The Gift of a Lifetime

by Melissa Hill

Yes, this was a little different to the other clues, but here was a New York movie reference right in front of her, and Beth would be a bad detective if she didn’t ask outright.

  ‘I did know that. But I am waiting to see if you have it correct.’

  Was she being tested? Beth didn’t know, but she was going to play along. Realizing that something was happening, Jodi sidled up alongside her.

  ‘What’s up? Are you on to something, Beth?’ she asked.

  ‘I think I might be. OK, so Dogs Playing Poker, The Son of Man and San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk were all featured in one movie, The Thomas Crown Affair. Am I right?’ she said, waiting with bated breath for the student’s reply.

  ‘We have a winner!’ said the young man theatrically. ‘Yes, you are correct. And that’s a great movie, by the way.’

  Beth stood in front of him expectantly, waiting for a reward, anything to indicate she was on the right path. But the young man just kept smiling at her and after several seconds it was clear that there was nothing more to it. That it was just a happy coincidence that she had stumbled upon a bit of movie trivia here. She was truly looking for clues where there were none.

  Her smile began to fade as the young artist finally decided it was time to pack up shop for the night. He began to put his paintings away carefully one by one, a clear indicator to Beth that he was ready to go.

  She spun on her heel and looked out across the now deserted Bethesda Terrace. ‘This doesn’t make sense, Jodi. There has to be something more – we must be missing something.’ She turned back to the young man. ‘Isn’t there something else? Aren’t you supposed to tell me something? Isn’t there a clue here?’ she pressed, desperation entering her voice.

  But from the look on his face alone, it was clear the young artist had no idea what she was talking about.

  Jodi put a comforting hand on Beth’s arm and tried to pull her away from the artist’s stand – especially as the guy’s face had by now changed from warm and friendly to concerned that Beth just might be one of those crazy New Yorkers.

  ‘I don’t think he has anything else for you, sweetie. It was a coincidence. The movie stuff, it was just by chance.’ Jodi turned her attention back to the young man who was regarding the scene with curiosity. ‘Thank you very much for your time. You do beautiful work. Merry Christmas.’ And she went about escorting her confused and somewhat dazed friend towards the nearest park exit.

  ‘Time to go home now, Beth. It’s been a long day for both of us. I’ll see you at work the day after tomorrow, OK? Just try not to think about it too much and enjoy your day off.’

  Beth nodded glumly, and even as she allowed Jodi to bundle her into a cab, giving the driver directions to her Gold Street apartment, she couldn’t overcome her disappointment.

  For the first time in this quest, she’d failed.

  Chapter 31

  Beth lay wide awake in bed most of the night, working the clue over and over in her head, racking her brains trying to figure out if there was somewhere else she was supposed to go, something that she’d missed.

  She even summoned One Fine Day on Netflix and watched it through from beginning to end, staying up until the wee hours of the morning and considering every possible New York location at which the movie had been filmed, searching for potential relevance.

  She was so sure that she had got it right again: that the answer to the clue lay with the Bethesda Fountain. That was the turning point in the movie – it had to be where she was supposed to head. Maybe, if nothing else worked, she would return tomorrow and scope it out again.

  Finally catching some sleep around three o’clock in the morning, she rested fitfully until her phone buzzed at eight, signalling an incoming text. While she expected some sort of excuse from Danny again that morning, she was surprised when instead it turned out to be Ryan. He was wondering if she was able to steal away for a bit and grab some brunch. Obviously he wasn’t on shift in Carlisle’s today either.

  Not expecting to see Danny any time soon – he was sure to keep up the ‘working late at the office farce’ – Beth agreed to Ryan’s proposal. She had nothing else planned for her day off.

  Though she wondered now if this out-of-the-blue request meant that she had indeed missed something yesterday, and that as a result Ryan needed to drop some hint – inadvertent or otherwise – to help spur her on in her search.

