Jennifer Edwards was at her desk at the New York Times working on an article. She had been deep in the research of this one all day and couldn't wait to go home and sink into a bubble bath.
Just before 3 p.m., one of her friends Camille, whom Jennifer affectionally called Millie, stopped by her desk.
"Hey, so we finally picked a place for this month's Supper Club. We are going to The Purple Olive at 7".
"I don't know. I'm pretty tired".
"Just for a little bit? Please? I don't want to go alone".
"Ok fine. But I am only having dinner and one drink and then I'm out of there".
"It's a deal".
She finished her research, called it a day at 4:30 and headed home to change. She selected a black corset top with red lace over it and a black pencil skirt and paired it with some black heels.
She took her hair down and straightened it, and then freshened up her makeup and chose to go with a smoky eye. She walked out the door by 6:15 and hailed a cab to the restaurant.
Camilla was there when she got there and had already gotten a table for 8.
"Who all is coming?"
"Well, you and me and Mark and Evan, and I think Mark said his sister Hayley was coming and bringing a friend, and Evan said he invited his boss".
"Interesting".
"I love our little supper club that we have formed. It's so fun to try and discover a new restaurant every month".
"Yeah, it is".
One by one, they trickled in and sat down.
Hayley brought a friend named Michael. He was tall, blonde, handsome, and very conceited. He came and sat by Millie.
"Hi, I'm Michael."
"Hi. I'm Millie, and this is Jennifer".
"Nice to meet you both".
"Nice to meet you as well".
Evan and his boss came in then, and the only two seats left were the ones directly to Jennifer's right.
"Hi, I'm Jonathan".
"Hi, I'm Jennifer, this is Millie, that's Michael, and then we have Hayley, Mark, and you already know Evan".
"It's nice to meet all of you".
The waitress came and gave them all waters and took their drink orders.
Jennifer had decided pretty early what she was having and closed her menu and took a sip of her water.
Jonathan leaned over to Jennifer.
"What's good here?"
"I can't say. This is a supper club that meets once a month and tries a new restaurant each month. I've never been here before".
"I see."
"The spinach artichoke sliders sound good, and so does the grilled chicken skewer salad".
"Yeah, you're right. They do".
The waitress came back and took their orders. Jennifer ordered the grilled chicken skewer salad with honey mustard, and Jonathan ordered the steak skewer salad with hot honey mustard.
"So, who started this supper club?"
"Millie and I did, about 6 months ago".
"What a great idea. I may just have to introduce my friends back home to this idea".
"Back home, what do you mean back home?"
She took a sip of her wine.
"I mean, I don't live here. My company has offices here, and I'm in town for a meeting."
"I see. So where is back home?"
"California, specifically Los Angeles".
"Interesting".
"And are you a native New Yorker?"
"By choice. Not by birth".
"Where are you a native of by birth?"
"Maryland. I moved here after college when I got my job at the Times".
"The New York Times?"
"Yes. I write editorials for them, and in-depth exposes".
"There is one writer at the Times that I follow religiously. Every article is written so flawlessly and concise, you almost forget you are reading a newspaper. You probably know her-her name is Jennifer Edwards".
"Well, I'm glad to see you're a fan of my work".
"YOU are Jennifer Edwards?"
"The one and only".
Jennifer was amused and very flattered.
"I meant what I said-I read all of your articles, every time. And they are always so well-written and researched."
"Well, thank you. I am known for copious amounts of research, actually. It's my claim to fame".
"Well, it suits you well".
"Thank you. So, what line of work are you in?"
"My company purchases struggling or smaller electronics companies and builds them back up to profitable again. We mainly deal in electronics, but we are starting to dabble in other areas".
"How interesting. Do you come to New York often?"
"Not too often, definitely not as often as I would like. New York is my New England hub, so I come here whenever I have to come visit a company in one of the New England states. I have my own plane and I have a place here in the city".
"I see. Sounds like you have done very well for yourself".
"I would like to think so".
"Do you ever get up to Boston?"
"I'm supposed to be there next month, actually".
