Park Avenue Player(85)

“Thank you.”

After we sat down, I opened my menu and said, “It’s so nice to get out like this. I don’t do it nearly enough.”

She played with her string of pearls. “Why don’t you?”

“Much of my time is spent with Hailey. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted. Well, when I used to go home.”

“Home lately is with Hollis, I take it?” She grinned.

“Yeah, at least as of the past week.”

“And now it’s Hollis exhausting you after hours?”

I chuckled. “Only in a good way.”

The waitress came by and took our order. I opted for salmon over salad, while Addison ordered a burger with Swiss.

After, Addison leaned in and said, “I hope this doesn’t come off as strange, but can I just tell you I prayed for you?”

I didn’t quite understand. “Prayed for me?”

“Yes. I asked the good man or woman above to bring someone like you into Hollis’s life—someone he would find attractive and appealing enough to hang everything up for. It had to be the whole package. Someone who would be worth taking the risk of getting hurt. It had to be someone special, who wouldn’t give up on him. I knew he wanted someone like you before he did. It was actually at my wedding that I wished for you.”

“Really?”

“Well, my third wedding. Let me back up a bit.” She laughed. “Third time was the charm for me. I’d been through two short-lived, failed marriages before I decided my happiness was going to come first. Both of my exes were critical people who never really supported my career, or supported me in general. With my first two husbands—both of whom I met on Wall Street—it was always a competition, never a true partnership. They never had my back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be. Everything worked out the way it should.” She smiled. “I met my husband, Peter, when we shared a cab. Sounds like a typical New York love story, right? Except Peter was the driver. He saw me so upset one night after a fight with my now ex-husband number one. He turned off the meter and kept driving us all the way to the Jersey Shore. We stayed up talking all night. We remained friends but didn’t get together until my second marriage was over. So, I basically made the same mistake twice before I saw the light. One day I just woke up and realized it had been Peter for so long. I was ignoring the fact that he was perfect for me. As soon as the papers were signed after my second divorce, I was all-in and never looked back.”

“Wow. That’s a great story.”

“And I know that this is it for me. Peter’s the one. When you know, you know.”

I couldn’t agree more. “Oh, I know what you mean.”

“I hadn’t told Hollis about my friendship with Peter while I was married. I kept that whole thing secret and sacred. But once Peter and I started dating and they actually met, Hollis could see how happy I was. He never approved of my first two marriages. He knew both of those men through the industry prior to my relationships and could always see through them, even when I didn’t.”

“I love your effortless friendship with Hollis. He speaks so highly of you. And I’d love to meet Peter.”

“We’ll have to go out for drinks, just the four of us one night.”

“That would be so much fun.”

At that moment, my phone rang.

I looked down at the screen. “It’s Hollis.”

She waved her hand. “Take it.”

I answered, “Hey.”

His deep voice vibrated in my ear. “Is she being good?”

I glanced at Addison, who was beaming. “Yes. We’re having a very nice time. She just told me the story of how she met Peter.”

“We all met in vehicles. They met in a cab. And we met when you crashed into me.”

“Very funny. I think we both know what really happened there.”

He laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop crashing your party. Just wanted to hear your voice and annoy Addison at the same time. Make sure she knows I’m watching her.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I know.”

After I hung up, our food arrived, and we dug in.

Addison’s mouth was full when she pointed her fork at me and said, “Anyway, getting back to my original point. Peter and I had a destination wedding in Greece. He’s Greek, actually, but born here. We only invited close family and friends. During our dance on the beach in Mykonos, I spotted Hollis watching us. And I could have sworn I saw a look of longing on his face. I came to the conclusion that he knew he was missing his life by building so many walls. He just didn’t know how to change. And that made my heart ache. So, I prayed for you that night. And it took a little while, but you came along.”

Wow. “Addison, that’s really poignant. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“Are you kidding? Hollis is already ten times less wound up. You’ve already done your job, as far as I’m concerned. And I got to keep my Bentley on top of it all.”

“Your Bentley?”

She winked. “Just a little bet we had going.”

It took us over two hours to eat lunch, because neither of us seemed to be able to shut up long enough to get more than a few bites in every now and then. While I’d started out a little nervous, things were ending better than I could have expected. Addison was warm and accepting, and it was evident she loved Hollis very much. We fought over who paid for lunch and walked out of the restaurant arm in arm.