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Nora looked up at the menorah, back at him, and shook her head. “I’m not, actually. I’m four nights late. I should’ve been here on Monday to hear you out.”
“And I never should’ve left you out of the loop to begin with. I’m sorry.”
She let him envelop her. He buried his nose in her hair, reveling in the way it held the cool night air. Breathing her in like he had the scents of the city all week without her. It was sensory overload, but in the best way.
“It actually turned out to be the best thing for me, honestly. Even if we didn’t know it at the time. And didn’t figure it out together. I think I had some things to figure out about myself, too. Quitting helped me do that.”
“Good thing I didn’t fire you when I had the chance,” he wisecracked.
She bumped the back of his knees with her bag. “Brought you something.”
“Twenty-dollars-in-twenty-minutes-something?”
“No, I’m a great re-gifter. It’s one thing you’ll learn about me.”
He wanted to learn all the things. But would settle for one thing at a time.
She sat down on the bench. Patted the spot next to her. Then plunked the bag in his lap.
“It’s not a bomb, is it? It’s blinking.”
“Shhh, go on.”
He pulled out a pleasantly plump sock monkey, classic in looks. Sure enough, his little hat had the bell on it.
And he wore the ugliest sock-monkey-sized Hanukkah sweater.
“I figured you weren’t going to be wearing it again,” she shrugged. “So I tailored it. To fit him. Think he’ll fit in back in Des Moines?”
“Oh Jocko 2.0 was born to be a hayseed.” He slid the creation back into the bag. “But also kind of a city slicker, too. I think he’ll fit in here as well.”
There was that secret Nora smile. God, he had missed everything about her.
“So. Parker told me everything,” she began.
“Well, not everything. I’m getting rid of the old building space.”
“Oh?” She turned to him. “Moving to where the sky’s a little lower?”
“To Times Square, actually. A little closer to the action. Open floor plan, lots of windows.”Maybe room for a piano.“Not a cubicle in sight. For Myers and Sons’ new division.”
Nora was quiet, fiddling with the strings on the bag. He wondered what she was thinking.
“Nice sweater.” He nudged her.
She grinned. “Just embracing my true self. Learning my strengths and weaknesses.”
“Ah, strengths and weakness. Classic MBA application questions. Good for job interviews, too. You’re hired, by the way. To head up the new division if you want to.”
“And what would that be?”
“I’m calling it Costuming and Hospitality Arts, Inc.”
“TheCHAIdivision?”
He smirked. “It kind of just worked out that way, yeah. I told my uncle what you showed me on Broadway. He loved it — the integration and immersion of customer service into the show and tailoring the concessions based on the show theme. Truly an art. You’d have your twenty-six staff back – to start with. And Myers and Sons will handle all the admin, so you can focus on the creative stuff.”
“What do you think your Grandpa My would say?”
