A nervous giggle escaped. “Yes. That’s me. You’ve heard of them?”
“You’re practically famous. My daughter ordered your dinosaur egg cupcakes for my grandson’s birthday. They were a hit. A huge hit, I tell you.”
What are the odds in a place this big, hundreds of miles away from home, that I’d sit next to someone who’d heard of The Cake Factory?? “That’s our bestselling kid’s party item. I can’t believe this.” She proudly accepted her moment of fame. Hopefully, just a teensy test-drive before the big bake-off.
“I’ll be honest, I was a little skeptical when I saw them. They were so cute I didn’t expect them to taste like much, but your cakes are delicious. Ask my Henry, he’ll tell you I went on and on about it. You and my Henry, you have to chat. You both love to cook. We were meant to meet. Karma and all that.” The woman leaned in so close Kelly could smell the cough drop on her breath. “You know…I don’t tell everyone this, but I’m a bit psychic,” she whispered in her husky voice. “I don’t know why you’re in town, but I have a feeling that love is coming into your life while you’re here. True love.” She patted Kelly’s leg and gave her a wink. “You take care.”
The golf cart came to a stop. “Carousel one,” the driver announced.
The old woman slid off the seat and grabbed her Louis Vuitton bag. “This is where I get off. So nice to meet you, dear. Come to the restaurant.”
The airline attendant in the middle seat tapped her on the shoulder. “We’re at the other end. You’ll get off when we do.”
“Thank you so much. I’d have been lost for sure.”
The old woman waved as the cart took off.
Kelly waved, realizing she’d never even introduced herself. Where are my manners? I didn’t ask Henry’s wife what her name was. She looked at the card in her sweating hand. Henry and Candace Leary owned The Manhattan Original Diner. Right there on the card, they boasted the best New York cheesecake in the city.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When the driver pulled to a stop in front of the baggage carousel for her flight, Kelly saw her suitcase coast by on the conveyor. She leaped off the cart, handed the driver a five-dollar bill for the rescue, then race-walked to catch up with her bag, but it was faster than she was in the crowd of people. She found an open spot and waited patiently for her bag to come back around.
She was just getting ready to pull out the piece of paper with the emergency contact information from Jennifer when she spotted a tall man in a black suit holding an iPad with the name McIntyre in bold capital letters.
He lifted his chin and mouthed, “Are you Ms. McIntyre?”
“I am.” She nodded.
He crossed the space with long strides. “Excellent.” He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ll get your luggage.”
“It’s the green suitcase. It’s already gone by once, should be coming back around any minute.”
“No problem. Is it that one coming around now?”
“That’s it.” She waited while he scooped up her heavy suitcase like it weighed nothing and checked the tag. “Is this the only one?”
“Yes. That’s it.” She hitched her carry-on on her shoulder.
He pulled the handle up. “You’re my kind of girl. My wife takes this size for an overnighter, and still carries a purse the size of Delaware.” He led her out of the terminal to the parking area. He clicked a button on his keychain, and she saw the trunk lift on a long black limousine that nearly took up two parking spaces.
She started to sweat. “I think there’s been a mistake.”
“What’s the matter? Are you okay?”
“I’m Kelly McIntyre. I…I guess I should have checked the first name too. I’m sorry.”
He pulled out his iPad and touched a few things before turning the screen to her. “This is you, right?”
The screen had her name, address, and the TV channel contacts, even an outdated picture of her. “Yes.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Then we’re all set.” He held the door for her with a smile, and she crawled inside, unsure of where to sit in the roomy back.
“Wow.”
“Never been in a limo before?”
“Never even seen one this close up.” Even the funeral home only used Town Cars these days. She used to think they were pretty fancy. She ran her fingers across the smooth leather.
Certainly he was going to pick up some other people. The horseshoe-shaped seating pit could fit another ten people back here easy.
“There’s ice and drinks. Help yourself.”
She took a bottle of water and drank it straight from the bottle. No need to dirty a glass.
The drive to the hotel took almost a whole hour. The traffic was heavy, and they seemed to spend more time sitting still than moving.
“Is there an accident?” she finally asked.
“No, ma’am. This is pretty normal traffic for this time of day.”
She didn’t know what people saw appealing about living in a big city. It was noisy, and loud, and the traffic would make her crazy. She’d take her sleepy little town any day.
Finally he pulled in front of a fancy hotel with lots of gold and two glitzy-dressed doormen. The bellman took her bag and put it on a cart.
“Thanks for the safe travel.” She handed the driver a twenty-dollar bill.
“Production has taken good care of me. Save that and treat yourself to something fun in our city. It’s been my pleasure.” He started to get back in the car, then popped back up. “And good luck.”
“Thank you.” She hovered close to the bellman.
“You can check in over there.” He handed her a tag. “Just give this to the desk clerk, and we’ll be sure to get your luggage right up to you.”
At the counter, suddenly everything seemed very real. She was in New York City! “Hi, I’m Kelly McIntyre. I’m checking in.”
The
