Loving You (The Jade Series #3) Read online

  We have lunch, then go to the Museum of Natural History. I’ve seen it in movies but I wanted to see it in person. It’s huge and you could spend all day there reading all the historical facts and listening to the guides. But we’re done in a few hours. I just wanted to walk through and see stuff. Garret’s been there several times, so he acted as my tour guide.

  Afterward, the car service guy drives us back to the apartment. He’s like our own personal chauffeur. We just call him whenever we need a ride and he’s there.

  “I’ve got dinner reservations at 7,” Garret says as he hands me a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you to that place I told you about at the top of a hotel. We have a table right by the window. You can see the whole city lit up.”

  “When do we get to see the tree?”

  My excitement always brings a smile to his face. “We’ll go see the tree after dinner. We can go every night if you want.”

  I always tell Garret I don’t care about Christmas, or any other holiday, but he knows it’s a lie. That’s why he brought me here this week. He says we’re here for New Year’s, but I know he wanted me to see all the holiday lights before they take them down. And I’m dying to see the Rockefeller tree.

  “Could we have a snack before dinner? I’m starving.”

  “Sure. What do you want?” He starts opening cabinets. A bag of potato chips falls out and lands on the floor. “Well, look at that. Your favorite food. What are the odds?”

  As I pick up the bag, I notice something stuck between the stove and the cabinet. I reach in and pull it out.

  “What’s that?” Garret asks.

  “It looks like one of those security badges people use to get in a building.”

  Garret sighs and holds his hand out. “Let me see that.”

  I hand it to him. He holds it up, staring at the photo. “I knew it was her.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “This woman was at the company conference in Houston. The one my dad made me go to.”

  “Yeah. So?”

  “Remember how I said my dad was having an affair? I didn’t know who the woman was but I was guessing it was her.” He tosses the ID on the counter. “And obviously it is or she wouldn’t have been here.”

  “Maybe she was meeting your dad here to go over business stuff.”

  “He has an office just down the street. He wouldn’t have business meetings here.”

  “Do you know anything about her?”

  “She works for an investment firm in DC. That’s all I know.” Garret places the ID badge in one of the kitchen drawers. “When we leave here on Thursday, remind me to set this out on the table so he can see it. I want my dad to know that I know who his mistress is.”

  “Why? Are you going to blackmail your dad again?”

  “If he starts interfering with us again, then yeah.”

  “Maybe your dad should just divorce Katherine. It doesn’t seem like they get along very well.” I consider telling Garret about the fight I overheard but then change my mind.

  “He won’t divorce her, because if he does he knows Katherine will try to take Lilly away from him. And he doesn’t want Lilly caught up in a custody battle.” Garret takes the bag of potato chips from me. “Aren’t you gonna eat these?”

  “I changed my mind. It’s already 6. I might as well wait for dinner.”

  An hour later the driver picks us up. Garret has on a suit and tie and I’m wearing my one and only black dress. Katherine gave me a red dress for Christmas which I actually like, but I didn’t want to wear it because it would remind me of her. And the dress Garret bought me for the fundraiser last fall is too formal for dinner. So the black dress is my only option, but seeing it next to Garret’s designer suit, my dress looks really plain and cheap. And I only have one winter coat and it’s sporty not dressy. It doesn’t match the dress at all.

  The driver stops on the street in front of the hotel where we’re having dinner. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t drop you off at the entrance with all this traffic, unless you want to wait 10 or 15 minutes for it to move.”

  “No, this is fine,” Garret says. We get out of the car and join the crowds of people on the sidewalk.

  The hotel entrance is about a half a block away. As we’re heading down there, Garret stops suddenly.

  “What do you think of this one?” He’s pointing to an engagement ring that has a diamond solitaire that’s at least 2 carats. I recognize the signature blue in the store and look up to confirm that we’re standing in front of Tiffany’s.

  “Yeah, you’re funny, Garret.” I tug on his coat. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Do you like it or not?” He puts his arm around my waist and moves me closer to the window.

  “Well, yeah. What’s not to like? Look how much it sparkles. And the diamond is huge. That ring must cost $10,000.”

  “More like $100,000,” he says.

  “Are you serious?” I look at it again. “How do you know that? There’s no price on it.”

  “I just know.” He leads me to the next window. “How about this one?”

  “I don’t like the diamond. It’s too big,” I say, playing along. “I like the other one better.”

  He laughs. “I’ve never heard a girl say a diamond was too big.”

  “I just think when they get too big they look fake.”

  He leans down. “I say the same thing about breasts.”

  I shake my head and smile as we walk to the last window.

  “Okay, here’s another one.”

  “Garret, come on. Let’s just go to dinner.”

  “Not until you tell me if you like this one.”

  I get up closer to the window. “Nope. I don’t like it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t like the round shape of the diamond. I liked the square shape better. And I don’t like gold. I prefer silver or whatever that first one was.”

  “It was platinum.”

  “Whatever. Can we go now?”

