Chapter Thirty-Four #2
“Ooh,” he said, swaying loosely. “This is a fascinating takedown. You’re a PA, Lucie. You get coffee and take minutes.” He jabbed a finger in my shoulder. “That’s all you’ll ever be.”
“Yeah, well, I’d rather be someone with integrity than whatever it is you are,” I shot back.
“Integrity? Ha.” He waved a hand in my face. “That’s a word losers use to make themselves feel better when their lives turn to shit.”
“Back off,” I warned.
Ralf stepped up to me and grinned toothily. “Make me.”
“Get away from me.” I pushed him, just gently enough to make him stagger over his own feet. But gravity is an unforgiving bitch, and his drunken momentum sent him toppling backwards.
He yelped, grabbed Vivian’s arm in panic.
It was like watching a slow-motion movie as the two of them stumbled over the lip of the pool with a joint screech, sending a surprised duck flying over startled guests’ heads with indignant quacks.
The duo flailed in the water, Vivian’s exquisite gown now coated in murk and smears of green.
Guests near the pool paused their dancing to laugh and point; a couple of camera flashes even went off, much to Vivian’s fury.
“What is the meaning of this?” Michelle burst through the crowd, taking in the sight of a sodden Ralf and Vivian attempting to pull themselves out of the pond. “NYBG is gonna flip!”
At the sight of her distressed face, I was awash with guilt. “I can explain,” I said.
Michelle turned heated eyes on me. “You pushed them?”
My adrenaline gone, I nodded. “Yes but—”
“That guy was attacking her!” A woman next to me clad in black PVC lurched forward, slopping champagne down her outfit.
Michelle glared at Ralf, who was levering himself over the edge of the pond. “Seriously?”
“He was all up in her face,” another partygoer confirmed.
“Is this true?” Michelle demanded of me.
“He was being a prick, but I shouldn’t have pushed him,” I said.
“You barely touched him!” PVC girl yelled.
“Okay, okay.” Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll handle it. Are you all right?”
“I will be,” I said, “but I need to find Elliot.”
“Ah.” Michelle’s face softened. “I’ll take care of this.” She turned cold eyes to Ralf and Vivian. “And you two. Out. Now.”
I shot Ralf a victorious smirk. I may have lost years’ worth of work to his machinations, but at least I wasn’t covered in pond slime.
A small win. I followed the signs to the exit and out on to the street and pulled out my phone to order an Uber, but as I tapped the phone’s battery finally gave out.
Great. One glance across the road at the train station serving the NYBG told me it was closed, so I headed back towards the Gardens.
One of the waitstaff was ambling out, white jacket slung over his shoulder and a cigarette firmly in his mouth. He caught my eye. “Have a great night,” he said.
“You too,” I said, then, “do you know where I can hail a cab round here?”
He took a deep drag on his cigarette. “Not too many around at this time of night,” he replied. “You tried Uber?”
I waved my phone. “Dead.”
He pointed to the ground. “You dropped something.”
I followed his finger to see a small white card that had flipped out of my clutch bag.
Picking it up, I realized it was Ivan’s card, the taxi driver I’d met when I first arrived in New York.
I couldn’t call him, could I? It was now past midnight.
But then the thought of Elliot in Manhattan alone saw me asking the waiter to borrow his phone, which he kindly allowed.
To my surprise, not only did Ivan answer the phone, but he also sounded very awake.
“Lucie!” He cheered when I explained who I was. “How is the movie business?”
“It’s … eventful,” I said truthfully. “Listen, I need help, are you working?”
“Just finishing,” he said. “Dropped someone off at University Heights and I’m about to head home. Are you okay?”
My heart sank. I couldn’t ask this man to drive me into Manhattan when he was about to turn in for the night. “I’m at the Botanical Gardens and something’s happened. I just need to get to Manhattan, and I can’t get a taxi—”
“—so you called Ivan for help,” he finished.
“I’m sorry, it was rude,” I said. “I shouldn’t presume.”
“Lucie, you need help,” he told me. “I’m glad you thought of me. I can’t take you into Manhattan though, as I gotta get back to my kids but … tell you what, I’m not far from the Gardens. I can get you to Tremont Avenue subway, take it from there, okay?”
Relief flooded through my veins. “Are you sure?”
He laughed. “Lucie, I’m a New York taxi driver, I don’t do anything unless I’m sure of it.”
“You’re a hero, Ivan,” I said.
“I should get that on a T-shirt,” he quipped. “Give me ten.”
Minutes later, a yellow cab screeched to a halt and Ivan leaned out of the window, hollering. “Lucie the Brit! Come with me if you want to live!”
Despite my worry over Elliot, I couldn’t stop laughing at the way he mangled Schwarzenegger’s accent. I threw myself in the back seat and Ivan took off like a rocket.
“Thanks again,” I said.
“I hope everything’s all right.” His voice was gentle, even as we raced down the boulevard at high speed.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve been in New York a few weeks and I’ve had my work stolen, pushed a producer into a pool and—” my breathing turned ragged “—I think there’s a very good chance I’ve fallen in love.”
The taxi braked to a sudden stop at some traffic lights. “Holy shit, Lucie, that’s straight out of the movies.”
I grimaced. “Don’t mention movies right now.”
The taxi eased off again. “I’m going to take a guess that the New York adventure wasn’t exactly what you thought it was going to be?”
“That’s putting it mildly,” I said. Professionally speaking, it had been one of the best and worst experiences I could ever have dreamed of.
It had all seemed so simple when I’d boarded that flight mere weeks ago – smash the scriptwriting, impress some execs and hopefully find a way to climb the ladder.
Now, everything was murky; after my behavior tonight, never mind quitting, Lin would almost certainly be firing me.
“You all right back there?” Ivan asked.
“Just thinking how naive I was to think this secondment to New York would change everything for the better.”
“I don’t understand,” Ivan said.
“Did you not hear about me pushing a producer into a pool?”
“I heard that you fell in love,” he retorted. “Is that not life changing for the better?”
“Yes.” Trouble was, I didn’t know what to do with that fact. “But also no. I’m flying home Friday.”
“Lucie the Brit,” Ivan groaned. “I thought you were a dreamer.”
“I don’t know what I am anymore.”
The taxi squealed to a stop outside the subway. Ivan craned his neck around to look at me. “If you love this man, you’ll find a way,” he said. “Dreamers like you and me? We don’t let anything stand in our path.”
“Damn.” I stared at him. “You should write a self-help book or something.”
Ivan threw back his head and laughed. “Maybe I will. Now go.” He pointed at the subway station. “I have a family waiting for me.”
I fished out a twenty from my purse. “Will this cover the ride?”
Ivan batted my hand away. “I’m off the clock.”
“I insist.” I threw the money onto his front seat. “Buy your wife a bunch of flowers on me, at least.”
He laughed again, then pocketed the cash. “Go to your man,” he said.
“How do you know I’m going to him?” I said, one hand on the door handle.
“Lucie the Brit, I’m a fan of the movies,” he said with a gentle smile. “The mad dash across a city? I know a romantic gesture when I see one.”