"Really? I am too. My class reunion is having a get together next month".
"I see. And how many years is this reunion for?"
"Well, I've been out 10 years. We already had our 10-year class reunion in January. But they are renaming the gym after one of our classmates who passed away and retiring his jersey, so we are going to honor him".
"That's very kind".
"Yeah, we were a small class of only about 100 or so, so we were and are very close".
The waitress brought their food then, and they all dug in.
Everyone was engrossed in their own conversations while they ate.
"So, do you have any family here in town?"
"No, I don't. I'm an only child. My father still lives in Maryland in the house I grew up in, though".
"And your mother?"
"Passed away when I was 12".
"Oh, my apologies".
"That's alright. Are you an only child?"
"Yes. I was raised in an orphanage from the time I was a toddler till I was 18. If I knew my family, I certainly don't remember them. I wasn't adopted, either. When I was a teenager, a man that had befriended me and took me under his wing took on a more permanent role with me. He's my dad in every way but biologically".
"That's very interesting."
"Yeah, I definitely have a unique story, that's for sure".
They ate their dinner and then the waitress brought their checks and took their plates away.
Millie proposed a toast.
"To another successful Supper Club".
"Here, here".
They all clinked glasses and then took a sip.
Jennifer got her wallet out to pay her check, but Jonathan slapped his card down first.
"I got it".
"What? You don't have to do that".
She looked at him incredulously".
"I know. I want to".
"Well, thank you very much. If you come back next month, I'll treat you".
"It's a deal".
Everyone started making their way towards the door, so Jonathan and Jennifer followed.
As per tradition, they took a group photo outside the restaurant.
"Ok, who is going uptown?"
"I am".
"Me too".
Jonathan and Jennifer were the only ones.
Jonathan turned to her.
"Want to share a cab?"
"Certainly".
"Goodnight everyone".
Jonathan held the door open for Jennifer and then slid next to her.
"Jennifer, there's a lovely little place on the Upper East Side that has dancing and the best desserts. Would you care to go there and keep me company? I always get a piece of apple pie when I'm in town".
"Sure, I can do that".
"Driver, take us to the Pink Flamingo please".
The driver took a sharp turn and Jonathan shifted a little in his seat, causing his hand to brush against hers Both of them felt a jolt, sort of.
They pulled up in front of the Pink Flamingo and Jonathan paid the driver and they got out.
His hand found the small of her back as they went inside. She loved that gesture from him and couldn't remember when she had been treated so nicely.
They managed to snag a table and Jonathan asked the waitress for a dessert menu.
She handed him one and he looked it over.
"Apple pie ala mode, please, and whatever the lady wants".
"Oh, nothing for me, thank you".
"We will also have a bottle of prosecco".
"Yes, sir".
"Would you care to dance?"
She nodded.
He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She rested her cheek against his and fit in his arms like a glove.
He had only intended for them to dance one song. They danced 8.
They saw their waitress coming, so they headed back to the table.
"I'm sorry sir, we are all out of apple pie. I brought you a piece of devil's food cake instead, on the house. And here is your bottle of prosecco".
"Thank you".
Jonathan handed Jennifer a fork.
"One bite".
She took a bite of Devil's food and moaned.
"You like that?"
"Devil's food is my favorite. But I tend to stay away because it will end up on my waistline".
He poured her a glass of prosecco and then one for himself.
"Cheers". They clinked glasses and then took a sip.
Jennifer immediately spit the prosecco back into her glass. Jonathan did the same.
"This is awful".
"I agree".
He flagged the waitress down and she agreed to take it off their bill.
"Thank you".
He put a $100 bill in her hand and they headed out.
He hailed them a cab and they headed to Jennifer's apartment first.
Jonathan insisted on walking her to her door and paid the driver extra to wait for him.
"Well, this is my place right here. It was so lovely to have met you tonight".
"I agree. When is the next supper club?"
"It is always the second Thursday of the month".
"Great. I just might come to another one".
"That would be fun. We usually have a very lively group".
She unlocked the door.
