Lucky Charm (40 page)

“I don’t know.” Annabel sighed
. A
fter the endless hours she had spent deliberating the subject, Paige’s simple question was enough to send her over the edge
. S
he reminded herself to keep it together
.
Paige was still her boss. “Ever since he showed up at my building, I keep thinking that maybe I was wrong about him – maybe I should have given him another chance… After all, if he came back for me now, our relationship must have meant
a lot to him, and everyone can
make a
mistake, right?” Annabel looked
hopefully at Paige, but seeing that Paige was not about to agree, she
rambled on, “It’s just dinner
. W
hat harm could come from one dinner?”

“If you say so...” Paige shrugged. “But I’ll tell you one thing
. L
ife is too short to waste it on meaningless dates
. B
elieve me, I’m an expert on the subject.”

“But didn’t you just say yourself that it’s good to keep your options open?” Annabel blurted out, forgetting about her usual motto of never contradicting her boss.

“Oh, come on, Ann. You and I both know that’s all bullocks.” Paige waved her hand dismissively. “Until I met Robert, I thought I was happy running from one guy to the next… To think that I wasted twenty years being bitter about a cheating husband…”

At the sound of Paige’s words, Annabel’s eyebrows rose involuntarily
. I
t just proved that you could never know what went on in another person’s head. On the outside
,
Paige Martin appeared to be sheer confidence and control
. W
ho would have thought that all that bravado was fueled by pent up angst?

“That’s right.” Paige smiled weakly. “Don’t look so surprised
. M
y divorce hit me really hard… Sure, my husband was
twenty years older than I
,
and many thought I married him for the money, but that wasn’t true
.
I was crazy in love with him. I was so young then, and he wasn’t even forty yet
. H
e was so handsome, my heart raced like a hammer every time I looked at him. He really courted me – made me feel like I was the most special girl in the world…” Paige blinked with a distant look of memory in her eyes. “I thought we were going to have a wonderful marriage - kids and everything… Boy
,
was I in for a rude awakening when I caught him with his secretary. Yes, I know that sounds like such a cliché! Oh well… I guess he expected me to keep my mouth shut and put up with it, but I walked right out. He wanted me back, you know, but I knew I could never trust him again. He remarried, of course, but I hear he’s still keeping up his old ways
.
I guess his wife doesn’t mind… But look at me blabbering on when you have to get ready for your date… What I’m trying to say is, don’t make the mistake of settling for second best, Ann
. W
ait for the right guy. I know it may seem like he’ll never show up, but he will
. Y
ou just have to have enough patience to wait for him.”

“Thanks
,
Paige
.
I don’t know what to say,” Annabel mumbled.

“Have a good time tonight.”

Before Annabel could say another word, Paige walked out into the hallway, and Annabel understood that their heart to heart talk was over
. A
fter all, one could not expect a woman like Paige Martin
,
who was practically a legend in the
Manhattan
dating circle
,
to linger on after such a revealing confession.

As she ran up the stairs to her apartment, Annabel checked her watch nervously
. I
t was a quarter to six. Paige’s unexpected confession had put a cramp into her schedule, as did the traffic that turned her usual fifteen-minute bus ride into a forty-minute ordeal.

Oh well
, Annabel thought as she opened the door
.
I’ll just have to hurry
.

On her way to the shower, she peeled off her khaki pencil skirt and short-sleeved blouse. She turned on the shower, grateful for the cool stream of water hitting her skin, washing away the grime of
New York
summer heat. As she mused about her upcoming evening, she lathered up her favorite volumizing shampoo
. H
er hair had to look perfect for Jeremy. She would be cool, calm and collected
. A
picture of perfect poise, she would take Jeremy’s breath away. And maybe, just maybe, if he managed to convince her, she would give him another chance.

After she toweled off from the shower and blow-dried her hair, Annabel surveyed the date outfit she had selected last night– a dress of blue silk and high-heeled sandals. She had bought the dress during her last week in
Paris
for a dinner with Etienne’s friends, but at the last minute
,
the party got cancelled and she never got the chance to wear it. Well, that would change tonight. Delicately, she pulled on the zipper and slipped into the dress. The soft silk fabric brushed against her legs as she twirled before the mirror, enjoying her reflection
. S
he was determined to have a good time tonight.

It was twenty minutes after seven when Annabel finally reached Aquavit. Cursing traffic, she paid the cab fare and hurried toward the entrance
. S
ure, she wanted to keep Jeremy in suspense, but she did not want him to think that he was being stood up.

She parted the heavy glass doors and made her way past the heavy curtains
. S
leek furniture filled the foyer, polished wooden paneling lined the walls that seemed to st
retch
for miles into the endless ceiling that soared tens of feet above her
. T
he place was downright impressive, and she immediately understood why Jeremy had picked it.

S
canning the crowd for Jeremy, Annabel approached the twig-thin hostess.

“May I help you?” The hostess eyed her as though she owned the place.

“I’m supposed to be meeting someone…” Annabel noticed Jeremy occupying one of the bar stools. “Right over there.”

Just relax
, she thought as she made her way to the bar
. T
his is only dinner
.

“Annabel!” Jeremy rose from his chair to greet her when she was halfway across the room. “I was beginning to think that you were going to stand me up!”

“I’m sorry
. T
he traffic was terrible,” she mumbled, suddenly out of breath.

