New Year in Manhattan (6 page)

Anna

I hadn’t planned how I was going to tell him. But just as we were arriving for dinner at Andrew and Mandy’s definitely wasn’t the ideal situation to drop this particular bomb. Or was it a bomb? Even though I wasn’t sure I would take Daniel’s job offer, I decided to resign. I wanted to be with Ethan and it wasn’t realistic to expect him to move. I liked New York and Daniel’s offer at least proved that I had options around my career.

Ethan grabbed my hand from the knocker, but it was too late, I’d already thumped out our arrival.

“What did you say?” His eyes were boring into me, but I didn’t turn to meet his glare.

“You heard what I said. Let’s talk about it later.” I could already hear rustling behind the door.

“No, I want to talk about it now. You handed your notice in and didn’t think I might want to know?” I couldn’t tell if he was mad or just shocked. But he wasn’t happy, and I suppose I’d expected him to be. Frankly, I’d expected him to be bloody ecstatic.

“Of course I thought you would want to know, which is why I said I had things to tell you.”

“So do you have a new job? Are you going to India to be a yoga instructor? Or joining a cult? What the—” Mandy’s wide smile and bouncy hair greeted us as she flung open the door.

“I’m so pleased you’re here.” She pulled me into a hug. “Get in before you let all the heat out. Andrew’s in the basement trying to find some wine that Ethan won’t spit out in disgust.”

I avoided Ethan’s glare as we stripped off our coats, boots and scarves and headed into the kitchen.

“Mandy, I just need a quick word with Anna in private—”

“No you don’t.” It wasn’t the time to talk about this.

“Okay, fine. We’ll do it in front of Mandy,” Ethan said.

“No we won’t.”

“Are you fighting?” Mandy looked worried.

“Not fighting. I just found out about thirty seconds ago that Anna quit her job.”

“Ethan!” I couldn’t believe he’d just said that. This was between us, it should be private.

“You quit your job?” Mandy asked.

“Who quit their job?” Andrew emerged from the basement carrying numerous bottles of wine.

“Anna,” Mandy said. Oh my god, this was ridiculous.

“Great. Are you moving to New York?” Andrew asked the sixty four thousand dollar question.

I didn’t respond. My mouth opened and closed like a guppy. I was still in shock that the information I’d kept to myself so I could reveal it when the time was right was now being handed around like candy at a children’s birthday party.

“You said you’d lost your mojo, but I thought that was temporary. I thought you liked your job,” Ethan said, trying to catch my eye.

He didn’t sound excited. He didn’t sound happy. He sounded concerned, scared even.

“I do, I did.”

Andrew started handing out very full glasses of wine, thank goodness. “It’s just, well I have lost my mojo, and I thought about it and it’s never going to work out there. If we stay together there’s the anti-fraternization policy and if we were to split, I couldn’t be at that firm, there’s no way I’d handle it, so, I just . . .” Had I done the wrong thing? I’d been excited to tell Ethan. I thought he’d be pleased by the news, but maybe I’d been wrong.

“
If
we stay together?” Ethan asked. “When did we become an ‘if’?”

“Don’t get lost in the semantics, Ethan,” Mandy said. “Let’s sit down. Do you want us to leave you for a few minutes?”

I really could have done without the audience. This was proper personal stuff and I was British. I wasn’t used to sharing this shit. But Ethan shook his head and I didn’t want to be any ruder than we were being already.

“I didn’t mean anything by saying ‘if’, Ethan. I thought this could be a good thing for us. But I understand that it might be too soon and that’s fine, it doesn’t have to be a big deal,” I said. “I’m sorry about all this,” I said turning to Mandy. Tears started to form in the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to do was start crying.

Ethan reached for me and pulled me toward him. His arms around me felt like the best thing in the world. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled into his chest.

“You have nothing to apologize for.
I’m
sorry. I just want to know these things,” Ethan whispered into my ear.

“I didn’t want to put pressure on us. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do anything,” I replied.

“What do you mean pressure?” Ethan asked.

“You’re being such a guy, Ethan,” Mandy said. “She doesn’t want you to feel like she’s pressuring you into inviting her to New York. And you need to stop being such a girl, Anna,” she continued. “Ethan wants you in New York. He’s desperate for you to move here, but he’s been running around trying to work out how he can move to London, so you don’t have to give it all up for him.”

The tears started to fall. I couldn’t stop them and Ethan pulled me closer. “You don’t think that do you? That I’d feel pressure if you quit your job?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Fuck that. If you
want
to come to New York, you’ve made me the happiest man in Manhattan. But if you want something else—”

“I don’t, I want to be here with you.”