"Well, goodnight, Jonathan. Thanks again for dinner and walking me home. And I meant what I said, next time is on me".
He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her.
"Goodnight". He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.
As she closed the door behind her, she couldn't help but enjoy the butterflies she felt in her stomach.
'What a wonderfully kind and handsome man'.
Jonathan walked back down to the cab and climbed inside.
He pulled out his pocket calendar and circled the date of the next Supper Club and wrote 'NYC' underneath it.
***The next morning***
Jennifer arrived at work right on time and got straight to work. Millie came by her desk around 10.
"Hey, so how did you make out with the hottie last night?"
"Actually, there was no making out. We shared a cab, and he wanted to go to the Pink Flamingo for some apple pie, so we did. They didn't have any, but they gave us free Devil's food cake on the house. And he asked me to dance and then he took me home".
"Is he a good dancer?"
"Absolutely".
"Well, good for you. It's about time you met someone".
"Ehh, I don't think anything serious is going to happen with us. As it turns out, he lives in California and was only here for business".
"Well, bummer. That's a shame".
"Yeah, it would have been nice. What about you and Michael?"
"Michael is only interested in one person. That person's name starts with M and ends in -ichael".
Jennifer chuckled.
"Well, maybe they will be very happy together".
"Oh, I'm pretty sure they already are. He begged Hayley to bring him and then completely ignored her. I felt so bad for her".
"I wouldn't enjoy that".
"I wouldn't either. Well, I guess I better go return some phone calls or something. Do you want to have lunch today?"
"I can't. I'm working through lunch so I can leave early. I'm having dinner with my father.
"Well, have fun. We can chat again tomorrow".
"Sounds great".
Jennifer got to work on her article and finished it around 3. She turned it in, clocked out and headed home.
She put on an emerald green cocktail dress to have dinner with her father.
They were meeting at his favorite French restaurant, La Grenouille.
She showed up right on time at 6, and found her father waiting for her at his usual table.
"Hi sweetheart".
"Hi Pa!" She gave him a big hug.
After they placed their orders, she took a sip of her white wine.
"Sweetheart, I asked you here to discuss something with you. As you know, you are supposed to get access to the trust that your mother left you next year when you turn 30. However, there are some stipulations."
"What kind of stipulations?"
"The terms of the trust state that you must be married for at least one year before you can access the trust, darling. Your mother wanted grandchildren, sweetheart. So this was her way of ensuring she would have some. If she had only known….anyways, I spoke with the lawyer and they won't allow me to remove that clause".
"I see. So, I have to get married sometime between now and my birthday, and remain married for a year in order to collect?"
"That's correct. If you have a child before the year is up, you get access to it the day your child is born. If you are married only, or married and expecting but don't give birth before your birthday next year, you will have to wait till your 30th birthday to get access. And if you don't get married or the marriage doesn't last a year, you will have to forfeit the entire trust and it will instead be donated to her alma mater".
"Did I miss something?"
"What do you mean?"
"Is it suddenly 1950 again?"
"Jennifer-"
"Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"The first time I heard about these stipulations was 2 weeks ago sweetheart. I first consulted my lawyers in hopes that they could remove the clause and you wouldn't have to worry about it. But, they cannot without a court battle, and they told me that our chance of winning is less than 3%."
"I see".
He slid a folder across the table to her.
"So, this has all the stipulations written down. I'm sure you can find someone to marry you, darling. If need be, I will allow you to have a courthouse wedding, so that you can fulfill this obligation. You have until 11:59 p.m. on your birthday to say 'I do".
Jennifer was dumbfounded. She didn't say much through dinner, but she sure finished her wine.
When her father paid the check, they headed out and shared a cab.
"I am headed to London tomorrow sweetheart. So, if you need something related to the trust, my attorney's number is in that folder".
"Thanks, Pa. I love you, have a safe flight".
"I love you too, sweetheart. I'll be in touch".
She leaned over and hugged him and then hurried into her apartment.
She kicked her shoes off, picked up the phone and called Millie.
"Get over here, pronto. This is an emergency".