Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 486(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
“You look beautiful,” Ben says, as I take off my coat and hand it to the hostess at the restaurant. His eyes trail down my body, and I have to stop myself from laughing as it takes a second for him to refocus on my face. “I really like your shoes.”
Now I can’t help but laugh. He’s definitely a shoe guy. “Thank you,” I say. “You look very nice too.”
“Thanks,” he says, but he frowns like he doesn’t quite believe it.
I think back to our conversation about how someone is always using him. Is that what I’m doing? I guess so. I want him to fix my problem in Boston. That’s why I’m here with him right now. Is it why I complimented him? No. He does look nice. Handsome. Tall. But most of all, he looks kind. But I think I can see that because I know how kind he is.
“We have your table ready for you,” the hostess says. “Please follow me.”
She leads us to a table by the window, with a perfect view of the Empire State Building. Against the blackness of the sky, the city lights sparkle brighter than stars. It’s an iconic New York experience.
“This is nice,” Ben says, almost like he’s surprised at his own choice of venue.
“Did you arrange this, or was it your assistant’s idea?” I ask.
He laughs. “I have to take all the blame and all the credit. I just didn’t expect it to be so nice. I’ve never been to this restaurant before.”
“Then why did you—” Before I finish my sentence, I realize why we’re here. “Oh, it’s like in Sleepless in Seattle,” I say as we sit. Then I realize he’s organized this restaurant, this exact table, because of the movie we watched together. My heart tugs in my chest. How incredibly sweet and thoughtful.
He nods as our waitress brings us two glasses of champagne, even though we haven’t ordered anything. This is what it’s like being in Ben’s world. Champagne as soon as you sit down.
“You remember she ditches her fiancé at the restaurant, right?”
“Right. Because of the sign.”
“No, not because of the sign. She makes the decision and then she gets the sign. Remember.”
He chuckles. Of course he remembers. He’s just teasing me.
“I wasn’t trying to recreate the movie,” he says. “I thought it was an appropriate thank-you to the woman who introduced me to rom-coms and reality TV.”
“Good for me for teaching you how to rot in bed.”
He grins at me, a slow, warm smile, like he’s looking right into my soul. “I very much enjoyed it.”
“I think the cookie baking last night sums this week up perfectly,” I say. “I bring home canned cookie dough, which I manage to burn—Both the cookies and my finger. Whereas you whipped up from scratch, perfectly crunchie cookies that might be the best cookies I’ve ever eaten.”
“How does that sum up the week?”
“Well, I’ve taught you how to rot in bed. You’ve taken me on thoughtful, romantic dates. It’s uneven. And I got the better end of the deal.”
“Ahh,” he says. “On the cookies, that’s definitely true. Mine were better than yours were ever going to be. I’m not sure we’re too uneven on the rest of the week. But if we are, you have to remember, I am trying to make you fall in love with me.”
We both look at each other, questions in our eyes but nothing reaching our lips.
“So, did it work?” he asks eventually.
I shake my head. “Of course not. No one can fall in love in a week.”
“Interesting,” he says. “I chatted to Worth when we went over there, and he told me he fell in love with Sophia the moment he laid eyes on her.”
I laugh. “But that’s Worth. That’s not me.”
“You’re a harder nut to crack?”
“The hardest,” I say, resolute. Although, beneath my surface, I’m not sure exactly how confident I am that I haven’t fallen for Ben.
No, of course I haven’t fallen in love with Ben. That would be crazy. And even if it were true, I could never admit it because it would just be too embarrassing, because he was so sure it would happen. It’s just that I do like him. And I think he likes me, and I’ll kind of miss him when I move out.
“I figured.” He makes a face like his plan has been thwarted.
“What do you mean, you figured I was a tough nut to crack? You said I’d fall in love with you in a week.”
“Week’s not over yet.”
I laugh and glance out of the window. “Look,” I say, as the illuminating lights on the Empire State Building change from white to pink. “The color is changing.”
Ben is grinning, but he’s not looking out of the window, he’s looking at me. I glance back to the window and watch as a heart appears on the Empire State Building, just like it did in the movie, and then, more than that, some writing starts to appear.