Free To Love Twice by Heather McCoubrey Page A

She replaced her makeup bag in her
purse and put it under the seat in front of her. 
    The captain touched down with barely a bump.  Kate
appreciated his smooth landing.  It was the one part of flying that always
unnerved her.  The taxi to the gate was short.  Too quickly they were
parked and it was time to fight the masses to get her bags and get off the
plane…all in one piece.  She’d done this trip so many times in the past
five years and she understood the mad dash.  They’d been on the plane for
eight long hours, everyone was ready to stretch their legs and breathe in fresh
air.  Kate kept her seat until most of the people had deplaned.
    She caught a cab and headed to the hotel in Mayfair, The
Washington Mayfair Hotel.  Kate loved this hotel.  It was so elegant,
posh and just beautiful.  This was definitely one of the more fabulous
perks of working where she did.  How often did you find a position that
allowed you to travel to one of the world’s greatest cities, work for part of
the day and then be free to sight-see and enjoy the city?  She thanked God
everyday for this position. 
    Kate checked in to her room and quickly went upstairs to
unpack.  She’d arrived two days late because she’d had to get Mary
registered for Kindergarten.  Kate couldn’t believe it was time for
kindergarten, the time had flown by.  She certainly wasn’t ready to watch
Mary take this next step.  Pretty soon she’d be graduating from high
school, heading off to college, getting a job and getting married. 
Pushing these bittersweet thoughts out of her mind before she broke down in
tears, Kate headed out to find Erin.
    Kate wandered in to the hotel pub, hoping Erin would be
there.  Kate enjoyed the hotel pub, the atmosphere was cheery and she
always felt at home inside.  Not finding Erin in the pub, Kate wandered
back out and strolled along the street, stopping to peer into shop windows and
enjoy the alone time.  She loved Mary fiercely, but Kate was able to admit
to herself that having a break every few months was good not only for her own
well-being but also for her relationship with Mary.
    As Kate wandered the streets of Mayfair, she reveled in the
lovely warm air.  She enjoyed walking in London.  She loved the
hustle and bustle of the the more commercial areas and she loved the quiet
streets of the residential areas.  She’d read somewhere about a man named
Samuel Johnson who in 1777 said, ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of
life; for there is in London all that life can afford.’  The more time Kate
spent in London, the more she could understand what he meant.  There
really was so much to do here.  Museums, theater, food, sports, parks,
castles and so much more.  Kate figured it would take her at least a
lifetime to get through all the things she wanted to see.
    Realizing she was hungry, Kate decided to end her search for
Erin and she returned to the hotel pub for dinner.
     
    The rest of the week flew by and before she knew it, Friday
had arrived.  She and Erin finished up early and Erin was planning to
spend the evening in her room catching up on emails and skyping with her
family.  The week had been so busy, that she hadn’t gotten a chance to eat
at her favorite restaurant.  Kate grabbed her purse and quickly walked out
of the hotel.  Pappagallo’s was a warm, intimate little Italian
place.  Kate picked up her pace, eager to eat some dinner.  As she
neared the end of Curzon Street, she looked around in confusion.  How had
she missed it? She turned around and kept her eyes open. 
    She finally found where Pappagallo’s used to be, but in it’s
place was a restaurant called Tempo.  Starving, Kate shrugged and walked
in.  It was no longer the dim, intimate restaurant Kate remembered. 
Now it was a classy, upscale place, with a lot of light.  The walls had
very little artwork hanging on them and the tables were lined up in twos. 
The tables were glass and iron and were set