Chapter 13

They stood there watching the rain for a while. Justin turned on the Weather Channel to see how long the rain could last. 

“It looks like it should be letting up soon. Maybe lose the dress for something with jeans in case it rains some more? We can get an umbrella to keep us dry.”

I’ll be right back,” she said, looking in her suitcase for a suitable outfit. She switched to an off the shoulder shirt, jeans, with her sneakers and jean jacket. 

“Still beautiful, that’s my girl,” he smiled. 

They headed downstairs. It had stopped raining for the moment. 

“You feel like walking to dinner? It’s not that far,” he asked. She held the umbrella up and nodded. They held hands as they walked, taking their time, enjoying the break in the rain and the time together. 

As they neared their destination, a photographer began to approach them. “You just ignore him, I’ll do all the talking.”

“Hey Justin, enjoying the rain?” the photog asked. 

“Yup. Just a nice walk to have dinner, thanks.” He led Jenn into the restaurant. 

“We should be ok as long as we’re in here. He’ll likely be waiting for us when we’re done, if not have friends with him. Just hold my hand, follow my lead when this happens. They want a story. Best to keep cool and keep walking. 

“Anyway, this is Angelo’s pizza, best around. They have pasta too, but I promised you New York pizza.”

They ordered a pizza and some caprese, and sodas to drink. They talked about the property they were looking at, ideas for decor and furniture. 

“See, this is the type of thing you’d do with your clients, only in your office or a fancy restaurant. Not so hard, huh?” Justin asked. 

“I’m talking to you, that’s never been difficult to do.”  She kissed him between bites. 

With it still being summer, the sun was still out for a while after dinner. They left Angelo’s and sure enough, there were more press waiting across the street. Justin’s face became much more serious, protective than it had been even 30 seconds ago inside the restaurant. 

“Hey Justin, you on a business trip, or pleasure?”

He huffed. He grabbed Jenn’s hand a little tighter and picked up their pace. 

“Justin, is she your assistant or your girlfriend?” They kept walking without saying a word, hoping they would get the hint and stop following them as they walked. They normally didn’t like having to walk too far from their cars. 

Soon they had lost interest in Justin and Jenn and stopped walking with them. Soon they were back near the hotel. 

“Carriage ride through Central Park?” He asked. She smiled wide. “I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s go.”  Next she knew, Justin was helping her into a carriage and feeling like they had some added privacy. He had his arm around her, her left hand reaching up to grab his. 

Suddenly a photographer spotted them and was trying for a picture. 

“Hey Justin, enjoying a carriage ride?” 

“Trying to. Just a night out, please leave us alone.”

“Is that an engagement ring? That’s a beautiful ring.”

The moment she’d been afraid of, having the whole world know he had proposed and they were engaged. The silence waiting for Justin’s response almost killed her.