Piper couldn’t help the doe-eyed expression that spread across her face. She wanted him to keep talking, just so she could continue to listen to the melodious tones of his exotic accent. Jules, apparently also under his spell, batted her lashes as girlish giggles escaped her lips. Even Betty wasn’t immune as evidenced by her wistful smile. This man was the kind of gorgeous you didn’t run into every day, and that, coupled with the fact he was vowing to fulfill their every whim and desire, made him fantasy worthy. With a casual wave of his hand, a bellhop pulled the cart that had been loaded outside with all of their things.
“Thank you,” Michael said, stepping forward to sign the paperwork. He was, by far, the most prepared to engage in this odd transaction. He’d done his share of traveling, and though he’d never stayed somewhere quite this extravagant, his Brioni suit and confident voice seemed at home here. At the very least it was more appropriate than the gaping mouths and glassed-over eyes of the rest of the party. The women all seemed lost in the eyes of the concierge, and Bobby was still looking the lobby over as if it were the Smithsonian. “I’m sure the accommodations will be more than acceptable, and we’re looking forward to our stay.”
The man slid the room key across the large marble counter that divided them and smiled. “My name is Salvatore and I’ll be here through the evening. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call. We can arrange a car, secure tickets to any show in the city, or make reservations on your behalf. We are at your service,” he said, winking at the girls and evoking another audible giggle from Jules.
It took Michael doling out a few friendly nudges on the small of their backs to get them moving toward the elevator.
“Well, he was certainly accommodating. I might put him on my speed dial.” Betty smirked at Jules and Piper, as both blushed and laughed like two teenage girls at their first school dance.
“I don’t think anything you girls are thinking of is in his job description. I don’t even think half of it would be legal, so just get yourselves together,” Michael joked, sliding the card in the opening of the room’s door and freezing the moment as he saw the elaborately decorated, luxurious room spanning out before him. At the sight of Pierre he regained his composure and straightened his back. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a ten-dollar bill and extended his hand to Pierre.
“Thank you, Sir, but all gratuities and tips have already been taken care of.” Pierre waved his hands and bowed slightly as he made his way out of the room, pulling with him the now-empty trolley.
“Well butter my ass and call me a biscuit. I had no idea New York City hotels were so amazing,” Betty exclaimed as she made her way to the small but fully stocked kitchen in the corner of the main room. The sleek granite counter provided ample space and showcased several small kitchen appliances. She pulled open the fridge and shouted as she threw her hands up. “There is every fruit and vegetable known to man in here, and I’ve never seen so many kinds of cheese.”
Another squeal came from one of the bathrooms as Jules shouted out to them. “There is a hot tub in here, like a big giant one. And two toilets.” Michael peeked his head in and laughed as he corrected her. “That’s not a second toilet, it’s a bidet.”
Piper stood at the window and looked out at the city. What a fraud this place was, she thought. No wonder people could come here and think it the greatest city in the world from up here. But if you took the elevator back down, wound your way through the streets and into the real soul of the city you’d think otherwise.
“I see three bedrooms, three beds,” Bobby said as he returned to the common room where Jules and Michael were testing out each couch, loveseat, and chair. His simple statement swelled with questions. A few weeks ago it would have been clear where they would all sleep. Michael and Jules taking one bed, Betty in another, and Bobby and Piper in the third. Now what would it be?
“I’ll bunk with Piper,” Jules called out quickly before anyone else could speak up. Everyone, besides Betty, who was still rummaging away in the kitchen, looked at her like she’d just spit fire.
“Okay . . .” Michael stretched the word out so that everyone could clearly see he was annoyed. “Considering Bobby and I aren’t going to spoon, and Betty can’t be trusted to keep her hands to herself, I’ll take a couch out here.”
Piper and Jules disappeared into one of the bedrooms and shut the door. “What the hell was that?” Piper asked, flopping down on the bed. “I thought Michael coming out here for you was what you were hoping for.”
