Kate Hoffmann - A Fare To Remember

“Of course he does,” Zach said, walking up to the coffee stand. “We’re his latest project.”

Hannah spun to face him. “You knew that?”

“Not immediately. He swore to me that he was trying to help out someone who was light on contacts in the city.” Zach didn’t seem too upset about being manipulated.

Hannah was busy processing how she felt about it. She’d liked the scenario better when she’d thought it was pure coincidence, a touch of kismet. Instead she’d been manipulated by a wily cab driver. And yet…could she say she was sorry she’d met Zach?

“So when did you figure it out?” she asked.

“When I saw you standing in the lobby yesterday morning.”

“Because?”

He looked into her eyes. “Because you’re beautiful.”

Oh. A girl couldn’t get too indignant after a response like that, could she?

“Mario, he means well,” Iris said. “He only wants to see his friends happy.”

“I’m sure he does.” Conflicting emotions rolled through her. “But…no offense, Zach…I’ve always liked the idea of choosing for myself.”

“Me, too. But I decided not to let that keep me from spending a little time with you. And that’s all I have in mind. Just because ninety percent of Mario’s fix-ups turn into marriages doesn’t mean-”

“Ninety percent?”

“Good instincts, that Mario,” Iris said.

Hannah took a deep breath. Despite how much she liked Zach, she couldn’t help feeling railroaded, almost like a mail-order bride. A guy with a ninety-percent ratio in matching couples had targeted her for Zach. Mario knew Zach fairly well, but he didn’t know Hannah hardly at all. How could he guess what she wanted or needed at this stage in her life?

She gazed at Zach. “Look, I got to New York yesterday. I’m looking for a new job, a new life. One thing I’m not looking for is a husband.”

Zach nodded. “Fair enough. I’m not looking for a wife, either.”

“A steady girlfriend?” She wasn’t sure that she wanted to fill that slot, either. If they’d met by accident, it would be different, but this had been plotted out. She wasn’t a rat in somebody’s science experiment, damn it.

“I’m not looking for a steady girlfriend, either,” Zach said.

A hot, temporary lover? She thought of her plans for the suite tonight. What a shame if she turned out to be the only one using that king-size bed and Jacuzzi.

Zach sighed. “Hannah, I can see you’re upset about this. We don’t have to spend the lunch hour shopping together if you don’t want to. We can go our separate ways, and in a city of this size, we’ll probably never see each other again.”

Now, that was an unpleasant thought. She’d had fun with Zach last night. More than fun. He kissed better than any guy in recent memory. She shouldn’t let that ninety-percent thing scare her into giving up those kisses forever. Hot kisses did not a wedding make.

“I’d like to go shopping,” she said. “I just want us to understand each other.”

“I think we do.”

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

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 was meddling in your life, telling you to quit.”

“You just got to town. You don’t know how tough it is.”

“I have a better idea after this afternoon.”

Zach made a low sound of sympathy. “No nibbles?”

“I’m not sure there was fish in the river. I heard stories about the number of qualified applicants. And I don’t think they were particularly impressed when I told them this was my first trip to New York.”

“It’s not easy.” Zach rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Have you called any of the people I gave you?”

“I did, after I came back to the hotel. Nobody’s hiring right now. I could fill out an application, take an editing test, but they warned me it could be months before anything opens up.”

“I’m sorry, Hannah. But don’t give up.”

“Are you kidding? It’s only my first day of interviews. I’m not even close to giving up. Sure, I would have loved to get a job right away, but that’s not the real world.” She glanced at him. “I kept my eyes open, and you’re right. Lots of people dress in black.”

“Want to go back to the resale shop tomorrow and buy that little suit in the window?”

“Not yet. I like to think I might bring a new perspective, and if I dress like everyone else, they won’t see that.” She could feel his hesitation. “You don’t agree with that, do you.”

“I can’t decide if I should encourage you to blend in, or if I should jump outside the box with you.”

As the implication of that settled over her, she had serious reservations about her influence on him. Last night she’d blithely told him to quit his job if he didn’t like it. What if he took her advice and ended up in financial trouble? She’d be responsible.