In Love With My Personal Assistant(23)

"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."