“I’m not ready to tell him.” She turned on the television and joined Piper on the bed. “I know you probably wanted to sleep with Bobby. I’m sorry I put you on the spot like that.”
“It’s fine, we’re probably better off not having the option. We’ve exhibited embarrassingly low levels of self-control when it comes to sleeping in the same room. You probably saved us a lot of trouble.”
“Thanks,” Jules leaned her head on Piper’s shoulder. “There very well might be something wrong with us though. There are two gorgeous men a hundred feet away from us and we are opting to sleep together in here.”
“You won’t hear an argument out of me, we’re idiots.”
“I’m glad we’re idiots together though.”
Chapter Fourteen
After a little rest, they spent the afternoon exploring the endless amenities of their room and then ventured out to the city for some shopping. As a splurge, they’d all decided to buy an outfit for their dinner with the Wheelers that evening. They scattered on Fifth Avenue with a plan to meet back at the hotel to get ready together. Jules quickly chose a plum strapless cocktail dress with a jeweled sweetheart neckline on a ruched bust. She’d never really been able to hold up a strapless dress before. There weren’t many pros to gaining pregnancy weight, but certainly the bigger bra size was one of them.
Betty found a marked-down designer pantsuit in the most flattering shade of eggplant. She wasn’t one to buy something just because it had a fancy name on it, but this set was perfect for her. She couldn’t resist. Michael already had his sport coat but chose a new button-down shirt to match Jules’s dress. Bobby, so accustomed to wearing either his uniform or workout clothes, had opted for the entire outfit he found on a mannequin in the shop window.
Piper stepped away from the group and gave herself over to the woman who worked in the dress department of Saks. “I have a dinner tonight and I need to look perfect,” Piper explained meekly, trying not to sound like a fool.
“My name is Arlene, and I will help you find just the right outfit. I’m guessing there is a man involved. Do you know what he’s wearing?”
“I think he bought a pale blue shirt and a navy coat.” And with that, Arlene was off and running. She looked as though she had waited all month for an opportunity like this. A doll to dress up.
She pulled various dresses from the rack and hurried Piper to a dressing room. She called over other female employees who all weighed in as Piper modeled dress after dress. After trying on a dozen or so, Piper was beginning to fear the women would never agree, and her nerves were made even worse when Bobby started texting her, wondering why she wasn’t back at the hotel yet. The anxiety disappeared when she stepped into the champagne satin dress. She felt the silky material hug her body and knew almost instantly she’d found it. She slipped on the matching pumps and stepped out of the dressing room.
She was met with gasps, each of the women holding a hand to her mouth, heads nodding. “Yes,” Arlene screeched, “that dress was made for you. Keep it on. I’ll take the tags. While I ring it up, take a seat and Marsha will give you a quick makeup consultation.” They all hustled into action. “Carmine, get those clips from the back and put her hair in a French twist.” Like the humming of a beehive, everyone hovered around Piper and moved with a purpose. When they spun her off the chair, she stumbled a bit, getting used to the heels and the snug fit of the dress. She moved like a newly born deer, gaining her footing for the first time. S
he looked down at her feet then up in the full-length mirror in front of her. Piper could suppress a lot of feelings, she’d done plenty of that in her life, but the smile that spread across her face as she saw what these women had done for her could not be contained.
Over her shoulder she saw the saleswomen chatting back and forth, congratulating each other on a job well done.
“Whoever is taking you out tonight is one lucky guy,” Arlene said, as she handed her a bag full of the clothes Piper had walked in wearing.
“Piper?” Bobby stood across the small department, a bemused smile telling her exactly what he was thinking. He’d clearly gotten worried and had come looking for her.
The women all squealed again as Bobby approached in his perfectly fitted sport coat that made his already broad shoulders appear even broader.
His eyes were locked on her as he crossed the space, not even sparing a glance at the swooning group of ladies. He reached out for Piper’s hand and lifted it up over her head, encouraging her into a spin. She twirled slowly, giving him ample time to view her from every angle. She felt beautiful. She felt like someone who would stand in the middle of a store and spin like a fool.
