Chapter 17
Kate
They crossed into Swiss airspace early the next morning. Kate poked Grant awake.
“Look!” she said, then she smiled as she watched his expression as he gazed out of the window. Lake Geneva glistened below them, the surrounding mountains framing it like a painting, the city growing out from its banks.
“Wow!” Grant breathed. “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
The plane landed, and as they taxied, Kate hurried to tidy herself up. The flight attendant took a wet washcloth and scrubbed Kate’s face.
“You look rumpled. You don’t want to make a bad impression.”
She handed Kate her clothes that had been hung up to relax any wrinkles. Kate slipped into a sheer blouse tucked into a high-waisted pencil skirt and velvet black flats. She pinned her hair into a casual bun at the nape of her neck and freshened her makeup.
“Grant, come here,” she said.
He obliged. He looked disheveled. Kate could already feel the sneers that were going to come their way.
Stefan had packed black slacks and a white shirt for Grant and a pair of leather shoes. When Grant was dressed, he looked like someone’s security detail. Kate tried to fluff out his short-cropped hair but eventually gave up. The captain came out of the cockpit and watched as Kate and Wendy tried to stuff Grant’s massive arms in one of the jackets Stefan had sent.
“Nothing you’re going to be able to do about him,” the captain said with a smirk. “That man looks like an American.”
“And a damn fine specimen at that!” Kate said, giving Grant’s firm backside a playful slap. He jumped, and she laughed. “Let’s go give them something to gossip about.” She gathered their things and made sure she had all the customs forms in order.
Grant was twisting his body, trying to loosen up after the flight, when Kate heard a loud rip. The captain guffawed.
“Leave that jacket here, son,” he said. “Try not to break anything in that watch shop.” He waved, still chuckling as they exited the plane.
The customs officer looked down his nose at them but stamped their passports and waved them on. Kate and Grant got into the waiting car and sped off into the city toward the Patek Philippe headquarters.
The city was beautiful. Kate was impressed every time she came to Geneva. She pointed out various landmark buildings on the way to Grant. She also looked enviously at the well-dressed people strolling on the sidewalk on their way to work. After a trip without too much traffic, they arrived in front of the headquarters building.
“We’ll wait here for a bit until they open,” Kate said. Grant yawned.
“Is this your first time to Europe?” she asked him. “Other than the stops at the US bases?”
“First time for nonmilitary-related travel,” he confirmed.
“Depending on how long this takes, we’ll stop for a nice lunch,” she told him.
“Do they give you a lot of food here?” he asked.
“Um, no, I guess not. They cater to people on the smaller side, I suppose.”
“In Germany, outside the base, there was this Afghan refugee and his family. They had a food truck, and they would sell döner kebab. You could buy two huge sandwiches for four dollars. They had a discount for people who had recently returned from a deployment. It was probably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Do they have that here?”
Kate laughed. “Not in Geneva. We can fly to Germany after and purchase one if you’d like.”
“What? Just fly to Germany to buy a specific food Item?”
“Of course,” Kate said. “Normally, people will fly to a particular city for only a night to eat at a Michelin-star restaurant, but for döner kebab… why not? Or I can send the pilot to go buy some and bring them back for you.”
“That seems wasteful,” Grant told her.
“Yes.” Kate thought about it. “That is a little wasteful. But what’s the harm every once in a while? Don’t make a habit out of it.” She could tell Grant was annoyed by that, so she tried to smooth things over. “We don’t have to; I was only making a suggestion. We’ll go to my favorite French restaurant down the road. It’s conveniently located in the lobby of our hotel. They’ve been awarded three Michelin stars. They have amazing food.”
Grant looked skeptical. She tried to upsell it.
“They have these exquisite platings. The food is so fresh—pure and perfect. They use very high-quality ingredients. It’s the place to be. I had to beg to secure a reservation for tonight.”
“Do they have McDonalds?” Grant asked.
“Are you serious? We aren’t going to McDonalds,” she told him. “I always go to this restaurant when I’m in Geneva. It’s my security blanket. I always feel like the big dumb American when I’m here. This restaurant is good, though. I really like the chef.”
Grant looked out the window unhappily.
“What are we waiting on?” he said, clearly annoyed.
Kate didn’t understand why he wasn’t more enthusiastic. A black sedan pulled in a few spaces away from them.
“That looks like your father and the insurance agent,” she remarked.
“Insurance agent?”
“Of course,” Kate said. “It’s a multimillion-dollar watch. Insurance has to be involved.”
“This is really complicated,” Grant said and pushed the car door open.