  I wait for him to move but he stands there with his eyes shut. “Two carats. Princess cut. Platinum. Got it.” He opens his eyes, takes my hand, and starts walking again. “You’re going to love this restaurant, Jade.”

  Garret begins telling me about the restaurant but I’m not even listening. I’m still trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Did I just pick out an engagement ring?

  CHAPTER SIX

  6

  I feel Garret’s hand on my lower back as he leads me through the hotel lobby.

  “So what do you think?” he asks as we wait for the elevator.

  “About what? The hotel? It’s nice.” I look up at the giant chandelier hanging above us.

  “I wasn’t talking about the hotel. Did you hear anything I just said?”

  “I think you said something about the restaurant.”

  He rolls his eyes, smiling. “I was telling you how the restaurant rotates. But I guess you didn’t find it that interesting.”

  We’re on the elevator now with people all around us, so I don’t want to ask about the rotating restaurant even though I’m dying to know more. How does a restaurant rotate?

  My ears pop as the elevator takes us to the top floor. It opens to the restaurant which has windows on all sides showing off views of the city.

  Garret leads me to the coat check room where a tall, dark-haired woman in a red dress is waiting. She’s very pretty and looks like she’s only a couple years older than me. We take off our coats and hand them to her. Her face puckers up as she holds mine between her thumb and index finger, like it’s dirty or something. There’s not a speck of dirt on it, but compared to the long expensive coats hanging behind her, mine looks pretty shabby.

  Garret doesn’t even notice the rude but beautiful coat check girl. He slips his arm around my waist and goes up to the hostess. “Kensington for two.”

  When he says it I feel like
we’re a married couple and a stir of happiness goes through me. Damn Garret and those damn rings! What is he doing to me? I’m not even the marrying type. Or at least I didn’t think I was.

  The hostess seats us at a small table next to the window.

  “It’s great, right?” Garret says, checking out the view.

  “Yeah. I love seeing the city up high like this.” I glance around. “So what did you mean when you said this place rotates?”

  “It slowly rotates while you’re eating, so by the time our dinner arrives we’ll probably be over there.” He points to the other side of the room.”

  “How do they do that?”

  “Well, if you’d listened to me earlier you would know.” He pretends to act annoyed.

  “I’m sorry. Now tell me.”

  He smiles. “I was kidding. I have no idea how it works. I just wanted you to admit you weren’t listening.”

  We open our menus. Everything is a la carte. The main dish is just a piece of meat and you order the sides separate. I notice the person next to me eating a pork chop topped with some type of sauce.

  “What do you think you want to order?” Garret asks.

  “Probably the pork.”

  “And what else?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” I glance at the menu again. “Why aren’t there any prices on here? How are you supposed to know what things cost?”

  He leans in and lowers his voice. “Because if you have to ask you shouldn’t be here. A lot of fancy restaurants don’t list the prices.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s just weird.”

  Garret reaches across the table and pushes my menu down. “I don’t want you to talk about, or even think about, how much this costs, okay? I’ve been wanting to take you here for a really long time and I just want you to enjoy it. I don’t want a lecture about how I’m spending too much.”

  “I’m not lecturing you. I just—”

  “Jade. Please.”

  “All right. I won’t say anything.”

  “Hey, look.” He points out the window. “We’re at a different spot now. That building that was in front of us is behind me now.”

  He’s right. The restaurant moved and I hadn’t even noticed. “Okay, whatever this costs, it’s worth it. This is really cool.”

  The waiter comes by to take our order. Just as he’s leaving our table, we hear a girl squealing across the room. We look over and see a guy on his knee, putting a diamond ring on her finger.

  “Looks like she said yes,” Garret says.

  “Then why is she crying?” I glance over to see the girl wiping her tears with her napkin.

  “Because she’s happy. They’re tears of joy.”

  “I don’t get that. I’ve never understood the crying-because-you’re-happy thing.”

  “Yeah, I don’t get it either but a lot of people seem to do it.”

  The newly engaged couple is now eating dessert, holding hands across the table.

  “Garret, did you really never want to get married?”

  “What are you talking about? I tell you I want to get married all the time.”

  “In that notebook you gave me at Christmas you said you never wanted to get married.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. I told myself I never would.”

  “Why? Because of your dad?”

  “He’s not the best role model for marriage. My grandfather’s not either. They’ve both had affairs. Several. But I don’t think my dad ever cheated on my mom. At least that’s what he told me and I actually believe him. I think she was the only woman he ever really loved. Katherine’s just a trophy wife. She fit the mold. She’s the type of woman he’s supposed to marry, even if he doesn’t like her.”

  “And you didn’t want to end up the same way. That’s why you never wanted to get married?”

  “I used to think marriage was stupid. I decided I’d rather be a lifelong bachelor.”

  “So what changed your mind?”

  “You already know the answer to that.” He picks up his water glass and takes a drink.

  “Are you saying I did?”

  “I told you that in the notebook.”