When she completed her twirl, she stopped and stepped into him, her smile and exuberant laugh one she’d never shown before. It could only be called one thing, carefree. In all the time she’d known him she’d never been free of worry, never so relaxed that she could giggle up into his face whimsically. Her eyes weren’t clouded over with unease. Her forehead wasn’t knit with fear. She was just here in this moment, wearing a stunning dress, smiling an untroubled smile, and spinning herself into his arms.
She froze as he leaned toward her in that familiar way he always did when they kissed. His hand slid up and cupped her neck. If he had intended it to be a brief brushing of their lips, he was wrong. It turned to a passionate, hungry kiss. His mouth overtook hers, as she pressed tighter against his body. His free hand caressed the silk of the beautiful dress. It wasn’t until the woman who had done Piper’s hair cleared her throat nervously that they remembered where they were. They broke free of each other reluctantly and their faces burned a crimson red. But, rather than being met with judgmental scowls, they saw only warm smiles. Piper’s wardrobe entourage began to clap and Piper covered her face, the embarrassment too much to take. Bobby gave a small wave as they made their way out of the store, laughing with happiness they couldn’t contain.
“I hate to be the kind of person who needs to hear it, but what does all this mean for us?” Piper asked, stopping Bobby with a tug on his arm before they rejoined the rest of the group who were now dressed and sitting on a bench in the shopping plaza.
“I’ve never seen you look so carefree,” Bobby said, spinning to face her, his arms on her shoulders. “You deserve that, and I want to be around to see it. Maybe I won’t go back to Edenville and be a cop, maybe I won’t ever feel one hundred percent great about how things went down, but seeing you like this is enough for me. I know now, I’d do anything to see you smile like that every day.” He leaned down and kissed her again. “You deserve to be happy, you’ve earned happy.”
“And you’re going to be here to make sure I get it?”
“All right already,” Jules shouted, waving them over. “Our reservations with Connie and Marty are in fifteen minutes and you’ve already smudged half her makeup.” Jules shoved Bobby out of the way and stood in front of Piper, using her thumb to fix the damage.
“Well don’t we look like we fit right in? We’re hotter than donut grease at the county fair,” Betty said, scanning the lot of them in their sleek outfits.
“We did fit in, until you just said that,” Michael jested, taking Jules’s hand and wrapping it around his arm, then doing the same with Betty on the other side. “Now let’s catch a cab and get to dinner.”
They all piled into the yellow van and Michael gave the name of the restaurant. Knowing he might regret it, he asked the driver to get them there as quickly as possible for their reservation.
As they pulled up to the curb of the restaurant Betty stepped out of the cab first. “Well if I thought flying was dangerous, I should have realized what a cab ride would be like. That man was fixin’ to get us killed out there. I’m taking that subway thing back to our hotel instead.”
“Ha,” Michael bellowed, “you might want to reconsider that.”
Piper tried to brace herself, her heart and mind, as they opened the door to the restaurant. Her nerves were raging now. She needed these people to get along. She needed this to work.
Marty was standing in the entrance of the restaurant checking his watch and looking mildly uncomfortable. Connie came rushing in behind all of them looking harried. “Sorry, sorry, everything is fine. I just got tied up, I’m here,” she sang, as she locked eyes with Marty, exchanging thoughts without direct words.
“Oh Piper, you look stunning,” Connie gushed, pulling her in for a hug. Marty hung back slightly as Connie made her way through the group, planting kisses and compliments on all of them. “Betty, I have heard so much about you. I’m so pleased to finally meet you. Thank you very much for joining us for Christmas. It means the world to us.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Connie. I’m afraid I haven’t heard quite as much about you, but it’s probably for the best. I like to form my own opinion of people. I’m told I’m an excellent judge of character.” Betty plastered on a smile and artfully laid out her warning.
