Katwalk

by Maria Murnane

  Katrina immediately loved everything about Soho House.

  She soon spotted Reid. He was chatting at the bar with two men, one taller than he, one shorter. All three of them were wearing sport coats and ties. She lifted her hand to yank off the scarf and tuck it into her purse, then willed herself to stop.

  No.

  You’re in New York now.

  You look fine.

  She took a deep breath, smoothed her hand over her dress, and walked toward the bar. She was about ten feet away when Reid looked over and saw her. He grinned and set down his drink.

  “Well, hello there, Snow White.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for coming. It’s great to see you.”

  She smiled. “Thanks for inviting me. It’s nice to see you too.”

  Reid gestured toward the two men. “Kat Lynden, meet Ryder Schaffer and Colby Sinclair. Kat’s new in town, from California.”

  They each held up their glasses and nodded in salutation, then Colby gestured to the bar. “Welcome to New York. What can we get you to drink? We’re doing scotch and soda.”

  Katrina looked up at him and guessed he had to be six foot three, maybe even taller.

  She lightly touched one of her new earrings and tried to conceal her nerves. “A glass of wine would be lovely. Thank you.”

  “Could you be more specific?” He looked amused.

  “Oh, yes, of course. Sorry. Red would be fine. Thanks.”

  He laughed. “Still need more direction.”

  “How about a pinot?” Reid put a hand on her arm. “They have an excellent Kosta Browne.”

  Ryder nodded. “The oh-nine Sonoma Coast. Good call. Stellar year for that blend.” He glanced at Katrina’s chest as he spoke.

  “Sound good to you?” Colby asked her.

  She had no idea what that was, but she smiled and nodded. “Sure, that sounds nice.”

  “One glass of the oh-nine Sonoma Coast, coming right up.” As Colby turned to the bar to order, Katrina noticed he was wearing a wedding ring. So was Ryder. It was Friday night. Where were their wives? Where was Reid’s wife? Was this really how things worked here?

  “Did you find this place okay?” Reid asked her.

  She nodded. “I love the cobblestone streets in this neighborhood. It sort of makes me feel like I’m in a movie set in old New York.”

  “How long have you been in town?” Ryder asked. The way he looked at her made her slightly uncomfortable, and she found herself taking a tiny step backward.

  “Just a few days. This is the first time I’ve been to the Meatpacking District.”

  He sipped his drink. “What part of California are you from?”

  “The Bay Area.”

  “Is that so? Where exactly?”

  “Mountain View.”

  He nodded very slowly. “Niiiiiice. I went to business school at Stanford. Dammit, I love the weather out there.”

  She noticed he was slurring his words a bit and wondered how many drinks he’d had.

  “It’s pretty nice, no arguing that. I’m excited for fall here, but I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to handle New York if it starts snowing,” she said.

  “Why did you move here?”

  She swallowed. “I didn’t actually move here. I’m just staying for a couple months.”

  “For work?”

  “No, just . . . for fun.”

  Reid grinned. “She’s being adventurous.”

  Ryder nodded. “I dig it. New York is the place to be if you want adventure.”

  Katrina looked at Reid and then at the others. “Do you all work together?”

  Reid shook his head. “Same industry, different firms. It’s a big city but a small community.”

  “How do you know our man Reid here?” Ryder asked.

  “She went to college with a friend of mine,” Reid said. “You know the tall blonde, Brittany?” He held his palm up to about his eye level.

  Ryder nodded. “Ah, yes. That woman isn’t someone a man can easily forget.”

  Colby turned around and handed Katrina a glass of wine. “Who’s that now?”

  “Brittany Levin,” Reid said. “We used to work together. I don’t think you’ve met her.”

  “Believe me, you want to meet her,” Ryder said. “Killer rack.”

  Katrina let the comment pass. Ryder was clearly not her type of person, but she willed herself to be friendly. She took a sip of her wine and forced a smile. “Do you both live in Manhattan?”

