by Nina Singh
“Then it’s settled. We’ll have to work to make this as relaxing and as much of a getaway for you as possible.”
“We? I thought you said that you had plenty to do and that we might not even come across each other aside from the parties.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and ducked his head slightly “About that. Due to some unforeseen developments, my latest deal has gone much smoother than anticipated. I find myself with some unexpected free time. A rarity for me.”
Jess’s heart pounded in her chest at where he might be leading with all this. “You do?”
“Yes. And now that I’m back home in New York, it occurs to me how much I’ve missed it. All the places I used to frequent, the mere atmosphere of Manhattan.”
Jess waited for him to continue, not daring to interrupt.
“I’d like to show you some of it, if you’re up for it,” he added.
Was she hearing him correctly? Jordan actually wanted to spend time with her to show her around New York?
She tried to temper her response. It wouldn’t do to sound too anxious or excited. Nothing in Jordan’s suggestion sounded anything more than two near-friends taking advantage of some free time in a fun city. And it would serve her to not read anything more into it than that.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat giddy. Jordan had to know countless people here where he’d grown up. She had no doubt there was more than one woman who wouldn’t waste any time in showing up at the front door of his building if he called with any type of invitation.
“I think that would be lovely, Jordan.”
He flashed another smile at her, even more effecting than the last one. “Great. We can start with lunch. Unless you’ve eaten already?”
The car service from the mainland he’d provided her with had come equipped with a beverage bar and a cooler case full of snacks. Jess had allowed herself to indulge in a bit of the finer gourmet chocolate. The ride had been quite long, after all. Probably the smoothest, richest chocolate she’d ever had, made from the finest cocoa. So she wasn’t particularly hungry. But this wasn’t an offer she was going to turn down.
“A girl’s gotta eat lunch,” she replied.
* * *
“Since both our respective soirées include dinner, I insist on treating for lunch,” Jess declared as they stepped off the elevator and into the lobby of Jordan’s high-rise building. And what a grand lobby it was. Even the most luxurious hotels she’d stayed at, and there hadn’t been that many, didn’t really compare to the grandeur of this entryway. A huge cement flowerpot filled with exotic, colorful branches sat atop a marble stand in the center of the area. Heavy burgundy curtains hung from immensely tall windows off either side. Elaborate, decorative artwork adorned the ceiling.
A fully uniformed attendant held the glass door open for them.
“So nice to see you again, Mr. Paydan.”
Jordan gave the man a nod and a wave as they exited.
“That’s not necessary, Jess,” Jordan said in response to her offer as they began to walk. “You’re here as my guest. Lunch is on me.”
He was only half right. “And you’re to be mine in return. I insist on lunch being my treat.”
Jordan shrugged. “So be it.”
Jess released a sigh of relief that he wasn’t going to argue. She wanted to contribute at least a little given everything Jordan was providing for this trip. But then a nagging twinge of apprehension blossomed in her chest. What if the place Jordan had in mind to eat was woefully out of her league? And her budget?
A distinct possibility. She looked around their surroundings. A bright red, foreign-looking sports car rolled smoothly down the road next to them. An older woman in a crisp navy suit and impossibly high-heeled stilettoes walked by with a tiny Pomeranian in her handbag. Even for Manhattan, they seemed to be in a particularly swanky part of town. She looked down at her faded jean leggings and scuffed-up tennis shoes. Why hadn’t she thought to pack something nicer? Unlike her, Jordan, of course, seemed to fit right in.
Well, she couldn’t back out of her offer now. Her pride wouldn’t let her. Her one major credit card was an option. Though it was perilously close to the limit. She’d spent way too much on art supplies for her classroom at the beginning of the session. The center didn’t provide much in the way of materials. Not for all the projects she liked to have her students create. Plus, she always tended to go a bit overboard when buying paints and brushes.
Jordan was making small talk about all sorts of New York spots but she was too wound up to listen.
Her mind conjured up the worst-case scenario—she would sink right into the floor in humiliation if the restaurant declined her card in front of Jordan. Maybe she could sneak into the back and offer to come back later and wash dishes.
She was so preoccupied and nervous about that prospect that it came as a bit of a startle when Jordan suddenly stopped. They’d walked much farther than she realized. In fact, the area she found herself in seemed completely different than the first couple of blocks past Jordan’s building.
“Earth to Jess.” Jordan waved a hand over her face. “We’re here. This is the place I had in mind for lunch.”
A diner. They were entering the doors of an old-fashioned fifties diner complete with a wraparound counter and padded seat booths. A near giddy sense of relief washed over her as they found a table. Her bank account could definitely handle a diner meal even in this metropolis.
A waitress walked by balancing a pot of coffee and a plate that held a massive tower of a sandwich. “Be right with you, sweeties,” she declared with a snap of her gum.
“Oh, dear. Are all the menu options that colossal?”
