A Jersey Kiss

by Georgina Troy

After a brief panic by Tom that they had lost his suitcase, they were met by a driver and taken through the busy Manhattan streets, like corridors through the shiny skyscrapers above them.

  Bea had to hold back from squealing in excitement as an enormous, red fire truck hurtled past them. Fire fighters kitted up, serious expressions on their faces, was even more exciting than she’d imagined. She watched in awe as they barely slowed down to manoeuvre through the throng of yellow cabs and cars. They gave a loud blast on the horn to announce their presence to any driver foolish enough not to have already noticed them. Bea thought back to all the movies she’d seen growing up featuring these romantic heroes. ‘Oh, yes.’

  Their driver pulled over by the curb. Bea looked up at the golden canopy nearby. ‘Wow, you never said we were staying at the Waldorf Astoria,’ she squealed, stepping out of the car and craning her neck upwards, unable to come to terms with the height of the buildings all around her. ‘This is so beyond anything I’d expected,’ Bea gasped, already in holiday mode and after her initial concerns about being with Tom, determined to make the most of her trip and enjoy every second of it.

  ‘Thank heavens for that.’ He glanced over at her, taking hold of the handle of his suitcase, before picking up hers with his free hand. ‘I wanted to book somewhere you’d enjoy, so you’d forget about everything at home. We’re going to have a great time and although we have four meetings, I’ve scheduled them to run as closely together as I dared to give us some time to see as many of the sights of this amazing city as possible.’

  Bea nodded and couldn’t help feeling how thoughtful he’d been. The vitality of the energetic city was infectious and her nerves subsided a little. ‘This is amazing,’ she said. ‘It’s even better than I’d ever hoped it would be,’ she said honestly.

  Tom laughed. ‘We haven’t been anywhere yet. You wait until you see inside the hotel,’ he said, waving up towards the canopy of the Waldorf Astoria. ‘I wanted to book us in here because I know how you love old movies and Art Deco, but we don’t have the best rooms, I’m afraid. There’s only so far I can push the budget.’

  Bea followed him inside and pictured the different films that had been shot in this very place. Relishing the abundance of deco features all around her, she smiled. It was as if time had stood still and they were back in the thirties. ‘Incredible,’ she breathed, feeling like a child experiencing their first trip to Disneyworld.

  ‘Our rooms are this way,’ he said as soon as they’d checked in, leading her to the lifts.

  ‘Give me half an hour to unpack, then I’ll meet you down in the lobby,’ she said, checking her laptop was fully charged. ‘I’ll just have a quick look at my emails and meet you downstairs.’

  He looked a little disappointed, but didn’t say anything, just showed her to her bedroom and held the door open for her.

  She didn’t want him getting the wrong idea and thought it best she make it clear from their arrival that she still intended keeping things between them platonic, reminding herself that she was here for business reasons only and had no reason to feel at all guilty. Tom knew how she felt, or at least should do by now. She wasn’t about to rush into bed with anyone in the near future, unlike her mistake with Luke. Damn, why did she keep thinking about him? She opened her case and hurriedly hung up her clothes, before freshening up, quickly logging onto the Internet to deal with any outstanding messages she might have received, and going to meet Tom.

  She saw him straight away, sitting under the huge ornate clock, his mobile against his ear as he carried out what looked like an intense conversation. He seemed to sense her approaching and ended the call, slipping the phone into the chest pocket of his thick tweed jacket.

  ‘Looking as gorgeous as ever,’ he said, taking her hand and kissing her cheek. ‘Come along, lovely lady, I have such a short time to show you so much of this magnificent city, and I don’t want to waste a moment of it.’ He led her out onto the noisy streets. ‘We can grab something to eat at a deli on the way.’

  Bea gasped as they stepped outside onto the sidewalk. She still couldn’t believe she was in New York, and it really was even bigger and more impressive than she could ever have imagined.

  ‘So,’ said Tom interrupting her thoughts. ‘Where to first?’

  Bea shook her head and laughed. ‘I’ve no idea.’

