At night, she fantasized about him, dissecting each of his glances, his casual touches, in the hopes that they might reveal he felt about her the same way she did about him. In the morning, she vowed she would never act on her feelings.
Ruth had always worked late, but now, she often made a point of staying until she knew she could go straight home and collapse, avoiding torturous hours tossing and turning like a teenager. And then, one night, as she read through the stack of files on her desk, Robert interrupted.
“Lady Emeraldine, burning the midnight oil again?”
Ruth smiled. He was the only person in the world who could poke fun at her pedigree without inflaming her. “As I’m sure you know, Dr. Apter, the volume of paperwork associated with our patients is overwhelming. This is the quietest time to get it done. Once they’re all asleep.” She felt her cheeks warming already. Please let the light be dim enough to hide my flush.
“Of course. I agree completely. But it is also important to take a break, you know. Helps clear the mind to make space for the new ideas to emerge.”
“I take a break when I sleep.”
“And when you eat, I hope? Although I’d say, from the looks of it, you don’t eat often enough! Food feeds the brain. How about you join me for some dinner?”
Ruth felt her insides flip. Was it really happening? Could he possibly be asking her on a date? Or did he just think it was a smart practice to stay on her good side?
“Where were you planning to go?” The venue might give her a better indication of whether he intended business or pleasure.
“Are you saying yes? If so, might I suggest we make an evening of it and head to the El Morocco?”
“The El Morocco. Why, I’m not really dressed for it.” It is a date.
“Nonsense, you look lovely, as always.”
“I do have an awful lot to do tomorrow.” She looked at her desk; she couldn’t let him know how eager she was to accompany him.
“How about if I promise to deliver you home by ten o’clock?”
“Nine thirty.” Ruth tried to hide her grin as the fleet of butterflies grew in her stomach.
“Wonderful.” He smiled broadly. “Now where is your coat? I sense the need to get you out of here before you change your mind.”
Ruth collected her things quickly and made a brief stop in the ladies’ room. She looked at herself as she carefully reapplied her lipstick. Here she was, a thirty-four-year-old woman, giddy to be heading out to dinner, on a date with a man who, she was growing to believe more every day, was her mission’s greatest hope. She didn’t recognize the person looking back at her in the mirror, but she was so happy that she didn’t care.
When they arrived at one of the city’s most talked-about new supper clubs, Ruth was surprised to see that Dr. Apter was apparently something of a regular. She had, of course, heard about this place, but since nights out like this had long ago become a thing of her past, she had never been. As the host escorted them to what was clearly a prime table, in direct sight of the band, Ruth felt particularly drab compared with the zebra upholstery of the banquettes that lined the room and covered the bar, and the glitz of the patrons. Ruth wasn’t easily impressed by celebrity or family name, but surrounded by so many all at once—Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, multiple generations of Vanderbilts—she felt a bit humbled.
Before they even looked at the menu, the waiter brought them a bottle of champagne. Ruth rarely drank, but being here with Dr. Apter made her want to celebrate. She took a big sip, and as the Mo?t tingled her tongue, both sweet and biting, she was transported back to childhood summers at the family’s shoreside cottage and the lavish parties her mother threw on the lawn, with lobsters and clams and so much champagne.
She had her first taste at fifteen when Harry, already seventeen and more experienced with alcohol, stole a bottle from one of the ice buckets for her to try. Ruth smiled, thinking of the two of them giggling as they hid behind their favorite rock on the beach, the light and fizzy feeling the drink gave her in her whole body. She was a different Ruth back then, with her big brother to lighten her, cheer her, understand her. He appreciated her strength, her difference. She had locked away her need for someone to do that. Until now.