Jordan winked at her. Such a small, meaningless thing but her stomach quaked at the playfulness. He really did seem to be a completely different person here. Not to make excuses for him, but the idea had to explain at least partly why he’d been just so downright grumpy when she’d first laid eyes on him while painting Sonya’s wall. He’d probably begun missing his true home already.
“Only the ones worth getting,” he answered her question.
The waitress plopped two plastic-encased thick menus in front of them. Her name tag said “Rona” in cursive lettering. She pointed at Jordan. “I thought that was you. Where ya been lately, sugar?”
“I’m only in the city part-time for the foreseeable future.”
Rona snapped her gum once more. “Huh. Well, we missed ya around here.”
“And I missed this place.” There was no doubting the sincerity of his words. Jess got the impression he was speaking of more than just the diner. Whatever had happened to Sonya last year, Jordan had disrupted his entire life in response.
“Then don’t be a stranger when you’re back, doll.”
She turned to Jess. “What can I get ya?”
After they’d each ordered and Rona walked away, Jess studied Jordan from across the table. He’d leaned against the back of the booth and stretched his arms across the top, more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. His shirt appeared molded to his broad, muscular chest. If possible, he looked even more handsome. As if he was more relaxed and it added to his striking good looks.
“What is it?” he asked in response to her scrutiny.
“Nothing. Just that...” Jess hesitated. She didn’t want to impose on his lighthearted mood in any way.
But then he prompted her further. “Go ahead, Jess. Penny for your thoughts.”
“It’s just, you seem really happy to be back.”
She’d been right. His jaw suddenly grew tight and he glanced out the window with a sudden faraway look in his eyes.
“You’re very observant. I am glad to be back in New York.”
She wasn’t expecting the words that followed.
“And I’m really glad you’re here with me to share it.”<
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CHAPTER EIGHT
HE HADN’T EXPECTED to say that last part out loud. The way Jess’s eyes grew wide with surprise and how she’d ducked her head afterward was confirmation that he shouldn’t have.
But it was so easy to let his guard down around her. And she could clearly read him well. She was right. He was happier to be back in New York than he’d imagined. He was growing fonder of his new home by the day, but that was different. It had yet to feel like home the way being here did.
“Thank you,” she offered simply in reply.
He’d clearly made her uncomfortable. Why was that? Her response was certainly a rather tepid one. Maybe she didn’t want to entertain the notion that he was regarding her as more than a weekend companion—because she didn’t feel the same way.
He didn’t need her to feel uncomfortable around him. Or it was going to be a long forty-eight hours.
“It’s always a pleasure to show someone new around my hometown city,” he quickly added.
See, Jess. Nothing more than two near-friends enjoying a couple of days playing tourist and guide.
Never mind that the thought sent a flow of disappointment through his center. He wasn’t going to read into things or speculate about feelings that weren’t there. Based on their conversation back at his penthouse, she was clearly nursing her wounds from a relationship gone sour. And heaven knew he didn’t have it in him to pursue any kind of real relationship. He had to make things right with Sonya first. Make sure she was adjusted and settled into her new life and reality.
No, he didn’t have much to offer at the moment. And a woman like Jess deserved more than he was ready to give of himself.
He’d never in his life pushed for anything from a woman. Certainly not for friendship. And definitely not for anything more. He wasn’t about to start with Jess Raffi. Even if he had spent most of the morning imagining all the popular spots he could take her to and what her reaction might be to various places he typically took for granted as a native New Yorker. He’d be hard-pressed to explain exactly why he was looking forward to it so much. If someone had told him two weeks ago that he’d welcome the prospect of playing tour guide to a first-time visitor, he would have laughed out loud.
Though he couldn’t deny how easy it was to spend time with her, how comfortable he felt around her. There was no denying the tension in the air between them. But above that there was a sense of familiarity and warmth he hadn’t yet experienced with another woman.
Or anyone else, for that matter.
“So you never told me exactly what this award is your mother is getting,” he ventured as the waitress dropped off their orders.
Given what he knew about Jess and her giving nature, he presumed her mother must be up for some type of humanitarian honor. And that a renowned magazine had sponsored the charity. The apple and tree and all that. He definitely hadn’t been expecting the reason Jess gave him.
“A photo spread she did last year for Geographic World magazine garnered a lot of praise and attention. They’re granting her their excellence in photo journalism award.”
Jordan stilled in the act of salting his fries. “Your mother is a photographer for Geographic World magazine?”
She nodded and popped an olive into her mouth. “That along with some other publications and websites. It made for an interesting childhood.”
“I had no idea.”
“Well, why would you? It hasn’t exactly come up, has it?”
Because she’d never brought it up, Jordan thought. Even when she’d been telling him about the award gala. There had to be some kind of reason for that. Though he couldn’t venture to guess.
“Your mom sounds like she leads quite a life.”
“I suppose. Her job is more adventurous than it is glamorous. And it certainly doesn’t pay as much as one would think. Especially considering the lifestyle she’s had to lead.”
