Out Of Love Part 18

"Unh-unh." She swung her finger from side to side as she shook her head. "We talked about me all through dinner. It's 123 your turn now. I want to hear about all the fools that let you get away."

"Just one, really. And I'm not sure you could say she let me get away." Judith picked up her drink again and sipped, swiping an errant drop with her tongue. "We were together for seven years."

"That's like . . . married."

"Not really. This is a terrible thing to say, but I don't think there was ever a time when I thought Noelle and I would stay together . . . or even felt like I wanted us to."

"That's a lot of marking time." Carmen bit her tongue during a lengthy lull, hoping Judith would tell her more.

"Marking time is a good way of putting it. Noelle was French-not like you're Italian and I'm Polish. I mean she came to New York from Paris to work on a project for her company.

She didn't know how long she would be here, so I guess neither one of us ever really expected things to be permanent. Once you get a mindset like that, I think it's only natural to hold back a little."

Carmen drained her drink and set the empty gla.s.s on the table. "You apparently have a thing for out-of-towners."

"So it seems." Judith raised her gla.s.s with a smile that told her she was officially included in that list.

"You're in luck then, because it so happens I have a thing for New Yorkers."

"You don't say."

"It's true. I just discovered it a couple of weeks ago."

"You're flirting again."

"I can't help myself. I think I'm showing unusual restraint for a second date."

"Are you calling that last disaster our first date?"

"It wasn't a total disaster." She leaned across the table and lowered her voice. "Admit it-the ride up in the elevator was at least memorable."

124.

Judith gave a half smile before looking down to focus on her drink. Clearly, she was uncomfortable with the turn in conversation.

"Okay, so it wasn't that great."

"Of course it was."

"Then what's wrong?"

Judith polished off what was left of her drink as if for courage, still not making eye contact. "You wouldn't believe how close I came to pressing forty-one in that elevator."

Carmen shuddered at what that would have meant. "What stopped you?"

"This." She held out her hand to indicate the scene in the lounge. "I wanted to talk to you. I can't imagine we would have done much of that in your room."

Carmen chuckled. "I guess talking and crying out in pa.s.sion aren't really the same thing." She reached over and took Judith's hand. "I'm glad we came in here instead too. I know . . . you don't believe that for a minute. But I wanted the chance to get to know you better."

Judith's lips were smiling but there was doubt in her eyes.

"I think you're a very s.e.xy woman, Judith, but I'm not out for a conquest. I didn't feel like s.h.i.t for the past two weeks just because we didn't get to f-have s.e.x."

"I guess if we had, that would have been it."

"Maybe, maybe not. But since it didn't happen that way, why don't we just go with what we've got?" She squeezed Judith's hand. "Spend the day with me tomorrow. We'll do something fun."

"I thought you had to go back to Chicago."

"I do, but I can take a late plane. Let's spend the day together.

You decide what we do."

"I have to meet a client in the morning to go over her itiner-ary. But maybe after that we could-"

"I'm so glad you said that. I almost forgot I have a conference 125 call in the morning. What is it with you people who work on Sat.u.r.days?"

"I work with the public. What's your excuse?"

"My excuse is I work with a bunch of nerds. Raul-I think you met him at the hotel." The circ.u.mstances flooded back to her and she slapped her forehead. "Of course you did. How could I forget that? Anyway, we need to hire a new programmer and he's lined up one of his buddies for a phone interview in the morning."

Judith stood and picked up her coat. "Why don't you meet me for lunch?"

"Name the place."

"What will you eat besides Italian?"

"I'll eat Polish." The stunned look on Judith's face was priceless, and Carmen couldn't resist lofting her eyebrows lascivi-ously.

"Pierogi it is, then. Meet me at Washington Square at noon, and wear your walking shoes."

Carmen held her coat while she put it on. "Do you want me to ride home with you in a taxi?"

"No, I'll just take the subway. I'll be fine."

"But it's nearly midnight. Please let me get you a taxi."

"Carmen, I've lived here all my-"

"Please," she said, as emphatically as she could without shout-ing. "I'm sorry. If you go off on the subway, I'll worry from the time you leave until I hear that you're home safe with your doors locked. I simply can't endure all that stressful waiting on only one drink."

"Fine, I'll take a taxi, but you don't have to escort me home.

You should get some rest and get ready for your call tomorrow."

They stepped into the elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton for the ground floor.

"I'll wait with you downstairs, at least." The car abruptly stopped and a young woman got on. She pressed the already-lit 126 ground floor b.u.t.ton to continue their descent, and leaned against the rail on the opposite side from where they stood holding hands.

