Chapter 9 #2
Kaitlyn was caught up in the whirlwind of it all.
Her whole life had changed in the course of a week, of a day.
This time yesterday, she and Alex had been eating takeout on the porch of her mom’s house, and now they were about to take a car to Gill’s, and she was wearing a designer dress with matching shoes and handbag.
“I still can’t believe it,” Kaitlyn said.
“But there’s one more thing,” Alex said, producing a small, red-plush-covered box from his pocket.
Kaitlyn’s heart skipped a beat as he opened it, revealing a diamond necklace, sparkling in the evening sun pouring through the windows.
“It’s beautiful,” she exclaimed as he took it from the box and placed it around her neck.
The cut of the dress suited it perfectly, and Kaitlyn glanced into a mirror on the wall as Alex stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
“And it looks perfect on you,” he whispered, kissing her on the neck.
It felt to Kaitlyn as though she was dreaming. This was another world, a world filled with glitz and glamor, where magical things were happening.
“It’s a bit different from prom night, isn’t it?” she said, turning to him with a smile.
“But that’s where it began,” he replied.
They went down in the elevator, and a car was waiting at the front of the building for them.
Alex introduced Kaitlyn to Stephen, his driver, a tall man, wearing a blue uniform and a peaked cap, who helped Kaitlyn into the car before driving them through the New York traffic to the restaurant.
Gill’s was marked out by its red carpet at the entrance and a collection of paparazzi waiting for a scoop.
As Stephen opened the car door, shutters clicked, and Kaitlyn found herself the object of attention, with photographers vying for a glimpse of “Mr. Lancaster’s date.
” But Alex didn’t pause, leading Kaitlyn along the red carpet and through the doors into a dimly lit lobby, where soft music was playing, and an enormous fish tank, filled with exotic species, served as a wall, with stairs going up to the dining space above.
There was no question of a reservation, no being asked to wait for the table.
A black-suited waiter was told by a steward to lead them upstairs immediately. Kaitlyn could hardly take it in.
“Is that Joel Hardman?” she whispered, glancing across the restaurant to where the star of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, Life of Gold, was drinking champagne with his co-star.
Alex smiled.
“They don’t like people looking in here. Everyone’s someone,” he whispered.
Kaitlyn nodded. She’d already recognized news anchors, politicians, reality-TV stars… It was extraordinary.
“Our best table, Mr. Lancaster, sir,” the waiter said as he showed them to a spot that looked out of the restaurant’s upper windows across Central Park.
“Pol Roger, I think, to start. Whatever vintage the sommelier thinks best,” Alex said.
The waiter nodded and hurried away.
“Are there any menus?” Kaitlyn asked, glancing around her to where other diners were being presented with tiny plates containing no more than a mouthful of food.
“It’s concept dining, twenty courses. They have a theme each season. It’s ‘Woodland’ at the moment,” Alex said.
“You’ve come a long way from the drive-thru,” Kaitlyn replied.
Alex smiled. “I know some great pizza places, too. And then there’s Chinatown, and some great Korean places. There’s a deli not far from the apartment that does a superb pastrami on rye,” he said.
Kaitlyn laughed. “Let’s see what ‘Woodland’ has to offer. I still can’t believe I’m here.”
The waiter returned a few moments later with the champagne, perfectly chilled, while two further waiters presented appetizers on what looked like pieces of a narrow tree trunk, split in half and spray-painted silver.
A mouthful revealed a taste of apple, with a popping effect that left a lingering hint of sesame and smoke. Definitely not the drive-thru.
“Interesting,” Alex said.
Kaitlyn nodded, though if every course was that small, twenty bites didn’t seem that much. Perhaps the deli near the apartment might have to provide something more substantial.
“Delicious,” Kaitlyn lied, for she wasn’t used to “concept” food.
Alex raised his champagne glass to her. “To us, and to our future together.”
Kaitlyn clinked her glass against his. “I still can’t believe it,” she admitted. “It feels like a dream, but a wonderful one.”
The next course was something of an improvement: slivers of venison with a charcoal dust and gold leaf.
It looked pretty and tasted quite nice. Kaitlyn dreaded to think how much it was going to cost, but for a billionaire, she presumed a meal like this was nothing significant.
It was a totally different world, one she’d never imagined herself inhabiting, and yet here she was, sitting opposite the man who’d proposed to her all those years ago. It was surreal.
“That was nice,” Alex said as they finished the last course — a chocolate dessert made to look like a bird’s nest, with edible golden eggs filled with salted caramel and hazelnut.
“It was extraordinary,” Kaitlyn replied, her opinion of “Woodland” having greatly improved during the passage of the twenty courses.
There was no bill to pay on the spot. No awkward hovering with the card reader or jokes about going over the contactless limit.
When they’d finished, they left, knowing the bill would be sent to the office.
Stephen was waiting for them with the car, a few paparazzi still hoping for a shot, their cameras clicking as Kaitlyn and Alex walked past. It was dark now, and Kaitlyn was tired.
“What a day,” Alex said as they stepped out of the elevator into the apartment.
“It really has been,” Kaitlyn replied as he turned and slipped his arms around her.
“I hope you’re going to be happy,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.
Kaitlyn smiled. She felt certain she would be as long as she had him at her side, and, taking his hand, she led him into the bedroom.