Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kylie’s excitement grew as the New York City skyline came into view. She had seen it in movies for years, but in person?
It was breathtaking.
She identified various landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, knowing that she would want to come back someday to visit them up close.
This trip was a quick one. She would be landing a little past three, and her flight back to Texas tomorrow was scheduled at two in the afternoon.
No true time to sightsee. Then again, if she liked what she heard, she might actually be moving to New York in the near future.
She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, though.
Her interview with Alexander tomorrow morning was just that.
An interview. No guarantee that a job offer would follow.
Still, she had been flown first-class and would be staying at the Wagner Central Park, one of the most prestigious hotels in the city.
She would use this opportunity to hone her interviewing skills.
If no job was forthcoming, Kylie still viewed it as a win in her book.
The plane touched down and began taxiing.
She debated whether or not to text Piper to tell her that she was in town.
The Musketeers group text change had been active daily, ever since Piper left for New York three weeks ago.
Kylie knew her friend was busy auditioning, as well as working at a diner near her Brooklyn apartment.
With the limited time she was in town, it might be hard to get together.
Still, she should make the effort. Piper would if their roles were reversed.
Taking out her cell phone, she turned off airplane mode and sent a quick text.
Believe it or not, I just landed in New York! Have a job interview early tomorrow & then fly out tomorrow afternoon. Know this is last minute. Any chance you’re free this evening? Would love to have dinner or even grab a drink.
Almost immediately, three dots appeared on the screen, and Kylie knew Piper had received the text and was already replying. Her cell chimed softly.
Can I call you????
She replied with a thumbs up as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood. Her seat companion graciously removed Kylie’s carry-on and handed it to her. She thanked him and followed him off the plane.
As she entered the terminal, her phone rang. “Hello?”
“I can’t believe you’re here. You’re here! Of course, we can have dinner. And I have news. Oh, Kylie, it’s big news. Huge! I was going to save it for when we all FaceTimed next week, but with you here, I’m about to explode, so you’re going to hear it first.”
“I’m glad we can get together. I’ve missed you.”
“Same,” Piper said. “Did you fly into LaGuardia?”
“I did. First-class.”
“Ooh, I can’t wait to hear about this company that is interviewing you. Where are you staying? I’d love to have dinner together.”
“The Wagner Central Park.”
“Fancy. It might be easier if I came to you.”
“I’ve got permission to charge anything to my room. Want to order room service and eat barefoot?”
Piper laughed. “You’re on.” She paused a moment. “I could get there about six-thirty.”
“Okay. I’ll text you my room number after I check in.”
“Sounds terrific. Can’t wait to see you. Bye.”
“Bye.”
By now, Kylie had moved along the terminal and exited to baggage claim.
She hadn’t checked a bag, thinking that a waste of time.
Looking around, she spied a uniformed driver holding a card with her name on it.
Alexander Wagner had not only furnished her with her airline ticket and hotel but also a driver to convey her.
He had told her to eat in one of the restaurants at the property or simply order room service if she were too tired to go out and charge it to her room.
Approaching the driver, she said, “I’m Kylie Mayfield. Mr. Wagner said someone would meet me at the airport.”
He smiled. “I’m Rob, Miss Mayfield. Let me take that suitcase for you.”
She allowed him to do so, and he led her outside. New York in early September was almost as steamy as the Bay. Then again, she had seen the water coming in, knowing that not only was the Atlantic Ocean nearby, but also the Hudson River.
Rob opened the rear door for her, and Kylie got in, setting her tote on the seat next to her. Rob opened the trunk and placed her carry-on inside it and then got behind the wheel. He pulled out into traffic and seamlessly worked his way through the congestion.
“Are you going to take the FDR?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes, ma’am.” He glanced at her in his rear view mirror. “First time in the city?”
Kylie smiled sheepishly. “Yes. I always do my homework, though.”
“You’ll enjoy the drive. I’ll point out a few things along the way if you’d like.”
“Please do so,” she encouraged.
Rob did just that, showing her various sights and giving her the history behind them.
“You’re so knowledgeable,” she complimented as they reached Central Park.
He smiled. “I also do my homework. Actually, I was a history teacher in the Bronx. Taught US history for ten years, then I got married. My wife worked at the corporate headquarters of Wagner Enterprises. Met Mr. Wagner at a company Christmas party. We just took to one another. I finished out the school year, and I’ve been driving him ever since. ”
She liked hearing that. Alexander Wagner had made a good impression on her, but hearing Rob’s story made her like the senior Wagner even more.
They pulled up in front of the hotel, and Rob helped her from the car before retrieving her suitcase. A bellhop greeted them.
“This is Miss Mayfield,” the driver said. “She’s expected. One of Mr. Wagner’s special guests.”
“Got it,” the bellhop said, taking the bag from Rob.
“I’ll take you to the Wagner offices tomorrow morning and then the airport for your return flight,” Rob told her.
“Then I’ll see you soon.”
They arranged a time for him to pick her up, and Kylie followed the bellhop to the front desk, where she was checked in, bypassing the lines.
As she received her key card, she was met by another hotel employee, who escorted her to her room.
It was a suite, with a generous living room which had floor to ceiling windows and a spectacular view of Central Park.
“The bedroom is off this way, Miss Mayfield. And you have a small kitchenette.” He passed her a card, and she saw it said he was the concierge. “Please call this number if you have need of anything. We are so happy to have you as a guest at the Wagner Central Park.”
“I’m delighted to be here,” she replied truthfully.
