The elevator doors opened to the hallway on the fourteenth floor.

“Here we are.” Catherine spoke up with a chuckle. “Wait till you see the view I have from the room.”

Ivan said, “We should have had our dinner date over here. They got restaurants downstairs, don’t they?”

Catherine looked at him, amused. “And you would have paid the prices for the restaurants in this hotel? And then turned around and tipped the waiters? Because this is not fries and chicken and burgers over here.”

Ivan smiled broadly, knowing better. He said, “You would have paid for it. Corporate rates. They got you in here, right? And you gotta eat.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure they’re looking to see exactly how expensive I can be, too,” she commented. “I don’t have this job yet, and I’m not a fool like that. So if we need to bring Chinese takeout back to this hotel, then that’s what we’ll do.”

They shared a laugh as they reached the room. As soon as they walked into the king-sized suite, Ivan walked straight over to the window view of the bay and just stood there. He could see clear across to Coronado Island to his left, or view the boats, piers, smaller islands, and seafood restaurants to his right.

“They call this the corner room,” Catherine told him.

Ivan looked out at a lone boat in the middle of the bay and wondered if it was the yacht of a rich man out on a private date. What a life that would be. He stood there stunned by the infinite possibilities of real wealth.

Catherine joined him at the window. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The windows even open up so you can smell the air.”

She unlatched the large window and pushed it open for him to see. But Ivan remained speechless. The calculations were all running through his mind again as he idled there at the window. How could he afford to remain there at the hotel? How could he afford his own boat, property, leisure, travel, and custom designs?

Catherine moved to wrap herself within Ivan’s arms, as if they were still an on-fire college couple.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked him.

Ivan heard her question in his mind and ran with it. Problem was, he was thinking about too many things at once. So he settled on the most recent idea as his mind slowed down and came to a rest to answer her.

“I’m thinking about that Padres party.” He wondered what it was like and who all would be there to link up with. Maybe Emilio would introduce him to more of the major players on the team.