Chapter 26 #2
‘I think I like your friend already. This place is so cool.’
It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the light and then I spotted Todd and a woman in one of the small alcoves.
‘There they are.’ I led the way over.
‘Hey, man.’ Todd jumped up and gave me an enthusiastic hug. ‘Long time.’
We studied each other for the minute demanded when you haven’t seen someone for a couple of years.
‘Hey, good to see you.’ He looked exactly the same as he always had; the asshole had been blessed with the cream of the crop when it came to genes.
He was your original all-American boy, except now I noticed something different about him.
There was a soft glow about his smile, stripping away the cynicism that had frequently marred his face.
Before I could say anything else, he was pulling the woman at his side to her feet.
‘And this is Sophie.’ Even the way he said her name made it obvious that Sophie was something special.
‘Sophie, this is Noah, he plays English football and lives over there. So, you might have something in common with the jerk.’ His grin softened the insult.
‘We were at college together, so don’t believe a word he says about me.
’ He beamed at her, and I almost fell over in surprise at the way he proudly put his arm around her shoulder and puffed out his chest.
‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ she said.
‘You’re English,’ I blurted out.
‘No shit, Sherlock,’ said Todd, rolling his eyes with his usual good humour. He leaned past me and held out his hand to Evie. ‘I’m Todd, this is Sophie.’
‘Hi, I’m Evie.’
‘And you’re English, too.’ He winked at her. ‘What brings you to our shores and how the devil do you know Noah?’
‘Long story.’
‘Ooh, I like a good story.’ Todd rubbed his hands together.
‘Play nice, McLennan,’ said Sophie. ‘Ignore him. Would you like a drink? We were just about to order.’
‘Thank you.’ Evie took the menu Sophie handed over.
‘This place is all about the cocktails. They’re really good, and Todd’s paying.’
‘Nice to see she has a civilising influence on you,’ I said to Todd, who simply beamed.
‘She brings out all my best bits.’
Sophie blew him a kiss. ‘I just pander to his ego, it’s easier.’
Evie shot me a quick look. ‘Looks like you have interesting friends, Noah.’ She turned back to Todd and Sophie. ‘Nice to meet you. You can spill all the dirt on Noah. I’m hoping that he really misbehaved in college.’
Todd shook his head. ‘Nah, he was always wedded to his soccer.’
I was grateful he decided to be circumspect. I’d been no angel at college.
‘Hmm,’ said Sophie. ‘Next to you that isn’t saying much.’
He kissed her firmly on the mouth. ‘You know you love me.’
She rolled her eyes but they exchanged one of those secret smiles and I felt a quick nip of … I thought it was envy at first, and then to my shock, I realised it was recognition. It was exactly the sort of smile Evie and I had exchanged in the station.
We ordered drinks and the conversation flowed easily. Todd, Sophie and Evie all had plenty in common, given that they were all journalists. While Todd and I caught up, I kept half an ear on Evie’s conversation with Sophie.
‘Do you miss going home at Christmas?’ Evie asked.
‘Not really. Todd and I have been together for three years now and he’s not that close to his parents.
We’ll be spending Christmas with his cousin, Bella, and her husband, Wes.
The thing I really miss is mince pies!’ said Sophie vehemently.
‘This year, I’ve made my own mincemeat. A ton of it.
’ She laughed. ‘I’ll be giving it away.’
‘I love a mince pie. Me and my mum used to make them together.’ Although Evie’s smile was bright, I could hear the echo of grief in her words.
Our drinks arrived, craft beers for me and Todd and fancy cocktails for Evie and Sophie.
‘So, how did you and Noah hook up,’ Todd asked Evie a little while later, after she had relayed the story of how she came to be in New York.
‘Good question,’ she said, and looked at me as if checking for my permission to tell the true story.
‘It’s all right, I trust Todd,’ I said. ‘We’re doing this social-media thing to rehabilitate my lousy reputation after I snapped Rick Menzies’ leg in two,’ the familiar sickness rolled in my stomach as I said it, ‘and to increase awareness of Evie’s TikTok account.’
‘I heard Menzies has issues,’ said Todd.
‘Where did you hear that?’ I asked, scoffing slightly. It was the first I’d heard of it, and I heard all the locker room gossip.
‘I have contacts.’
I raised an incredulous eyebrow. ‘In the UK?’
‘Sports World Illustrated is across the floor. I told Conrad, one of the guys there, that I was meeting you. He mentioned it straight away. In fact, would you be interested in doing an interview with him?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m not talking to anyone at the moment.’
‘What if he promised not to mention the tackle?’ asked Todd.
I shook my head.
‘So, what happens next?’ Sophie asked Evie diplomatically, picking up a slender long-stemmed glass of white wine.
Evie lifted her shoulders in one of her trademark I don’t really care shrugs. ‘Hopefully, they’ll reinstate me in the New Year, otherwise I’ll have to look for a new job.’ She pulled a face.
‘It’s hard,’ sympathised Sophie. ‘Magazine jobs are being cut all the time. It’s all right if you’ve got minor-celebrity status and a following like McLennan here, but it’s important to have another string to your bow.
I’ve set up an online recipe and cooking channel.
I use TikTok a lot and I’ve got some followers—’
Todd dug her in the ribs. ‘She’s got a ton of followers and her last tip about making herbal ice cubes went viral. She’s being modest.’
‘I’ve got a good base and I’m starting to earn from it,’ said Sophie with quiet modesty. ‘Which the magazine likes because it attracts new readers, so I’m protecting myself.’
‘That’s a great idea, except “financial journalist” isn’t that sexy,’ said Evie a little despondently.
‘You need to make it sexy,’ said Todd with a quick grin.