  ‘I was thinking we could start close and move on from there. Grand Central Station, then on to the Chrysler Building, and maybe make our way down towards Battery Park. They’ve got the damaged Sphere that used to stand in between the Twin Towers. I think it gives people hope to think those massive constructions crashed down on top of it, and although it’s pretty dented, it’s still obvious what it was originally and it survived.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ Bea said, feeling the need to see something that would give her hope things would turn out right in the end.

  ‘And then I thought that maybe we could take a boat over to Ellis Island. What do you think?’

  Bea nodded. ‘Sounds perfect,’ she giggled. Tom’s excitement almost matched her own and she was more than happy to be led wherever he thought best. She had looked up New York on the Internet, but found it impossible to choose what she wanted to see most. There was far too much choice.

  Even the diners they ate their meals in were like something out of a Hollywood movie. ‘Did you notice the rear car lights in each booth?’ she asked him as they walked back to their hotel later that evening, exhausted, but relaxed and happy.

  ‘I know.’ He nodded. ‘Everything, right down to the light switches in the Gents seemed to be from the fifties.’

  ‘Good food, too,’ Bea said. She’d been thrown by the magnificence of it all, and the only downside had been the several calls and texts Tom had received to his mobile. ‘Tom,’ she said, unable to help from asking. ‘Why are you getting so many calls? I would have thought they’d be monitoring your workload back at the office. I know they’re covering mine. Is something the matter back in Jersey?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, nothing at all,’ he assured her, although Bea couldn’t help noticing her question had somehow unnerved him, deflating his previously buoyant mood rather more than a simple question should do.

  ‘It’s not a problem,’ she said, wishing to alleviate his defensiveness. ‘I was a little worried something might be wrong.’

  Tom immediately stopped walking, taking her by surprise. ‘Leave it, Bea,’ he snapped. ‘It’s a few calls; nothing for you to be concerned about.’

  She didn’t like his tone, but thought better of arguing with him. After all, it was thanks to him that she was on this trip and having a good time. Then again, she mused, it wasn’t the calls that bothered her, but his reaction to them. ‘Whatever,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’

  The following day after a morning filled with back-to-back client meetings, she persuaded Tom to leave the paperwork until later and go with her to the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Centre. ‘Look at the view,’ she said pointing out across Manhattan, past the magnificent Empire State Building that had featured in so many films from her childhood, and over to the East and Hudson Rivers, the sunlight glistening like a gold and yellow liquid ball above them. She took a couple of photos to show Paul and Shani.

  ‘I can’t believe you’ve persuaded me to come up to the seventy-sixth floor, never mind that I’m actually outside. I’m terrified of heights usually.’

  ‘You’re doing very well. Try not to think about it,’ she said, taking his hand and leading him over to the other side before he could start to panic. ‘Look over there, isn’t that stunning?’ she asked, as they gazed out over the rectangle of green in the middle of the city. ‘Isn’t Central Park incredible? All that green in the middle of this amazing city!’

  ‘Shit,’ Tom said, pushing his hand into his pocket and withdrawing his mobile. ‘Fucking phone never stops.’

  ‘So, don’t answer it then.’ Bea’s initial relief at the sound of his phone receiving a
text was instantly replaced by irritation. She knew he would have to read it and see what it said. She was building herself up to say something, when her own phone bleeped. She raised her eyebrows and immediately locked eyes with Tom. Bea didn’t know who looked more astonished, her or Tom. She turned away from his amused expression to see who had sent the message to her.

  ‘Luke?’ she said, instantly wishing she’d thought not to speak his name out loud.

  ‘What does he want?’ Tom glared at her.

  ‘He’s asked me to call him as soon as possible,’ she said, staring at the text again. ‘It must be something important.’

  ‘Of course,’ Tom said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice. ‘Funny that.’

  ‘Tom, this is the first time Luke has contacted me, and I don’t think I’m wrong to think it must be something important.’

  ‘Fine, ignore me. I just worry about you getting involved with him, especially since you know what he’s connected with, Bea. You really should distance yourself from him as much as you can,’ Tom said, texting a reply on his own phone.

