Jake seemed to flinch as he stared across the Pond. ‘Oh you know, sometimes. Usually when I was trying to impress a girl.’
‘Did it ever work?’ Bea meant the question as a joke, but when she saw that Jake didn’t smile, she quickly changed the subject. Maybe this was a little too personal a question to be asking so early on in their friendship … ‘I’ve actually never skated on the Wollman Rink.’
Jake’s blue eyes were still as they looked at her. ‘No?’
‘I’ve never found anyone to go with. Russ likes the Rockefeller Rink at Christmas and my ex didn’t skate. I blame too many hours spent watching Serendipity for making me love the idea.’
‘Think that’ll happen?’ Jake asked. ‘Now you’ve sworn off relationships?’
Bea hadn’t considered this. ‘Oh. Well, perhaps I should add that to the list of things I’ll do by myself now I’m not looking for anybody else to share the experience with.’
‘Good idea.’
‘You can join me, if you like.’
Jake stared at her. ‘Eh?’
Replaying the question in her mind and realising, with horror, how much like a chat-up line it sounded, Bea quickly qualified it. ‘I mean, as an avowedly single person in the city you could exercise your right to skate in Central Park at Christmas without the need for anyone else. We could add it to The Pact.’
‘A Pact addendum?’ Jake appeared to be considering this. ‘I like it. We should make a list on our travels. That is, if you’d like to do this again?’
It was the easiest question Bea had ever answered. ‘I’d love to.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jake’s practice, McKevitt Buildings, Broadway
‘I’m telling ya, Doc, it’s like I see that woman and my brain vacates the building.’
The middle-aged man on Jake’s couch gave a dramatic sigh.
‘And why do you think that is, Tony?’ Jake pencilled a note on his pad.
‘I have no idea.’
‘OK. How long has this … situation … been happening?’
‘I first saw her when I changed my local deli. I’d been going to Joshua’s on East 65th, but there was a disagreement over my bill. Stupid checkout guy said I owed him fifty bucks, but I checked my purchases and I know I had the right money. So I said to myself, “Tony,” I said, “you ain’t gotta give that place your custom no more.” So I switched delis to Harvey’s on East 59th. And that’s when I saw her.’
Jake resisted the urge to smile. But then, he had been fighting smiles all day. For a Monday morning with a full list of brand new clients, this was as close to a New York miracle as it was possible to be. Tony De Vitis, a high-flying owner of a real estate agency, was the third client of the day, and it appeared had a severe case of unrequited love for a checkout girl in the neighbourhood deli where he now shopped. Jake listened and made notes as Tony described the object of his affections and his frustration at not being able to tell her how he felt, but his own thoughts were far away from his client notes.
Spending Sunday in Bea’s company had been a revelation. He was astonished at how much they had in common, and how candid she had been with him about her reasons for loving Central Park. He felt as if he had been given a guided tour of her innermost thoughts; and while all they had done was wander through the sunlit park, pausing at a hotdog stand to grab lunch and, later, a Belgian ‘Dinges’ waffle from a bright yellow food truck, the time they spent together carried a significance beyond the sum of its parts. Bea was great company, her sunny personality and sense of humour made her a joy to be with. For a precious few hours, Jake had forgotten his recent troubles – the divorce process that Jessica’s lawyer was no doubt gleefully entering into and his own struggle to feel at home in a new apartment in its unfamiliar neighbourhood – and just been in the moment. It was a long-forgotten freedom that he had surrendered in the name of love and responsibility. But to have it back, even for a brief time, was more of a gift than his new friend could ever realise.
‘I’m afraid that’s the end of today’s session,’ he told Tony, checking the time on the wall clock over his consulting couch. ‘Same time next week?’
Tony rolled to his feet. ‘Sure. Thanks, Doc. It helps to talk to somebody who listens.’
Jake stood and shook Tony’s hand. ‘That’s my job. Take care.’
Desiree was making light work of a mound of papers on her desk when Jake emerged from the consulting room.
‘Good session, Doctor?’ she asked.
Jake helped himself to a fresh mug of coffee from the percolator on permanent duty in reception. ‘Very productive. Book him in at the same time for the next four weeks, would you?’