‘Says the man who writes the male equivalent of Sex and the City,’ mocked Sophie. We all laughed.
‘I’m glad to see you’re not letting his ego get too big,’ I told her.
Todd took her hand. ‘She loves me just the way I am.’ Although he said the words with a cheeky grin, there was no doubting the veracity of his words.
It was a revelation. Sophie was completely different from any of the women I’d ever seen Todd with before.
She was pretty, very pretty, but in an understated way.
Before, Todd had always swum in a glamorous pool filled with well-dressed and well-heeled women.
Sophie, in a simple sweatshirt and jeans, looked positively wholesome in comparison.
She balanced him, I realised. Opposites did attract.
I glanced over at Evie and she smiled at me.
It was another one of those little moments, when I realised we were both really enjoying the company and we were completely at ease in the situation.
Did we balance each other out? Was Evie having a good influence on me?
I felt so much lighter when she was around, but then we were both on holiday. This wasn’t real life. Was it?
* * *
‘They were very nice,’ said Evie, wrapping her voluminous pink scarf several times around her neck as we walked back down Fifth Avenue to The Plaza. I huddled down into my coat, the tips of my ears already cold. The temperature had dropped and snow was forecast.
‘Yeah, to be honest I’m amazed. Todd, well, he won’t mind me saying it, but he was always a bit of a womaniser. And now. Well, I can’t believe how happy and settled he looks.’
‘The love of a good woman,’ said Evie, arching her eyebrow.
‘More than that.’ I thought about it for a moment, remembering the Todd I’d known through college.
‘His demons have been settled.’ That was it.
There’d always been an undercurrent about him, an almost invisible resentment in his cynicism and superficial charm as if he always mistrusted happiness.
‘He’s happy, and it shows. He’d always been pretending before. ’
‘Whereas you’ve always been settled,’ said Evie thoughtfully as we came to a crossing and waited for the green light.
‘I can tell from the way you talk about your mom and your family. I think I’m like Todd was.
Unsettled. Rootless. Aimless, with no idea where I’m going or what I’m doing.
’ She sounded more despondent than I’d ever heard her and I sneaked a glance at her profile, not knowing what to say.
‘Apologies, I sound sorry for myself. Don’t mean to be. But Todd and Sophie are proper grown-ups, aren’t they? They seem like they’ve got it all sussed, whereas I feel as if I’m wandering around in someone else’s shoes, that not only don’t fit me but aren’t my style either.’
Her mouth drooped and when she looked up at me, I was moved by the sadness in her eyes.
‘I’m lost,’ she said. ‘No purpose. No focus. When I go back to the UK, I’ll just be going back to going through the motions.’
I reached for her hand as we bumped shoulders, avoiding a boisterous crowd of young people in Santa hats singing ‘Jingle Bells’ rather tunelessly.
‘Evie, don’t be so down on yourself.’
Initially I wanted to give her some reassurance, but as I thought about it, I realised that not only was she doing herself a disservice, I had been, too.
Yes, she was bright, bubbly and fun, but Evie also brought so much more to the table.
I’d actually had more fun with her in the last few days than I’d had in weeks or even maybe the last year.
Even when Gabriel and I were ripping up the party scene, it hadn’t been fun like this.
Half the time it had been anxiety-inducing, wondering if I could keep up.
Evie brought a vital new perspective to my life.
‘You’re an inspiration,’ I told her earnestly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk outside one of the Bergdorf & Goodman windows just across the road from The Plaza.
‘You squeeze more enjoyment out of life than anyone I’ve ever met.
You think about other people, you’re kind to them and light up their days.
I’m the one that’s going through the motions.
I do my job … but what happened to the passion I had for football once upon a time?
I work hard all the time because I’m scared of losing it all.
When did I stop looking forward to things instead of worrying all the time about what I might lose? When did I stop doing new things?’
‘What, like hanging off skyscrapers?’ she teased, looking upwards.
‘What if I told you I enjoyed it?’ I’d loved it. The rush, the thrill of doing something out of my comfort zone and the satisfaction of enjoying it as well as achieving a new challenge.
‘I know you did. Whereas I’m supposed to be the fun one and I was bloody petrified.’
‘You overcame your fear,’ I said encouragingly.
‘So where does that leave us?’ She turned to me with one of her sudden about zigzags of thought. ‘I really fancy you, but would jumping into bed with you, because I can, be a stupid idea?’
I stared at her, poleaxed by the characteristic abrupt direction change and by the subject matter. How had we gone from talking about skyscrapers to sex?
‘Sorry,’ she spoke again before I could say anything. ‘There I go again. Jumping in with both feet without thinking.’
‘Actually, I was going to say, it doesn’t sound entirely stupid. I’m quite keen on the idea, in fact.’
‘You are?’
Should I be insulted that she sounded surprised?
‘Yes, Evie, but I want to sleep with you because we both want to and we’ve been building toward it. Not because it feels like a good idea right now or why the hell not? I want to go to bed with you, take my time and savour you.’
‘Oh.’ Her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. ‘Oh.’
I loved it when that was all she could say.
‘Maybe have a little fun,’ I added. ‘Come to bed with me, Evie Green.’
Her mouth opened and shut a couple of times as she stared at me. Adorable confusion clouded her eyes as she chewed at her bottom lip.
She clutched my arm. ‘Now I feel … sort of shy and a bit nervous … because I’ve always just jumped in.’ She caught her lip between her teeth again. I lifted a finger to her mouth to release her lip, soothing the skin.
She paused, and then added, ‘So how do we go about it?’
I laughed and hooked my arm through hers as we crossed the road towards the hotel, our pace, by mutual agreement, picking up.
‘Seriously, you need to ask?’