They headed to the door only to be faced with Mark again, his back to the bar, staring at them. Charlotte’s head began to throb in time with the music. Then she felt Jacob’s arm around her waist, pulling her close to his side.
“One minute and we’re home free,” his voice rumbled in her ear, and she shivered.
He guided her out of the room and to the quiet area where the coat check was. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat. You need to sop up that champagne.”
“Where?”
He laughed. “This is New York. Finding you a hamburger won’t be difficult.”
Oh, a hamburger sounded scrumptious. And maybe french fries, and lots of ketchup.
Jacob called for their car and they waited in the lobby for it to arrive. By this point, Charlotte was really regretting the champagne and not more water, and also not eating something for dinner before arriving. Her head was light and with a strange pounding, and she was sure she could hear her stomach growling over the other sounds in the hotel lobby.
“He’s here,” Jacob said, and took her arm and led her out to the waiting car.
He tucked her inside, then asked the driver to find a good burger joint not far from the apartment. It wasn’t too long and they’d pulled up in front of a Shake Shack.
“I’m going in there...in this?”
“Why not?”
She studied him for a moment, then thought to herself, Why not? It was probably the most spontaneous thing Jacob would agree to all week. She giggled a little thinking about it. “Do you need to go inside and make sure it’s safe first?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Great. A few glasses of fizz and you’re a laugh a minute.”
“Why, thank you.”
He asked the driver to wait, and then they went in. It was ten thirty, still early, and there was a scattering of people inside. As far as she could tell, she was the only one in a designer dress and four-inch heels.
“Cheeseburger?” he asked her.
“God, yes. That sounds perfect.”
He stepped up and ordered two cheeseburgers, fries and, after consulting with her, lemonade. They sat at one of the tables, and Charlotte started to laugh.
“What?”
“This is so strange. But fun! Thank you.” She reached for a fry and dipped it in ketchup. “Oh, my God. This is so good.”
He unwrapped his burger. “Eat something. I’ve never seen someone get so wobbly on a few ounces of champagne.”
“That’s unusual for me, but I’m tired. And I didn’t eat enough.”
“I know.” He wiped his lips with his napkin and took a sip of lemonade. “I checked the agenda for tomorrow. You’re heading to a show at ten.”
“I’ll take in some shows and then I have a conference call with the Paris office at two.”
“That’s late for Paris. The workday will be winding up.”
“We adjusted it to suit my itinerary,” she admitted. “Tomorrow night I have a dinner and another party.” She took a bite of the cheeseburger and nearly moaned in appreciation. “Who knew a fast-food burger would taste so good?”
She was careful not to drip, and leaned over the tray so nothing dropped on her cashmere coat or onto her dress. It was no time at all and the burger was gone. She looked up and found Jacob laughing at her.
“Okay, so that wasn’t very dignified. I was starving.” She reached out for another fry and popped it in her mouth.
“It’s great. You know, you are defying all my expectations of you.”
“You had expectations?”