The Prince Charming Hoax (35 page)

“
No, of course not.
”

“
Can I sit here with Debbie
‘
til we arrive?
”

Leah nodded and looked over at Roxie, who was still sound asleep with a pillow over her head, blocking out the light and noise. Leah shook her lightly.
“
Roxie, wake up. We
’
ll be there soon and I need you to move so I can sit down.
”

Roxie stirred and the pillow fell in her lap. She blinked her eyes and sighed as she pulled her long legs under her.
“
So, sit.
”

Leah slid in and sat silently for a few minutes, giving Roxie a chance to wake up. The moment the train entered the tunnel leading into the station, Leah started to feel the rush of excitement that always came over her whenever she returned to New York.
The uneasy feeling left her and her mood elevated in anticipation of being in her favorite city—her first home. By the time the train pulled to a stop, Roxie was ready, too. She jumped up, grabbed her bag, and admonished the girls for not moving faster.
“
Come on, Ladies. You
’
ll get run over in this town if you can
’
t keep pace.
”
And with that she moved onto the platform.

Leah followed right behind and grabbed her friend
’
s arm as she headed for the terminal.
“
Roxie, wait a second. I want to ask you something.
”

“
Wait until we get inside the terminal. It
’
s really hard to hear anything out here.
”

“
No. Listen. I have to do something now that can
’
t wait. Can you take the girls and check into our hotel, and I
’
ll meet you there in an hour?
”

Roxie looked at Leah and shook her head in disbelief.
“
What
’
s so important? We just got here.
”

“
Doug
’
s office is in One Penn Plaza, the building right next to the station. I
’
m going to see him now and get it over with so I can enjoy my two days here.
”
Leah tightened her hold on Roxie
’
s arm.
“
Please, do this for me.
”

“
Are you sure that
’
s what you want to do?
”

Leah nodded.

“
If you
’
re not back at the hotel in an hour, I
’
ll presume you
’
re ruining your life again with Doug, and I
’
ll take the girls out for lunch.
”

Leah made a face.
“
Thanks for the vote of confidence.
”

When they all got in the terminal, Leah handed Ali her overnight bag.
“
Listen, Sweetie, you and Debbie go on ahead to the hotel with Roxie. I
’
ll meet you there in an hour, promise.
”

“
Mommmm, where are you going?
”
Ali looked disappointed and a little afraid.

Leah hugged her.
“
Don
’
t worry. I
’
ll tell you about it later. But, I have something really important to take care of first.
”
She threw kisses to them all and walked toward the hallway connecting the buildings, hoping she looked more confident than she felt.

Chapter
30

Leah
’
s stomach plummeted as the elevator rose.
This is crazy. What if Doug isn
’
t in, or if he
’
s in a meeting?
She considered rushing back down and trying to catch Roxie and the girls before they grabbed a cab.
No! I
’
m doing this.

Leah instinctively reached for the handrail for support. She ran her other hand through her hair and breathed in deeply to calm down. She stole a glance around to see if anyone else was aware of her discomfort, but the other passengers were staring straight ahead.

She shook her head. She was doing it again—thinking everyone was looking at her, judging her. Just as she started to relax, the doors opened on Doug
’
s floor and her panic returned. Leah cleared her throat.
“
Excuse me,
”
she said and the people in front of her parted, letting her exit.

Standing in a narrow hallway, Leah could see the receptionist from behind the wall of glass doors that led to the lobby of Doug
’
s company. She pushed the button and the receptionist buzzed her in.

“
I
’
m here to see Mr. Dowling.
”
Leah smiled and handed her card to the woman.

The receptionist pointed to the seating area.
“
Have a seat, please, while I call his assistant.
”

Leah watched the desk to see if she would encounter any interference from the gatekeepers. She half expected Heather to rush out to greet her and explain that Doug was out, or busy, or…

“
Leah, what a wonderful surprise! I thought you were going to call when you got in.
”

She turned around to see Doug bounding through the double-door entry to the office suites.

Caught off-guard, Leah
’
s first instinct was to rush over and hug him, but instead greeted him in in a businesslike manner. She smiled and extended her hand.

Doug grasped her hand and leaned in to kiss her lightly on her cheek. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, staring at each other.
Doug, the consummate businessman, quickly straightened up and resumed the corporate demeanor in front of the receptionist.

“
Come back to my office. Have you had breakfast? We can stop by the cafeteria, or Heather can bring you whatever you want.
”

Leah hesitated. She just wanted to say what was on her mind and go. It might be easier in the office because that would prohibit emotional responses on both their parts, but it wouldn
’
t satisfy her need for an honest end to their relationship.
“
I
’
d rather go to one of the coffee shops on Seventh Avenue. I
’
ve been craving one of those New York-style egg sandwiches on a roll and coffee. Florida delis don
’
t have a clue on how to make a good breakfast.
”

“
Of course. Give me a moment to get my jacket and tell Heather that I
’
ll be out for a while.
”

Leah nodded and watched him disappear behind the doors. She spied a copy of
Fortune
on the waiting room table with Doug on the cover. She closed her eyes and pushed away the doubts that she was making a mistake.