‘No problem.’ Desiree made the booking on her computer, holding out her mug to Jake as she typed. ‘Black coffee straight up.’
Jake grinned and poured coffee into it. ‘Yes, Ma’am. How are the files looking?’
‘OK, I think. I’ve filed them a little differently to the old system, just so you have the most recent to hand first. It’ll make finding them easier. And I’ve added a greater search function to the database. That way you can identify the regular clients and those who need a little encouragement to come back. I propose we initiate a practice newsletter, keeping your clients in the loop, so we can monitor responses.’
‘Desiree, you’re a machine.’
His PA seemed pleased with the comparison. ‘Why thank you, Dr Steinmann.’ She took a sip of coffee. ‘And you make great coffee.’
It was a strange choice of compliment, but Jake was quickly learning that any positive comment from Desiree was worth a hundred from anybody else. ‘Thank you.’
Desiree leaned back in her chair, nursing her coffee mug. ‘So, who’s the lady?’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I mean, I’m assuming it’s a lady.’
‘I don’t follow …’
‘The smile, Jake! You’ve been smiling since you got here. When you left on Friday you had the world on your shoulders. So, what changed over the weekend?’
Her perceptiveness took Jake by surprise and he knew he’d been busted. Keen not to reveal too much to his PA, he shrugged. ‘I had a good weekend, that’s all.’
Desiree’s chocolate brown eyes narrowed. ‘That’s all? You sure about that?’
‘Yes, Dr Jackson, I’m sure. I met up with friends Friday night and yesterday I went to Central Park.’
‘Central Park makes you this happy? You should buy a condo there.’
Jake laughed. ‘Who are you, my mother? It’s a good thing if I’m happy, isn’t it? Far better than the alternative.’
‘For sure. It’s just that this is the most content I’ve seen you. I wanted you to know that.’
‘I appreciate it. Thanks.’
Walking back to his office, Jake thought about Desiree’s observation. Was it that obvious? More worryingly, just how withdrawn had he been for the last month? Of course he couldn’t help the anxiety and injustice he’d felt about having to start again in New York while Jess happily filed for divorce. But he hadn’t realised quite how evident it was to other people: and especially not to someone he hadn’t known for very long.
But the fact that Desiree had not only noted but also commented on the change in his mood was significant to Jake. Was it possible that one weekend could make such a difference? It had been so refreshing to spend time with Bea, their ongoing list of reasons to avoid relationships growing as they walked around Central Park. For a few hours, thoughts of Jess had disappeared and Jake had been able to be himself. This new friendship with Bea was definitely good for him …
Now the challenge for Jake was to find a suitable location for their next venture into the Big Apple. He had laughed when Bea confessed the heart-searching she had gone through when planning yesterday’s day out, but now he was experiencing exactly the same dilemma. He almost asked Desiree for her ideas, but quickly thought better of it. The less she knew about his new friend, the better.
In
stead, he called the only other person who would understand.
‘I don’t get why it’s such a big deal for you,’ Ed said, stealing the basketball from his brother’s hands and looping it up and over into the basket in the yard at the back of Kowalski’s. ‘You snooze you lose, bro! What’s that – sixteen–ten?’
Jake pulled a face, wishing he had brushed up on his backyard basketball skills when he had an actual backyard in San Francisco. Ed was pummelling him into the ground and even the distraction of where to take Bea next couldn’t be wholly blamed for his lack of skill today. ‘You’re too kind: it’s sixteen–nine.’
‘So pick up your game!’
Ed tossed the ball to Jake, who squared up to challenge him for the basket.
‘It’s important because Bea really thought about where we could go on Sunday.’ He bounced the basketball towards the basket affixed to the rear wall of Kowalski’s, managing to weave past Ed to score. ‘Mojo’s coming back!’
‘You wish,’ Ed laughed, flinging his arms out in an attempt to steal the ball. ‘She took you to Central Park, dude. That’s hardly a groundbreaking choice. Every tour bus in Manhattan heads to Central Park.’
