A Fare To Remember

She took a deep breath. “I think so, too.” Maybe her big bed and hot tub wouldn’t go to waste, after all.

CHAPTER SIX

ZACH WAS GLAD HE AND Hannah had cleared the air. He’d had a rough morning between moving into the corner office and watching Ed set up in the little space Medford was giving him. Spending some carefree time with Hannah during his lunch hour had been something he’d looked forward to. If she’d wanted to end their relationship, that would have made this a totally sucky day.

Instead they munched on Iris’s pastels de carne, meat-filled pastries Hannah had insisted on buying for both of them, as they walked to the first resale shop a couple of blocks away. Iris had suggested Zach leave the suit jacket Hannah had returned at the coffee stand and pick it up on his way back. As she’d taken it from him, she’d murmured an apology for causing problems.

Zach had assured her that it was better to have everything out in the open. Before he’d left, Iris had whispered that she really liked Hannah. Well, so did he. That still didn’t mean they’d end up on the ninety-percent side of Mario’s record.

When they arrived at the first resale shop, Zach saw a women’s black business suit in the window. “There you go.” He pointed to it. “If that fits you, it would take you through all your interviews.”

Hannah gazed at the suit and wrinkled her nose. “It’s so black.”

“Right. People tend to wear a lot of black in New York.”

“If you’ll excuse my saying so, I think that’s boring.” Hannah opened the door of the shop and walked in.

In fifteen minutes they walked out again. Hannah carried a bag that contained a blue-and-gold dress and she wore her other purchase, a bright green blouse paired with a skirt that included every color in the rainbow. Zach gave her credit for shopping speed, and he had to admit she looked great in the clothes, but she bore no resemblance to a typical New Yorker.

At least, thanks to his bargaining skills, she hadn’t paid much for any of it. In the second shop, it was the same song, second verse. Zach tried in vain to suggest more subdued outfits, but Hannah fell in love with a bright purple suit with turquoise trim. She said she had a necklace from Arizona that would look great with it.

“Now this, I would buy in black.” She reached for something on a rack of new clothes.

Zach stared at the flimsy negligee. Mostly it was transparent, except for little bits of fake fur here and there. The thought of Hannah wearing it threatened to provide him with an embarrassing erection.

He stepped behind a display table to conceal the evidence. “It’s nice.”

“I think so, too.” She checked the size. “Perfect. I’m getting it.”

With the negligee thrown into the mix, Zach was so distracted that he forgot to bargain. He didn’t even realize it until Hannah spoke up as they were leaving the shop.

“I guess you thought those prices were better than the first place,” she said.

He didn’t dare admit that he’d been too busy thinking about her wearing that black number to think about prices. “Yeah, I think they were priced about right.”

“Me, too. And you can’t very well bargain on something new, like the nightie I bought.”

He started to speak and only a croak came out. He cleared his throat. “True.”

“Zach, you’ll never guess what the hotel gave me as a replacement room.”

“What’s that?”

“A suite! Now, granted, a suite at the Pearson isn’t exactly a suite at the Plaza, but I have this huge king-size bed and a big Jacuzzi in the bathroom. With a setup like that, I really need this nightie. All I have is a sleep shirt. This is not a sleep shirt kind of room.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.” And he was a dead man. Now he’d be able to think of nothing else but Hannah prancing around that suite, red hair bouncing, as the transparent negligee floated around her body. “Um, would you like to have dinner again tonight at seven?” Surely she could see right through that and know what he was really after.

If she did, she didn’t let on. “I think dinner sounds lovely. Then I can tell you all about my interviews.” She glanced at her watch. “Yikes. It’s late. Maybe I should splurge and take a cab over there.”

“I’ll get you one.” He spotted a taxi half a block away. Amazingly, he was able to subdue his lust long enough to produce a decent whistle.

“See? That’s what I want you to teach me how to do. You used your tongue and your teeth to make that sound, didn’t you?”

“Um, yeah.” And he was ready to deploy those resources tonight in her suite, if he got the opportunity.

“So you’ll teach me tonight?”

“Absolutely.” Anything you want to learn. He opened the cab door and helped her in. “Good luck with those interviews.”

“Thanks! See you at seven!”

He stood there in a daze, knowing that he was at least a half hour past his normal lunch hour, knowing that Medford would notice and think he was slacking off, and yet he couldn’t get himself to care. He had clients to call, business to transact. He had his new desk to organize.

And nothing mattered but seeing Hannah again in five and a half hours. A king-size bed, a black negligee and Hannah. What could be more important than that?

THE INTERVIEWS HADN’T BEEN particularly promising. Hannah had interviewed for and been hired for plenty of jobs in her life. At first she’d needed to earn enough money to keep the family together, and after that she’d worked her way through college. She could tell when a potential employer was interested and when they weren’t. So far, she’d felt no positive signs that she had a chance at a job.

But she had a date with Zach, a new dress to wear with her favorite turquoise necklace and a nightie to put on later, if all went as she’d hoped. This time she met Zach in the lobby.

“You were right about the dress.” He held out a single rose, an exotic violet color that blended perfectly with her outfit.

She broke off the stem and tucked the rose behind her ear. “Glad you like it.”

“Very much.” His gaze lingered on the spot where she’d tucked the rose in her hair.

“I hope you don’t mind.” She’d been playing pretty fast and loose with his flower gifts, and they couldn’t be cheap. This rose looked pricier than your average red one. “Maybe I should have taken it upstairs and put it in some water.”

“No.” He took her hand and led her to the hotel’s front door. “I pictured you tucking it into your hair. I’ve never known a woman who likes flowers in her hair before. I’m starting to see what a great idea it is.”

“My mother used to.” It was one of her fondest memories, her mother with flowers in her hair. Soon little Hannah had wanted flowers in her hair, too, and her mother had obliged, plucking them from their backyard garden. A couple of teachers’ salaries didn’t pay for many florist deliveries.

“It’s a wonderful tradition.” He squeezed her hand as they stepped out onto the busy streets of New York.

She couldn’t believe how much difference twenty-four hours made. The night before she’d been eager to be part of the crowds, part of the excitement that was the city. Tonight she longed to be alone with Zach.

“Mario sends his apologies,” Zach said.

“You invited him to dinner?” That startled her.

“No. I told him you were upset about being handpicked to be my blushing bride. He apologized for meddling with your future. And he also thinks quitting my job would be crazy.”

“Oh.” She thought about that as she fell into step beside Zach. It didn’t escape her notice that tonight they were walking hand in hand. “So is he sorry for meddling in my future, or sorry because I’m in favor of you quitting your job?”

Zach grinned. “A little of both. But I told him not to worry about the job. I’m staying. The ‘meddling in your life part,’ though, deserves an apology.”

“I accept it. Like Iris said, he means well.” Hannah had taken some time to think about her recommendation that Zach should leave his job, especially after getting the cold shoulder during her interviews today. “I suppose I