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five missed calls from Maggie. But rather than calling her back now, I stepped off the airplane and into the black town car that would take us all to the Maddox International Hotel and Tower on the Upper West Side. Maybe I would call Maggie later. But she didn’t know about my infatuation with Clara and I really wasn’t ready to explain why I’d brought her sister along with me to New York.
    The car carried us closer to the hotel. Regina continued to go over everything for tomorrow’s reopening. My dad wanted me to be versatile within the company. So over the past few years, he’d bounced me around from job to job. Working everywhere from housekeeping ( had that really been necessary? ) to managerial jobs. I was putting in my ‘dues’ as he called it. And after tomorrow’s reopening went smoothly, I’d move up the ladder to something better.
    But what Regina didn’t seem to understand, as she went on and on, was I’d been living in my father’s hotels my entire life. I knew the procedures. I knew how to walk the walk and talk the talk. I opened my mouth and the right words always came tumbling out. Charisma. My grandfather, Leonardo Maddox Senior, invented the word. My father inherited the skill. And I, Leo Maddox III, hadn’t fallen far from the same apple tree. I had charisma in spades. Maybe I couldn’t function properly around Clara, but I could put on a good show for everyone else.
    As we neared the hotel, Regina ran out of things to discuss. We all rode along in a comfortable silence. With nothing else to do, I watched Clara. It was a safe moment to do so because her eyes were wide and staring out her window. It was if she’d never seen the tall buildings in the city before. Maggie came to visit me in New York about monthly. But maybe it had been longer since Clara had been here. It made me wonder where her head was at.
    “What are you thinking?” I asked, the words escaping me before I could stop them.
    She looked at me, seeming surprised I’d spoken to her at all. “That I'm glad I came,” she answered.
    “Good,” I responded.
    In the next second, thankfully before things had a chance to get awkward, the car came to a halt outside the grand entrance to the Maddox hotel. The very second we stopped, Clara leaped from her seat and out the door. Someone was waiting for her on the street—a tall brunette in a flowery dress. Stephany. I had met her maybe twice before. She was Clara’s friend from Virginia Tech and she caught the girl in an immediate hug. Clara must have called or texted Stephany to meet her here. I hadn’t known she knew anyone in the city but this was good…right?
    It hadn’t occurred to me before this moment, but what was I really expecting having Clara come here with me. That we’d walk hand-in-hand through Times Square kissing and taking photos? Of course she knew someone else in the city. Of course she had plans. I was still thankful she’d come, but this new development made my weekend suddenly seem much bleaker.
    “Regina,” I whispered. “Please get Clara checked into a room on the penthouse floor. The executive suite on the west corner is nice. She’s my guest. Make sure she has everything she needs. After you show her to her room, come find me. We have work to do.”
    Regina nodded, always eager to do whatever I asked. She stepped out of the car, while I stayed seated for a moment. I watched Regina speak to Clara and her friend. Then the girls disappeared into the building.
    “Dammit,” I said aloud, burying my face in my hands.
     
    * * *
    H ours passed. Work kept me so busy today that I skipped lunch. And by seven in the evening, when I hadn’t eaten all day, I was famished. I needed to take a break or I was going to pass the hell out. Taking the elevator up to the penthouse floor, I walked toward Clara’s suite. I wanted to invite her to eat—as friends, at the very least. I’d brought her to New York. That meant it was my responsibility to make sure she