“Mommy, how do airplanes stay in the sky?” Andrew set his plane on the table and took a bite of his peanut butter toast.
“It has to do with thrust and airflow,” I said trying to remember high school physics.
“From the engine?”
“Yes. And how the air goes around the wings. We can get a book at the library if you want.”
“Grandma is taking me to the library,” he said with a mouth of toast.
“Be sure to get a book. You can show me tonight when I get home from work.”
“’k.”
Twenty minutes later, I dropped him off at my parents’ apartment, and then took the subway up to midtown to my job.
I was just putting my purse in my desk when Nikita poked her head in my door. “I’ve got something for you.”
“Oh?” I waved her in.
“I’ve been planning that party for Tony Gallagher,” she said of the standards crooner of the 1960s who was having a resurgence in popularity after his music was featured in a blockbuster film. “Mari has the flu and Jacob is still out on family leave,” she said of two people on her team.
“So you need some people from my team?” I asked, sitting at my desk and taking a sip of the fancy coffee I bought. Expensive coffee was my one indulgence.
“I want you and your team. Can you meet me at Roarke’s this afternoon?”
I tried to keep my face impassive, but I was sure I flinched. It happened every time I heard the name Roarke.
The NYC restaurant owned by Devin’s family was so fancy-schmancy that I’d yet to be involved in any events there because my clientele wasn’t quite that rich. The few that were that wealthy were younger, and while Roarke’s was for the elite, it was for the older elite. The rumor was Devin was changing that in their European establishments and that he’d opened a few clubs in an attempt to cater to the younger crowd. But here in New York, Roarke’s was still something for older, richer people.
My instinct was to say, “No,” but if my career was to continue its upward momentum, I needed this experience and the connections I could make. Devin was still in Europe, and I was certain that Mrs. Roarke wouldn’t remember me if she happened to be at the restaurant.
“Yes, of course. Wow. Roarke’s.”
“We’ve got most everything set up, but I need to walk through with Roarke’s staff, and this is a big deal, so I’d love it if you could attend. I want our top, top people there making sure the event goes over. Gallagher has lots of friends who have lots of friends. It comes from over fifty years in the biz.”
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
She handed me a binder. “Everything we’ve done so far is in there. I’ll see you around three? Bring your team too.”
“I will. Thank you, Nikita. I appreciate your including me.”
She smiled. “You’ll have my job before long. Just wait until I retire before taking it though.”
I laughed. “No one would take your job.”
I busied myself through the day to distract myself, but it was no use. I couldn’t stop worrying about walking into Roarke’s. Chances were no one would know or remember me, so it was crazy to be worried and yet I was.
At three o’clock, I stepped out of the elevator on to the thirtieth floor where Roarke’s overlooked the Manhattan skyline and a perfect view of the Empire State Building. The restaurant was elegant, making me think of a private men’s club with dark leather chairs, dark walls accented with gold. It had an outdoor terrace and several event rooms.
I made my way to the larger of the rooms that had its own terrace where Mr. Gallagher’s party would be.
“Ah, there you are Rena. I’m just finalizing the menu with Alison here,” Nikita said waving me over. “Here’s a list of things that you and your team to check out.”
She handed me a folder. The first item had to do with seating set up for the outdoor area. “Let’s look this over on the terrace,” I said to my little team of three.
We stepped outside into the chilly air.
“What if it rains or snows? Isn’t it a little cold for an outdoor event?” Debbie asked as we all pulled our coats around us in the chilly February air.
“They’ve got outdoor heaters, but I’ll check on rain or snow,” I said. We spent the next twenty minutes going through the list of items. Nikita was the best at the job, so there weren’t any issues that needed us to troubleshoot or fix.
When we were done, I sent my team back to the office while I hunted down Nikita again to let her know all was well.
I stepped into the large room and immediately, the hairs on my arms stood up as I walked into Devin Roarke.
“Excuse me,” he said, his voice as deep and velvety as I remembered.
“I’m sorry,” I said looking down and stepping away from him. I made a b-line to Nikita, hoping he didn’t recognize me. When I reached her, I glanced at where he’d been. He stood in the doorway; his eyes narrowed toward me as if he was trying to place me.
Asshole, I thought as I turned my attention to Nikita. I remembered every moment of our time together, and he clearly didn’t remember me. Then again, I didn’t want him to remember me. I turned my attention to Nikita because I didn’t need him figuring out who I was. I worked to ignore him as he talked to his staff, but it was hard because I was dying to get a better look.
Finally, Nikita thanked me and sent me back to the office. I headed out of the event room, trying not to look like
