One Winter Weekend

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

T he next day, while I spent a lovely morning wandering around Manhattan again, Sarah had a break for lunch so I met her at a little café near her office.

She was on her phone most of the time, still conducting business so I was kind of glad when it was over. I wanted to prepare for tonight anyway.

Around six o’clock, I began to get jitters. What if Blake didn’t show up?

I took a deep breath and allowed myself to trust this man. Trust that he would show and not stand me up. I went ahead and got dressed and at seven o’clock sharp, the doorman rang up.

Blake was downstairs waiting for me. I breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed my coat and headed out.

He stood in the lobby and I was taken aback at how I felt as soon as I locked eyes with him.

He stood there, his tall figure towering in the brightly lit lobby. He wore an elegant black suit and his woollen pea coat. He topped it off with a red silk scarf around his neck, the perfect compliment to my dress.

His eyes were wide as he looked me up and down.

“Madeline, you looked stunning,” he said greeting me with a light hug.

The doorman held out my coat, offering to help me put it on.

“Allow me,” Blake said.

He slid my coat on and then planted a light kiss on my cheek. “Shall we?” he asked, as he offered me his arm.

A black car was waiting for us. I was confused, as I’d thought we would surely be walking.

A few minutes later, I stepped out and nearly gasped out loud. The Plaza Hotel.

A visit there would be a treat for anyone at any time I knew, but at this time of year, it was doubly astounding.

The entrance was beautifully decorated in holly wreaths and delicate lights. It was intricate and elegant, and again had that classic New York feel I’d so longed for.

Blake put his arm around me and said, “You mentioned you wanted an old-fashioned Christmas experience. There’s no better place for that than this hotel. It hasn’t changed much since it was built in the early nineteen hundreds.”

I looked up at him. This was perfect.

Blake flashed a grin, before putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me inside.

The lobby was alive with festive cheer, with several Christmas trees elegantly decorated and buzzing with people enjoying the holidays; everybody beautifully dressed and being fussed over by attentive waiting staff beneath sparkling chandeliers.

I was in complete awe of the glamour. I really did feel like I had stepped back in time.

Even with me in heels, Blake still towered over me. As we stood there in the lobby, surrounded by all this festive beauty, he looked down and then in one unexpected motion he kissed me.

“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help it,” he said, pulling away quickly.

I didn’t want him to stop, and while I loved his politeness and hesitation, I wanted to keep going.

Right then I forgot all about my ex-boyfriend and any mistrust I had in Blake. It had all vanished in just twenty-four hours.

Walking around New York, and exploring a new world was exactly the kind of thing I needed to get a different perspective of how magical life could be.

Blake and I enjoyed a silver service dinner in the Palm Court; turkey roast and vegetables with brandy and for dessert we shared pudding and a cup of nutmeg.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes at the door of Sarah’s condo, with no pressure to carry things further. Almost the way old-fashioned courting would’ve been.

“So, see you tomorrow night?” he suggested. “I was thinking maybe ice-skating this time.”

He leaned in and planted another kiss on my lips. Slow and romantic, full of feeling and it made me feel a bit dizzy.

It was like this man really could read my mind.