Something from Tiffany’s

by Melissa Hill

  He picked up his cup of coffee and drank from it, although he might as well have been drinking dishwater. In fact, he realised he hadn’t tasted anything or indeed eaten properly since Christmas morning, when all of this started.

  ‘What are we going to do now, Dad?’ Daisy asked. ‘Should we just go to Tiffany’s and get Vanessa another ring?’

  Oh the innocence of eight-year-olds! As if Ethan had tens of thousands tucked away somewhere . . .

  He picked up the cookie she’d been eating, hoping that the sugar rush might help sort out his nausea. ‘Give me a bite of that.’

  ‘But, Dad, you’re not supposed to eat too many!’

  ‘Who says?’ he teased. ‘There’s no such thing as too many cookies.’ He shoved a handful of them into his mouth in a weak imitation of the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.

  She giggled; it was a sound that always made his heart lift. ‘Dad, you’re silly.’

  ‘No, you are.’

  ‘No, you are.’

  And as Ethan continued to banter with his beloved daughter, he remembered that no matter what, there was always at least one woman in his life who made everything seem better.

  Chapter 9

  ‘I know, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ Rachel said into the phone later that day. Though she and Terri had left phone messages for each other over the last day or so, this was the first time they had actually connected.

  Despite the scary turn he’d taken at the hospital earlier, Gary was once again in a stable condition, but barely lucid, which meant that Rachel was still waiting for her grand proposal. As there was little point in her hanging around the ward, Kim had advised her to head back to the hotel and get some rest, and had promised to call if his condition changed.

  In the meantime, Rachel had taken the opportunity to call her best friend and tell her the ‘big’ news.

  ‘All I can say is that when he does ask you, he’d better get down on one knee, or the next time he comes in here, the only beer he’ll get served will be right over his head. And don’t think for a second that I’m joking!’

  Rachel laughed. She and Terri always shared this kind of good-natured banter about Gary, but beneath it all was an undercurrent of mutual love and support.

  They had met in catering school many years before, and right from the time they were partnered up during the bakery section of the course their connection had been fast and furious.

  That first day, as they were braiding dough, Rachel broke off a piece, cupped it beneath her nose and breathed in the aroma and warmth of it. ‘God, what is it about the smell of fresh dough?’ she’d asked, moaning softly and closing her eyes.

  ‘I don’t know, but before you have an orgasm here in front of me, save it for my famous sourdough,’ Terri quipped. ‘It’ll make your mouth water and your legs quiver. In fact, it came between me and my last boyfriend. He was jealous; couldn’t handle it.’

  Rachel laughed out loud. ‘Nah, just wait till a warm piece of my Sicilian olive bread passes your lips and melts on your tongue, then you’ll know all about it.’

  ‘Bring it on,’ Terri had challenged.

  And so it went. At that time, Rachel was a country girl new to Dublin and without many friends whereas Terri was Dublin born and bred. After lectures the next day the two of them got together at a nearby greasy-spoon café for dinner, and from then on they were inseparable.

  Weekends were spent in St Stephen’s Green, chatting over baskets of their own freshly baked bread, as well as cheeses, fruit and lots of wine. Over the course of the next few months they bonded over shared recipes – a blend of tastes, textures and fragrances – and respective life stories and dreams.

  Their mutual love of food and cooking, especially baking, made the friendship seem fated. Out of it came plans for a low-budget world-food tour, with special focus on the food of the Mediterranean, and after graduation they spent a whirlwind summer travelling throughout Europe.

  Afterwards they both spent several years in various different catering jobs, but remained firm friends, with a strong involvement in each other’s lives.

  Then, a year ago, Terri’s father, who ran a small café/bar in Dublin city centre, became ill, and the two women decided to look into buying him out and refurbishing the café, turning it into a more high-end Mediterranean-style bistro, which they called Stromboli.

  When it came to their shared enterprise, Terri’s business sense and Rachel’s creativity worked well together. Although their arguments were vehement at times, the laughs generally trumped the quarrels. Rachel loved Terri’s pragmatism and wit; Terri in turn adored Rachel’s passion and impulsiveness.

