Page 109 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Do you always think of everything?” I asked as I went up on my toes to kiss his cheek.

“When it comes to you, yes,” he smiled at me. “All I want to do is surprise and delight you.”

“Done and done,” I said as we made our way into the waiting car, just beyond the plane.

Hours later, after we’d unpacked, made love, and catnapped, we were on our way to our first adventure, a dinner at Observatori Fabra, an astronomy observation tower. As expected, my wardrobe was flawless. I felt like a goddess in a tight white dress with a subtle baby blue toile pattern on it, and Vincent looked typically devastating in a dark suit and white shirt open at the collar.

“I hope it’s not too crowded,” I said as I glanced up at the dark sky on the way into the beautiful building. “I want to hog the telescope all night.”

The silver-domed building was situated on the edge of a mountain overlooking all of Barcelona. I was excited to get up to the outdoor observation area, so I could take in the beauty of the city and the sky, but Vincent seemed to be stuck in first gear.

“Come on, grandpa,” I joked as we walked through the garden to the main door.

“I’m just savoring every moment,” he answered.

Vincent looked at peace in a way I’d never seen before, and I loved that he seemed totally willing to unplug with me. He hadn’t pulled his phone out in hours.

When we walked out to the balcony, I was shocked to find it completely empty except for a single table for two.

“Vincent!” I turned to him. “Did you do this?”

“I did, I hope you don’t mind.”

I threw my arms around him. “Mind? It’s absolutely wonderful! I can geek out with the telescope all night long—I don’t have to share!”

I pointed at the large telescope he’d probably requested be placed right next to our table.

“It’s a perfect night,” Vincent said. “Not a cloud in the sky. We can probably use that thing to see into the next dimension.”

I laughed. “Do we need someone to show us how to use it?”

“I know a thing or two about telescopes,” Vincent said as he took my hand and pulled me toward it. “I was a bit of a geek in middle school.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I said.

“Then let me prove it to you.”

A waiter appeared out of nowhere with two glasses of champagne for us, then disappeared just as quickly.

I held mine up. “A toast to you, for pulling off an incredible surprise.”

He bowed his head as we clinked flutes. “I live to make you smile.”

“Aw,” I thrust my bottom lip out. “You’re going to make me cry instead!”

“You ain’t seen nothing,” he muttered, pointing at the telescope. “Now let’s check out some stars.”

I tuned out while Vincent explained the mechanics of the telescope until it was time to look through the lens.

“You’re going to see Perseus and Andromeda first,” he said as I peered in.

“It’s all black,” I said, squinting hard into the eyepiece. “I don’t see anything.”

“Huh,” Vincent said. “Let me check.”

He bent over and peered into it. “Well, I see the stars perfectly! They’re close enough to touch. Look again.”

I squinted into the eyepiece again. “Nope, still nothing. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”