“Do we have champagne in that cellar?” I heard Mandy ask as Ethan pulled my chin up. When I was finally looking at him he pressed his lips against mine.

“I can’t believe it,” Ethan said as he pushed his hands through his hair. “I thought, I don’t know, I thought we’d have this long discussion about everything, and that I’d end up moving to London. I’d have to rebuild my practice and get new clients and it would be a complete ball-ache. You’ve just waved a magic wand and made everything so much easier. I mean, are you sure? You’re okay with this? You’re not going to change your mind?”

I couldn’t stop myself from grinning at him as he scanned my face, waiting for me to tell him it was a big joke. I was so happy that he wanted me in New York, that he wasn’t angry, that he didn’t feel backed into a corner.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m really, really sure.”

“Where’s that fucking champagne, Andrew?” Ethan bellowed.

“So, when are you moving?” Mandy asked.

“Well, I’ve only just been invited, so you know as much as I do,” I replied, still beaming at Ethan. “I have to work my notice though. Three months.”

“Three months my ass. There’s no way you’ll have to work that if you don’t want to.”

“Well, I’ll need to plan and do things in London before I leave, so I can’t just stay here.”

“Please, beautiful, I can’t wait three months. Say you’ll be here quicker than that.”

I reached up and stroked his handsome face. “I’ll speak to the partners when I get back and see what I can do. Maybe they’ll let me go earlier.”

“This is so exciting,” Mandy said. “I can show you round Manhattan properly. It’s such a shame you don’t live up town, there’s the most fabulous nail bar three blocks from here.”

“We could move if you wanted?” Ethan looked at me expectantly.

“Wow, this is all a lot to take in,” I said.

“You’re not smothering her are you, Mandy?” Andrew asked, emerging from the basement. “She probably wants to concentrate on getting a job rather than getting her nails done.”

“You know, you don’t have to worry about that,” Ethan said. “But of course, if you want to work, I can speak to my contacts. I’m sure I can find something for you.”

“Maybe I have my own contacts . . . and of course I want to work.” I play slapped him on his arm. “Actually, Daniel might have something for me. He’s hiring a lawyer based here in New York.”

“Jesus, what other secrets have you been keeping from me?”

Ethan

It felt like my chest was going to explode. I wanted to pepper her with questions about what else she’d been thinking and planning. It was all too good to be true. I was sure that she wouldn’t have to work her full three months’ notice. Maybe she’d have to do a month and then she’d be here, with me, in New York.

“We should move,” I blurted out.

“Ethan,” her hand was on my leg, “we don’t have to decide everything now. Let’s have a nice evening with Andrew and Mandy.”

“Don’t you get it?” Mandy asked. “Ethan is our oldest friend. You can’t make this evening any better than you have. He’s been waiting for you his whole life.”

“Mandy, you’re going to make me cry,” Anna said.

“I mean it. He didn’t even know it himself and it took the longest time, but you’re the bit that’s been missing from his life. Now that you’re here, ready and willing to move to New York, I think you love him as much as he deserves and that makes me very, very happy.”

I turned to Anna and her eyes were welling with tears. “Don’t cry, beautiful.” I cupped her face in my hands and brushed my lips against hers. “We’re celebrating.”

“Time for a toast,” Andrew said, raising his glass. “To the newest member of our family.”

“You’re killing me,” Anna croaked out.

During the course of the evening, every now and then I pulled back and looked at the four of us as if I were an unobserved stranger, peering through a window. There was so much love and laughter, we looked so happy, all of us. Mandy was right, whether or not I’d known it, I’d been waiting for Anna my whole life. Right then, I knew how I was going to make New Year’s Eve special—I was going to propose. I squeezed Anna’s hand under the table, wanting to get closer to her, if that was even possible. She turned that beautiful smile on me and squeezed my hand back.

We’d only just climbed into the cab to start the journey downtown when she turned to me. “Why did you suggest moving, I thought you loved your flat and your neighborhood?”

I shrugged. “I do. But I want you to be happy. You might prefer a house? Or maybe to move closer to Mandy and Andrew or just get a place that’s not been mine first, that we can start in together.”

She grinned at me. “What?” I asked.

She laughed. “Nothing, it’s just, I think you’re the sweetest, most romantic, thoughtful man, ever.”

“Fuck, don’t say that in public, ever. I’ve got a reputation to protect.” I laughed. “The nice stuff is reserved just for you. I’m an asshole to everyone else.”