  ‘I’m the looker, you’re the leaper,’ Terri would tease whenever their roles blurred at work.

  Ordinarily it would have been Terri organising the renovations, but when her dad took a turn for the worse on one particular day Rachel had agreed to take her place at the meeting with Gary Knowles.

  Now, sitting with her feet up on the sill of her hotel window, Rachel couldn’t believe the strange twist in fate that day that had led to her meeting the man she was going to marry. It could just as easily have been Terri here in New York now bringing her up to speed on what had happened, but at the same time she couldn’t see it. The two people Rachel loved most in the world didn’t always see eye to eye (if ever) and as such she couldn’t see Terri and Gary engaged and planning to spend the rest of their lives together.

  Not that she and Gary had managed to do that yet either . . .

  ‘Never mind getting down on one knee to do it,’ she said to Terri now. ‘I couldn’t care less if he stands on his head, just as long as I get to reopen that little blue box.’

  ‘Tiffany’s! Who would have thought it?’ her friend mused. ‘Not that you don’t deserve it of course, but I must admit I didn’t think Gary had that kind of taste.’

  ‘Really, and what kind of taste did you think he had?’ Rachel tried to sound petulant but there was a smile in her voice. In fact she knew exactly what her friend meant; she’d even thought the very same thing.

  ‘Oh don’t give me that wounded-kitten act; you know what I mean.’

  Rachel popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. ‘I suppose it was a bit unexpected,’ she replied, her mouth full. ‘Oh wait till you see the ring – it’s just incredible, and—’

  ‘What are you eating?’

  ‘Just some feta I picked up earlier.’

  ‘Ah, feeling a bit homesick, are we?’

  ‘If you’re implying that I’m missing you, guess again. Any occasion for cheese, that’s what I say. I passed a lovely little Greek deli on the way back from the hospital and picked up this cheese plate. Not as good as our cheese plate, mind you, but it’ll do.’ Besides that, Rachel hadn’t been eating properly for the last few days. As it was, the last thing she’d managed until now was a cookie with that guy Ethan and his daughter earlier that morning.

  Just then, Rachel heard another call coming through on her mobile. ‘Cripes, it’s the hospital,’ she said to Terri. ‘I’d better go.’

  ‘No problem. Let me know when lover boy is back on his feet, and don’t worry about this place; Justin and I can hold the fort till you get back.’

  ‘Thanks. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Say hi to Justin for me. Talk soon.’ She hung up and clicked through to the other line. ‘Hello?’

  It was Kim. ‘Did you manage to get some rest?’ the nurse asked. ‘Because chances are you won’t be getting much of it from now on.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, I’m very happy to report that your man is on the mend.’

  Rachel’s heart soared. ‘He’s awake?’

  ‘Yep,’ Kim confirmed, a smile in her voice. ‘Looks like you’ll finally get a chance to put that great big rock on your finger for keeps.’

  Rachel felt a thrill bubble up in her throat as she entered the hospital and took the elevator to the relevant floor. She could hardly contain herself and did a litt
le skip as she rounded the corner to the hallway that led to Gary’s room.

  She was about to burst straight through the door, but instead opened it softly and peeked around the edge of it. Gary was sitting up in bed with the TV remote in his hand, flipping through the channels.

  Seeing him look so normal and well, a burst of emotion shot right through her.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re really awake!’ she cried, swooping in to give him a big hug.

  ‘Whoa, whoa! I’m still sore, babe,’ he replied, holding up a hand to warn her.

  ‘Oops, sorry.’ Rachel stroked his forehead and the side of his face, which was stubbly with almost three days of beard growth. ‘So, tell me, how are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?’

  Gary grimaced. ‘I suppose I’ll survive. Bloody taxi driver, mowing me down in the middle of the road like that.’ He shook his head in disgust. ‘I hope the cops got him afterwards, stupid gobshite.’

  ‘You poor thing. It must have been awful.’

