And so she did.
After a shower and changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater, she went downstairs into the kitchen, where Mario was preparing himself breakfast. It was snowing outside and he had a fire going in the sitting room just off the kitchen. He looked over at her when she came in.
“Good morning,” he said.
She put her arms around him and kissed him. “Making anything good?”
“The kitchen might need to be gutted, but the stove works. Here. I made you an omelet.” He slid it onto a white plate as she sat at the granite bar and smiled at him.
“You made that omelet for yourself.”
“So what? I’ll make another. Juice?”
She nodded.
“Coffee?”
“If I can have the entire pot.”
“You can have whatever you want. What’s on your agenda today?”
She leaned back as he poured her coffee into her favorite mug and felt a groundswell of relief and gratitude when she said, “Something different.”
He put the omelet in front of her. He was playing it cool and she loved him for it. “What’s that?”
She picked up her fork and dug in. “I think I need to get out,” she said. “One more day here and I’ll likely have mold on me.” She pointed down at her omelet. “This, by the way, is delicious.”
“It’s the cheese.”
“Whatever it is, it’s fantastic.”
He cracked two eggs and started beating them in a bowl. “So, what’ll you do? I’m doing my soup kitchen runs today. Want to join me? I could use a hand unloading the food.”
Ever since she’d known him, the one thing he’d never given up was helping those less fortunate than himself. He’d taught her plenty about that. There wasn’t a soup kitchen in New York that hadn’t benefitted because of his efforts. “Actually, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to work,” she said.
He sprinkled cheese into the bowl with some peppers and onions and she could sense that he was suppressing a smile. “Work, huh? You ready for that?”
“I’m ready,” she said. “In fact, I think I’m beyond ready. I’ve been pretty self-indulgent lately. It’s time for that to end.”
Just hearing the words spoken aloud thrilled her as much as it unnerved her. She was no fool. She knew what she was facing. She knew the expectations and the burden that would come her way when the press found out she was back on site and working to turn her hotel into something unforgettable. She also knew the comparisons that would be made between her and her father, and her and Celina. Was this Redman as talented as that Redman? Did Leana have what her sister had? What her father had?
She didn’t know. But in spite of all the pitfalls and all the things that could go wrong over the next year, there was one thing she couldn’t deny, and that was the rush of excitement and adrenalin that shot through her senses now and made her feel as alive as the first time she met and fell in love with Mario.
She could do this.
She could feel Harold in her heart, Mario at her back and even Celina, on some ethereal level, cheering her on.
It was time for her to make a name for herself—and not just by writing a check.
# # #
Books by Christopher Smith
on Kindle
Fifth Avenue (Book One in the Five Avenue Series)
Running of the Bulls (Book Two in the Fifth Avenue Series)
From Manhattan with Love (Novella Three in the Fifth Avenue Series)
Bullied: The Complete Series
Thank you for purchasing and reading “THE FIFTH AVENUE SERIES BOX SET.” I hope you enjoyed it. Look for PARK AVENUE, the four in the series, in 2012.
Please contact me at ChristopherSmithBooks for any comments or suggestions.
Follow me on Twitter at @CSmithBooks
Please join my fan page on Facebook here.
Thank you again.
Christopher
Table of Contents
Fifth Avenue
Running of the Bulls
From Manhattan with Love
The Fifth Avenue Series Boxed Set Page 80