an adventure. Every time you have a new experience, it makes me see things from your perspective. It’s pretty damn cool.”

His words make me giddy. “Then show me everything, Daddy.”

We arrive at the Empire State Building and I ask Bryan if he wants to eat at the restaurant inside. He tells me no and says we have other dinner plans. We travel up to the top deck on the 102nd floor and look out at the city.

“It’s a little unnerving to be up this high.”

Bryan wraps his arms around my waist. “You‘re not going anywhere. I’ll keep you safe and sound.”

As we descend the tall building, I ask Bryan about our next stop.

“What’s a tour of Manhattan without a Broadway show?”

“Seriously? A show?”

“Yes, and then dinner.”

The lights of Broadway are truly as amazing as I’ve been told, and there’s electricity in the air inside the theater. These have been the best two days of my life, and I don’t know how anything could possibly top it. Knowing Bryan, however, he’ll find a way to amaze me again.

After the show, we head to dinner at a place called Bond 45 NY. It’s a stylish Italian bistro that attracts some of the wealthiest people in the city. The music from the show is still playing in my head as we sit down and order our drinks. When the waitress returns to take our order, I nod at Bryan who orders for us both again.

There’s something a little strange about Bryan’s behavior. He seems to fidget in his seat and stare off into space. He’s normally so intense that I wonder if I may have done something to upset him. I want to ask him if something is on his mind, but I don’t want to put a damper on such a wonderful day.

After dinner, Bryan calls the waitress back to the table and tells her that it’s time for some champagne.

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