  ‘I haven’t forgotten,’ she said, wishing she could. It wasn’t Tom’s fault Luke was being investigated, she thought, feeling a little mean for being so annoyed with him.

  ‘Luke,’ she said, walking to the other side of the open space to gain some room between her and Tom. She checked her watch and quickly made a calculation. ‘I’ve just realised it’s ten thirty at night in Jersey.’ She knew something must be really wrong for him to call her at that time.

  ‘Now, don’t panic, Bea,’ he said, his calm, deep voice causing her stomach to flip over. ‘It’s nothing we can’t deal with.’

  ‘What isn’t?’

  ‘You have a burst pipe in the main bathroom.’

  ‘What?’ she said, trying not to panic at an extra cost she would have to find money to cover. ‘How?’

  ‘I’ve checked it out, and your pipes are pretty worn in places. After all,’ he added, ‘the house is nearly a hundred years old, these things happen.’

  ‘Not on my budget they don’t,’ she said, trying her best to sound light-hearted.

  ‘Don’t worry about the cost.’

  ‘That’s easy for you to say,’ she said, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. She knew she shouldn’t have gone away, not when she still had to try and somehow finalise things with Simon.

  ‘Bea?’ he said, quietly, making her stop and take a breath.

  ‘Yes?’ Her heart pounded at the thought of having to find the money for another large invoice.

  ‘You mustn’t worry about anything. I can sort this out. I’m just calling you to ask if it’s OK to do some exploratory work on your plumbing while you’re away? We don’t want this happening again. It’s a good thing Shani and Paul are staying here and noticed the water quite quickly. If it had happened while they were away, or even at work for the day, it could have ended up being very costly, and you don’t want water damage after you’ve finished your renovations.’

  ‘I don’t want them at all,’ she said. She tried to work out how she could possibly pay for this. She hadn’t even considered any plumbing work and was at the limit of her budget already.

  ‘You’re worrying,’ he said, his tone gentle and quiet. ‘Don’t. It’s fine, really.’

  Bea glanced over at Tom. He’d finished his call and was making his way over to her, a set expression on his face.

  ‘Bea?’ Luke’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She did trust him when he said not to worry, which made knowing about his business activities even more upsetting. She wished she was back in Jersey and could see for herself what had happened. Was he telling her the truth about the lack of damage, or was he trying to keep her from panicking? ‘Bea, speak to me.’

  Tom had almost reached her. She could tell he was in a bad mood and now was no time to have Luke on the other end of a call. ‘Sorry, yes. Do whatever you feel you have to. And, Luke?’ she added. ‘Thanks for sorting this out for me.’

  Luke switched off his phone. She couldn’t wait to get off the phone from him, no doubt to carry on enjoying her holiday with that creep. He picked up his can of lager and took a mouthful, leaning back against the pillow on his bunk, the rocking of the boat unusually doing nothing to soothe his frustration.

  ‘Tom Brakespear,’ he said, almost spitting out the words. He couldn’t help distrusting that man. How had that jerk ended up in New York with Bea, while he was back here, waiting for her to finish enjoying herself with some other bloke across the other side of the Atlantic?

  He picked up his phone and scrolled down to The Brae’s phone number and pressed.

  Shani answered after only two rings. ‘Did you speak to her?’ she said. ‘I hope you didn’t give her too much of a fright. I don’t want her trying to race back here, thinking we can’t sort this out without her here. If anyone deserves a holiday right now, it’s Bea.’

  Luke smiled. He loved Shani’s devotion to her friend, and felt good that she was so doggedly determined to look out for Bea. ‘I assured her it was fine. She’s told me I could do whatever I needed to. So, tomorrow I’ll come back there, turn the water back on again and start checking the other pipes. I don’t want this happening again.’

  Shani sighed loudly. ‘Brilliant, thanks. I hope you didn’t mind me phoning you, but I didn’t know who else to call, and I know Bea would have done the same.’

  Her words cheered him up a little. It was good to think of Bea turning to him in a crisis. ‘No problem. Now don’t worry and I’ll come to the house first thing in the morning.’

  ‘Luke?’

  ‘Shani?’ he replied.

