The Summer Proposal
“God, no. I didn’t even date more than one person at a time before Gabriel, when I was single. I’ve always looked at dating like trying on shoes. You try on different ones to see what feels right and is comfortable, but if you try on two different shoes, you never really know if either of them is any good.”
Max smiled. “So it’s settled. Our summer will be just that—our summer.”
“Are you sure?”
He held my eyes. “Very sure.”
“Okay.”
The boat pulled into the dock at Liberty Island. After we disembarked, the line to go into the statue was long, so Max and I wandered around for a bit, walking along the paved path. Max held my hand, and the simple gesture meant a lot to me. For all of the self-deprecating stories he’d shared—commenting on a woman’s ass, telling his friends about getting to second base at the movies—he seemed like he would make a good boyfriend. He was attentive and thoughtful. The fact that we were here at all proved that. A man who looked like him and had his celebrity didn’t have to work this hard to get laid. So when we came up to a big tree, I tugged his arm and led us behind it, then wrapped my hands around his neck, pushed up on my toes, and pressed my lips to his.
Max smiled when our kiss broke. “What was that for?”
I shrugged. “Just for being you. For making me take this time off, for not wanting to be with other women this summer, and…” I grinned. “You’re also kind of hot, and I just wanted to kiss you.”
Max’s dimples deepened. “Keep going. My ego’s taken a beating lately. A certain brunette had to be coaxed into even going out with me.”
I laughed. “Come on. We better go. I think our tickets are only good between certain times.”
The rest of the afternoon was so much fun. We climbed three-hundred-and-fifty-four crammed steps to reach the crown—a reminder of how much I needed to get back into exercising. But the view at the top made it all worth it. After that, we went to Ellis Island, and I was able to find my great-great grandfather’s name on a passenger manifest from a hundred years ago. By the time we took the ferry back and an Uber to the hotel, it was already six o’clock.
Not surprisingly, the young girl at the reception desk recognized Max and batted her eyelashes at him. Then she only took his credit card when I’d held mine out to her, too.
“You really need to let me pay for this,” I told him. “I’m sure it was a fortune.”
“Does it offend you when I insist?”
“Offend me? No. But it’s not your job to pay for things.”
“It doesn’t feel like a job. It makes me happy to do it. So can you just let me?”
I hesitated. “You know I can afford it, right? I might not have a big, fancy apartment like you, but I do well for myself.”
Max smiled. “I think it’s sexy as shit that you make a lot of money. But I still want to do it. Okay?”
How could I say no when he put it like that? “Fine.”
Once we’d checked in, a bellman showed us to our rooms, which were on the top floor. He unlocked the door between the suites and told us complimentary champagne and fruit would be sent up momentarily. Both rooms had terraces looking out over the city, and Max and I walked out on his to take in the view.
Someone knocked at the door to my suite.
“I’ll get it,” Max said. “It’s probably the champagne. It was part of a package that came with the room.”
“Okay.”
I stayed on the balcony, enjoying the last of the sunny day, while room service wheeled in a cart. When I heard the cork pop, I went back inside.
“That sound is like Pavlov and his bell for me.”
Max poured two glasses and handed me one before extending his in a toast. “To wearing matching shoes.”
It took a few seconds for me to remember our conversation earlier. I smiled as I did, and happily clinked to that. “I’m a lucky girl. Mine are really cute shoes, too.”
Max winked. “So are you ready for your big evening plans?”
“Big plans? I hope you’re referring to soaking in that ginormous tub I saw in the bathroom.”
“Nope. Better.”
“I’m not sure much could be better than that after a long day of walking around.”
Max looked at his watch. “Well, you’re going to find out in about fifteen minutes. So drink up.”
“Fifteen minutes? I need to take a shower before we go anywhere.”
“Not for this you don’t.”
“What are we doing?”
He kissed my forehead. “You’ll find out soon enough. I’m going to put on ESPN for a few minutes before we go—see what they’re saying about all the trades going on.”