  “And it didn’t make sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense. When you meet the right person, you see things differently. You do stuff you didn’t think you’d do.” He glances over at the newly engaged couple. “A year ago, I would’ve made fun of that guy, saying what a huge mistake he was making. Guessing how long the marriage would last. But then I met you and now I understand why he just got down on one knee in front of a room full of people and asked a girl to marry him.”

  “So what’s the reason? I mean, I get the whole thing about being in love, but why get married? Why not just live together or date forever?”

  He considers it. “I don’t know. I guess I’m old fashioned. I like the idea of the woman I love being called my wife and me being her husband. When you’re married, it seems like you’re more of team and not just two people sharing a house. And I like that it’s not so easy to break apart. If you have a fight, the person can’t just leave and never come back.”

  “That’s the reason I’m scared to death to get married. I like the idea of being able to walk away. If things aren’t going well, I just want out.”

  “So you’ve got commitment issues.” He nudges my foot under the table. “I guess I’ve got some work to do on you then.”

  “You’ve already got me changing my mind, which is really annoying by the way. I can’t figure out how you do it. I swear you have some kind of mind-control abilities.”

  He leans back. “Damn, my secret’s out.”

  “Even if I’m open to marriage, it’s not going to happen for a long time. I have stuff to get done before I even think about that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Finish school. Get a good job. Pay you back all the money I owe you.”

  “Hey. No talking about money.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  The waiter brings our food. As a side dish to the pork, I ordered mashed potatoes. They aren’t served with gravy like I’m used to, but I’m guessing they’re so good you don’t need gravy. I take a small bite. Yep, you definitely don’t need gravy.

  “Jade, look how much we’ve moved. That building that was next to us when we got here is way over there now.”

  I look across the room and see the building on the other side. “I should’ve been watching this whole time. It goes so slow you don’t even feel it. We’ll have to get dessert so we can spend more time here. Maybe we’ll go around again.”

  “We’re definitely getting dessert. They have this awesome chocolate cake. You have to try it.”

  The great dinner. The rotating restaurant. The amazing views. It was all way more than I was expecting. As we’re waiting outside for the car, I get up on my tiptoes and give Garret a kiss. “Thank you. I loved the meal. And the restaurant.” I kiss him again. “And my dinner companion.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it. We’ll have to go again sometime.” He takes my hand and starts walking down the sidewalk. “I see the car. Let’s just head down there so we don’t have to wait.”

  Garret waves at the driver. He sees us but has to get over a few lanes. We wait for him in front of the jewelry store. I glance back at the ring I liked in the first window. I can’t imagine wearing a ring that sparkly and beautiful. And that expensive.

  Garret sees me looking at it and squeezes my hand. “You really like it, don’t you?”

  “I was just checking out how much it sparkles. That’s all.”

  He leans down and kisses my cheek. “I won’t talk about the marriage stuff anymore. I know it bugs you and you’re probably sick of it. I’ll just have to find a new topic that drives you crazy.”

  Where did that come from? I was just kidding when I told him not to talk about marriage. I actually like it when he teases me about it. It’s kind of become our thing. It doesn’t bug me. I just said it did because that’s what
I do. I say the opposite of what I want. I’ve been doing it forever and although I’m trying not to anymore, I’m not doing a very good job.

  I glance back at the ring one more time, then feel Garret tugging me forward to the car.

  Crowds line the entrance to Rockefeller Center. We weave through the people until we’re right in front of the magnificent tree.

  “Wow.” It’s the only word that comes out as I stare up at the sea of lights.

  “Pretty impressive, huh?” Garret stands behind me, his arms holding me close to him to shield me from the frigid wind.

  Never in a million years did I ever think I would be standing in New York City in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree wrapped in the arms of a super hot guy who I love more than anything. I swear I’m going to wake up from this one day and realize it’s all been a dream.

  “Do you want to walk around?” Garret asks after a good 10 minutes of standing there.

  “Yeah. Sorry. I guess I have a thing for Christmas lights. I didn’t know that until you put those blue lights in my room. So it’s all your fault that we’ve been standing here so long.”

  “I don’t mind. We can stay as long as you want.”

  “No, I’m ready to go. We’ve been out a long time and your chest is probably hurting.”

  He doesn’t deny it.

  I turn to face him. “Garret! You have to tell me if you’re in pain. We could have skipped this tonight and gone tomorrow.”

  “I wanted you to see the tree. And I wanted you to be next to it when I do this.” He leans down and holds my face in his hands and kisses me. A gentle, sweet kiss. The kind that makes me feel calm and safe and warm inside. It’s just what I need right now in the chaos of the crowds with the cold wind blowing by.

  He keeps me close as people swarm past us. “This has been a perfect night, Garret. I’m pretty sure you can’t top this one.”

  “I’m up for the challenge. We still have New Year’s Eve.”

  “Why don’t you call the driver? I need to get you back to the apartment now that I know you’re in all this pain.”

  “I’m fine, but we can go.” He gets his phone out. “I can’t hear with all the noise. I’m gonna go over to the side where it’s not as loud. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”