Thirty-Seven
There was nothing scheduled for Josie and Peter’s seventh day in New York City, and Peter spent the majority of the morning trying to coax Josie out of the hotel. Eventually, she got very annoyed and snapped at him to leave her alone before running into their bedroom and locking the door. Though the gesture was lost on her, Peter threw his arms up in frustration before walking into the hallway and slamming the door behind him. Not wanting to re-enter the living room in case Peter hadn’t really left, Josie went into the marble bathroom to take a bath. As she sat in the bubbly, Chanel No. 5-scented water and watched VH1 on the plasma screen television fixed over the bathtub, she found that for the first time she wasn’t thinking of Toby. Instead, her mind was filled with concern over the state of her friendship with Peter-he had been terribly patient through the duration of their trip so far, and she worried that her inability to enjoy herself was going to completely push him away.
After drying off and getting dressed-for the first time in clothing that actually belonged to her and not to the Lost Boys-she pulled out the hotel directory in the hopes of finding some way to amuse herself without having to leave the Peninsula until Peter came back at lunchtime. With a sigh, she accepted that this would involve having to bathe again when she came back to the room as the only options she seemed to have were exercising or swimming. Of course, there was always the option of staying in the room and trolling the internet all day, but since she felt as though she had already seen every interesting website in existence during her previous shut-in days that week, that idea wasn’t very appealing.
In a pair of pink Adidas running pants and a white t-shirt with “Josie” emblazoned across the chest in pink rhinestones, Josie rode the elevator down to the Fitness Center wondering if perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to bring her purse with her. She was so caught up in the debate as to whether or not to return her purse to her room that she forgot to get off the elevator and found herself being carried to the 20th floor, the one just above the floor that consisted solely of the suite where she and Peter were staying. When the elevator doors opened, she looked down at her pink suede shoes to avoid making eye contact, something she had found she always did when meeting strangers since she had been in New York City.
“Hello,” said a very warm and friendly-and somehow familiar-gravelly voice. She looked up to see a tall, dark, and handsome guy standing in the elevator beside her pressing the button for the Fitness Center floor.
She forced herself to smile as she said, “Hi.”
“Heading to the third floor as well?” he asked, catching her gaze and beaming at her. She nodded shyly and felt herself starting to blush. “I don’t mean to pry or anything, but you look really familiar. Have we met?”
Josie shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ears as her cheeks burned even hotter. “No, we haven’t. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you.”
His laugh was soft and as it filled the elevator, he reached over and touched her arm lightly, all the while maintaining her gaze. “I know I’ve seen you somewhere, and it’s going to really bother me until I figure it out.” She felt like his eyes were boring into her and she looked away-at the elevator doors, the ceiling, the floor-to try to alleviate the discomfort it was causing her. “You’re a model, right?” he finally said, his head slightly tilted in curiosity.
“Yes,” she said, finding herself shocked that he would have already seen one of her ads that were beginning to circulate, “for The Lost Boys line out of Destin, Florida.”
“That’s what it was,” he said, the tension in his shoulders melting away as he put his hand on her arm again and took a step closer to her. “I must have seen an ad in American Ways on my flight into town. So you’re here on business?”
By then the doors had opened and he waited for her to exit the elevator before he followed with a friendly hand on her back. “Yeah, I’m here with one of the guys who owns the company. We’re doing kind of a press tour. You?”
“Same,” he said with a wink. He extended his hand, offering a handshake that she accepted. “I’m Viggo, by the way.”
“I know,” she said, unable to suppress a grin, “I’m Josie. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“How long are you in town for, Josie?”
She paused to count the number of days they had already been there and subtract that from the total number of days they were staying before they flew to California. “Three more,” she finally said, adding, “We’ve already been here for about a week. This is our only day off. Not that sitting at a table and answering questions for a few hours every day is terribly hard work or anything.”
“No, I understand.” He got a far-away look in his eyes for a moment and they paused outside of the locker room doors. He wasn’t talking or even blinking, and Josie wasn’t sure if she should wait for him to speak again or if she should walk away. Just before she started to turn around, he said, “Maybe you and I can grab a drink some night, Josie. For all your shyness, you seem like a very interesting girl.”
Forcing herself not to giggle like a hysterical fangirl, she accepted his offer and gave him her cell phone number. She didn’t expect to hear from him again, but it was an honor for him to have asked to meet up with her in the first place. As far as she was concerned, it had been an honor to share an elevator with him.
_____________
“Well, well,” Peter said cheerfully, dropping his keys on the end table and laying his jacket across the back of the couch Josie was sitting on, grinning as she watched Hidalgo on pay-per-view, “Someone is looking about twenty times happier than they were when I left.” He kissed her on the forehead before crashing onto the cushion beside her and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Talk to Toby?”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Better.”