  Colby shook his head. “I’m in Westchester.”

  “Westchester?” Her eyes were blank.

  “The northern suburbs that begin right after Manhattan ends,” Reid said. “Moving there is sort of par for the course here once people get married and start having kids. Either that or Long Island. Or New Jersey.”

  “Oh, do you have kids?” she asked Colby.

  He smiled. “One in the oven.”

  “Wow, congratulations.” She turned to Ryder. “What about you?”

  “I’m in Montclair, which is in New Jersey.” He pointed in the direction of the fireplace, which she assumed meant west. “And downtown.” He motioned behind the bartenders.

  Reid saw the confusion on Katrina’s face and explained. “That’s par for the course around here too. A lot of guys in the banking industry who are married have houses in the burbs but keep apartments in the city because of the long hours.”

  Katrina nodded and took another sip of wine. “Got it.” She wondered where Ryder would be sleeping tonight. This lifestyle was so foreign to her.

  “What about you?” Colby asked. “Where are you staying while you’re in town?”

  “I’m subletting a place in Gramercy.”

  “Cool. And how are you liking New York so far?”

  She smiled. “So far I’ve had a lovely time, although I’ve barely skimmed the surface. There’s so much to do here that I can’t seem to get anything done.”

  Reid held up his glass. “That’s why they call this city Disneyland for adults. Everything here is worth doing.”

  Katrina looked at him. “Disneyland for adults? I hadn’t heard that, but I like it.” She turned back to Colby and Ryder. “What about you two?”

  “What about us what?” Ryder said, his eyes a little glassy.

  “What do you like to do when you’re not working? Any recommendations for things I should add to my adventure list?”

  Ryder took a gulp of his drink and gave her a suggestive look. “I like to get into trouble. You interested in joining me?”

  Reid shook his head. “Don’t be an ass, man. I’m sorry, Kat. We’ve been here for a few hours. Just ignore him.”

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” Ryder said with a shrug as he polished off his drink.

  Katrina didn’t want to think too much about what kind of trouble he was referring to. Whatever it was, she wanted no part of it, or him.

  Reid squeezed Ryder’s shoulder. “Don’t you have dinner plans?”

  Colby set down his drink and looked at his watch. “I think my hall pass is up too. Lisa’s got dinner waiting for me.”

  “Okay, okay.” Ryder held up his hands in surrender. “I can take a hint.” He gestured clumsily to the bartender for the check. “Sure you and Kat can’t join us?” he said to Reid. “We’re going out hard tonight.”

  “Maybe next time,” Reid said.

  Katrina wondered who Ryder meant by we, but she also didn’t really want to know.

  After Ryder and Colby left, Reid and Katrina moved to the far corner of the bar, which was closer to the fireplace and much less crowded. She was able to relax a little, now that it was just the two of them.

  “Alone at last,” he said. “Sorry about Ryder.”

  “I thought he seemed . . . nice enough.” S
he gave him a polite smile, figuring it was best to keep her misgivings to herself. “Colby too.”

  He chuckled. “You’re so gracious. It’s very charming. Ryder’s not all bad, but he can be kind of a prick when he drinks. Amelia can’t stand him.”

  “Who’s Amelia?”

  “My wife.”

  She hesitated. “Oh.” He hadn’t mentioned his wife by name before, but Katrina still felt a little silly for having asked. Her foot had begun to tap, and she forced herself to stop it. “Where is Amelia tonight?”

  “She’s out with friends.” There was noticeable tension in his voice. “Can I get you another drink?”

  She shook her head. “Thanks, but I’m still working on this one.”

  He gestured to the bartender, and Katrina gazed into the fireplace as he ordered. “Don’t the men in New York ever go out with their wives?” she mumbled under her breath.

  “What was that?” Reid asked.

  She blushed. “Oh, nothing.”