“Well, the important thing is that you are here, and if I may say so, you look absolutely stunning.”

“You look really nice too.” And he did
. G
one was the frazzled look that so shocked her when she found him by her doorstep the other night
. W
ith his hair freshly trimmed, dressed in a linen summer suit, Jeremy exuded an aura of movie star sophistication.

Jeremy looped his arm around her. “Shall we get seated?”

“Sure.” Annabel nodded, inching away from Jeremy’s embrace
. S
he was not ready to get this close to him yet.

“Isn’t this place fantastic?” Jeremy asked when they were seated in a spacious booth.

“Yes, it’s lovely.” Annabel smiled awkwardly. Who was this suave charmer sitting across from her, and what was she doing here?

A
s
if sensing her unease, Jeremy reached across the table for her hand.

“I’m so glad you came, Ann,” he murmured, the tone of his voice evoking the Jeremy she remembered.

“It’s nice to see you too, Jeremy.” She felt some of her tension ease away. “I saw your book in the window of Barnes and Noble the other day
. C
ongratulations,” she added casually, deciding not to mention the fact that she had stayed away from book reviews for months so as not to run into an article on Jeremy. Well, now that they were about to share a meal together, there was no reason why she could not congratulate him.

“Oh, well, yes.” Jeremy shifted in his seat. “It’s been out for a couple of weeks.”

“It must be amazing to finally have your dream come true.”

“You know that I could have never done it without you, Ann.”

She looked away, not wanting his belated gratitude. “You did it all on your own, Jeremy.”

“Well, some of it, and there are plenty of things that I’m not proud of…” Jeremy rubbed his chin. “Someday I will tell you all about it, but if I start now, I’m afraid we’ll end up starving. So how about we order first?”

“Sure.” Annabel opened the menu, glad that for now they could switch their attention to food instead of each other.

The waiter came by and asked for their drink orders.

“Two cucumber martinis,” Jeremy spoke before Annabel could say a word.

“You know, I can order my own drink,” Annabel added, arching an eyebrow, after the waiter had left.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Jeremy slapped himself on the forehead. “I didn’t mean to… It’s just that cucumber martinis are the best here
. Y
ou are going to love yours, I promise!”

“I was only kidding,” Annabel
assured him, wondering when
Jeremy
had
acquire
d that
new habit
. Was
that how Athena preferred things, to have her drinks ordered for her? “So what’s good on the menu here?
”
Annabel stalled for time as she raked her mind for possible conversation starters, but she could not think of a single word.

“I highly recommend the pheasant here,” Jeremy resumed his earlier tone, “it’s superb.”

“That sounds a bit too exotic for me.” She was no vegan, but pheasant? “I think I’ll stick with salmon instead.”

“You were never much of an adventurer.” Jeremy grinned. “I’ll order it myself then. And for the appetizer, I suggest lobster toast for you
. I
t is amazing. I am going with
foie gras.
”

“Not much of an adventurer, huh? Well, I’ll have you know that I recently got back from a three-week trip to
Paris
.”

“Wow, that’s great, Ann. Whom did you go with?”

“Oh, just some friends.” She toyed with him, relishing the hint of jealousy in his voice.

“Meet anyone special?” Jeremy’s eyes narrowed.

“No one in particular,” she stammered, caught off guard by his question, “but I had a wonderful time.” She forced herself to keep the bright smile on her face as memories of Etienne flooded her mind
. S
uddenly, the evening with Jeremy stretched before her in an unending procession, and she had no idea how she was going to make it through dinner.

“No one in particular, huh? Well, I’m really glad to hear that.”

“You are?”

“Yes
. I
t means I still have
a
chance.” He winked at her.

“You had more than a chance, Jeremy, and you blew it.”

“Ouch
. F
air enough.” Jeremy shrugged. “But I’m in the running now, right? And I’d say from the looks of it, things are looking up.” Jeremy reached across the table and squeezed her hand.

Annabel’s face grew warm
. S
he had expected many things from their meeting, but she did not expect Jeremy to take her for granted as though she were a pair of worn slippers or an old sweater.

To her relief, the waiter returned with their drinks and took their orders.

“To things looking up.” Jeremy raised his martini glass.

Annabel followed suit, hoping that alcohol might relax her. “Wow, this is a really strong martini.” She had not eaten anything all day and could already feel her head starting to spin as the liquor hit her stomach.

“But it’s smooth, isn’t it? Goes right down.” Jeremy took a long swallow of his drink.

Annabel stole a side glance at Jeremy
. S
he did not remember him being so effusive about alcohol, but then the Jeremy she remembered did not indulge in pheasant either.

The waiter approached their table and, aided by an array of servers, unveiled the first course.

“Ah, the
foie gras
is amazing!” Jeremy exclaimed. “You’ve got to try this, Ann.” He smeared some of the mixture on a cracker and held it up to her lips, just the way he used to when they were together.

Making a conscious effort to keep her hand steady, Annabel took the cracker out of Jeremy’s fingers and placed it on her plate.

“Well, aren’t you going to try it?”

She bit off a small piece. Immediately, the familiar taste enveloped her, bringing back the memory of the time she had tasted the dish last
. It was
with Etienne, on a sunny afternoon, in a small bistro overlooking the
Seine
.