Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“She’s flying to New York tomorrow. That friend of hers won an academic competition so they’ve been invited to attend a black-tie dinner gala,” she murmurs.
I stop and turn. “I suppose you had something to do with it?”
“Of course. You have to admit it was genius. How else was I going to get her in New York?”
“Leave,” I roar, hardly able to control my fury. A headache that is threatening to split my head apart has just started too.
Calmly, she discards the glass of whiskey on a table near her, and walks towards the door. As she departs, she throws out her parting shot. “See you in New York.”
Chapter 36
Autumn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY
-Staying Alive-
The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Sam’s red curls on the pillow next to me. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is slightly open. It’s been a long time since we slept in the same bed, and I feel a rush of love for her. I reach out a hand and touch her flaming hair and her eyelids flutter open.
“Good morning,” I say with a smile.
She chews her bottom lip. “Autumn, I’m so very sorry I made us go up the mountain yesterday. It was very irresponsible of me, especially after you warned me that the road is dangerous. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Don’t be such a dork. Main thing is we made it out unhurt.”
“Anyway, I’ve decided to pay for you to get another car.”
“No, I don’t want you to do that. I don’t care about the car. I’d lose everything for you.”
She smiles slowly. “I’d lose everything for you too.”
I smile back. “Good. Are we going to stop being so mushy and get ready to go to the airport?”
Her eyes twinkle. “So mushy it’s almost moist.”
I put my hands over my ears. “Ugh, stop it. You know I hate that word.”
“Moist,” she repeats.
I pull the pillow out from under my head and start bashing her with it. She screams and falls out of bed. I look down at her. “I hope that hurt.”
“Moist,” she says, and starts laughing.
I have never been to New York before. I hoped to, one day, but it hadn’t been in any of my plans for the near future, but here I am.
To our delight and surprise, we are led to a waiting limo on the tarmac. We jump in excitedly, the uniformed chauffeur pulls away, and just like that we are onto an adventure of a lifetime. We are driven through the busy streets of the Big Apple. I stare out of the window with fascination.
Yellow taxis fill the roads, and an endless stream of people are either hurrying along on the sidewalk or waiting in large numbers to cross the streets. Traffic noises and strange scents fill the air. There is so much to see. So many shops, restaurants, patisseries, hot dog stands, parks, bars... gosh… so many skyscrapers. So many different types of people. And all of them are so busy, busy, busy. Compared to this ceaseless chaos, color, and noise Hunter’s Cross seems like an oasis of absolute peace and bliss.
“What do you think?” Sam asks.
I turn to meet her shining eyes. “It’s loud, isn’t it?”
“It’s exciting.”
I smile at her. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
The Four Seasons is beautiful with its art décor lobby and its stunning onyx ceiling. We are shown to our suite which is pretty luxurious. There is a bottle of champagne inside an ice bucket and a basket of fruit waiting for us.
“Oh, my God. It’s Dom Perignon!” Sam squeals.
“Wow, they really pamper the winners, don’t they?” I note, as Sam tears off the foil on the bottle of Champagne.
“Well, this is the first year this competition was introduced in the campus, but long may it last,” she says as the cork pops out.
Champagne flows down the bottle as Sam fills two flutes. We clink glasses.
“Well done to you, Sam. I’m really, really, really proud of you. I think if I was any prouder I would burst.”
“Thank you, babe.”
We go to stand on the balcony with a panoramic view of Central Park. We finish our glasses and look at each other. “Sightseeing or a visit to the spa? Not only entrance but any treatment in the spa is part of the prize. Also I believe we are allowed a visit to the hairdressers.”
“Both of us?” I ask incredulous.
“Both of us. I called and checked,” she confirms.
“Wow, okay. It’s your prize. You decide.”
“My prize comes tonight when I get to meet Professor Leon Joseph Chernyshevsky. You get to decide this one.”
“Can we squeeze both into the itinerary?”
She grins. “See why I let you make the decisions.”
So we do both. A bit of sightseeing and then back to the spa for a full body massage, manicure, and pedicure, then to the salon to get our hair done. Afterwards we go back to our room and change into our new dresses. Sam looks absolutely divine in a long white dress. With her flaming red hair, it makes her look as if she is a Greek Goddess. It makes my hand itch to paint her.