Page 6 of Babydaddy To Go

“Even back home, I’m the girl who loves to do touristy things. It’s just who I am, I guess.”

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” Nate says lightly. “There’s a ton to do in New York. You’ll be well occupied.”

He doesn’t offer to do the touristy stuff with me, which is disappointing. Will we stay in touch after we reach my front door? But I’m getting too far ahead of myself. Merely arriving at my front door would be a miracle at this point.

“Down that street is MoMA, if you’re interested in art,” he continues, one long arm outstretched.

I shrug.

“I’m not a huge art museum person, but MoMA is on my list of must-visits. The Met, too.”

He nods while still dragging one of my suitcases.

“A few blocks that way, then to the left, and you’re on a street with a bunch of museums.”

I make a mental note of this, though I’ll be able to look it up once my phone is charged.

“You’re actually only a few blocks from Central Park, too. You’ll probably want to spend a lot of time there since you’re from a place where trees aren’t limited to a long green strip.”

“Central Park is definitely on my list,” I say. “I didn’t realize it was only a few blocks away but that’s awesome to hear.”

Truthfully, beyond a few preliminary directions and a google search of Grand Central, I didn’t do a whole lot of research before I arrived. At least, not in terms of where things are compared to where I now live. I know exactly where NYACA is located, but that’s about it. I’ll have to break out my laptop and figure out where my target destinations are. Given that this is NYC, the possibilities are endless. I can’t wait.

“What’s your favorite thing to do in Maine?” Nate asks conversationally. “Other than hanging out with moose.”

“Hey, I don’t hang out with moose!” I protest with another giggle. “Though we do get them in our backyard a lot…”

He gives me a look that says,point proven. I nudge him playfully on the shoulder.

“Besides, moose are troublemakers more than friends. They eat the stuff in our vegetable garden and like to scrape themselves against trees. So yeah, no moose. My favorite thing to do in Maine is visit the lighthouses. We have a ton on the shoreline.”

“Do you have a favorite one?” he asks, eyebrows raised.

“I do!” I tell him. “There’s this one on Monhegan Island that I love. It’s beautiful out there, and there’s a ton of culture to experience. I visit at least once a month, even in winter if I can. Trust me, it’s tough. Maine gets tons of snow. Way more than here.”

“It sounds amazing,” Nate agrees amiably. “Not as amazing as hanging out with a moose, though.”

I let out another peal of helpless laughter. I could get used to this. A part of me never wants to reach my apartment because I don’t want this walk with Nate to end.

“What’syourfavorite thing to do in New York?” I ask.

“Eat,” he says matter of factly. “There are a ton of amazing restaurants throughout the city. We have some of the best food in the world, in my humble opinion. I love trying new places and discovering new cuisines.”

“I love food too,” I share. “You’ll have to tell me your favorite restaurants so I can check them out.”

Before Nate can respond, we take one last left and the street name finally matches the one on my rental agreement. Sooner than I’d like, we’re in front of my new apartment building.

“Thanks for helping me get here,” I say shyly as Nate hands me my second suitcase. I got lucky and scored a first floor apartment, so my need for his assistance ends here. Plus, it wouldn’t be wise of me to invite some guy I just met into my apartment building. Nate seems nice and trustworthy, but still. This is the big city, and I’m notthatnaive.

“My pleasure,” he growls. “Hey, what are you here to study? I almost forgot to ask.”

“Oh. Cooking. I got accepted into this awesome culinary school called the New York Academy for Culinary Arts. Have you heard of it?”

Nate’s face goes blank for some reason. Is he not into chefs? I realize there’s a deluge of shows on the Food Channel, and a cookbook out every week. Or maybe his ex was a chef? But just as quickly, the expression is wiped off his face.

“That’s great, Alyssa. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”