She texted Piper and told her to dress casually because she would be in PJs, then she hung up her outfit for tomorrow’s interview and went into the enormous bathroom.
Starting the tap for the bath, Kylie undressed and turned on the TV.
She went to the fridge and removed a sparkling water and spent the next half-hour in the jetted tub, watching HGTV, feeling absolutely decadent.
After she was sufficiently pruney, she toweled off and dressed, slipping into a luxurious robe she found in the closet.
She skimmed the room service menu, which didn’t list the price of any item.
She supposed she would have been shocked at how outrageously expensive everything was, so she decided ignorance was bliss in this case.
A knock sounded at the door, and she hurried over, looking through the peephole and spying Piper. Throwing open the door, they fell into one another’s arms, laughing.
“Come in. It’s a different world from the Bay,” Kylie said, pulling Piper inside.
Her friend walked around the room, eyes wide in wonder. Moving to the windows, she said, “That view. Just. Wow.”
“I remember watching episodes of Selling New York and seeing apartments that were twenty-five million dollars. This is the kind of view those apartments had,” she said.
They walked through the rest, and Piper spun in a circle in the bathroom, laughing.
“The apartment I’m sharing with two friends in Brooklyn is so tiny, it would literally fit inside this bathroom.”
“When you’re a star on Broadway, maybe you’ll move to Manhattan.”
“More on that later. Let’s order. I’m starving.”
They perused the menu, both deciding on Caesar salads, poached salmon, loaded baked potatoes, and a vegetable medley.
“I want dessert. Badly,” Kylie said. “Split it with me because I’ll probably be too full for the entire thing.”
“Absolutely. Chocolate?”
“Yes.”
They had their choice of a chocolate soufflé, a triple chocolate mousse cake, or chocolate bread pudding.
“Hmm. Hard choice,” Kylie said. “Forget splitting. Or what I really mean is we should get two desserts after all—and then split.”
“You read my mind,” Piper agreed.
They chose the bread pudding and then debated, finally going with the soufflé. When Kylie called in their order, she was told that they would bring all but the desserts since it would take a while for the soufflé to rise.
“Not a problem,” she said.
As they waited for their meals to arrive, Kylie opened a bottle of wine she found in the fridge, and they curled up on the sofa.
“Okay, spill,” she said. “I’ve been dying to hear whatever news you have.”
Piper took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, this is going to sound super-crazy, but … I’m back with Sullivan.”
Kylie squealed. “That’s wonderful. You two belong together. And with you both living in New York, it’s convenient.”
“Oh, it gets complicated,” her friend assured her. “Sullivan quit his job at Wagner Enterprises last week.”
“He … what? Start talking. I need everything.”
Piper’s smile told the entire story without words, though. Happiness radiated from her. While Kylie wanted to hear the details, all she knew was she couldn’t be happier for her friend.
“He decided that he loved me. Well, he already knew he did, but he didn’t tell me. Until now. We’ve both been pretty miserable, being apart. He quit his job and flew to the Bay to tell me he couldn’t live without me. That he loved me and wanted to make a life with me in the Bay.”
“Except … you were here in New York,” Kylie said, shaking her head.
“I know. But wasn’t that romantic? Anyway, he went to the Bay Breeze Inn.
I’m not there. He hurried over to see Layne, thinking I might be staying with her and Keaton.
I’m not there. Layne broke it to him that I’d moved to New York to see if I could land a role.
Sullivan hightailed it up here and found me in Brooklyn. ”
Piper sighed. “Let’s just say that we made up. We’re engaged.”
“Yes!” she cried, hugging Piper tightly. “When is the wedding?”
“Not for a while,” her friend revealed. “Sullivan wants to support me in my career. I told myself I’d give it a year to be cast in a production. He still wants me to stick to that.”
She frowned. “Shouldn’t he just go back to Wagner Enterprises then?”
Piper shook her head. “That’s not what he wants. I also want to support him.”
Piper explained how her fiancé would be opening Sullivan Design Studio and had already found space for it in the Bay.
“He’s going to create custom furniture,” she said proudly. “And he’ll also draw up blueprints for homes on occasion.”
“But you’ll be living apart,” Kylie wailed. “That’s not romantic at all.”
“Sullivan will spend half the week in the Bay, working on building his business. The other half, he’ll be here in New York with me.” She paused. “I’m going to move in with him.”
A knot formed in Kylie’s stomach. “Doesn’t Sullivan live with Zane?”
Piper nodded. “He does. But Zane is hardly ever home. The apartment is larger than your suite, plus they each have their own bedroom and bath. It’ll work out. Zane won’t mind.”
She swallowed. Taking Piper’s hand, she said, “I know it will.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m just so happy for you, Piper.”
Kylie hugged her friend, even as her heart felt like it was breaking into jagged pieces.
Piper would be living her fairy tale. She would get her happily ever after with the man she loved, just as Mila and Layne had. Kylie couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for herself.
A loud knock sounded at the door. “That’ll be our food,” she said, getting up and admitting an employee pushing a cart with two covered dishes.
“The kitchen said your desserts will be delivered in half an hour.”
“Thank you,” Kylie said, passing him a tip and seeing him out the door.
They removed the covers from their food and dug in. From the first bite, Kylie thought it might be the best meal she’d ever eaten.
“This is heavenly,” Piper said. “Best meal I’ve had since I moved to New York. Okay, your turn. Who are you interviewing with in New York? They must think a lot of you to put you up at such an exclusive property.”
Kylie met her friend’s gaze. “My interview tomorrow morning is with Alexander Wagner.”