Diamonds Are Forever - Brooke St. James Page 0,39
been shedding tears, but it wasn't the type of crying that made me sob. I was easily able to calm myself down enough to place a phone call.
"Operator," she said when she picked up.
"Hey, I'd like to see if I can get a number for somewhere in New York. It's called the Four Seasons. It's a hotel."
"In New York City?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Do I need to call someone else or can you help me with that?"
"I can help you," she said. "Just give me a minute."
"Sure. Thank you," I said. I waited during a few seconds of silence.
"Are you talking about the Four Seasons on East Fifty-Seventh Street?" she asked.
"Uh, I… I actually have no idea about the address," I said. "Is that the only Four Seasons Hotel in New York City?" I asked.
"It looks like it, from what I can see," she said. "Would you like me to connect you? Standard long-distance calling charges would apply."
"How much are those?" I asked, even though it didn't matter.
"You'd have to ask your long-distance provider. I can give you the number if you'd rather place the call another time."
"No, that's okay, connect me, please."
"One moment."
The man who picked up the phone spoke with a British accent. He stated that it was the Four Seasons and asked me how he could help me.
I realized promptly that I didn't have a plan.
"Hello, I'm supposed to be meeting someone there. Well, I was supposed to be meeting them the other day, but there was a mix-up at customs with my package, and it got delayed so I didn't get to…" I trailed off, pausing to take a deep breath. "Basically, I was wondering if my friend was still staying there at your hotel or not. He was there a few days ago, for sure, and I think he had the reservation for a week. Do you happen to have a gentleman staying there by the name of Drew Klein? Traveling from Texas. Well, Italy, but… never mind. He would've checked into your hotel on Sunday the seventeenth, I believe."
"Yes, ma'am, Mister Klein is still with us, would you like me to ring his room?"
"Uh, y-yes sir, please."
"Of course, one moment."
The line began ringing.
I sat there, on pins and needles.
It rang five or six times before clicked over and the front desk guy picked up again.
I told him I had been on hold for Drew Klein, and he asked if he could take a message.
"Do you know when he's leaving?" I asked. "He told me he was booked through the end of this week, but I just wanted to make sure he hasn't changed plans."
"Yes, ma'am, as of now, it looks like he still has the room booked through the twenty-fourth. He could change and check out sooner or book the room for longer, but as of now, that's what I'm showing."
"Thank you," I said.
I hung up, and for the rest of the night, I did nothing but search for the fastest way to get to New York City.
Obviously, I had to get my parents onboard because I needed their help with Mac. That was a harder task than I ever dreamed it would be. Even after showing them the video, my parents were hard to convince that I would be okay traveling all the way to New York for somebody who did not know I was coming.
Ultimately, though, I was a grown woman. I reasoned with them about my regrets and my desire to go, and they agreed to help me with Mac. I made spur of the moment flight and hotel reservations. I tried to make a reservation at the Four Seasons, but it was extremely expensive, so I settled for a nearby hotel that the attendant at the Four Seasons recommended as a cheaper alternative.
So, there I was. One day, I was in Galveston assuming I'd never see Drew again, and the next, I was on a flight to New York City to track him down.
***
My flight arrived that following evening.
It was dark when I flew into the city, and I gawked at the lights at night. It seemed so vast that I had the sensation of being smaller than I actually was. Everything below me looked like a speck, which made me feel like a bit of a speck myself.
I caught a cab at the airport and gave them the address to my hotel. I planned on going there to get cleaned up first. I had a long night last night,