Carmen looked at Judith and smiled, reading her mind.

Oblivious to the other pa.s.senger, she dipped her head and stole a kiss.

"I knew you were going to do that."

"It's tradition."

127.

Chapter 11.

" . . . and you'll get forms like these on the plane before you land. You have to declare everything you buy in Europe. Just try to keep it under four hundred dollars a day." Judith folded the doc.u.ments and stuffed them into the travel portfolio.

"Is that four hundred each or between us?" Carla Person asked.

"Each."

"Like it matters. We're going to spend every last nickel to do stuff, not to buy it and bring it home."

Judith handed over the doc.u.ments, stealing a glance at the wall clock. It was ten till twelve. "It's going to be a fabulous trip, Carla."

"Thanks. I really appreciate all you've done to put this together at the last minute. Laura's going to have the time of her life." Tears rimmed Carla's eyes as she gathered her belongings.

128.

"I hope you both enjoy every minute," Judith said, near tears herself. She enveloped the young woman in a hug. "And make sure you keep all your medical doc.u.ments with you in case Laura has an emergency."

"We will."

When she had gone, Judith took a tissue from a box on her desk and blew her nose.

Todd appeared in the doorway. "What was that all about?"

"She and her partner are leaving Monday for a three-week tour of Europe."

"And you're both crying about it?"

"Her partner has ovarian cancer and isn't expected to live much longer."

"Oh."

"They just found out a couple of weeks ago. This was a trip they'd always talked about, but they kept putting it off." This sort of thing-a personal relationship with her customers-was just the thing Todd didn't seem to understand.

"That's too bad." He turned around and went back into his office.

Judith grabbed her fleece jacket from the back of her chair and pulled it on. She was looking forward to her escape from the office, especially after the sorrowful meeting with Carla. A brisk, four-block walk over to Washington Square was just what she needed to clear her head. She put the last of her papers away and started for the door.

"Judith?" Todd was standing in his office door.

She gave the clock another glance. "Something else?"

"I have these . . . they're upgrade coupons. I got them at the trade show last summer. What airline are your friends using?"

"Continental."

He handed over two first-cla.s.s upgrades. "They're supposed to be good for any time if they have seats available. And here's one for a free night at the Ritz-Carlton . . . any city in Europe."

129.

Judith was overwhelmed at the gesture, and felt her eyes filling with tears again. "Todd, this is wonderful. Thank you. It's just so . . ." She kissed him on the cheek and spun back into her office to make the ticket changes.

Carmen would have to wait a few minutes.

Carmen peered through the fare sticker in the taxi window at Washington Square Park. She had strolled around this part of the city a few years ago with Sofia. She appreciated the casual feel, a contrast to the high fashion, bustling crowds of midtown she usually encountered on her visits to New York.

"Right here's fine," she said, pushing a ten through the small window. "Keep it."

She got out at the curb and scanned the area for a place to wait. Judith's call that she would be a few minutes late had come only ten minutes ago, so Carmen had at least a few minutes to kill.

Dozens of people were gathered around the animal runs, where spirited dogs pranced, dug in the dirt and sniffed one another. Prissy would never stand for sharing a s.p.a.ce that small with other animals. She growled if another dog came within thirty feet.

Carmen turned and wandered across the park, noting the diversity of the crowd. There were yuppies with elaborate strollers, tattooed teenagers lying in the gra.s.s and homeless people. Tourists doc.u.mented it all with their cameras. It was interesting to think of this as Judith's territory, where she relaxed and mingled. Carmen could almost picture her at the fruit stand or sitting on one of the benches eating a bag of popcorn.

A familiar figure appeared at the corner and entered the park, and Carmen smiled with delight. Judith was wearing faded jeans, a pale yellow V-neck sweater and a blue jacket, unzipped. A scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck, prompting Carmen to 130 envision pulling it off and attacking the skin underneath it. She watched as Judith stopped to speak to a homeless woman and hand her a small paper bag.

"Hey, pretty lady," Carmen said, eyeing Judith brazenly from head to toe as she walked closer. "Don't you look cute!"

"Right. I should have known you'd still be dressed up." Judith leaned up and gave her a peck on the lips.

"It's all I had." She was wearing gray wool slacks, a matching cashmere turtleneck and the ever-present Burberry raincoat.

"That woman you just talked to . . . you know her?"

"That's Agnes. She lives in the neighborhood. Whenever I have a little extra from eating out, I always try to find her."

"That's really nice of you." And not at all surprising, she thought, remembering the incident with the waiter.

"I can't believe you wore those shoes."

Carmen lifted up her foot to show the bottom of her pumps.