Happy that she wouldn’t have to give up on her fantasy lunch now that it had taken root and she could think of nothing else, she finished dressing and then rode the elevator down to the lobby.
When she got off, she looked uneasily around, unsure of where she’d find the concierge. It wasn’t as though the other times that she’d been rushed through the lobby she’d made it a point to check out her surroundings.
She was saved when the doorman approached her, a welcoming smile on his face.
“Miss Hawthorn, is there anything I can do for you?”
“Yes,” she said gratefully. “This is going to sound stupid.”
She flushed but the doorman merely smiled and gave her a kind look.
“I assure you that nothing you ask will be stupid. Now, how can I be of service?”
“Well, um, can you tell me where to find the concierge? You see, I wanted to order Chinese or maybe even Thai takeout, but I’m not very familiar with this part of the city and I have no idea who delivers here and who doesn’t. Do you think the concierge would be able to help me with that?”
The doorman looked horrified. “Of course! But, Miss Hawthorn, in the future you needn’t bother calling out yourself. I can give you several menus as well as the delivery service Mr. Donovan most frequently uses. With or without a menu, all you need to do is call down and let me or the concierge know of your wishes and we’ll take care of it immediately and we will deliver the food to your apartment personally.”
“Oh,” she said slowly, realizing that in her ignorance she’d evidently committed a faux pas.
“Do you happen to know what you would like? I know of an excellent restaurant that offers both Chinese and Thai just a few blocks from here. I can arrange to have whatever you like delivered within minutes.”
She rattled off an extensive order, including several appetizers and side items since she intended to sample all of it. The doorman merely nodded and then explained to Evangeline that she should go back up to the apartment and that he would bring the food up in twenty minutes or less.
“But wait. I need to know how much it cost,” she protested, as she began pulling the folded twenties from her pocket.
Again the doorman looked horrified and hastily put his hand out in protest.
“I can’t take your money, Miss Hawthorn. Mr. Donovan would be most displeased. I’ve been instructed to take care of any and all of your requests. He will take care of it, so please don’t concern yourself.”
Evangeline sighed. Of course. Why hadn’t she anticipated this very thing? Still, not wanting to further upset the sweet doorman, she smiled and shoved the money back into her pocket.
“Thank you, sir. And please do call me Evangeline. Miss Hawthorn sounds so formal and, well, as I’m sure you can probably tell, I’m hardly the kind of girl who needs to be addressed as Miss anything.”
The man smiled, seemingly pleased by Evangeline’s overture.
“Then you must call me Edward, because sir is certainly not something I’m accustomed to either.”
“Edward it is then,” she said, broadening her smile.
“And Evangeline, please do let me know anytime I can be of service. I wouldn’t want Mr. Donovan to ever think I wasn’t doing my job properly, and he was quite clear in that you were to be taken care of and that you were to receive priority service.”
“I certainly will, Edward. I wouldn’t want Mr. Donovan to think either of us was committing some unpardonable sin,” she said with a teasing grin.
Edward relaxed, a twinkle in his eyes. “You are a breath of fresh air, Miss Evangeline. I think you and I will get along quite famously.”
“I would like that very much,” she said sincerely. “No one can ever have too many friends.”
He looked taken aback and then absurdly pleased at the notion that she would consider them friends. But then he likely catered to the extremely wealthy and was likely unused to any sort of deference or respect. Then she immediately felt guilty for making such a sweeping generalization. As if all wealthy people were rude and snobbish. Drake possessed neither of those qualities, though she did doubt he had gone so far as to learn Edward’s first name, much less consider him a “friend.”
“Now, go on back up so that I can see to your food,” he said, making a shooing motion with his hands. “I can’t have you going hungry on my watch.”
So this was the life of a rich and pampered princess, she mused as she rode the elevator back up to the apartment. It was still disconcerting to her just how quickly her entire life had been upended and the extreme to which it had changed in such a short time.