"And Lydia?"
"Still in the belly."
Jennifer whistled. That meant her daughter never saw her father. Pain tapped at her heart. She couldn't imagine anything like that. She was old enough to remember that terrible day. It seemed like the world stopped and she was in high school at the time in Beloit. Still, the news affected them and everyone paused, frozen in fear and uncertainty at what the next few days would bring.
"What about her brother?"
James pressed his lips together. After a moment, he met Jennifer's eyes solemnly. "He worked with her husband."
Without thinking, Jennifer sat her glass down and reached across the console to touch James's hand.
"I'm so sorry," she breathed in a near whisper. "I'm so sorry; that must have been so hard for you."
James ran his eyes over Jennifer's face. He blinked and almost chuckled. "I mean, I lost a friend, but think about her. She lost a brother and her husband. She's been a single mother the entire time."
A hand covered Jennifer's mouth. She always thought James was just a lucky man with a great life. She hadn't know that he knew pain like others felt.
Dropping his gaze, James sat his glass down and looked over Jennifer's hand still covering his own. His fingers twitched beneath her palm and Jennifer withdrew it back quickly as if burned.
"You know, nearly everyone in Summit has a story like that," James met Jennifer's eyes again. "Many people were lost that day." Jennifer remained silent, unable to offer any more words of solace.
"I was visiting Chicago at the time because I was looking to get away. I hated Summit," he laughed, "I wanted to leave so bad." Jennifer nodded. She understood those feelings. That's how she felt about Beloit, Wisconsin.
"Flights were grounded though," she said softly.
"I know. I ended up in Chicago for a lot longer than I originally planned," he grinned at Jennifer. "That's when I fell in love with the city."
"And Melony?"
James looked away suddenly. "Well, she found out within the month that she was pregnant."
"Wow," Jennifer sat back in her seat.
James turned the glass of wine in his hands and took another drink with leisure. "I've helped her along the years," James glanced at Jennifer. "She had the life insurance policy, so I helped her determine how she should spend that. I've also helped her invest and stuff to help with the future," he paused. "I take Lydia sometimes on the weekends and during the summer to give Melony a break and be something other than a mom all the time." Jennifer raised a brow.
"You take Lydia?" James nodded. "How'd Katie like that?" With a grin, James chuckled. He hesitated before he answered, but Jennifer was sure she knew the answer.
"She hated it."
Jennifer threw her hands into the air and looked at James again. "And you were going to propose?" James laughed suddenly. Relief spread over Jennifer, as her tone wasn't the nicest. In fact, it seemed to hint that James was stupid for making such a choice.
"But I didn't," James offered as an afterthought.
"But you would have," Jennifer said, awe still in her voice. She didn't understand how a man could stay with someone who clearly wasn't for them. Before she even finished the thought in her mind, she remembered Dick. That was a man who was definitely more interested in himself than in her, and yet she had given him two years of her life.
"You know," James said suddenly, "Katie wasn't all bad."
Jennifer nodded. She supposed Dick wasn't all bad either. The air began to prick with a sense of intimacy again. She met James's gaze and wondered if she should dare to ask the question that swirled in her mind. After a moment, she decided to go for it.
"Why did you ever date Katie?"
James's look down for a moment. When he met Jennifer's eyes again, he smiled and pointed to the right of her head.
"It's the Statue of Liberty."
"What?" Jennifer glanced behind her and gasped. It sure was. The lady stood there on her perch holding up the torch while she gripped her tablet with dignity and grace. Jennifer pressed her face into the glass. They circled around it from a short distance, so wide that the woman seemed to swirl slowly in a circle. Then the helicopter moved in for a closer look. Jennifer pulled out her phone to take photos.
"This is so amazing," she spilled over with glee. As the helicopter turned to fly the length of Manhattan along the river, she continued to take more shots. After several more, she sat back in her chair and took in a deep breath.
"Today has been so incredible. I mean, it started one way and … " her voice trailed. Being in New York City was definitely nothing she could have ever predicted when she woke that day. She didn't know what the night would bring either; she just knew that she liked where it was going-she liked that a lot. Jennifer turned to James. He tapped at the screen on his phone.
"There's a lounge I like to go to sometimes when I come here. It'd be a great place for your friend to meet us since it's Midtown," he looked up from his phone and grinned. "I think it's right up your alley."
Jennifer brightened with a shining smile, and glanced out the side of the helicopter. The passing skyline took her breath and she stopped to watch. Over her shoulder, James called to her.
"You should really take a moment to watch the tour. It's really one of a kind."
Will do. She brought her phone out again and planned to take videos. The tour lasted just under 40 minutes and looped from the Statue of Liberty and Governor's Island to go north along the length of the Hudson River. The pilot turned at the George Washington bridge, giving way to a spectacular airborne view of Central Park, a lush green oasis squared perfectly in the city center.
Her mouth fell agape at the sight of the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings. On the second pass along the length of the city, Jennifer leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes. Everything she saw could encompass why she loved the city so much.
There was something about the modern architecture and towering buildings that could just astound you and steal your next breath. She loved nature and the serenity it could bring, but similarly, she could also find that same peace in the city. It was probably something that made her a city girl at heart.
James informed her when the tour was over, as they cut over the city Midtown to get to 34th street and land. It was just as smooth and almost unnoticeable as their takeoff. There were two other helicopters parked, with a handful of ground controllers wearing large headphones that covered their ears. By the time Jennifer and James left the cabin, the blades had slowed down to eliminate excess noise.
They were ushered to a waiting vehicle, sleek, shiny and black about 20 feet away beyond the blast fence. Inside, Jennifer hummed. It was another luxury vehicle with warm, black leather seats and had what appeared to be a custom console in the middle of the back row. She wondered if it was hiding another beautiful bottle of champagne.
Judging from how giddy she was getting, she made a note not to risk any more drinks. She wasn't the type to hold her liquor well and usually maxed out at three drinks for the night. She wasn't even sure how many she had devoured that day, but she knew it was well over three.
"Did you contact your friend? What's her name?" James slid into the seat from the opposite end of the car. He smiled at her as he made himself comfortable and the driver shut his door.
Jennifer placed the briefcase and purse on the floor in front of the console. The driver rounded behind the back and shut her door on the way to the front seat.
"Her name is Nicole," she answered James after a pause. "Actually, I think I forgot to let her know we were on. What time is it?" Jennifer reached for her purse to get her phone.
"It's five till six," Andrew answered.
Jennifer bit her lip and swiped through the menus on her phone. She sent Nicole a quick message. Nothing fancy, just: [We're good. I'll see you at 7:30.]
Jennifer lifted her head. "Where will she meet us?"
"Tell her Upstairs, at the Kimberly Hotel."
"Okay," Jennifer quickly typed the information in a text. She wondered what they were going to do for an hour in a half. "So um, where are we going now?" She asked with a timid voice; she tried to clear her throat with a small cough.
"A rooftop lounge," James glanced out the window casually as Jennifer's mouth dried. He said it so easily, as if it were a commonplace occurrence. Jennifer chuckled smugly.
"Do you blow your money like this all the time?"
James smirked. "I don't blow my money ever." He paused and grinned at Jennifer. "I can't remember the last time I took a car in to Manhattan, driving or being driven. I can't do it."