  Shani smiled. ‘Tom’s not the problem between you two, you know? She probably feels a little guilty.’

  Luke pushed himself up onto his elbow. ‘What do you mean?’ His good mood instantly evaporating.

  Shani groaned. ‘Forget I said anything. Night,’ she said, abruptly ending the call.

  ‘Shani?’ What had she meant by guilty?

  Almost immediately his phone rang. ‘Shani, what could Bea have done to feel guilty about?’

  ‘Shani?’ Leilani asked, making him curse himself for not bothering to check the number calling him before opening his mouth. ‘Isn’t she Bea’s podgy friend?’

  ‘Don’t be nasty. Anyway she’s not fat, far from it.’

  Leilani groaned. ‘You men are all so blind. Anyway, why do you need to know about Beatrice being guilty of something?’ she asked, obviously not intending to be fobbed off.

  ‘Never mind her,’ he said. ‘Why are you phoning this late?’

  ‘Don’t try and change the subject. I was wondering if you needed a little company tonight?’ she suggested, her voice softening. ‘It’s so boring here.’

  Luke laughed. As spiteful as Leilani might be sometimes, he thought, her spoilt diva-like behaviour amused him. It never mattered to her if people disliked her. Then again, he thought, he much preferred her when she was being generous and funny. ‘You’re staying in a five star hotel, and they’re treating you like royalty.’

  ‘So, can I come over?’ she asked, ignoring him.

  ‘No. I’m tired and have to be up early for work. I’ll come over and see you after I’ve finished. Maybe we could go for dinner somewhere. You choose, if you like?’

  ‘I don’t like,’ she said. He could picture her perfect mouth pouting in irritation.

  ‘’Night, Leilani,’ he said. ‘Sweet dreams.’

  Bea drafted the minutes from their meetings and completed as much of the report for the directors about their time in New York as she could. She wanted to check everything was in order and that she had not forgotten to include details of any of the funds the client had discussed with them. Before sending an email back to the Jersey office, she went to ask Simon a query about one of the action points and noticed him ending yet another phone call. She knew their client was on a flight to Boston and was fairly certain they had covered everything in the meetings, so was una
ble to contain her annoyance with Tom. She confronted him on their last evening away during a walk towards Central Park. ‘Why so many phone calls?’ she asked, keeping her voice as level as possible.

  ‘I explained to you already.’ He squeezed her hand lightly before letting it go, as they crossed the road towards the wall of the park.

  ‘Tom.’ She stopped walking as soon as they reached the entrance across from the Dakota Building where John Lennon had been murdered. ‘What’s going on? If there’s a problem, I’d like to know. Maybe I can help in some way.’

  He backtracked to be next to her. ‘I promise you it’s just the odd hiccup at work. Vanessa’s phoned once or twice to speak to me about stuff, you know, like the children. So stop worrying unnecessarily. Let’s just enjoy our last night together and make the most of this incredible city.’

  They moved on again, but Bea couldn’t help feel a niggling doubt in her mind. She wanted to know what he was hiding from her, and assumed it must be something to do with Vanessa, though why he should hide anything about her, she couldn’t imagine.

  ‘You were great in the meetings. I knew you would be,’ he said as they returned to the hotel. ‘Well done, it’s not easy dealing with some of these clients.’

  ‘As long as you put in a good word for me back at Malory’s and make sure my annual review is brilliant, I’ll be happy.’

  ‘I’ll only ever write the truth,’ he said. ‘Though thankfully in your case, it will be very positive.’

  Bea looked at him for a moment and decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Pacified, she smiled up at his concerned face. ‘That’s good to know.’

  Their week at an end, Bea struggled to get comfortable on the plane, not managing to sleep throughout the night flight to Heathrow. ‘It’s a pain that none of the airlines fly directly to Jersey anymore,’ Bea said, covering herself with a blanket and resting her feet on her bag.

  ‘I know, the most tiring part of any trans-Atlantic journey, for me at least, is having to get from Heathrow to Gatwick and wait for the next flight home. It always adds so many extra hours to any trip.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t want to go back to the real world,’ Tom moaned miserably.