  “Come on now, you said something. Out with it, Snow White,” he said, wiggling his fingers in a come-here gesture.

  “I . . . was just wondering if any men here go out with their wives. Do they?”

  He half-smiled, then shrugged. “Depends on whose wife you’re talking about.”

  She had no idea what he meant by that remark or how to respond to it, so she just took another look around the room. “Is Soho House only for bankers? It’s beautiful here.”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, Colby and I may be the only members who work in finance. This club is more for artsy types—a lot of writers, musicians, theater people, that sort of crowd.”

  “Ryder’s not a member?”

  “No way. He hates this place. Too lowbrow for him. He’s a member of the Union League Club. That’s much more up his alley.”

  “How so?”

  “Let’s just say it’s the type of place where you might run into a Rockefeller or a Roosevelt. Or maybe even a Morgan.”

  “Got it.” She studied the dozen or so people lining the bar. Despite the swank surroundings, most of the women were dressed in jeans and cute tops. Unlike Reid, most of the men weren’t wearing ties.

  “If there aren’t any bankers at this club, why did you decide to join it?” she asked.

  He gave her an amused look. “You don’t know many bankers, do you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Clearly not, because if you did, you wouldn’t ask that question.”

  “Not your favorite personality type?”

  He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “Completely stereotyping here, but you might say that where Colby is the exception, Ryder is the norm.”

  “The norm?” She didn’t really want to know what he meant. Snobbish? Rude? Lecherous? All of the above?

  He tapped a finger on her nose. “Let’s just leave it at that. So are you hungry? They have great appetizers here.” He nodded to the bartender, who set two menus in front of them.

  She gave him a grateful smile, glad to be changing the subject. “Actually, yes. I’m starving.”

  “Want to see the roof-deck?”

  Katrina looked up from a plate of calamari. “There’s a roof-deck here?”

  He nodded. “It’s packed in the summertime. Kind of a scene, actually.”

  “I’d love to see it.”

  After they’d finished eating, Reid asked the bartender to bring him the check. When Katrina tried to offer her credit card, he waved her hand away. “Please. You’re my guest.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. Unlike Ryder, I’m a gentleman, remember?”

  “Okay, well, thank you then. I appreciate it.” She slipped the card back into her purse and stood up. “Will you direct me to the powder room, please?”

  He pointed toward the elevators, then gestured back toward the bar. “You want another glass of wine?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” She turned on her heel and strolled across the room, adjusting her scarf as she walked. She felt a little silly for having been so anxious about meeting him. Given his opinion of Ryder, she’d clearly erred in perceiving his overtures as anything more than friendly. She exhaled and was surprised when she felt a bit relieved. It was nice to know she’d made a new friend. Over their appetizers, he’d surprised her with how many ideas he had for things for her to do in town, as well as suggestions for galleries she should check out.

  When she returned a few minutes later, Reid was signing his credit-card receipt. He put his wallet in his pocket and stood up, then pointed to two fresh drinks on the bar. One was a scotch and soda, the other a goblet of pinot noir.

  He grinned at her. “I overruled you and got us both roadies. You ready to check out the deck?”

  Though she didn’t want another glass of wine, she didn’t want to appear rude. “Show me the way.”

  He pointed to her scarf. “I’m liking that look, by the way. It’s very Audrey Hepburn.”

  “Oh, thank you.” Her hand flew up to her neck and touched the pink silk. She smiled awkwardly, unaccustomed to being complimented on her appearance.

  They walked across the bar and entered the crowded lounge area, which had filled up since she’d first arrived, then climbed the stairwell one floor to the roof-deck. Reid held open the door for her, and when she walked outside Katrina caught her breath. Although they were only on the seventh floor, two entire sides of the roof deck were enclosed by glass walls, offering a stunning view of the neighborhood—building after building illuminated in sparkling lights—as well as the night sky above.

  “It’s gorgeous up here, Reid.”

  “Told you so.”