“
Leah? Are you ready?
”

Doug
’
s deep voice brought her back. She avoided his eyes.
“
Yes, let
’
s go. I have to meet Roxie and the girls back at the hotel in less than an hour. I
’
m sure you
’
re on limited time, too.
”

Doug held the door open for her and then pushed the button for the elevator.

“
I guess. Heather is busy right now rearranging my schedule to accommodate your early arrival.
”

Leah wasn
’
t sure if that was a dig or not.
“
Thanks for fitting me in.
”
She stepped into the elevator without waiting to see if he caught her sarcasm.

The doors closed behind them, and they were alone on the elevator.

“
Leah, you look wonderful. More beautiful than ever.
”
Doug
’
s eyes shone with the loving expression that melted her heart.

Leah was relieved when the elevator doors opened and several people got on, forcing them to resume the acceptable business postures.

They headed over to Seventh Avenue and quickly found a coffee shop that wasn
’
t too crowded. Arriving during the lull between the breakfast and lunch rushes, they were seated immediately at one of the small tables jam-packed in rows across the tile floor. A waitress poured two cups of coffee, took their orders, and returned with the food in a matter of minutes.

Doug hadn
’
t taken his eyes off her.
“
I still can
’
t believe you
’
re here. I was so thrilled when you called, Leah. I
’
ve got something very important to talk about, but you wouldn
’
t take my calls and—
”

“
Doug, I called because it
’
s been bothering me that I let things end so badly. I wanted you to know that it
’
s taken me a while, but I
’
ve come to terms with why our relationship didn
’
t work.
”

“
That
’
s what I want to talk to you about. Things are different now.
”

Leah held up her hand, silencing his interruption.
“
All I know is that I
’
m different now. And although it was an incredibly painful experience, I
’
ve come out of this stronger and more focused on what I need to do.
”

He let her continue, and his happy face buoyed her on, prompting her to reveal her plans for the new book and the details about the project she anticipated creating. When she was finished, she looked at him expectantly, sure he
’
d praise and encourage her.

Doug reached across the table and put his hand over hers.
“
I
’
m sorry, but I can
’
t wait one minute longer to tell you. I
’
ve left Amanda. I
’
m free. Whatever you want to do, I can help you now.
”

Leah pulled her hand back abruptly and picked up her glass of water.

He waited while she recovered, shakily raising her water to her lips and setting the glass back down. Leah remembered how she felt that night in his hotel room when he told her he was married. She wondered why now she felt that same sense of doom. She should be elated, she told herself.

Doug took her hand again.

“
Leah, don
’
t you see? This is wonderful. You
’
ll have your book to keep you busy while I work out the details of my divorce. It
’
s going to be messy. But once it
’
s over, we can travel and live the life we dreamed about for so long. I
’
ll need you to help me with planning events and be the beautiful hostess. You
’
ll be so busy, you won
’
t need that little project.
”

Leah sat up straight, bringing her hands to the edge of the table.
“
Little project? You mean the one I just described as my life
’
s work? You expect me to give that up when I become the missus?
”

“
Come on, Leah. Writing is a nice hobby and one that you
’
ll always have. But once we
’
re married, you won
’
t need to need to go further and campaign like you
’
re running for office.
”

Leah didn
’
t hear anything else Doug said. She watched his mouth move. She remembered feeling the same way about Richard, when they
’
d meet after their separation to discuss the divorce settlement. She couldn
’
t believe these were men she once loved—who claimed they loved her.

He doesn
’
t give a damn about what I want or need. He wants me back so I can further his career by being the charming wife. That
’
s why he left Amanda—she was a source of embarrassment for him.

His voice finally broke through her thoughts.
“
We can have your bags delivered to my apartment. I guess you
’
ll have to go back to Florida for a few days or a week, to get the rest of your things and move up here permanently. How long do you think—
”

He stopped when Leah stood up suddenly. She adjusted the shoulder strap on her purse, leaned over the table and grasped a glass of water in each hand.

Doug moved backward apprehensively, but the proximity of the table behind him pinned him in place.
“
What are you doing, Leah?
”

“
What I should have done the last time we saw each other in Miami.
”
She threw water at him with both hands.
“
That
’
s one for me and one for Amanda.
”
She spied a half empty glass left on the uncleared table next to them and threw that at him, too.

As Leah made her way out, squeezing through the maze of tables, she saw a few amused faces. Most of the diners continued their conversations as if nothing had happened.

“
I love New York,
”
she told the cashier as she walked out onto Seventh Avenue and disappeared into the street
’
s burgeoning lunchtime traffic.

Leah felt airborne, like she was soaring over the pavement. She didn
’
t know if the energy propelling her along the streets was generated by keeping pace with the Manhattan crowds or fueled by her sudden, overwhelming sense of liberation. She only knew she couldn
’
t wait to get to the hotel to see Ali, Roxie, and Debbie.