CHAPTER FOUR
The next morning, I woke to the sound of workmen drilling the floor by my bedside. That’s what it sounded like, anyway.
Through a sleepy haze, I finally realised it was the coffee grinder doing its thing. And several minutes later, Richard appeared, fully dressed.
‘Hey, you. You were so tired last night, I thought I’d let you sleep on.’ He placed a large bowl-shaped mug on the bedside table and I inhaled the delicious smell of freshly ground coffee. ‘Cappuccino for Madame?’
‘Thank you.’ I struggled into a sitting position and Richard plumped a couple of pillows for me. ‘I think I fell asleep before you came to bed last night.’ I grinned up at him. ‘Sorry about that. I was just so exhausted.’
‘Hey, no problem.’ He shrugged amiably. ‘Drink your coffee and we’ll get going.’
‘Wow, that mug is more like a bucket. I’ll be bouncing off the walls if I drink the whole thing.’
He grinned. ‘You’ll need plenty of energy for what I’ve got planned for you today.’
‘Oh, really?’ I flashed him my best sideways flirty look. ‘Well, maybe you should bring your own coffee in here and join me?’
He chuckled, sitting down on the bed and taking my hand. ‘Tempting as that sounds, it’s already nearly ten and you haven’t even been out of the apartment yet.’
‘Well, I have . We went out last night.’
‘I know. But you need to see the sights in daylight. Seriously, Katja, there’s so much to experience in New York and you’ve only got a couple of days, so come on.’ He stood up, grinning down at me. ‘I thought we could get breakfast at a diner?’
‘Lovely.’
‘Now, there’s just one thing.’ He took my hand in both of his. ‘The cleaners will be in this morning while we’re out and they never dust properly unless the surfaces are clear. So I always put everything away before I leave.’
‘Oh. Okay.’ I smiled indulgently at him. So Richard was still as fussy as ever about his tidiness and cleanliness!
‘Yes, so once you’re ready, if you could just tidy away all your make-up and other stuff into these drawers?’ He got up and demonstrated, opening and closing one of them.
I nodded, thinking how cute he looked when he was being serious. ‘No problem. There’ll be nothing left out, I promise.’
‘Great. We’ll leave in half an hour, shall we?’ He winked and walked out. ‘Enjoy the coffee,’ he called back.
With a sigh of happiness, I picked up the enormous mug and took a sip of the coffee. It didn’t taste quite as good as the aroma had promised. But it was still lovely to relax here, in this huge bed in this wonderful city, and have coffee brought to me by my lover!
‘The water should be piping hot for your shower,’ he called.
I smiled, took another swallow of coffee, set the mug on the bedside table and pushed back the covers. Rainforest shower, here I come!
He was right, of course. Here I was in ‘the city that doesn’t sleep’, and yet I’d been out for the count now for a good ten hours! There was so much I wanted to see and it was clear that Richard was really eager to show me around.
I definitely wasn’t complaining . . .
*****
‘Are you nearly ready?’ called Richard.
I popped my head out of the bedroom, where I’d been getting dressed and applying my make-up after my shower. ‘Just about.’
Richard had been ready for a while and was leaning against the wall in the hallway, coat on. He glanced up from checking his phone. ‘Have you cleared your stuff away?’
‘I have indeed. Everything looks . . . very tidy.’
‘Great. Come on, then. You look lovely. Let’s go.’
‘Okay, okay.’ Laughing, I ducked back into the bedroom, fluffed my hair in the mirror and grabbed my handbag before rushing out to join him. He was waiting with a smile and my coat held open for me.
‘Thank you.’ I smiled up at him as I shrugged on the coat. ‘I’m getting too used to this. Being treated like a princess. Rainforest shower. Fancy coffee brought to me in bed. A full itinerary planned just for me.’
‘Well, you deserve it. Come on.’ He opened the door and – feeling his urgency to get going – I ran down the stairs and out into the street as he locked up and followed me.
A van drew up as we were leaving and some women got out with mops and brushes.
I laughed as Richard took my hand and we walked swiftly along the street in the biting wind towards the diner. ‘I can’t believe the company pays for your apartment to be cleaned.’
He nodded. ‘There’s a laundry collection as well every week – bedding and towels.’
‘Crikey. You really have landed in Posh Town! Maybe I’ll suggest to Ellie that she should offer the same service to her employees. She could come round and mop my floors and do a spot of laundry while she’s there,’ I joked, having to run a little to keep up with his long strides.
Reaching the diner, he pushed open the door and hustled me inside, out of the cold.
‘Right, what do you fancy to eat?’ He grinned at me as we sat down. ‘Actually, that’s the one thing that’s missing in this fabulous new lifestyle of mine. I have to actually buy and make my own food.’
‘Oof. Shocking. I’d complain if I were you. A hard-working bloke like you deserves a personal chef at the very least.’
Chuckling, we looked at the menu.
‘Ooh, waffles with crispy bacon and maple syrup sounds amazing.’ I was hungry, I realised. And reading this list of breakfast choices was making my stomach rumble.
As we were waiting for our breakfast, I realised I’d forgotten to put my new earrings in. My lovely dad had bought them as a surprise gift for me to wear on my trip, and I adored them. But when I suggested we call in at the apartment after breakfast to get them, Richard was adamant that it wasn’t necessary.
‘But it’s on the way to the subway station. I’d just nip inside for a minute?’
He frowned at me for a second.
‘What is it?’ I asked, confused.
He shook his head and I really thought he was cross with me. But then his handsome face broke into a smile. ‘You’ve just ruined the surprise, that’s all.’
‘Surprise?’
‘Yes. I was... well, I was going to take you to Tiffany’s this morning.’
‘Tiffany’s?’ I looked at him, startled.
Was he planning to buy me something there?
He grinned. ‘Unless you’d rather not go?’
‘ No! I mean, yes. Of course I’d like to go to Tiffany’s. But why? What’s the surprise?’
‘Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now, would it?’
‘Right.’ My heart was beating fast, and I was about to question him more, when the waffles and crispy bacon arrived.
The food was very good and so was the coffee – much better than the posh stuff in Richard’s apartment. We ate and drank in silence for a while, enjoying the ambience of the diner as my mind performed a series of wild somersaults.
What was Richard’s surprise?
Tiffany’s only sold jewellery, so obviously it was something special.
Could it be . . .?
No, surely not. We’d never once talked about getting married. But maybe Richard had missed me more than he thought he would?
Could he really be buying me an engagement ring?
I took a sneaky look at his face as he signalled to a waiter for our bill. He’d seemed a little agitated earlier, wanting us to be on our way, but he was looking quite calm now. Much too calm for someone who was about to propose to his girlfriend, surely?
I felt a sudden panicky sensation inside, as if a flock of birds were in there flapping their wings, preparing for take-off.
What would I say if Richard asked me to marry him?