  ‘Hey, was my stuff OK?’ he asked. ‘The hospital said you’d taken my bags. I hope nothing got lost, or stolen even – some people would take the eye out of your head,’ he added, gasping a bit as he tried to sit up straighter.

  Rachel smiled inwardly. How funny; Gary was barely conscious and his mind was already on the engagement ring. ‘No, nothing missing as far as I know, thanks to a very nice man and his daughter. They came to your rescue, waited with you and looked after your stuff till the ambulance came. Anyway, I’ll tell you more about that later. I’m just so glad you’re OK. I wasn’t sure whether or not I should call your mum,’ she said, hesitating a little.

  ‘You didn’t, did you?’ Gary looked up sharply, and was she imagining it or did a shadow cross his face when he said it?

  ‘No, I thought I’d better wait and ask you first – seeing as I don’t really know her . . .’

  ‘Good. I wouldn’t want anyone worrying unnecessarily.’

  ‘Yes, that’s what I decided in the end. Of course I would have reassured her that you were fine and that she didn’t need to worry.’

  He bristled. ‘I’m not that fine. These ribs are still bloody sore, you know.’

  ‘Oh I know,’ Rachel soothed. ‘Anyway it’s probably better she doesn’t know, what with us being so far away and it being Christmas and everything.’ She decided to change the subject. ‘It’s a pity you missed Christmas Day, but we can celebrate properly as soon as you’re out of here.’ She grinned. ‘And exchange gifts then too.’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose,’ Gary replied nonchalantly. ‘I can’t believe I was out of it for so long, though. We’ll need to get back home soon; I’ve got a job starting first thing on Wednesday. What date is it today? The twenty-seventh, is it? I think that’s what the doc told me.’

  Rachel’s face dropped. ‘But I got our flights changed because I didn’t know how long you’d be here. Gary, you can’t start a building job so soon after leaving the hospital. You said yourself you’re still not a hundred per cent, so you need to take it easy, at least for a while.’

  He seemed to be thinking it over. ‘I suppose I could always ring yer man and tell him I’ll be there first thing after the New Year . . .’

  ‘That’s more like it. Anyway, I thought that once you got out, maybe we could stay on in the city until New Year’s?’ Rachel figured he might be up for it in the circumstances, especially with his grand plans for a proposal going astray. New Year’s Eve in New York would no doubt be amazing. They could go to Times Square and take in the atmosphere while waiting for the ball drop; it would help make up for missing Christmas.

  Gary looked at her as if she was mad. ‘Not a hope! You’ll have to change them back, babe. To the earliest ones you can get. To be honest, after all I’ve gone through I can’t wait to see the back of this place.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘And I’ll need to get out there and start trying to get a few more jobs in. Money doesn’t make itself, you know.’

  ‘Oh. I see.’ Rachel hadn’t expected him to be quite so negative.

  ‘Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate this trip and everything. And I had a great time the first few days. It’s just, you know, work and then the big New Year’s motorbike ride, which I’m still doing despite these bloody ribs, I swear.’

  ‘No, no . . . I understand that,’ she said, raising a smile. After all, he was right. Money didn’t make itself, and she reminded herself that he had already laid down a good chunk of that for the ring. Chances were he was planning ahead and budgeting for their wedding and honeymoon too, so thinking about it, a few extra days here would indeed be too much of an extravagance. Not to mention that Rachel also had her own responsibilities with the bistro.

  No, it was probably better in the end, she realised. Gary would no doubt have already thought about this in detail, and decided that it was best to wait until they got home to propose.

  Oh well, Rachel thought, it seemed she’d just have to wait that little bit longer to get that ring on her finger.

  ‘That’s my girl. Come here,’ he said, motioning to embrace her. She duly leaned in and kissed him tenderly. ‘Now let’s get the doc to write me a prescription so I can get the hell out of here.’

  He seemed unusually anxious to leave the hospital. Maybe he wasn’t waiting until they got home to propose and wanted to do it as soon as possible, preferably before they took their return flight?

  That would be much better; to Rachel, an engagement in New York – be it on Christmas Day or otherwise – seemed much more romantic.

