or strung out without Tyler constantly barking in his ear like a junkyard dog.
But that didn’t mean he had to do every little thing his brother told him, Reggie thought.
Tonight’s dinner, for instance. Reggie was sure he could come up with a good excuse to blow it off.
Chapter 6
As Lilah and Angie rode the elevator down to the lobby Saturday afternoon, Lilah was disappointed at how much of the day she’d allowed to get away. She’d planned to wake up early and go ice skating at Rockefeller Center before climbing to the top of the Statue of Liberty. But, with the clock swiftly approaching three o’clock, Lilah knew there wouldn’t be time for both before meeting Reggie Martin for dinner.
As the elevator doors slid open, Angie poked her in the arm. “Take that sour look off your face. You’re going to be in the city for two weeks. You don’t have to cram everything in on one day.”
“I know. I just don’t like wasting time. If you didn’t take such long showers—”
“Oh, don’t start that again. I’m not the one who held us up. You’re the one who couldn’t leave until you created an ice skating playlist for your MP3 player.”
The women laughed. Lilah stopped in front of the lobby doors. “So, what should we do first? Skating or the Statue of Liberty?”
“Come on, Lilah. We can knock out something like that next week. Let’s do something more daring.” She pulled a printout of Lilah’s List from her pocket and studied it.
“Aha! Get a tattoo.”
Lilah rolled her eyes. “I really don’t want a tattoo. And I’m certainly not ready for that one right now. Besides, I’ll need a couple of glasses of wine first. Or bottles…probably a whole barrel.”
Angie laughed, but continued to scan The List.
“Why don’t we go to the Statue of Liberty?” Lilah pressed.
“Okay, if not the tattoo then let’s visit a fortune-teller. She can tell you how this whole trip is going to turn out for you.”
“If I’m going to fail, do you think I really want to know today? My first full day in town?”
Angie looked exasperated. “You’re just full of excuses, aren’t you? You’re going to have to do all of these things eventually, remember? That’s why you’re here. What are you waiting for?”
“Can I help you ladies with something?” a female voice called.
Both women turned to see they were standing only a foot away from the front desk. The clerk had probably overheard their entire conversation.
“Yes,” Angie said.
“No thanks,” Lilah said.
But to Lilah’s horror, Angie was already smoothing the creased sheet out on the woman’s desk. “Do you know where we can find a fortune-teller?”
“Angie!”
“Hush, it’s either that or the tattoo shop.”
The fair redhead, whose nameplate read Maureen, swiveled to tap on her keyboard. “Sounds like you ladies are planning to really live it up while you’re in the city.”
“Yes, but I’m native and she’s visiting. This is her first real day here and we need an ice-breaker activity.”
Maureen looked up from the computer screen. “If you want to show your friend New York with a twist, you should try the Sex and the City tour. Visit all the hot spots where Carrie and the girls hung out on the show.”
“That sounds great, but the activity has to be from this list.” Angie casually held out The List as though she wasn’t baring Lilah’s private life to a stranger. “We’ve got two weeks before her thirtieth birthday to get the rest of this stuff done.”
Lilah was swinging back a pink Timberland to give Angie a warning kick when the clerk shrieked with delight.
“Oh, this is amazing. I’ve always wanted a life list. I just never took the time to write anything down.” Maureen gripped Angie’s wrist like an old girlfriend. “Does she actually know Reggie Martin?”
Lilah, who finally got tired of the two women talking about her as though she weren’t there, elbowed Angie aside before she could answer. “Yes, I do. We went to high school together, and I’m supposed to have dinner with him tonight.”
“That is a-maaa-zing!” Maureen shrieked again.
“You see. I think that’s traumatic enough for one day. So I thought my friend and I could go to the Statue of Liberty or ice skate at Rockefeller Center today. You know, to calm my nerves.”
Maureen reached over to grab a sheet of paper off her printer and handed it to Lilah. “No, you’ve got to see the fortune-teller. I don’t know much about this kind of stuff, but we had a lady staying here about two months ago that swore up and down this woman is the real deal. It’s a bit out of your way, but it could be worthwhile. Maybe she can point you in the right direction for your date with Reggie Martin.”
Angie smacked the desktop. “Maureen, you are a lifesaver.”
“Then you guys have got to come back here and tell me all about it. I’m off at six, but I’ll be back at the front desk all day tomorrow. I’ve just got to hear about the psychic and especially your date.”
Lilah felt heat rushing up her neck to flame her cheeks. “Well, if you’re really interested…”
“Oh, I am,” Maureen said. “A lot of people think you see it all working in the city, but to be honest with you, in a small hotel like this, most days are deadly dull.”
“Then you might want to check out my blog where I document my adventures with The List.”
Maureen eagerly took down the Web address and Lilah dragged Angie away from the desk before she could pull up the site.
As Angie looped her arm through Lilah’s and directed her toward the cab stand, Lilah said, “FYI, The List is private. I don’t want you flashing it around like it’s some free-for-all invitation to a keg party.”
“Uh, private? Once again, I’d like to remind you that you’re writing all about it for billions on the Web.”
“Once again, I’d like to remind you that I’ll never have to face those billions of strangers.”
“Look, you’re doing a really cool thing here. Most people are going to want to help you, not judge you.”
“I just don’t want to have to keep repeating the story for everyone we meet.”
“You need to change your attitude, Lilah. You’re going about this grudgingly instead of embracing it. That’s a setup for failure.”
“That’s not true—”
“Isn’t the point
