Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
NOAH
‘No, we’re not walking,’ I said, ushering Evie into the yellow cab outside of the front of the hotel.
As she began to protest, I added, ‘It’s too cold and too far – and pretty as the snow is, this will be warmer.
’ The weather hadn’t been able to make up its mind today and had veered between sudden unloading of snow to bright blue skies and sunshine.
Part of me wished it would snow properly. It wasn’t Christmas without snow.
‘Okay, boss,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘It’s only a little bit of snow.’
‘Are you sulking because I won’t tell you where we’re going?
’ I teased. It was fun to mess with her.
I was taking her out to lunch somewhere really Christmassy, because after the last couple of days, I’d begun to realise she’d been denying herself pleasure at this time of the year, and I wanted to give her some happy memories.
‘I don’t sulk.’ She stuck her bottom lip out. ‘I pout prettily.’
Once again, she made me laugh. ‘You do. And it’s a surprise. If I tell you where we’re going, you’ll google it.’
‘True,’ she said, her face wreathed in a smile. ‘I don’t like surprises.’
‘Now that does surprise me.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you’re spontaneous, ready for anything, always up for a laugh or a challenge. I thought surprises would be “right up your street”, as they say in England.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘I don’t like having the rug pulled out from underneath my feet. There’s a long way to fall.’
Although her expression suggested her comment was light-hearted, I got the impression she meant it.
I thought of her earlier talk of her mum and leaned over and squeezed her hand.
Sometimes her sadness sneaked through her defences.
She’d coped with so much on her own; no wonder she preferred firmer footings, although I wondered if she ever admitted that to herself.
She kept up a shield, but I was learning that there was a whole lot more to Evie than I’d first realised.
I linked my fingers through hers and clasped her hand with my other hand with quick understanding. ‘I promise this will be a good surprise.’
As we drove along the busy street in the cab, she gave me a soft smile.
‘Thanks, Noah.’
After we’d been to the Empire State Building, yesterday, something had shifted between us and even though she gave me a wary, grateful smile, I suspected she was starting to accept someone looking after her.
The stores were lit up in all their Christmas finery, a rainbow of coloured lights and festive scenes as we passed. ‘It’s just like all the movies,’ said Evie a touch wistfully.
From what she’d revealed earlier in the day, I realised that she’d actually missed out on a lot of Christmas traditions and the sense of community and family that so many people enjoyed and took for granted.
It seemed that she and her mother had lived vicariously through films because it was an escape from the reality they were both facing.
Now it made complete sense as to why she’d been so desperate to come to New York, why she’d fallen for the scam so easily and why she’d stolen her flatmates’ money.
She wasn’t a bad person at all. Just a bit bruised and battered, and most of all, lost. Something inside me ached for her.
Wanted to show her that life could be kinder to her.
That there was more to Christmas than all the outside glitz.
The displays, the materialism. If my parents were back, I would have taken her home and spent the rest of the holiday there.
But they weren’t, so I was going to bring Christmas to Evie.
Give her a Christmas to remember, one that she could enjoy and participate in, rather than look on as if she were still watching a movie.
And suddenly I had a dozen ideas of what we could do over the next couple of days.
We pulled up outside Rolf’s German restaurant. I’d never been before but I’d heard all about it, and by the slimmest chance had bagged a booking today.
I let Evie lead the way in, with my camera at the ready.
It was the perfect shot when she turned round to face me, her mouth wide open, her eyes shining and behind her the spectacularly glitzy, over-the-top Christmas decorations.
The place was like a grotto with stalactites and growths of baubles covering every last inch of the ceiling.
It reminded me of a man-made Christmas coral.
The undulating outcrops of baubles were interspersed with crystal icicles, while white fairy lights wound their way between them.
Every surface was covered, the lampshades, the pillars and the windowsills were also covered bringing a cosy atmosphere to the place.
‘Wow. This is Christmas on steroids,’ she said. ‘I think I love it.’
‘I know. Crazy,’ I agreed looking round. ‘It’s more than I could have imagined.’
I gave my name to the waiter, who led us to one of the tables and I ducked my head as we went, worried I might hit it on one of the overhead decorations. The table was laid with a simple white tablecloth, which contrasted with the explosion of colour, sparkle and shine around us.
Evie was already snapping pictures of the decorations. Then she took a selfie of us both.
‘I’ve never really had German food before,’ she said.
‘I played over there for a little while. In Bundesliga.’ I picked up the menu and my stomach growled. I was going to be hard-pressed to choose something. All my favourites were listed.
‘You played in Germany? Why didn’t I know that? What do you recommend?’
‘Everything,’ I said. ‘And yes, I played there but only for a season on loan.’
‘I can’t have everything.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Seriously. What’s good?’
I studied the menu, almost groaning out loud.
‘To start with, potato pancakes with apple sauce or potato salad. Both are delicious. Then for the main course. Oh, I don’t know where to start. Any kind of schnitzel is good. But then the pork loin with red cabbage is delicious. And wurst is always good.’
‘You’re no help at all,’ she muttered.
‘You were happy to follow my lead in the restaurant at The Plaza on the first night.’
‘I had jetlag and couldn’t have made a choice to save my life that night. Food was just a means to stay awake for longer.’ She lifted her head and shot me a mischievous grin. ‘And an opportunity to wind you up.’
‘Mission accomplished. I thought you were the most irritating woman on the planet.’
‘And now?’ she asked with a coy smile.
‘Same,’ I said.
She giggled and nudged my leg under the table with her foot. ‘Good. I like to keep you on your toes.’
The waiter arrived to take our orders and I selected a paprika schnitzel, while Evie opted for chicken schnitzel with mashed potatoes and green beans. We both chose the potato pancakes to start with.
‘Thanks for bringing me here. Come on, admit it, I’ve stopped irritating you.’
I realised she’d retreated to teasing/flirting, which made her feel safer because she was keeping things light.
‘You’ve grown on me,’ I said casually, even though inside I felt far from casual about her.
I felt completely mixed up, but I was horribly aware that I should be focusing on getting back into the team.
Evie was too much of a distraction, she made me forget that, as a result of my actions, I’d finished a man’s career.
I needed to remember how easy it would be to lose everything.
But despite knowing all of that, I was finding it harder and harder to resist Evie.
She made everything light up when she was around.
It was like the sun came out inside, and I found myself wanting to spend more time with her.
Not that I was the melancholy type. Life of late had been muddied and full of guilt and shame, but when Evie was around it was as if everything was brought into sharper focus.
There was no doubt I was attracted to her.
It saddened me that for her Christmas was all about the show.
It didn’t seem as if she’d held onto or developed any special traditions.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without my family at Christmas.
It was my favourite time to spend with them.
So I wanted to show her what Christmas could be like if she let it, and I knew just what to do. I consoled my mixed-up brain with the thought that if nothing else, it would be a great photo opportunity.