The drive to the hotel where Jack is staying doesn’t take too long. The entrance is directly from the sidewalk, and Jack is standing there, his hands shoved into the pockets of his stylish black pants as he radiates calm, confidence, and serious cool. Two women walk by, stealing glances at him, one of them almost missing her step as they pass by.
“Hello beautiful,” he greets me with a hug. I can’t help but notice how good he smells.
Just good though, not divine, like Landon.
“Hello, you too,” I reply.
Pulling back, Jack’s eyes skip from me to the chauffeured car, now pulling away to park in the hotel parking lot. If he has any thoughts on it, he keeps them to himself.
The lounge is on one of the top floors of the building, overlooking the Square. From all the windows, there are fantastic views of the city, with the breathtaking sunset that turns the sky into a beautiful burst of purple, orange, and gold. The décor is heavy luxury, with thick rugs, damask curtains pulled back from the windows, soft lights, and deep red velvet chairs that look like luxurious half-moon pods. A chanteuse on the stage is singing covers of mellow love songs, while smartly dressed waiters carry trays around the room.
A waiter leads us to a table by a window. “Now tell me what you’re really doing in SF,” I say to Jack as soon as we take our seats.
“I already told you,” he replies.
We order drinks. Scotch for him and a cocktail for me, and the waiter recommends the bacon and deviled eggs small plate.
The chanteuse launches into an Adele song about turning tables. It’s sad and emotional, and we both listen silently.
“What are you working on?” I ask finally, uncomfortable with the silence.
He shrugs. “At the moment, nothing interesting. I’m joining a team of high profile climbers on the Andes, but my heart’s not in it. I think I’d like to try something new, maybe submarine tourism, I’d like to explore the ocean depths.”
I grimace. “It doesn’t sound very safe.”
“I’m sure it could be. Safe is boring, by the way.”
I smile. “You always say that.”
Right as we finish eating. A DJ takes over from the chanteuse. By now, there are more people around, and a few are dancing. Outside, it’s already getting dark, but the whole city is ablaze with lights.
“We should dance,” Jack suggests.
“Noooo,” I finish my cocktail, my second one, and grin at him, feeling slightly wobbly. “I don’t want to dance with you.”
Hurt flares in his gray eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I don’t like you very much right now.”
He stares at the ice melting in his drink, then looks back up at me. “Maybe that will change.”
“I doubt it.” I pause. “So you and Claudia…”
He shakes his head. “It was rash, and maybe a little silly to get engaged in the first place. It’s easy to fall in love with someone after you jump out of a plane with them.”
“I guess.”
“She was fun. Very spontaneous. You know she got famous after a rodeo campaign where she actually rode the bulls?” He pauses, “I think I saw us being a team of adventurers. But we didn’t really know each other. She didn’t know me, at least not like you do.”
He looks so serious, and he’s doing the thing where he’s looking at me as if I’m the only person in the world. I get up from my seat, not eager at the moment to pursue the line of conversation he’s starting. “You know what?” I say, “We should dance.”
He obliges. The DJ is playing some upbeat songs, and I let Jack twirl me around the floor. By the time we return to our table, I’m smiling and breathless from the exertion.
“Another drink?”
I bat my eyelashes at him, doing my best imitation of old Hollywood glamor. “Now, sir. You wouldn’t be trying to get me drunk would you?”
“Why, Miss Foster, I wouldn’t dream of it.” We both laugh. It feels so much like old times, except that this time, I’m not as full of longing.