  Jumping from bed, she agreed to meet him outside the building in half an hour. Her decision to allow him to come that close to her apartment was based on the knowledge that Danny was likely waking up in his lover’s arms right now.

  The notion made her reckless. ‘I can’t think about that now,’ she told herself as she carefully applied her lipstick in the bathroom mirror. ‘Don’t think about it, you’ll drive yourself crazy.’

  So she turned her thoughts to Ryan, and took extra care as she styled her hair and chose what to wear. She selected a fluffy red cashmere sweater and a great pair of skinny jeans, and, even in light of her restless night’s sleep, she had to admit she looked pretty good.

  As she stepped into the crisp cold of the morning outside her building, she turned to the left and immediately saw Ryan strolling her way from the direction of the subway. She waved at him and couldn’t deny that her heart sped up just a little as he returned the greeting.

  ‘Well hello, gorgeous, fancy meeting you here,’ Ryan grinned, dimple in full view. He reached forward and enveloped her in a friendly – albeit borderline intimate – hug, and then took a step back, a look of obvious admiration on his face. ‘Wow, you look beautiful today, Beth. How on earth did your guy even let you out of the house?’

  She knew he was joking – laying it on thick – but she still felt a small pang of guilt bubble up in her throat. Of course he had no idea what had happened yesterday. Should she tell him? Was it a kind of betrayal to spill her secrets? To implicate Danny without talking to him first?

  Beth didn’t know. She was completely unsure of proper protocol here, but then the image of Danny and that woman entered her mind and she remembered her vow of entering the ‘next act’ in her life.

  ‘Well, Danny has no idea how I look, actually. And frankly, he probably wouldn’t care,’ she replied airily. ‘So where are we going for brunch?’

  Ryan was obviously curious, and Beth saw something hungry in his gaze. ‘Hold on, you don’t get off that easy,’ he said. ‘What’s happening?’

  She shrugged and tried to look evasive. ‘Oh, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you once we get in out of this cold. But you have to keep it a secret, OK?’ Suddenly realizing she was nervous to be standing out in front of her building gossiping about Danny, she had the urgent desire to leave – get out of there – before she saw anyone she knew: Billy, Mrs Lovejoy, Courtney, anyone who might question what she was doing. ‘Come on, let’s catch a cab.’

  And just as Ryan helped Beth into a cab, a bike messenger pulled up to the front of the building with a package.

  * * *

  Regardless of any initial worry or hesitation she might have had, Beth was soon telling all over brunch. She related to Ryan everything she had seen on her way to the Waldorf yesterday, which elicited appropriate expressions of shock and indignation.

  Of course, it also caused Ryan to do something else – something she wasn’t prepared for just yet – move his chair closer to her and put his arm around her. It wasn’t a pushy gesture – more sympathetic – and he was just trying to comfort her, she knew, but there was still something that was very intimate about the action.

  Beth wasn’t ready for that sort of thing yet. Even though she felt the electricity between them, she reminded herself of her beloved grandmother’s mantra that two wrongs don’t make a right.

  She couldn’t overlook that – not just yet, no matter how tempting it was to get closer to Ryan. Beth noticed that he kept looking at her lips, and was now barely disguising his attraction to her, but she also knew that was because of the information she had just provided.
She had introduced the possibility of trouble in her relationship and Ryan was seeing it as an invitation.

  And why shouldn’t he? she supposed. He’d surely noticed the sparks between them as well.

  ‘Beth, dump him,’ he said suddenly, his gaze lingering on her face. ‘You don’t deserve to be cheated on. The guy should have his head examined. You know that, don’t you? I swear, if I had a girlfriend like you—’

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  ‘If I had someone like you,’ he continued, shaking his head ‘it would be downright impossible for me to even look at another woman. Honestly, leave him.’

  Beth blushed and looked down into her lap, unsure how to respond, when she felt Ryan put a finger under her chin and direct her gaze to his. ‘I mean it.’

  She swallowed hard. Oh God, is he going to kiss me? He was getting closer, leaning in; he was going to kiss her. And right then Beth realised that she wanted to be kissed. Indeed, she could feel the attraction pulsating throughout her body.

