Nicholas nodded. “They light it for the season. The last time I was here it was purple to honor our soldiers with the Purple Heart.”

The Parker Meridien was just off Sixth Avenue. The lobby was spacious with modern European design and a wry sense of humor. The elevators had televisions that played old Charlie Chaplin movies or Tom and Jerry cartoons, and the room’s Do Not Disturb sign was a long hanger that read FUGGETABOUTIT, congruent with the hotel’s slogan, “Uptown. Not Uptight.”

After Nicholas checked us in, a bellman brought our bags to our rooms on the eleventh floor, just two doors from each other.

For dinner we ate Thai food at a tiny restaurant near the hotel. We said goodnight to each other outside my hotel room.

“I need to do some prep work for tomorrow,” Nicholas said. “So I’ll see you in the morning. My meetings begin at nine. If you’d like to have breakfast together, there’s Norma’s on the main floor. Or, you can sleep in and order room service. Whatever you want.”

“I want to be with you,” I said.

He looked pleased with my reply. “I’ll knock on your door at seven-forty-five. Don’t forget to turn your watch ahead two hours. I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed me on the cheek.

He started to go, but I stopped him. “Nicholas.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Elise. Sleep tight.”

I shut my door and lay down on top of the bed thinking about how happy I was. I had never had so much fun.

There was only one week left on our contract.

I didn’t fall asleep until after two, so I was tired when Nicholas knocked on my door at a quarter to eight. He looked sharp in his suit and tie.

“You look nice,” I said. “Very professional.” I didn’t. I had just pulled on some jeans and a sweater.

“Shall we go?”

Norma’s was a hip restaurant located in the hotel’s lobby. I looked over the orange and black menu. “So many choices. Everything looks good.”

“They’re famous for their breakfasts.”

“Oh my,” I said, laughing. “Look at this. The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata. It’s a thousand dollars.”

“That’s with ten ounces of sevruga caviar,” he said. “Read what it says underneath the price.”

“Norma dares you to expense this.” I looked up. “What would you do if I ordered that?”

“Cancel tonight’s dinner.”

“I’ll get something else,” I said quickly. “Who are you meeting with this morning?”

“It’s a software company called Revelar. They’re buying up a competitor, and I’m here to make sure that they cross their t’s and dot their i’s. What are you going to do today?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Well, unfortunately, it’s New York, so there’s not much to do,” he said. “Especially at Christmastime.”