A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [24]
“I hope you don’t mind.” She’d been playing pretty fast and loose with his flower gifts, and they couldn’t be cheap. This rose looked pricier than your average red one. “Maybe I should have taken it upstairs and put it in some water.”
“No.” He took her hand and led her to the hotel’s front door. “I pictured you tucking it into your hair. I’ve never known a woman who likes flowers in her hair before. I’m starting to see what a great idea it is.”
“My mother used to.” It was one of her fondest memories, her mother with flowers in her hair. Soon little Hannah had wanted flowers in her hair, too, and her mother had obliged, plucking them from their backyard garden. A couple of teachers’ salaries didn’t pay for many florist deliveries.
“It’s a wonderful tradition.” He squeezed her hand as they stepped out onto the busy streets of New York.
She couldn’t believe how much difference twenty-four hours made. The night before she’d been eager to be part of the crowds, part of the excitement that was the city. Tonight she longed to be alone with Zach.
“Mario sends his apologies,” Zach said.
“You invited him to dinner?” That startled her.
“No. I told him you were upset about being handpicked to be my blushing bride. He apologized for meddling with your future. And he also thinks quitting my job would be crazy.”
“Oh.” She thought about that as she fell into step beside Zach. It didn’t escape her notice that tonight they were walking hand in hand. “So is he sorry for meddling in my future, or sorry because I’m in favor of you quitting your job?”
Zach grinned. “A little of both. But I told him not to worry about the job. I’m staying. The ‘meddling in your life part,’ though, deserves an apology.”
“I accept it. Like Iris said, he means well.” Hannah had taken some time to think about her recommendation that Zach should leave his job, especially after getting the cold shoulder during her interviews today. “I suppose I was meddling in your life, telling you to quit.”
“You just got to town. You don’t know how tough it is.”
“I have a better idea after this afternoon.”
Zach made a low sound of sympathy. “No nibbles?”
“I’m not sure there was fish in the river. I heard stories about the number of qualified applicants. And I don’t think they were particularly impressed when I told them this was my first trip to New York.”
“It’s not easy.” Zach rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “Have you called any of the people I gave you?”
“I did, after I came back to the hotel. Nobody’s hiring right now. I could fill out an application, take an editing test, but they warned me it could be months before anything opens up.”
“I’m sorry, Hannah. But don’t give up.”
“Are you kidding? It’s only my first day of interviews. I’m not even close to giving up. Sure, I would have loved to get a job right away, but that’s not the real world.” She glanced at him. “I kept my eyes open, and you’re right. Lots of people dress in black.”
“Want to go back to the resale shop tomorrow and buy that little suit in the window?”
“Not yet. I like to think I might bring a new perspective, and if I dress like everyone else, they won’t see that.” She could feel his hesitation. “You don’t agree with that, do you.”
“I can’t decide if I should encourage you to blend in, or if I should jump outside the box with you.”
As the implication of that settled over her, she had serious reservations about her influence on him. Last night she’d blithely told him to quit his job if he didn’t like it. What if he took her advice and ended up in financial trouble? She’d be responsible.
She waited until they were seated at the Italian restaurant he’d picked for tonight and each of them had a glass of Chianti. “Remember when I said that you shouldn’t work for a guy like Medford anymore?”
“I remember, and I’ve been giving it more thought.”
“Don’t.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Why not? He hasn’t reformed in the past twenty-four hours. He might even be worse. Every time he walks past Ed’s cubby in the outer office, he