Page 95 of Meant for Mayhem

She looked at me when I talked to her, smiling wide enough to show her little teeth.

“Should we go look for books?”

She nodded.

“That’s right. I love books. And you love books. And Daddy loves books.”

She nodded again, this time shaking her whole body she was so excited. I squeezed her one more time, then hurried to get us dressed and ready for the day.

George waited for us in the lobby wearing a black suit and a hat, looking the part of a chauffer. “Good morning, Mrs. Laaksonen, and Miss Laaksonen. Can I take your stroller for you?”

I unbuckled Leena, folded it up, then handed it over, following him outside to the curb where a black Town Car waited. In the back was a car seat that looked an awful lot like the one Mikko and I had, making me wonder how far ahead he’d been thinking.

Once we were buckled, George pulled into traffic, cars honking and merging faster than I could keep track. People walked along the sidewalks everywhere I looked, steam rising from manholes in the street, the city halfway between fall and winter.

George looked in the rearview mirror at me. “Mr. Laaksonen mentioned you like bagels?”

His comment caught me off-guard, wondering when Mikko had even noticed that. I had found a local shop within walking distance of the penthouse and went twice this week, but I hadn’t mentioned it yet. I had, however, brought home a bag of frozen bagels on our last trip. “There’s only one right answer here. I love them, obviously.”

He turned on his blinker. “I know a place.”

We drove for a few more minutes, George pointing out landmarks as we went. I leaned over Leena’s car seat and pointed it all out for her, too. As if sensing my excitement, Leena clapped her hands and grinned, the baby talk only getting faster.

Soon enough, George pulled up in front of a cafe on the Upper West Side. Brownstones lined both sides of the street framed by trees that were halfway through shedding their red and orange leaves, looking straight out of a postcard. It was so different from Linwood, I couldn’t help but gasp as I turned in a circle.

“You picked the right time of year to tour New York.” George pulled the stroller from the trunk. “The city is beautiful in November.”

“I can see that.”

The air was crisp enough for a lightweight jacket. I put Leena’s on her, then tugged a beanie down over her hair, buckling her in the seat.

“You have my number?” George said before I walked toward the bagel shop.

“I do, yes.” I held up the business card Mikko had left in the hotel room.

“Excellent. Mr. Laaksonen wanted me to mention that if you’d like to take a walk, Central Park is three blocks that way.”

“Do you hear that?” I leaned down to straighten Leena’s beanie. “Daddy thought of everything.”

“Da,” Leena said, making my smile widen.

“Can I get you anything, George? A bagel? Coffee? Water?”

His professional expression slipped for half a second. “No, ma’am, but thank you for asking.”

Leena waved goodbye as we headed toward the cafe and joined the line spilling out onto the sidewalk. Soon enough, I had an Asiago bagel with vegetable cream cheese for myself, a plain bagel with an egg that I tore into bite-size pieces for Leena, and an iced coffee. Rather than claiming a table along the street, I pointed the stroller toward Central Park and started walking.

Central Park was exactly what I pictured and so much more. The city faded into the background as we walked beneath the trees, the constant hum of traffic replaced with the rustle of leaves, birds chirping, and more dogs than I could comprehend.

We found an empty bench near the pond, and I parked the stroller beside it. Ducks drifted across the water while people rowed boats across the lake, looking like something straight out of a movie. I tore Leena’s bagel and eggs into pieces, handing them to her one at a time while she kicked her feet happily in the stroller.

We ate our breakfast while Leena pointed out everything she could see—squirrels, pigeons, boats, bikes, all of it. She chewed happily, then pointed toward a golden retriever trotting past with a tennis ball in its mouth.

“That’s a dog. I saw him too.”

Her entire body twisted as she watched it disappear down the path, then pointed at another one coming toward us. Sitting here with her, it was easy to forget about everything except keeping food off Leena’s jacket and making sure she didn’t launch pieces of bagel into the pond.

It was nice. Peaceful, even. I’d spent so much of my life working toward whatever came next that I’d forgotten what it felt like to enjoy moments like this.