Page 37 of Wife By Accident

“Okay.”

Even after the moment of fear wore off, Olivia kept holding Leo’s hand.

The helicopter flew over Central Park, then banked over the river, which sparkled beneath them like a long ribbon. Leo was right. This was the best possible view of the city below.

“There’s the One World Trade Center,” Leo narrated, leaning across her to point. Olivia was just as aware of his shoulder pressing against hers as she was of the gleaming skyscraper below. “That’s the Empire State Building. The Chrysler Building. Oh, can you see Rockefeller Center?”

“Yeah!” Olivia looked down, impressed at how much detail she could see from this height. Was this how it felt to be a bird? She wished again that she had her camera with her to capture the beautiful sights below.

“Now on to the best part,” Leo told her as the helicopter pilot guided them across downtown. Olivia realized what was happening just as the helicopter turned, filling the window with a close-up view of the Statue of Liberty. They were flying right at her eye level, close enough to see her brave smile. Close enough, even, to see tourists at the base of her crown. A little boy waved to them, and Olivia waved back.

“This is amazing!” she said.

“I know,” Leo grinned at her. “I think so, too. There’s a reason I chose to live in New York City.”

Then they were flying over Ellis Island. To Olivia’s surprise, the helicopter began to descend, finally setting down on a helipad right on the island.

“Here?” she asked.

“Here,” Leo confirmed. The helicopter blades slowly whirred to a halt, and they both thanked the pilot before disembarking. “I thought you might like to look around,” he suggested.

“Yes, please.”

So, for a while, they explored Ellis Island. Olivia was fascinated, more so than she’d expected. Although she didn’t know much about her lineage, it was easy to imagine that her great-great-great grandparents might have stood here, signing their names in a ledger, on the precipice of a new life. She had some idea of how they must have felt.

After a while, Leo beckoned for her to follow him. They went down to the dock, where a handsome yacht was waiting. It towered above them, gleaming white, with windows along the sides and a gangway to the dock.

“Wait…”

“You don’t get seasick, do you?” Leo asked, teasingly.

“No, but… is that for us?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Grinning, Leo led her up the gangplank. A woman in an all-white uniform ushered them to the top deck, where a single table had been set with gleaming china, cloth napkins, and cutlery. A single rose in a vase stood in the center of the table, and Olivia wondered if it meant anything. Had Leo requested the rose? As the yacht slowly began to move across the water, as smooth as a stingray, the woman reappeared with glasses of champagne.

“This is our lunch stop,” Leo told her. “And while we eat, we can see the city from the water.”

“This is amazing,” Olivia shook her head. “I keep saying that, but it’s true. I can’t thank you enough.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s your first time in New York — we might as well do it right.”

The food came out, one course at a time. They started with a fresh salad flavored with beets, goat cheese, and a summery vinaigrette. Next came pasta with a fresh bell pepper pesto, and finally grilled fish with asparagus. Just when Olivia thought the meal was over, a chocolate ganache layer cake topped with fresh strawberries arrived at the table.

As they ate, the shoreline of New York rolled by. Olivia watched, awed, as parks gave way to skyscrapers, which in turn gave way to bridges and roads.

“How long have you lived in New York?” she asked, tearing her gaze away from the view.

“Let’s see… more than ten years now. I moved here right after college.”

“So, I guess you’ve seen all this stuff,” Olivia mused as they floated past a waterside park where pedestrians were walking and kids were swinging beneath leafy trees.

“I’ve seen some of it,” Leo smiled. “But this was my first helicopter tour.”

“Really?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” He smiled. “I usually use the helicopter for commuting, actually.”

“No way.”