“I like the asshole, too,” she replied as she moved closer to me in the cab. I tightened my arm around her. “Let’s not move. Not yet. I’d like to get to know your neighborhood and Manhattan a bit more.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you’re living in my apartment though, Anna. I want it to be your home.”

“My home is wherever you are.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

“So you’ll move in here for now and then we’ll think about moving when you’ve gotten to know the place a bit better.”

“So, live together straight away?”

“Of course live together straight away. I’m not letting you out of my sight if I can help it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

She laughed. “Okay, good. I like that plan.”

“I’ll speak to the partners and get them to let you go early.”

“No, Ethan, I don’t want you to. I don’t think Al will say anything now that I’m working my notice, and there’s no point rubbing their nose in it.” But I wanted her as soon as possible. “I’ll speak to them when I get back. They asked me to think about it over Christmas, so it’s not common knowledge. I guess they think I might change my mind.”

“Did you agree to that?”

“What?”

“Not telling anyone. Are you thinking you might change your mind?”

“No, of course I’m not. I told you, me staying there doesn’t make sense for a hundred reasons. And you seem to be happy enough about it, so . . .”

“In case there is any doubt, I’m fucking ecstatic about it.” I grinned at her and couldn’t resist kissing the corner of her up-turned mouth. “Okay, I’ll leave it to you, but if you don’t negotiate them down to a month—max—I’ll be forced to intervene.”

“I’m an excellent negotiator, you’ll see.”

I got the feeling we weren’t just talking about notice periods any longer. I’d give her anything she wanted. There was no negotiation to be had as far as that was concerned.

“So, can we go back to spending all our time in bed now? I’m not sure I like this whole being clothed and in public thing,” I said.

“No, you have to do all the touristy things with me before I move. I can’t live here without having been to the Statue of Liberty or Washington Square Park. I’ve never even been on that bridge in Central Park.”

“Oh, god, really? You want me to show you the sights? My penis won’t do?”

“It is an either or? I want both.”

I chuckled. “Okay, I can live with that.”

“Tonight though, it’s all about your penis,” she whispered into my ear as she rubbed her palm against my dick and then trailed her tongue along my jaw.

* * * * *

The next morning, I woke before her, and as quietly as I could, grabbed my boxers, a t-shirt and my phone, and made my way into my study. I had plans to make, things to buy—a night to remember to organize.

I called Mandy first. “Hey, thanks for last night. It was a lovely evening.”

“It was a really great to see you both. You two are so awesome together. It’s so good to see.”

“Thanks. I need your help with something. I’m not good with this stuff, you know, the romantic shit . . .”

“You seem to be doing just fine.”

“Yeah, but this is different. I really can’t risk fucking it up when I propose to her.”

All I heard was squealing on the other end of the phone. “What can I do? What do you need?” Mandy finally asked when she’d calmed down.

“So you don’t think it’s too soon? That she’ll say no?”

“She’s given up her job and is moving continents for you. She’s not going to say no. When are you going to ask her?”

“This is what I wanted to ask you. Is New Year’s too predictable? I don’t know what girls want.”

“Oh, wow. So before she goes back.”

“Do you think it’s too much?”

“No. And I don’t think it’s predictable, I think it’s wonderful. And you shouldn’t be asking me. You know her and what she likes much better than I do. You’ve got all the answers to this stuff. You don’t need me to tell you.”

She was right. This shouldn’t be something Mandy planned and I went along with. This should be about Anna and me.

“Okay, you’re right. Thanks.”

When I put down the phone, I started scouting rings online. I was going to have to move quickly. I only had today. Tomorrow was New Year’s.

“Baby,” Anna shouted from the next room.

“In here,” I responded, clearing down my search history just as Anna poked her head around the door. “I was going to go for a run. Do you mind?”

“Good idea. I can do some yoga here and then have a bath if that’s okay?” She sat on my knees and looped her arms around my neck.

“This is your home now, Anna. You can do whatever makes you happy. There’s a mat in the closet in the small guest room. Or go to the gym downstairs.”

She kissed my shoulder. “No, a mat is good.” I could tell that it wouldn’t take much convincing for her to get her naked and back in bed, but unfortunately, I had to get moving.

I reached around her waist and stood up as she wrapped her legs around me. “You’re like a monkey.”

“A pretty monkey, though, right?” She mock scowled.

I laughed. “A very beautiful monkey.”

She hopped down, “Okay, enjoy your run.” She pecked me on the lips and ran off to retrieve her mat.

I quickly changed and managed to smuggle my wallet into the pocket of my Columbia University sweatshirt and headed out the door.

I hoped Harry Winston would be open.