“Better than talking to Toby?” Peter thought for a second before his eyes lit up and he jumped off the couch. “Toby’s here? Where is he?” He began walking quickly towards the library and, finding it empty, headed for their bedroom.
“It’s got nothing to do with Toby,” she called after him, feeling a little bad for getting his hopes up. “I met my first huge celebrity today.”
Peter walked back into the room looking slightly disappointed but masking it rather well. “Did you?” he asked, hopping over the back of the couch to sit beside her again. “And who was it? Was it Ozzy Osbourne? Because I’ve heard that he and his family stay here a lot.”
“No, but that would have been cool.”
“Well, who was it then?”
She beamed at him and waited until there was a close-up of Frank T. Hopkins on the screen before pointing and saying, “Him.”
“You saw Viggo Mortensen at this hotel?” Peter asked with disbelief in his voice.
“Yep,” she answered proudly, “and he recognized me from a Lost Boys ad he saw in a magazine on his flight in.”
He made an exasperated face and said, “Yeah, Josie, Viggo Mortensen is in our hotel and he actually remembers seeing a Lost Boys ad. No, that’s good. I’m glad that making fun of me cheered you up.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but just as she started to protest, there was a knock on the door. Peter pushed himself off the couch and walked to the entry way to answer, glancing back over his shoulder at Josie who was pouting over his accusations. Her frown quickly transformed into a very smug smile when Peter opened the door to reveal Viggo Mortensen himself. “Hi, I’m really very sorry to bother you,” he said genuinely, lowering his head a little out of respect. “Is, um, is this Josie’s room?”
“Hi, Viggo,” she said, skipping to Peter’s side. “This is my friend Peter, co-owner of the company I model for.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Peter,” Viggo said, holding his hand out for Peter to shake although Peter was much too shocked to even blink. Viggo laughed and casually put his extended hand into his pocket. “Anyway, Josie, I went up to my room to call you and realized that when you gave me your phone number, you forgot the area code.” He smiled broadly at her as if it were a brilliant joke and she felt her throat tighten. “Luckily I ran into Fred Langhammer at the pool and he knew what room you were in.”
“You know Mr. Langhammer?”
“I met him a few times when I was working on a project for Disney.”
There was an break in the conversation during which both Viggo and Josie looked at the still-star-struck Peter for a few seconds. Their inquisitive stares finally brought him out of his trance and he smiled. “Sorry,” he said nonchalantly, “what was that?”
“Nothing,” Viggo said, one corner of his mouth drawing upwards in a sly, crooked smile, “I was just thinking, though, that as long as I’m up here, why don’t we all just go to lunch together? Unless you already have plans. I’d understand.”
“I wouldn’t!” Peter rushed to put his jacket on, grabbing Josie’s on his way back and roughly shoving it against her and rushing them both out the door.
After drying off and getting dressed-for the first time in clothing that actually belonged to her and not to the Lost Boys-she pulled out the hotel directory in the hopes of finding some way to amuse herself without having to leave the Peninsula until Peter came back at lunchtime. With a sigh, she accepted that this would involve having to bathe again when she came back to the room as the only options she seemed to have were exercising or swimming. Of course, there was always the option of staying in the room and trolling the internet all day, but since she felt as though she had already seen every interesting website in existence during her previous shut-in days that week, that idea wasn’t very appealing.
In a pair of pink Adidas running pants and a white t-shirt with “Josie” emblazoned across the chest in pink rhinestones, Josie rode the elevator down to the Fitness Center wondering if perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to bring her purse with her. She was so caught up in the debate as to whether or not to return her purse to her room that she forgot to get off the elevator and found herself being carried to the 20th floor, the one just above the floor that consisted solely of the suite where she and Peter were staying. When the elevator doors opened, she looked down at her pink suede shoes to avoid making eye contact, something she had found she always did when meeting strangers since she had been in New York City.
“Hello,” said a very warm and friendly-and somehow familiar-gravelly voice. She looked up to see a tall, dark, and handsome guy standing in the elevator beside her pressing the button for the Fitness Center floor.
She forced herself to smile as she said, “Hi.”
“Heading to the third floor as well?” he asked, catching her gaze and beaming at her. She nodded shyly and felt herself starting to blush. “I don’t mean to pry or anything, but you look really familiar. Have we met?”
Josie shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ears as her cheeks burned even hotter. “No, we haven’t. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you.”
His laugh was soft and as it filled the elevator, he reached over and touched her arm lightly, all the while maintaining her gaze. “I know I’ve seen you somewhere, and it’s going to really bother me until I figure it out.” She felt like his eyes were boring into her and she looked away-at the elevator doors, the ceiling, the floor-to try to alleviate the discomfort it was causing her. “You’re a model, right?” he finally said, his head slightly tilted in curiosity.
