"How's the pastrami, Max?" Jonathan asked. He poured a bit more lager from the can into the glass Jennifer provided from her half-packed kitchen.
"Pretty good," Max answered. "The mustard's great though. Not like a New York deli, but delicious."
Jennifer laughed, "I'm surprised Jonathan could find a pastrami sandwich at a pub."
"The pies and beer came from a pub but luckily there was a Greggs next to it," he explained.
"Well, the pies are delicious. Thank you for getting lunch for us, darling. All this packing certainly took a lot of energy," Jennifer said.
"It's a lot to do in a day. But you're just packing up what you're taking, right?"
She nodded. "Max is going to have the boxes shipped for me, and most of the things I'll want right away can go in my luggage."
"We can probably put most of it in the cargo hold of the plane. We've got room, don't we, Max?" Jonathan asked him.
"Sure we do. This wasn't a long trip so we've just got our bags and that wasn't much. I'll make sure everything comes with us," Max replied.
"I take it this is a private plane?" Jennifer asked.
Jonathan nodded. "I bought it a couple years ago. Easier than having to rely on the schedules of commercial flights."
"And do you fly this plane?" she then asked with a small smirk.
Obviously she recalled him telling her about being a navy pilot. "I have on occasion, but we've got a pilot for this trip. I don't usually bother going over oceans. Most of the time I'm working while we're in the air. As long as I remember the time differences when I'm making phone calls," he explained. Jonathan suddenly wanted to fly her somewhere. They could go, just the two of them, anywhere in the world. He had a feeling she might like the excitement of sitting in the cockpit and seeing the world from that angle. Though if her performance in the back of the Jaguar was anything to go by, he certainly couldn't trust her to let him keep focused on flying.
Jonathan shook himself, trying not to think about what had happened in the back of the Jaguar. He wasn't sure he'd ever stop thinking about it, but he couldn't function if he didn't at least try to take it off his mind.
They finished eating and Jonathan offered to go back to the Ritz and pack his own things to bring over to Jennifer's apartment. "I thought we could stay here tonight. One last night in your own bed?" he suggested.
"I'll be in my own bed in New York, but I know what you mean. Thank you, darling. If you want to get packed and dressed, Max and I should be done in a couple hours and I'll get ready and we can go out tonight," Jennifer answered.
That certainly sounded good to Jonathan. "I'll leave you to it, then."
He stood to head out of the apartment, but Jennifer jumped up from her chair. "Jonathan, wait!" she called to him.
Jonathan turned back. "Yes?"
She hurried over to him, looking a bit sheepish. "I still want my surprise," she said quietly.
He grinned, pulling the box out of his jacket pocket. The bow on the ribbon was a little crushed but still looked nice. "You mean this surprise?"
Jennifer must have seen the Chopard label. She gasped. "Oh let me see!"
Obviously his dear fiancée quite liked jewelry. He'd have to keep that in mind for the future. Jonathan put the box into her clutching hands, and she practically ripped it open.
She gasped again. "Oh Jonathan! Oh my god, that has the be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! Look at those rubies!"
He leaned in and kissed the side of her neck, unable to resist. "I told you, you look great in red."
Jennifer beamed with joy. "I'll wear it tonight when we go out. I've got just the thing it'll go with," she said excitedly.
"I can't wait. And now I better get out of your hair so you can finish up and I'll see you in a couple hours." He turned to Max. "I'll bring the car back and you can take it back to the hotel and Jennifer and I will get a cab."
"Sounds good, Mr. H," Max said with a nod.
Jennifer was buzzing with excitement over her gift. She was buzzing with a lot of things, actually. Having a beer in the middle of the day not long after giving a blow job in the back of a car had already left her feeling a little giddy, but now this necklace? It really was exquisite. Jennifer could hardly believe that such a gorgeous thing was hers. Jonathan was so sweet to buy it for her. How lucky she was to have a fiancé who had good taste in gifts and the money to afford them.
But she put her beautiful necklace on the dresser in the bedroom to wear later. She and Max had to finish up with the closet.
"Max, tell me about Mr. H's life back in LA," she requested as she took clothes out and divided them into piles—suitcase or box—for Max to fold and pack up.
"He works a lot," Max admitted. "But he's got hobbies. He took up polo recently. He likes horses and he likes sports."
Jennifer nodded. "He told me about the polo, and we've talked about horses. But what other sport is he interested in?"
"He goes skiing in the winter, usually in Vail. And he's got a sailboat he takes on trips to Mexico sometimes. And let's see…oh he likes shooting. Clay pigeons and all," Max rattled off.
She had already suspected that Jonathan was perfect and good at everything. Nothing Max said was changing her mind. "Is there anything he can't do?" she grumbled.
Max chuckled, "I know it seems like that. And he is good at everything. But he stays humble about it. He's quite a guy."
Jennifer felt something in the pit of her stomach. "He told me about how you found him and put him on the right track. So if he's quite a guy, it's thanks to you," she said.
But Max just waved her off. "I mighta helped him make better choices and finish school and all, but everything he did, he did himself. I woulda called it a success if he became a carpenter and just managed to stay out of jail. But he's smart and ambitious. Just never had anyone believe in him before."
"But you did," Jennifer interjected.
"Sure I did. Wouldn't you?"
"I certainly do," she said softly. "I find it hard to believe he hasn't gotten married before. Like you said, he's quite a guy."
"Well, you know how he grew up. He doesn't like opening up to people, and a lot of women get frustrated by a man who keeps 'em at arm's length. But he opened up to you so you could really see him."
"And I want you to know that I don't take that for granted. I know how lucky I am that he did open up to me and let me know him. Everything I see and everything I learn about him only makes me love him more."
Max smiled at that. "I knew you were quite a lady."
Jennifer laughed, "We're going to have a good time together, Max. I can already tell that the three of us are going to have a lot of fun. Adventures for the rest of our lives."
"Sign me up," he said with a grin.
They continued chatting about Los Angeles and about Jonathan and about Max's own past and about Jennifer's life. The packing was done in another hour, so Max took the boxes to the living room to label everything while Jennifer took her shower and started to get ready for Jonathan to pick her up.
She knew she had to showcase the necklace he'd given her, so she chose a simple black strapless shift dress. With black shoes and that diamond and ruby necklace, Jennifer looked in the mirror quite pleased about her appearance. Her hair was down again, curled and sprayed to perfection.
A knock at the door alerted her to Jonathan's arrival. Max called out that he'd answer it. Jennifer had another minute to make sure everything was in place. She wanted to look her best for Jonathan, and she was eager for his reaction.
"Wow, look at you!" Jonathan gushed when she walked out into the living room.
Jennifer beamed with pride. "I thought the dress would show off the necklace nicely."
"The dress shows off you very nicely. As does the necklace. Couldn't be on a prettier neck," he praised.
She came over to kiss him in greeting. "Thank you, darling. You're looking exceptionally handsome this evening," she told him in return. And it was true. He looked good in everything—and especially in nothing—but the cut of this particular suit was very elegant. And those broad shoulders and narrow hips of his showed off the suit so well.
"You're a good-looking pair," Max complimented. "You two have fun tonight. I'll lock up here, Miss Edwards, and then take the car back to the hotel. I'll call before I pick you up to go to the airport, but the flight's scheduled for ten. We should leave here by nine."
"Thanks, Max," Jonathan said, acknowledging the information.
"And thank you so much for all your help today," Jennifer added. She went over to Max to give him a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. He blushed in response.