He knew he wasn’t imagining the hint of resentment in her voice. Probably something to do with that cryptic interesting childhood comment. It occurred to him just how little he knew about her. And just how badly he wanted to find out more. Everything, in fact.
“How?” he asked her.
“How what?”
“How did it make for an interesting childhood?”
A faraway look clouded over her eyes at the question. “Actually, unconventional might be a better word. It was great at first. Until it wasn’t.”
“How so?”
Jess didn’t touch her food as she spoke. “My earliest memories are of traveling to these wonderful places and meeting the most wonderful people. Given her profession, my mother was quite the nomad. And I was nomadic with her for those early years.”
“That changed, I take it.”
“It sure did. Right at the time I turned twelve. She decided I could no longer travel with her then. That I needed a more steady education. And that it was hard enough for her to ensure her own safety and well-being while on the road less traveled. I had begun to attract more and more male attention in some of the more remote places we visited.” She swallowed. “Her heart was in the right place, I guess.”
“And after you turned twelve?”
“Constant change. My mom had quite an extended family. But no one really close. I was tossed from distant relative to distant relative as they would take me. Mostly throughout the Midwest.”
Jordan let out a low whistle. “You’re right. That is pretty unconventional. Right from the very beginning.” No wonder she’d sought residence in a tight community.
“And what of your father? If you don’t mind my asking.”
She tried to hide her sudden flinch of pain, but it was hard to miss. “He wasn’t in the picture much. You see, I’m a product of one of her adventures. She met a local man on one of her assignments. In Malaysia. A brief affair that led to... Well, that led to me.” She spread her arms out wide.
Yeah, that certainly explained a lot. He’d wondered why a college graduate with her whole future ahead of her would stay in her roommate’s hometown long after that roommate had moved away.
“My father stayed where he was and my mother simply moved on to the next assignment.”
The same way she’d eventually moved on from her own daughter, Jordan thought. He couldn’t resist the urge to reach across the table then and take her hand into his, half-afraid she would pull away.
She didn’t.
* * *
Jess couldn’t believe how much of her past she’d just shared—between their conversation at the penthouse earlier and all that she’d just divulged about herself. Something about Jordan loosened her tongue on topics she usually held close to her chest. Except for Kelly, no one had heard as much as she’d just confided in Jordan about her mostly absent parent.
Now as they walked out of the diner and down the street, she had to admit it had felt good to share some of her past with him. Like a bit of a release. Either Jordan Paydan had notable listening skills or she was growing closer to him than she wanted to admit. Hopefully, it was the former.
“I figured we could walk to Times Square,” he told her. “After that meal, I for one could use the exercise or I’ll need a nap before 3:00 p.m.”
“I’d love to see Times Square.”
He didn’t break stride when he answered her. “You didn’t think I was going to let you leave New York without visiting its most iconic tourist spot, did you?”
“I suppose that wouldn’t do.”
“Not at all.”
Jordan turned the corner around the next building a little too swiftly with Jess fast on his heels. They nearly collided with a couple who were just standing there.
No. Correction. Jess realized they weren’t simply standing still. A young man and woman were locked in a tight embrace, their lips fused in a passionate kiss.
“Um...excuse me,”
she uttered to the two strangers who clearly didn’t hear her. They were much too engrossed with each other.
An awkwardness settled between them as they continued to walk. Jess couldn’t resist taking a backward glance at the enamored couple. Such public displays weren’t for everyone. Gary had certainly not been one to show any affection when others were present. But she had to wonder what it would be like, to be so consumed with passion for someone. So much so that the rest of the world simply ceased to exist, even on a crowded city sidewalk. She’d had her fair share of dates during her university days and in the period after her relationship had crumbled. After Kelly had gotten married, she’d been insistent on setting Jess up on more than a few blind dates with her new husband’s friends. None of those men had sparked any kind of flame within her. The one brief relationship she’d had after moving to the island had left her wounded by rejection yet again. The man had completely ignored her once summer had ended and he’d gone back to his regular daily life. Her gaze shifted to Jordan’s profile.
He might not technically be a tourist but he was no doubt cut from the same type of cloth. Despite his recent relocation, it was clear New York would always call to him. One day he would no doubt answer.
And what would that mean for her if she foolishly gave him her heart? Her summer fling had hurt after he’d left her high and dry without so much as a backward glance. But she’d hardly considered herself scarred afterward. The same could be said of her failed engagement to Gary. Something told her with Jordan the end result would be much more extreme. Far more devastating.
She studied him now. Jordan’s chin was clenched tight, his hands jammed in his pockets. He had noticed the awkwardness, too, it appeared. Jess tried to come up with something to say, a witty retort that may help them to return to the easy camaraderie they’d seemed to share since eating at the diner. Nothing came to mind.
“Not much longer.” Jordan finally spoke after they’d walked a couple of blocks. A few minutes later they reached the man-made wonder that was Times Square. Jess wasn’t sure where to look first. So much was happening around her!
