Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I had a different idea. “Can we take the subway?” Wasn’t that a part of the New York experience?
He grinned. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
We made a quick pit stop at the apartment. I changed into my new dress and tee as we didn’t know if we’d get back to this side of town before dinner with his parents. That is when I spotted the wheat-colored espadrilles wedges. I hadn’t seen him buy them. But I recognized them from the mannequin in the window that had been wearing the outfit that caught my eye. More surprisingly, they were in my size. How had he known?
I was about to ask when I joined him in the living room, but he cut me off with a kiss. As much as I enjoyed it, I pulled back. “If we don’t leave, we won’t.”
He sighed and held out his hand. “You’re probably right.”
I took it and let the warmth radiating from my heart fill all the empty spaces inside me. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so happy. The dreariness of the subway couldn’t pull the sunshine I walked on. Instead, I took in how Shawn navigated the system like a seasoned pro. The crowds and the few rude people we encountered didn’t wipe the smile off my face. It was a short and direct trip. We didn’t have to change trains as we emerged onto Thirty-Third Street.
I only had to look up and see the iconic Empire State Building. The closer we got, the more crowded it was with people waiting in line to take the elevator up. We walked into the building and Shawn pressed the elevator button as others looked on. When the one that wasn’t designated for tourists opened, we got in. I had no idea where we were going, but he pressed the button for the seventy-eighth floor.
It opened to an impressive office space. An older gentleman almost passed through the lobby area but stopped. “Matthew Moore.”
For a second, I didn’t realize he was speaking to Shawn and glanced around, only to realize we were the only ones in the lobby besides the man who’d spoken. Then I was reminded Shawn was Matthew. Something he and I had yet to talk about.
“Long time,” Shawn said, clapping him on the shoulder.
“What brings you here?” the older man asked.
“I was in the area and wondered if I could speak to you quickly.”
The man eyed his watch, which wasn’t a smart one. It was a regular but expensive-looking timepiece. “I have a few minutes.”
“Give me a second,” Shawn said to him and then took a few steps over to me. “You wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes, would you?”
“No problem. Go ahead,” I said. I needed to use the restroom anyway.
He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before darting off with the man. I approached the receptionist, who had watched our exchange. “Is there a bathroom I could use?”
She smiled genially and gave me instructions to a nearby bathroom a few steps from the lobby. I walked to the short alcove and into the bathroom. The decor was something out of a Homes & Gardens magazine with a gilded-frame mirror, marble floors, and solid wood stall doors. I lingered at my reflection in the mirror and wondered what Shawn saw in me. I wasn’t a beauty like you see in movies, nor was I some femme fatale. I was ordinary, with a mass of honey-brown curls that desperately needed taming. With no makeup, my skin looked blotchy. I pushed back my hair and made a face at myself. I stuck out my tongue and laughed for a second. Then I remembered why I came into the bathroom in the first place. I did my business and after washing my hands, I splashed water on my face as if it would bring life to it. I patted my hands and face dry with towels and exited.
I was a step away from leaving the hidden view of the alcove when I heard the man that Shawn had been talking to conferring with the receptionist.
“As you know, Ana is out today. Could you help me update Mr. Moore’s will? We just need to change his primary beneficiary from his sister to a future wife and any children he may have. We need to update his trust as well. The rest can wait until Ana gets back.”
All the air from my lungs disappeared. I held there a second before I peeked out and saw the man leaving. I took another second before I emerged. By that time, Shawn and the man were headed back my way.
Shawn grinned at me, and I didn’t know what to do other than to smile back. I was at a loss for words for how this man was making changes for me and our child, or so I assumed.