  But then, something dawned on her. The next act of her story. It couldn’t start like this.

  Two wrongs don’t make a right …

  Yes, this treasure hunt was romantic – in and of itself, being the kind of thing commonplace in a romantic movie plot. But Beth had seen enough such movies, and knew enough about the rules to understand that happy endings didn’t happen for cheaters, or heroines who started one relationship without finishing another.

  She had to do this the right way. If Ryan was in her future, she didn’t want a cloud hanging over them from the get-go. Karma mattered.

  Beth placed a shaking hand on Ryan’s chest and pulled away. She had been seconds away from feeling his lips on hers, and as much as she thought she wanted it, it wasn’t time.

  ‘I’m … sorry, no.’ She scooted her chair back and felt her soul deflate ever so slightly at the pained look that found its way onto his face.

  ‘No?’ he repeated. It was both a statement and a question. And he needed an answer.

  ‘It’s a no … for now, I suppose. I mean … I want you to understand that I have to settle things with Danny. I haven’t even spoken to him about this yet—’

  ‘Because he was with her last night,’ Ryan argued, his tone short.

  She bit her lip. He had a point. ‘Look, that may be the case, but I owe it to him not to do anything rash. I keep telling myself that two wrongs don’t make a right and—’

  ‘Remember what we talked about at lunch the other day?’ he interjected. ‘You do understand that seeing him – with her – that was a sign, a signal from destiny, fate, whatever. You deserve to be happy, Beth. That’s the moral of this story.’ Ryan smiled as he realized his words seemed to be striking a chord. ‘OK,’ he acquiesced. ‘I can wait if you can. I’m not going anywhere.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s just … well, I suppose, it’s hard to explain but—’

  ‘No need to explain. I guess I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, and the last thing I want is to push you. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll be here, OK?’

  She looked across the table at him, hardly able to believe that what she’d suspected all along was real. It truly wasn’t just flirting on his part; this gorgeous man truly did have feelings for her. And maybe he was right; maybe destiny was at play.

  Although it pained Beth to admit as much, hadn’t she known deep down for some time now that her relationship was Danny was dying? So maybe this was the universe’s way of telling her to move on. Being in the right place at the right time yesterday, witnessing what she had … clearly there was a reason for all that. And despite the pain of it now, Beth truly believed she was supposed to get her happy ending.

  But before that, she would just have to let Danny go.

  She definitely wasn’t looking forward to that part: the bit in a movie following a big bust-up or revelation, where the heroine typically goes through a soul-searching transitory period, usually via a montage set against a heartrending soundtrack of her packing her old life away, before she’s ready to begin anew.

  But thank goodness, Beth thought as Ryan smiled reassuringly at her, like most movie heroines, in the end she too would have the true love of her life waiting in the wings.

  Chapter 32

  Afterwards, Ryan shared a cab with Beth on the way back to her apartment.

  ‘Well, I suppose this is it,’ she said as she gripped the door handle of the cab.

  ‘For now,’ he said, his meaning clear.

  Beth felt her mouth go a bit dry; the tension was radiating off them both. She had been so silly to try to pretend to Jodi that this heat wasn’t present before, to brush it off as a simple flirtation.

  One step at a time, her conscience warned her. There was still Danny to consider.

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want to do something else today?’ he asked. ‘There’s this great new exhibition at the Met and—’

  ‘Thanks, but no,’ Beth replied, her mind elsewhere. ‘I need to get this over with first.’ Now that she’d come to terms with the fact that her life with Danny was really over, she knew she needed to confront him and talk about what happened next. And she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything else until she did that. It would be difficult, of course, if he continued to avoid her, but either way she couldn’t in good faith enjoy being with Ryan until then.

  She smiled and gently touched the side of his face. ‘Thank you for brunch.’

  ‘Any time. I mean that,’ he said softly, his gaze boring into hers. ‘Whenever you need me, I’m here.’