‘It was important to her. That’s why she chose it.’ Jake groaned as Ed whipped the ball from his hands, slam-dunking it for his seventeenth point. ‘Anyway, that’s the whole point of this. We share our favourite places: there’s no rule says they have to be original.’
‘All the same, yours should be,’ Ed returned, laughing as his brother tried several moves to steal the ball. ‘Denied again – oh, and again!’ This time Ed’s shot was misjudged, bouncing off the wall to the right of the hoop.
‘As are you,’ Jake laughed, grabbing the ball while Ed protested. ‘I want it to be good, you know? It should mean something to me like the Pond in Central Park does to her.’
Ed rolled his eyes. ‘The only memorable thing that happened to me at the Pond is when a date dumped me because I made a joke about the ducks looking like they needed orange sauce.’ He shrugged. ‘Back when I was in denial about Rosie and dating half of Manhattan, obviously.’
‘I heard. Even in San Francisco you were a legend.’
‘The Pond. Man. There must be something about Steinmanns in denial at that place.’ He winked at Jake, stealing the ball once more and scoring his eighteenth basket.
‘How am I in denial?’
‘Oh, I think you know.’
Jake glared at his brother, who was at that moment performing a victory lap of Kowalski’s backyard. ‘If this is about Bea …’
‘Who else?’
‘She doesn’t want a relationship. And neither do I. We made a pact.’
‘Pact schmact. If that woman turned around tomorrow and offered herself on a plate to you, I swear you’d discard that pact of yours quicker than Dad discards acquaintances at his golf club. And you know how fast that is.’
Jake dodged his brother to snatch the basketball back and fling it into the basket. ‘Not as fast as I was just then.’
‘You’re hardly beating me, bro. And don’t change the subject, Dr Steinmann. You know I’m right.’
Out of breath, Jake bent over to rest his hands on his knees. ‘I just want a friend. And I think Bea and I could have fun as friends. Is that so hard to believe?’
Studying his brother’s expression, Ed slapped his hand on Jake’s back. ‘No. Not at all. You’ve been through hell with the Jess thing and I think it’s time you had some fun. You deserve it, bro. You know I just want to see you happy.’
‘I am happy. Happier than I’ve felt for months.’
Anything else Ed might have wanted to say was shelved as he smiled at Jake. ‘Then that’s all that matters.’
CHAPTER THIRTY
Corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue
Bea stepped out of the taxi and felt her heart skip a beat. ‘Really? This is where you want us to visit?’ She had been anticipating this day for a week, wondering which part of New York he would take her to. But she hadn’t guessed it might be here.
Jake seemed to be studying her reaction far more carefully than he had before. ‘This is it. Do you mind?’
For a moment Bea thought her heart was going to burst right out of her chest. ‘Are you kidding? I love this place!’
Relief spread across Jake’s face. ‘Great! I thought you might think otherwise.’
‘It’s impossible not to love it.’ Bea gazed up at the beautiful carved stone exterior of Grand Central Station, which seemed to glow from within against the leaden grey sky. Until she had moved to New York, she’d only known about the famous interior of New York’s major train terminus from guide books and friends’ photographs: when she’d visited for the first time she had been blown away by the classically ornate exterior of the station, looming proudly above the corner of 42nd Street and Park Avenue. It was grand in every sense of the word.
Nevertheless, Bea wondered why Jake had chosen this place for their second New York adventure. He had hinted in the cab driving up from south of the Hudson River that their destination was one for which he had great affection, but refused to be drawn any further. She guessed she was about to discover more inside.
They walked into the crowded concourse with its starry-night-sky ceiling and long windows made so famous by an old photograph – since proved to be a fake – showing huge streams of sunlight flooding into the station’s interior. Like so many parts of New York, Bea and Jake’s first instinct was to look up. And they were amply rewarded when they did.
‘It’s gorgeous,’ Bea breathed, suddenly very aware of how close Jake was standing to her.
‘It is.’
‘So, why bring us here?’
Jake spread his hands. ‘Why not? I mean, look at it. You’ve seen it in movies and photographs, but until you stand in the concourse at Grand Central Station you can never truly appreciate what a wonderful building it is.’
Bea cast a sideways glance at Jake. ‘That’s very profound.’