Piper’s heart caught in her throat for a moment. She knew Betty would be slightly defensive, guarded as it related to Piper, but she didn’t realize it would start right out of the gate.
Connie’s face softened from a too wide smile to a slighter smirk, “I like you already, Betty, and I hope I pass your test.”
“I hope so, too,” Betty retorted, her face softening as well.
They made their way to a corner table that was set aside from the bustling of the rest of the main dining area. Piper felt awkward in her own skin as she tried to navigate the endless choices of the fancy restaurant. What did they mean, what kind of water would she prefer? How many kinds of water were there? She realized quickly she’d chosen the wrong kind when she took a sip and the fizz tickled her nose. Fizzy water, she didn’t realize she’d asked for that. She felt a little better when she looked around the table and saw equally uncomfortable glances passing among Bobby, Jules, and Betty as they examined the five forks and three glasses in front of them.
Marty ordered a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red for the table. Connie took it upon herself to handle the appetizers. She chose the sweet chili calamari and wagyu beef carpaccio with wasabi arugula, neither of which Piper had ever eaten before. As a matter of fact, she couldn’t even pronounce at least three of the words in the dish. As the wine was poured and the first round of food arrived, Piper braced herself as she stuck her fork into the squiggly legs of something that looked like a baby octopus.
Surprisingly, Betty was not at all reluctant to try new food. She filled her mouth with the paper-thin slices of beef, followed by a sip of wine and rolled her eyes with pleasure. “Connie, I don’t think anything so divine has ever passed my lips. I’m in heaven.”
“That surprises me Betty, as I’ve heard you are a magnificent cook. I’m so nervous about having you over for Christmas. My cooking leaves a lot to be desired. I’ve actually considered having it catered.”
“Well, I don’t want to step on any toes, but I’d be very happy to help with the meal. My family has so many holiday traditions and it kills me to miss them. If you didn’t feel like I was intruding, it would be my pleasure to cook.”
“Really?” Connie asked, lighting up at the thought. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble?”
“No trouble at all,” Betty assured, filling her mouth again with the amazing food in front of her. “Though I’m starting to question my ability to cook at all, this food is absolutely amazing.”
“Ma, you could cook this
if you had the recipe. You can cook anything,” Jules beamed, covering her wine glass with her hand as the waiter approached.
“No wine?” Michael whispered into her ear. “The white is incredible. You’d really like it.”
“I can’t,” she said, the words coming before the necessary filter could be applied.
“Why?” he asked, his face switching from casual to concerned.
“She’s taking antibiotics,” Piper chimed loudly enough to have the whole table turning toward Jules. “She had a weird rash and the antibiotics she’s taking said no alcohol.”
“Oh,” Michael said, looking Jules over.
“So,” Connie began, trying to take the focus off the red cheeks of Jules, “Betty, can you give me a list of what ingredients you’ll need? I’ll have them all ready at the house for you. We’ll be tied up during the day, but I’ll leave you a key and you can let yourself in.”
“I would love that, Connie. But tomorrow is Christmas Eve. All the stores will be closed, how will you get what we need?”
“The stores don’t close here the way they do in the South,” Piper responded, trying to bridge the gap of confusion between them.
“Well that’s practically sacrilegious. You’re telling me people go shopping tomorrow? Go on with their day like it’s business as usual? And how about on Christmas Day?”
“Most things are open on Christmas as well,” Marty said, joining the conversation, probably assuming he was adding a fun fact rather than shooting a proverbial dagger across the table at Betty.
He realized his mistake quickly as Betty straightened in her chair. “On one of the holiest days of the year, people just move about the city and go get coffee and buy pants like it was any other day?”
“The city is a bit of a melting pot,” Marty explained, trying to tread lightly. “There are so many different religions here, people from all over the world really. Those people who don’t celebrate Christmas expect to be able to go on with their day as if it were any other.”
Changing Fate (Book 3) (Piper Anderson Series) Page 13