Chapter Sixteen
Myles
Myles left the office in plenty of time. He may be male, but he still had things he wanted to do before he went out tonight. His shirt and tux had been pressed and he’d picked them up days ago. They were hanging in his apartment on the top floor of the Inglenook Inn, all ready for his date with Darcy. That was what this was tonight. It had become so much more than a Christmas party, a chance to network for his boss and many of his colleagues. He was going out with the woman he’d been partly responsible for getting fired, but the woman who now made him struggle to think of things to say, who held him captivated whenever she spoke. And even though he had so much more on his mind now his father had shown up in New York, Darcy was a great distraction and a welcome one.
He got a cab from the office to the Inn. The snow had started to come down an hour ago but he was getting better at yelling in the street at the yellow vehicles and actually getting them to stop. At first, his stiff upper English lip had left him too polite to call out at random – shouldn’t there be an orderly queue somewhere? – but it really was the only way to do it.
He paid the cab driver, tipped him, negotiated the parked cars near the Inn and went up the familiar brownstone steps. He slotted his key in the lock and stepped into a hallway that felt as far removed from a boutique hotel as it possibly could. It felt like he was coming home. It smelled familiar – the pine tree in the lounge, the scent of a rich, hearty meat dish coming from the kitchen, the smell of the fire he knew was going already.
What he didn’t expect to see was his father sitting in the chair by the window as he pushed open the door. Myles had come from the opposite direction so Ian hadn’t seen him approach.
What really stood out to Myles was how content his father looked. He was far removed from the desperate man he’d talked to a couple of nights ago, since they’d let words and explanations settle between them. Now, his face was illuminated by the glow of the fire and he was holding a glass of whiskey as he looked out at the snow falling from the skies.
Ian turned round as soon as Myles appeared in the lounge. ‘Join me?’ he asked, raising his glass. It was strange how alcohol still bonded the men, despite his mum’s problems with the bottle. In some ways Myles had expected to hate it, but he didn’t. He just wished his mother saw it in the same way they did, as something to enjoy in moderation, not as a way to dull the senses and avoid whatever else was going on.
He said hello to Darcy, who was at the desk, working away. It was hard to believe that very soon she’d go from being his landlady to his date. All day he’d been thinking about what she’d look like dressed up, wearing the earrings he’d chosen for her, those ice-blue eyes showing her excitement at being in a completely new environment to what she was used to.
He nodded at Darcy’s offer of a drink and settled down on the sofa beside the armchair as he and his dad talked about the snow and watched it fall, hitting the sidewalk and the cars but not settling much yet. Cars passed by swishing it out the way, pedestrians avoided it touching their skin by wrapping scarves tighter and pulling hoods up over their heads. A young child with his mother walked past and tilted his head to the sky, opened his mouth and let a flake or two fall onto his tongue. Myles had done exactly the same as a kid and had this strange urge to do it again.
After Darcy brought their drinks over Myles wondered whether his mum had been in touch, but she hadn’t.
Ian settled back against the armchair, swilling the drink in the bottom of his glass. ‘I called this morning but no answer.’
He didn’t need to say it. Myles knew what they were both thinking. Was she out and about and had simply missed the call? Or was she too drunk to answer it?
‘Why did she start up again?’ Myles still couldn’t believe it. His childhood hadn’t been a blast, but he’d thought she was well out of that stage of her life now.
‘She feels like she’s lost you, and she doesn’t know how to get you back.’
‘I came here for work, she knows that.’
Ian shook his head. ‘It’s not about your physical proximity to us, it’s more that even when you’re nearby, you’re unreachable. You’ve never been able to move on from how she once was. You’ve never been able to forgive her. I don’t know…perhaps it was because you were the youngest. You were always more sensitive and you threw everything into your career.’ His face softened, as though he was completely deflated. ‘You never stop to take a breath and look around you.’
‘Of course I do. I’ve seen a lot of Manhattan since I’ve been here.’ That wasn’t what his dad meant and Myles knew it.
‘Your mum and I were together, but we didn’t have a good marriage. We had enormous obstacles in our path, but, somehow, we made it through. However, it took my retirement and me finally seeing her as a person, putting her needs as a priority, to do it.’
‘You’ve always drummed the importance of career into us, the importance of taking responsibility and making a mark.’
‘And I still stand by that. But you can have more than just a career. You can also have a loving, supporting relationship. You can work really hard, but your family can still come out on top. It’s my one regret in life, Myles, that I couldn’t quite manage it.’
Myles watched the snow get heavier beyond the window. He heard the family upstairs greet Darcy as they came back. ‘It wasn’t your fault, Dad. You can’t blame yourself for everything that happened with Mum.’
