I took a sip of my wine and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Helen and I were meeting with a travel agent to put the final details together for Sandra’s surprise birthday trip.
Ever since I’d befriended the two of them, I’d realized that they took their birthdays very seriously. It wasn’t enough to have a simple night on the town or plan a small weekend getaway. Their birthdays needed to be celebrated for at least a week, and staying in the country was never an option.
“Good evening, ladies.” A bald man in a black suit walked over to our table. “I’m Henry Thompson from Signature Travel. I understand you wanted to go over the itinerary one last time before purchasing your summer vacation?”
“Yes,” we said in unison.
“Alright, let’s get started then.” He handed us both a folder. “If you look on page three, that’s where I’ve highlighted the basics. Since this is a surprise for Miss Sandra, we’re going to have the limo pick her up on that Saturday and take her to the airport. Once she’s there, she’ll meet the two of you and—”
Helen looked over at me, raising her eyebrow, and then she snapped her fingers at Mr. Thompson. “I thought we agreed that we weren’t doing any air travel. We just want to cruise. That was the whole point of the trip.”
“Oh. I wasn’t aware that the entire trip was supposed to be on the ocean, but we can surely arrange that for you. You do know that’ll be an additional two thousand dollars each, right?” He cleared his throat. “If you forfeit the air travel, you’re going to have to take a private cruise-liner to the port in Florida.”
I almost choked. “Did you just say two thousand—”
“Not a problem,” Helen intervened. “I’m paying for everything anyway. Is there a way you could change what needs to be changed while we’re here so we can sign off on it tonight?”
“Sure, there’s an internet café right across the street. Can you give me ten minutes?”
Helen nodded and he walked away.
“Helen, two thousand dollars in addition to the original three thousand? Each? That’s a bit much don’t you think? I don’t think I’ll be able to afford—”
“Get over it, Claire. I said I was paying for everything and we all deserve this trip—especially you. Oh, and guess what the best part is?”
“Does it involve men?”
“You know me so well. The week we’re going is the same week the Chippendale dancers are having their annual strippers’ retreat! How great is that! You should be bowing in my presence.”
“You are a true piece of work, Helen...”
I felt my phone vibrate and saw a text message. Jonathan: “Photography room tomorrow. 5:00. You should wear something similar to what you have on right now.”
I paled. He’s here?
“Claire?” Helen fanned herself. “Why aren’t you bowing?”
“I think Jonathan’s here...I don’t want to turn around. Can you look around and let me know if you see him?”
She turned around in her chair and looked all around. “Um, no...I don’t see him. Did he text you or something?”
I nodded.
“I think I like him already.” She smiled. “You should know that Sandra and I have a running bet on how long this affair will last.”
“Do I dare ask what the time limit is?”
“I bet at least a year.”
“A year? Please. That’s a joke, right?”
“Not at all.” She pulled out her phone. “I did some research on him the other day—for your benefit of course. I couldn’t find anything on him before he dropped out of Harvard though...Anyway, he seems like a good match for you, temporarily anyway. His net worth is 9.5 billion, he’s only had two or three known girlfriends; the last one was over a year ago. And—”
“I don’t have any prior arrests or embarrassing public incidents on my record.” His voice sounded from right behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Took the words right out of my mouth...” Helen grinned.
“Nice seeing you again, Helen.” He ran his fingers against my bare shoulders.
“Same to you, Jonathan. Would you like to sit down with us?”
He walked from behind me and smiled. “No thank you. I need to get back upstairs to my meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow, Claire.” He looked me up and down before walking away.
“I can’t believe you, Helen!” I shook my head. “You did see him, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but he motioned for me not to say anything.” She laughed. “I am definitely going to win this bet. We have to tell Sandra about this!”
“So team, we have narrowed the sPhone blue slogans down to two contenders. This week we’ll need to meet with the beta team regarding the newest tablets and data projects. We also need to plan our commercial shoots so we can—”