  Swallowing hard, Beth opened the door and got out of the cab – feeling instantly sorry to leave his company. She was about to wave goodbye when he reached out to grab her hand.

  ‘Remember, just follow the signs, OK?’ he said his voice gentle yet, to Beth, heavy with meaning. ‘There’s no such thing as coincidence. I’ll be here at the end, no matter what happens, I promise. I’ll wait.’

  She stared back at him as he lowered his head and pressed his lips on the top of her hand, giving it a light kiss and, even while she savoured the sensation, his words echoed in her brain.

  Follow the signs. No such thing as coincidence.

  Was he talking about the treasure hunt? Or her relationship?

  When Ryan let go of Beth’s hand, she closed the cab door and gave a small wave, struck by his words and their possible meaning. Suddenly she wondered if she had been right all along last night in the park at the fountain.

  Is that what he was trying to tell her?

  Feeling in a daze as she made her way back to her building, Beth checked the time. She had been at brunch for only a couple of hours, and had the distinct feeling that, once again, her world had shifted on its axis.

  Walking into the lobby, she immediately noticed that Billy was working again. He must be pulling overtime. Giving him a tentative smile when he looked up at her from behind his desk, she took a pre-emptive approach to the conversation. ‘You’re here; I must have missed you earlier.’

  Billy snorted. ‘Likely wished it, no doubt. What did you do? Sneak in last night and out this morning?’

  She shook her head. ‘There was no sneaking involved this time. I went out earlier; you just weren’t at your post.’

  ‘In any case, after sneaking a few shots of Johnnie Walker last night, let me assure you that my nerves are now calm. Never ever put me up against your friend again, though. That’s just cruel.’

  Beth laughed. ‘I’m so sorry.’ Then her tone changed. ‘Danny hasn’t come home, by chance, has he?’ she asked. ‘I think he ended up staying at the office last night.’

  ‘Aye, I know, I saw him come in last night and leave just as quick. But no, not a sign of him this morning.’

  Beth breathed a bit deeper, not sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved that he wouldn’t be there when she got home. ‘OK, well thanks, and again, sorry about Jodi.’

  She prepared to head up to her apartment when Billy suddenly cal
led her back. ‘Ah, hold on just a sec. A package came for you earlier. It must have been while you were out.’ The doorman turned round and headed towards a storage room just off the lobby where he typically left residents’ deliveries.

  ‘A package, you say?’ Beth repeated suspiciously.

  Billy emerged from the storage room with a brown paper-covered bundle about two by three feet across and rectangular in shape. ‘Yes. Here you go. And funnily enough, it was delivered by that same bike messenger from the other day – the one that I was a bit cagey about.’

  Beth’s radar went up. ‘The same bike messenger from the other day?’ The young guy who had made the delivery to her at Carlisle’s. And the same one (supposedly) responsible for delivering the anonymous tickets to the boat exhibition …

  ‘The very fella,’ Billy confirmed, his face not giving anything away.

  Beth reached for the package. It must have been delivered after she had left to meet Ryan. Had this all been co-ordinated? Had Ryan perhaps wanted to get her out of the apartment for when the messenger showed up?

  Or had the parcel been delivered by a messenger at all?

  Beth’s pulse quickened and she had to resist the urge to tear the parcel open there and then. Instead, she bid Billy goodbye and calmly made her way up to the twenty-eighth floor. By the time she reached her apartment her heart felt as if it might explode.

  Fumbling to put her key in the lock, she finally was able to get through her front door, throw her handbag on the ground and place the parcel on her dining-room table. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Beth clenched her shaking hands for a second before reaching forward and ripping open the paper.

  When she was finished unwrapping her treasure, she stared at her discovery and her breath caught in her throat.

  It was the young artist’s painting she had admired yesterday, the rendition of Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk.

  Right then Beth knew for sure that she had been right. She had solved the clue last night. And this was how her secret admirer wanted to make sure she knew she was on the right track.