He looked at Myles. ‘I’d hate for you to go through life too afraid to commit, too scared your own relationships will fail or that you can’t have it all.’
The muscle in his jaw tensed, because his dad was right. He’d trusted himself when it came to school work, then university, and then in the workplace. He had confidence, ability and end goals. But when it came to relationships he’d always feared the worst. Falling in love could happen in an instant, but love was more unpredictable than the world of finance. He’d rather have the fluctuations of the stock exchange on his mind than the ups and downs between each and every member of his family.
Ian leaned forwards and spoke more quietly. ‘Darcy tells me she’s escorting you to a function tonight. She’s a lovely young lady.’
Myles turned to look at her – not that he needed to – to remember how beautiful she was, how well-spoken, what an approachable and genuine woman he’d found. She was deep in conversation with the chef, reviewing menu items, discussing the plan for Christmas dinner.
‘She’s wonderful, Dad. But I’m nervous as hell.’ It was the first time they’d talked about dating, let alone seen an admission of the feelings involved.
‘I was nervous when I first met your mother.’
‘You were?’ Myles couldn’t imagine it.
‘I tried to pretend I wasn’t at all. I was this confident man, or at least that’s what I had her believe, but I still remember how dry my mouth felt the first time I spoke to her. I recall shoving my hands in my pockets so they wouldn’t shake, I remember driving past her house the day before I was due to take her out to a dance at the local village hall just so I could make sure I knew where I was going and wouldn’t be late. But that’s how I knew, see.’
‘How you knew what?’
‘How I knew she was the one. I’d taken girls out before, but I’d never been that on edge. I knew then that she was special.’
It was funny, because Myles was already thinking the very same thing about Darcy.
*
Up on the top floor it was time for Myles to get ready. He was glad he’d seen his dad when he returned to the Inn. Things were far from sorted in their family, his mum could be sprawled out drunk back in England for all they knew, but this was a start. When Myles was growing up he’d wanted someone to sit him down along with his brother and tell them what was happening, explain that none of it was their fault. But, instead, his dad had tried to shield his boys and in doing so they’d felt as though they weren’t considered in the equation. Myles felt sure his dad could see that that had been a mistake, and once upon a time Myles would’ve berated him for it. But not now. They’d started to make some progress and he didn’t want to ruin that.
When Myles had said he really needed to get ready for his work party, his dad had ordered a hot cocoa to drink by the fire and taken out the latest Stephen King book to keep him company. Myles had almost wanted to stay there with him, get to know this man some more, but he knew they had plenty of time.
Myles showered, shaved until his jaw was smooth, pulled on his dress shirt and trousers and finally turned up his collar and draped his bow tie around the material. He fiddled with it and after two or three attempts got it right and shrugged on the jacket to his tux. Now he was standing in front of the mirror, ready to go, his heart skipped away inside his chest at the thought of meeting Darcy downstairs as agreed. He’d said he’d knock on the door to her apartment. She didn’t want to wait around in the hallway in case other guests asked where she was off to. He suspected it had more to do with them asking who she was going with than anything else.
Nervously he went down the stairs, onto the landing, and checked his reflection one more time in the mirror on the wall with white lights draped around its frame. With his winter coat over one arm, he started towards her apartment but didn’t get a chance to knock because she opened the door.
‘Hey.’ She smiled.
‘Hey yourself.’ He couldn’t take his eyes off her. How could someone who dressed so smartly every day look so very different? She’d curled her hair and it hung in waves that fell across her shoulders, one stroking her collar bone. Bare, smooth skin on her upper arms that usually hid beneath a smart shirt or jacket was toned and the earrings he’d given her sparkled perfectly.
‘I think it’s going to snow again.’ Why did he say that? He could’ve gone with ‘You look beautiful’, or ‘Wow, you look gorgeous’. ‘You’ll be cold,’ he added by way of explanation. He was dynamite in a boardroom, never hesitated to voice an opinion and get things moving in the way he wanted to, but opposite Darcy it was as though he’d forgotten basic social skills.
He watched as she dropped her key into a small, sparkly silver bag and then he saw she had something else draped over her arm. ‘I have this,’ she said. ‘It’ll keep me warm. Could you?’ She held out her bag for him to hold while she shrugged on a furry-looking top that enhanced the line of her dress, nipped in at the waist to flatter her figure.
‘You look beautiful, Darcy.’ He relaxed now he’d finally said it and the way she smiled back at him made him even happier that he’d asked her to be his date tonight.