“Yes,” she said, finding herself shocked that he would have already seen one of her ads that were beginning to circulate, “for The Lost Boys line out of Destin, Florida.”
“That’s what it was,” he said, the tension in his shoulders melting away as he put his hand on her arm again and took a step closer to her. “I must have seen an ad in American Ways on my flight into town. So you’re here on business?”
By then the doors had opened and he waited for her to exit the elevator before he followed with a friendly hand on her back. “Yeah, I’m here with one of the guys who owns the company. We’re doing kind of a press tour. You?”
“Same,” he said with a wink. He extended his hand, offering a handshake that she accepted. “I’m Viggo, by the way.”
“I know,” she said, unable to suppress a grin, “I’m Josie. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“How long are you in town for, Josie?”
She paused to count the number of days they had already been there and subtract that from the total number of days they were staying before they flew to California. “Three more,” she finally said, adding, “We’ve already been here for about a week. This is our only day off. Not that sitting at a table and answering questions for a few hours every day is terribly hard work or anything.”
“No, I understand.” He got a far-away look in his eyes for a moment and they paused outside of the locker room doors. He wasn’t talking or even blinking, and Josie wasn’t sure if she should wait for him to speak again or if she should walk away. Just before she started to turn around, he said, “Maybe you and I can grab a drink some night, Josie. For all your shyness, you seem like a very interesting girl.”
Forcing herself not to giggle like a hysterical fangirl, she accepted his offer and gave him her cell phone number. She didn’t expect to hear from him again, but it was an honor for him to have asked to meet up with her in the first place. As far as she was concerned, it had been an honor to share an elevator with him.
_____________
“Well, well,” Peter said cheerfully, dropping his keys on the end table and laying his jacket across the back of the couch Josie was sitting on, grinning as she watched Hidalgo on pay-per-view, “Someone is looking about twenty times happier than they were when I left.” He kissed her on the forehead before crashing onto the cushion beside her and throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Talk to Toby?”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Better.”
“Better than talking to Toby?” Peter thought for a second before his eyes lit up and he jumped off the couch. “Toby’s here? Where is he?” He began walking quickly towards the library and, finding it empty, headed for their bedroom.
“It’s got nothing to do with Toby,” she called after him, feeling a little bad for getting his hopes up. “I met my first huge celebrity today.”
Peter walked back into the room looking slightly disappointed but masking it rather well. “Did you?” he asked, hopping over the back of the couch to sit beside her again. “And who was it? Was it Ozzy Osbourne? Because I’ve heard that he and his family stay here a lot.”
“No, but that would have been cool.”
“Well, who was it then?”
She beamed at him and waited until there was a close-up of Frank T. Hopkins on the screen before pointing and saying, “Him.”
“You saw Viggo Mortensen at this hotel?” Peter asked with disbelief in his voice.
“Yep,” she answered proudly, “and he recognized me from a Lost Boys ad he saw in a magazine on his flight in.”
He made an exasperated face and said, “Yeah, Josie, Viggo Mortensen is in our hotel and he actually remembers seeing a Lost Boys ad. No, that’s good. I’m glad that making fun of me cheered you up.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but just as she started to protest, there was a knock on the door. Peter pushed himself off the couch and walked to the entry way to answer, glancing back over his shoulder at Josie who was pouting over his accusations. Her frown quickly transformed into a very smug smile when Peter opened the door to reveal Viggo Mortensen himself. “Hi, I’m really very sorry to bother you,” he said genuinely, lowering his head a little out of respect. “Is, um, is this Josie’s room?”
“Hi, Viggo,” she said, skipping to Peter’s side. “This is my friend Peter, co-owner of the company I model for.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Peter,” Viggo said, holding his hand out for Peter to shake although Peter was much too shocked to even blink. Viggo laughed and casually put his extended hand into his pocket. “Anyway, Josie, I went up to my room to call you and realized that when you gave me your phone number, you forgot the area code.” He smiled broadly at her as if it were a brilliant joke and she felt her throat tighten. “Luckily I ran into Fred Langhammer at the pool and he knew what room you were in.”
“You know Mr. Langhammer?”
“I met him a few times when I was working on a project for Disney.”
There was an break in the conversation during which both Viggo and Josie looked at the still-star-struck Peter for a few seconds. Their inquisitive stares finally brought him out of his trance and he smiled. “Sorry,” he said nonchalantly, “what was that?”
“Nothing,” Viggo said, one corner of his mouth drawing upwards in a sly, crooked smile, “I was just thinking, though, that as long as I’m up here, why don’t we all just go to lunch together? Unless you already have plans. I’d understand.”
“I wouldn’t!” Peter rushed to put his jacket on, grabbing Josie’s on his way back and roughly shoving it against her and rushing them both out the door.