‘It is. But that’s because I didn’t say it.’ Seeing Bea’s confusion, he smiled. ‘That was what my grandfather said to me when we came here. I was five, I think, Ed was seven and our eldest brother Dan was eleven. Grandpa brought us here one Saturday as a treat. He loved trains and told us with great affection about the steam locomotives that used to run in and out of Grand Central. Turned out he met Grandma here, in the Thirties, when both of them were teenagers. She lived in upstate New York and had arrived on a day trip with her sister. Grandpa was at the station to meet a friend – who, incidentally, never showed up – and he chased a thief who stole Grandma’s handbag as she stepped off her train. It caused quite a commotion by all accounts: but by the time Grandpa and several cops apprehended the culprit, Grandma had already decided that Grandpa was the man she would marry. They began courting soon after and were married a year later.’
Bea adored the story and could imagine Jake’s grandfather in his trilby and greatcoat chasing the thief through the crowded concourse. It was like a scene from a classic film, with Grand Central the evocative backdrop. ‘That’s such a lovely story.’
Jake laughed. ‘It was, the first time we heard it. Trouble was, Grandpa never could remember telling us the story and so, every Thanksgiving and every Christmas Day, when the Steinmanns were gathered around the dining table, Grandpa would drag out the old story. Thing is, none of us had the heart to correct him. So we just learned to “ooh” and “aah” in the right places. It became an important feature of our family get-togethers.’
‘And that’s why we’re here?’
‘Partly. But also because of the awesome cheesecake at Junior’s.’ His smile had all the cheekiness of a little boy and Bea couldn’t help but smile back.
‘They have a Junior’s in Brooklyn, you know,’ she said.
‘Sure they do. But nothing beats sitting in Grand Central Station eating unbelievably good cheesecake.’ He offered his arm to her, making Bea think of Fred Astaire in Easter Parade. ‘Sh
all we?’
‘Why, thank you, sir.’ It was a delightfully old-fashioned gesture and Bea accepted without hesitation.
The cheesecake restaurant was busy when they arrived, filled with travellers and tourists. Jake and Bea chatted while they waited for a seat and Bea was surprised by how at home in Jake’s company she now felt. Sharing one of her favourite places with him a week ago seemed to have moved their friendship to a deeper level; one that Bea wasn’t used to experiencing so early on in her acquaintance with someone. Jake opened up about his childhood memories, growing up in New York, his love for his grandparents and the tempestuous relationship with his own father.
‘Don’t get me wrong: Dad’s a great guy. But he’s ambitious – always has been – and that ambition was magnified onto us kids. The Steinmann boys weren’t allowed to get Bs and Cs in their school papers; it was straight As or serious trouble. Of course it meant we all excelled at our studies, but the cost was that school and high school weren’t fun. That’s where Grandpa came in: he was the bringer of fun in our lives, even though he was more qualified and, arguably, more successful than Dad ever was in his profession. When we had days out with Gramps, he would make sure we had as much fun as possible. It was our secret from Dad – although I think Mom always knew what we got up to. The best way we learned to deal with Dad’s burning ambitions for us all was to live hard and play harder.’
‘Was that difficult for you, living up to your father’s expectations?’
Jake smiled. ‘Now you sound like you’re doing my job.’
Instantly, Bea stared down at her cherry cheesecake. ‘Sorry.’
‘That was a compliment. It was never a problem for me, largely because I decided early on that I wanted to follow Dad’s profession. My brother Daniel had already begun his studies and it looked like fun. I think my decision saved me, in Dad’s eyes anyway. Ed, on the other hand, was constantly at odds with our father. Still is, in many ways. I think that’s why Dad’s struggling a little with Ed and Rosie’s wedding plans. Dad’s being his usual “immovable object” self and Ed sees red every time. Even though my brother is older than me, I always felt protective of him. He excelled in art and design, practical subjects that let him use his hands and express his creativity. He wasn’t interested in science or psychology. Dad just couldn’t see that: I think he figured if he pushed Ed harder, he’d eventually relent. Of course, Dad didn’t realise Ed was every bit as stubborn as he was. And so, the war always raged.’
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