‘You look pretty good yourself.’ She led the way and they went downstairs, through the hallway and towards the front door. He did his best not to stare at long, toned legs, accentuated by her glittery high heels. ‘I’m impressed with the bow tie,’ she called over her shoulder, half turning in amusement. ‘Unless you cheated and bought one on elastic.’
‘Never, it’s the real thing.’ He moved past her and held the front door open for her to go first. ‘I’ll hail a cab.’ The icy wind came straight for them.
‘Listen to you, sounding like a native New Yorker already.’
‘Careful.’ He held out his arm so she could hook her hand through. ‘The steps may be slippy.’
‘They should be fine, I put de-icer on them earlier,’ she said, but linked her arm with his.
‘I’m trying to forget you’re my landlady.’
She took the stairs gingerly. ‘Now you make me sound old.’ She looked up and down the street. ‘We should’ve booked a cab in advance.’
‘No need, I’ve got this.’ He left Darcy waiting at the bottom of the stoop and stepped off the sidewalk and onto the street. He knew cabs came down here all the time and they were only waiting a minute before he saw a familiar yellow vehicle behind three other cars. Here was where he got to impress his date. He liked to be in control and tonight was no different.
‘Taxi!’ he yelled, his hand up in the air. But the damn thing went cruising on by and when he turned Darcy was laughing.
‘Let me,’ she said, ushering him back onto the pavement, and she stepped onto the street keeping behind the safety of a parked car. As soon as she saw a yellow vehicle approach, she leaned out and hollered ‘Taxi!’ in the New York accent that had fully returned now she’d got back into the swing of being on home turf.
‘How…’ He followed her and they climbed in the back while she took charge and told the driver they needed to go to The Plaza.
With a raise of her eyebrows, she swept a hand from the top of her body to the bottom.
‘I’m a bit too male, I assume.’ He whispered so the cab driver couldn’t hear, and when he caught a waft of her floral perfume he was glad he’d had to lower his voice.
As the cab made its way from the Inn and through Greenwich Village before turning onto Fifth Avenue, they talked about some of Myles’s work colleagues. He wanted her to have an idea of who people were. He told her about his boss and his wife, who were both good people and harmless. He warned her about Bobby’s wife Krystal, who usually got drunk within half an hour of being at the function and would be looking for someone to either lean on or bore with talk of her apartment’s very expensive renovations.
‘Doesn’t Bobby get embarrassed?’ Darcy asked.
‘I think she’s done it so often that it’s just part of the night now. And Bobby has been with the firm for years; it doesn’t seem to have affected him or his work.’
‘So I can feel free to get rolling drunk and dance on tables?’
As soon as she said it he noticed her cheeks flush, even in the limited light in the taxi. She turned to look out of the window and pointed out stores to him, the Flatiron Building, as they passed by. Tonight she was just a girl, he was just a guy, and the simplicity of it made him feel young, full of hope. His emotions had been all over the place lately but he felt as though they were finally getting back on track.
The cab took them past Madison Square Park, the Empire State Building, and when they crossed 34th Street he talked about the infamous Miracle on 34th Street movie he’d once watched with his niece and nephew.
Just before they hit 49th Street as it crossed Fifth Avenue, the traffic slowed and then came to a halt.
‘What’s happening?’ Darcy asked the cab driver, but he shrugged. He had no idea.
‘It’s only another ten minutes’ walk from here,’ said Myles. ‘We could just get out. Will you be OK?’ He eyed her sparkly heels and tried not to let his gaze follow her legs for too long.
‘I’ll be fine, let’s do it. We don’t want to be late and it hasn’t started snowing yet.’
Myles paid the cab fare and they crossed to the safety of the sidewalk. The air was freezing, but at least it wasn’t windy. Making a lady walk in heels was bad enough.
As they walked they chatted about Christmas parties of old. She’d been to a few where staff had been so drunk they hadn’t turned up to work the next day, she didn’t do hangovers much these days because of her early starts and crazy shifts, and he admitted the last time he’d had too much to drink at a work Christmas party he and a colleague had Sellotaped their legs together and insisted on doing a three-legged race.
‘It all ended in tears of course,’ he explained as they came to another intersection. ‘Mine mostly when we fell over and I cut my head open.’
‘You didn’t!’
As they waited for cars to slow and the sign to change so they could walk across, he pulled back the very front of his hair, leaning in close to her. ‘I had a few stitches but the scar is almost gone.’
When she touched her fingers to it, to get a better look, he drew in his breath. He hadn’t expected her touch and it threatened to send him giddy.