  ‘Hello there,’ came a voice from the doorway and Rachel and Gary turned to look.

  ‘Kim, hi!’ Rachel greeted her warmly. ‘Oh I’m glad you’re here. I – we wanted to say thank you and goodbye. You’ve been so kind and I loved talking with you.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have missed it. I think he’s being discharged tomorrow, but just in case I’m not here when you leave, I wanted to pop in and say hi. Hey there, Irishman,’ she said, turning her attention to Gary. ‘How does it feel to be back in the land of the living?’

  ‘It’d be a lot bloody better if I had some painkillers,’ he replied rudely, and Rachel looked at him, mortified. ‘And why can’t I get out today?’

  ‘Gary, have some manners,’ Rachel chided. ‘Kim has been looking after you very well while you’ve been here, and she’s been brilliant to me too.’

  ‘Well, someone had to keep your lovely lady company,’ Kim replied, evidently unperturbed. ‘I’m glad you’ll be back on your feet soon. Quite a knock you had. She’s been like an angel watching over you,’ she told him, putting her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. ‘Anyway, I’ll leave you two to your catching up. Just wanted to wish you well in case I don’t see you. I’ll find out from the doc when he’s happy for you to leave, and come back and let you guys know.’

  ‘Thanks, Kim, we really appreciate it.’

  ‘No problem.’ The nurse turned to go but then paused and looked back over her shoulder. ‘And you, sweetheart, just you remember what I told you before, OK?’

  Rachel flushed, and her eyes darted towards Gary for his reaction. Of course he had no idea what she was referring to, but still she felt a little caught off guard. She hadn’t noticed the clock on the wall before, but all of a sudden the ticking from it could be heard clear as anything. ‘Of course, of course I will,’ she replied quickly. ‘And thanks again.’

  ‘What was all that about?’ Gary asked after Kim had closed the door.

  ‘Oh nothing . . . just some insider secrets on helping you get better,’ she said, stroking his arm and trying to sound carefree. ‘Anyway, I can’t wait to have you out of here either. We’ve got a belated Christmas to celebrate.’

  ‘Yeah, I hope you got me something nice; after all this, I think I deserve it,’ he said, and Rachel had to smile at his ironic sense of humour.

  Clever diversion, honey, she thought happily.

  Chapter 10

  As she prepared to close up
Stromboli bistro for the night, Terri Blake was still reeling from Rachel’s phone call from New York and the news of her best friend’s engagement. Although she was thrilled for her friend, it was the last thing she’d expected, especially from Gary.

  Terri had been surprised last year when, shortly after the bistro opened, Rachel had taken up with the builder who’d carried out the renovations. She remembered the way he’d gone the extra mile in helping them get the refurbishments finished on time, but it was obvious (to her at least) that this was purely in the hope of impressing Rachel. And it had worked.

  Still, she’d never truly considered Gary Knowles a real match for her friend, not a long-term one anyway.

  He was attractive certainly, in that coarse, dishevelled kind of way, but in her opinion he seemed rather immature and self-centred. For this reason Terri had never really taken to the guy, never really understood exactly what it was that Rachel saw in him.

  She also didn’t like the fact that Rachel hadn’t been introduced to Gary’s family, and knew little or nothing about them, despite being with him for almost a year. To Terri that was something of a red flag, regardless of Rachel’s protests that he just preferred to take things slowly.

  It also irked her that Gary routinely took advantage of Rachel’s generosity; expecting to eat and drink at the bistro for free, and more often than not staying over at Rachel’s flat. Granted his own place was further out of town so it made sense for convenience, but from Terri’s point of view, give and take in Rachel and Gary’s relationship had up to now been a one-way street, with Gary doing all the taking.

  Rachel was aware of her misgivings and Terri knew that her friend took the odd barb and banter between her and Gary in good stride, often comparing them to quarrelling siblings. Luckily she didn’t seem to notice that Terri was genuinely baffled by her interest in him.

  But now Gary had gone and bought Rachel a diamond ring, and one from Tiffany’s, no less.