  She turned to admire the pool. It was deserted, the water still.

  “It looks like glass,” she said softly.

  “They’ll cover it soon for the winter. I’ve always thought it would be cool if they just let it freeze though.”

  “It would freeze?”

  “Not all the way through. The top layer would.”

  She sipped her wine, taking in her surroundings. A row of crisp lounge chairs was perfectly aligned around the rectangular pool, the outer perimeter dotted by closed sunshade umbrellas and strings of white lights that reminded her of Christmas. A tented section near the stairwell housed a bar, this one with a marble counter, as well as a handful of round marble tables, all gleaming in the soft moonlight.

  They strolled to the far end of the pool to take in the view. “I can see why people would want to spend time up here in the summer,” she said. “If I were a member here, I’d never leave.”

  “It’s no joke. It can get pretty crowded when the weather’s nice, especially Friday afternoons. I’m surprised there’s no one up here right now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it empty.”

  “That might be because it looks like it’s going to rain.” She gazed up at the cloudy sky, and when she tilted her head back she felt a little dizzy from the wine.

  Just at that moment they heard a roar of thunder and the rain started coming down.

  Hard.

  The nearest shelter was a small awning hanging over the restrooms and a utility closet on the other side of the pool. They made a run for it—moving as fast as they could without spilling their drinks—then flattened themselves against the wall and watched the skies open up. The raindrops danced on the pool like tiny ball bearings.

  They both started to laugh.

  “Did you get wet?” Reid asked, just slightly out of breath.

  “Not too much.” Katrina watched the deluge with wide eyes. “I’ve never seen it rain this hard.”

  “Really? This is nothing.”

  She gaped at him. “You’re joking.”

  “Not joking. You should go to Florida sometime. Ma’am, you ain’t seen nothin’ until
you’ve been through a rainstorm in the South.” He said the last part in an exaggerated southern drawl.

  She laughed and stared out at the downpour in amazement. “I’m glad it’s not too cold out here. It’s actually much nicer than I thought it would be.”

  “At least we have drinks to keep us warm either way.” He clinked his glass against hers.

  The dance of the raindrops on the cement was mesmerizing. Katrina could hardly believe she was on the rooftop of a swish social club in New York City on a warm fall evening with the rain pounding down in silvery sheets all around her. She felt so free—so alive—that she soon realized she didn’t want it to stop.

  Was it the rain that made her feel that way?

  She wasn’t so sure.

  The two of them stood side by side in silence for several moments, their backs pressed against the wall, their eyes fixed on the raindrops. Then Reid bent down to set his empty glass on the ground. When he stood up, he faced Katrina.

  “This has been fun,” he said. “Again.”

  She smiled. “It has. Thanks for inviting me out, and for introducing me to your friends.”

  He cocked his head to one side. “You really are like Snow White, aren’t you? So innocent, so . . . pure.”

  Katrina was surprised at the comment, which—despite being true—gave her a sudden twinge of discomfort.

  Before she could reply, he spoke again. “I don’t want it to stop raining.” His voice was noticeably softer now.

  “Me neither.” She looked up at the sky again. “It’s so pretty.”

  “So are you.”

  She caught her breath.

  He put a hand on her arm. “Is that wrong to say?”

  She looked at the ground “I . . . I think I should probably go.”

  “Please don’t.” He didn’t release her arm.

  She swallowed and couldn’t make eye contact with him. His hand was warm, and she felt her pulse quicken. She was grateful for the steady drumbeat of rain that concealed the sound of her shallow breathing. The last thing she wanted was for him to know how flustered she was.

  “Kat . . .”

  She still couldn’t look at him.

  This wasn’t what she wanted.

  She knew she was going to get drenched if she took even one step out from under the awning, but she forced herself to do it. “I really think I should go. Thanks for everything, Reid.” She met his gaze for just a moment, then dashed through the streaming rain toward the stairwell.