They crossed the street, avoiding the puddle where the tarmac dipped unevenly. He sneaked a sideways glance at his date for the night. She looked impossibly elegant in the classic black dress, which had a few ruffles on the skirt he’d noticed in the taxi. It was subtle detailing that you only saw if you were really looking and close enough. She held her silver bag against her body, crossing her other arm over either for security or because she was cold, and he made sure he didn’t march as fast as usual so she wouldn’t have to suffer sore feet for the rest of the evening.
‘I’m really excited about going to The Plaza,’ she admitted, almost coyly as though she shouldn’t be broadcasting the information.
‘Then in that case I hope tonight is everything you’re wishing for.’
Darcy’s hand rested against his arm as they approached the building that stretched across the corner with an impressive entrance, gold detailing and carpeted steps. ‘I’ve seen it a thousand times before, but it’s no less impressive.’
‘It surprises me that you haven’t been inside to check out the hotel part,’ Myles remarked. ‘You’re in the industry after all.’
‘When I was a little girl, my mum brought me here. We stood outside and I was amazed by the grandeur of the whole place. I can’t even remember much apart from the food court and the lobby, but I haven’t ever had a really good look around. Crazy isn’t it? It’s always the things on your doorstep that you see last. I met so many Londoners in my time over in your country and I think I’d seen more of England than they had. When you go somewhere as a tourist it’s totally different.’
‘Yes, I suppose it is. I guess I’m like that here. From the moment I arrived I’ve wanted to get the lay of the land, work out where everything is, get a feel for what it’s like to be a New Yorker. When I moved around England with work, I pretty much arrived, went to the office and didn’t think twice about the fact I was in a new city. England was my home so I didn’t think outside the square enough.’ He turned to her now as they stood aside to let others past as the impressive Plaza loomed in front of them. ‘It’s sad in a way, don’t you think?’
‘I suppose it is. We dream big and big usually means getting out there into the world, when sometimes what we need is right on our doorstep.’
The moment hovered between them and Myles wondered if Darcy was including him in the words she’d just shared.
‘Would you want to work anywhere like this?’ Myles wanted to know more about this girl. He wanted her to himself before they went inside. He wished they were going to an intimate restaurant to talk over a candlelit dinner, way into the small hours.
‘You know, I never really thought about it. Travel was on my mind for a long, long time and I always assumed it would eventually end with me taking a job with a big hotel chain. I think part of the reason I wasn’t overly interested in this place was because I knew it was the pinnacle of what I wanted to achieve. I needed to make something of myself before I so much as thought of approaching somewhere like this with a view to getting a job. Does that make sense?’
‘It does. I guess I never dreamed big at the start either, but pushed myself daily, did the grind and eventually landed better and better jobs. It makes total sense to me.’
‘Over the years I’ve begun to think about it more,’ Darcy went on. And if she was cold, she wasn’t showing it. She looked all lit up inside. ‘I’ve seen both sides, worked in small establishments and large and I’m beginning to see the difference. I think I have an affinity for the boutique hotels, the quieter side.’ Her eyes sparkled at the revelation. ‘The Inglenook Inn has really opened my mind to the possibility of having my own place one day.’
‘Here in New York?’
‘I’m not sure. I’m not quite ready to leave Manhattan yet, so who knows.’
She may not be shivering but he noticed she was tense. He hoped it was the cold rather than nerves at being with him. ‘Shall we go in?’ he suggested. ‘Are you ready for this?’
‘I’m ready.’
He took her hand. It was a decisive move and she held his gaze until they reached the steps just as white flakes began to tumble down once again from the sky.
Neither of them rushed to escape it. ‘Have you ever tasted snow?’ he asked.
‘What?’ She giggled. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Yeah.’ Holding her hand they both looked up at the sky, at the white flakes hurtling towards them in a rush but landing softly when they arrived.
‘I was always told not to as a kid,’ she said, ‘especially if it was yellow.’
His laughter echoed into the night as other people hurried past to get into the warmth of The Plaza. ‘That’s revolting. No, I mean like this.’ He tilted his head back and opened his mouth just enough to let a few flakes land and melt on his tongue. ‘Go on, try it.’
‘You’re mad. These people’ – she gestured around them – ‘will think we’re mad.’
‘Who cares what they think?’ He’d have to turn into a businessman in a few seconds and he just wanted a moment longer to be this man, outside, with a girl whose company was everything he could ever wish for.
Darcy tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Myles watched one flake land on her eyelashes, elegantly long with mascara, then another flake land on her tongue.
‘It’s weird,’ she laughed, reacting to the sensation.
He felt almost incapable of moving. Watching her in the simplicity of the moment, he realised just how taken he was with Darcy Spencer.
But now, squeezing her hand and leading her inside, he knew he had to turn serious and try to put out of his mind the thoughts of what tonight could be in the long-term.
All he knew was that this was a start.