The Gift of a Lifetime

by Melissa Hill

  Beth reached under the bench for the piece of paper, releasing it from the duct tape. It was folded over like a note. She sat back down next to her friend and, key still in hand, she unfolded the paper.

  And as Beth read the words written on it, her breath caught in her throat.

  You are too romantic about Manhattan, as you are about everything else.

  Chapter 36

  The answer to everything hit her at once.

  Suddenly she knew exactly who was behind it all, the coffee cup that had sent her to Tiffany’s, the boat exhibition, the Waldorf Hotel, the Bethesda Fountain … the painting of Venice.

  Hell, when she was struggling with the Seven Year Itch clue, he’d even handed it to her on a plate!

  Danny.

  And now, Beth realized – her mind racing as all the pieces suddenly began falling into place – thinking of the Waldorf in particular … now she understood why the name Yussopov had seemed so familiar to her. It was the surname of Angelina from the boat. She must have been the woman in the suite. But who were these people? Clients of Danny’s, perhaps? She knew that his firm did some advertising work for Tiffany’s, and maybe the hotel too, but … Beth’s mind raced. How her boyfriend had managed it all, she didn’t know. But one thing was for sure, he was the one behind this treasure hunt.

  Her heart soared. How could she have not seen that?

  ‘It’s Danny,’ Beth said to Jodi, tears in her eyes. ‘He’s been behind it all along. How could I have not known that? I’m such an idiot…’ She thought again about the clues from the beginning. Yes, there were some unanswered questions, but one thing was for sure: each and every clue had been orchestrated by the man she had been so certain she was losing.

  Of course there was still one major unanswered question. Why? Why would Danny do all of this – go to these incredible lengths – if he was having an affair and about to leave her for another woman? Beth frowned. Was it some roundabout way of telling her?

  No, no way. Danny wouldn’t dream of doing something so hurtful, especially at this time of year, with only days to go to Christmas. But still the puzzle remained, what was the point of it all?

  Jodi seemed to read Beth’s thoughts. ‘Why would Danny do all of this, honey? OK, maybe he wanted to put some spice or romance back into your relationship, I can understand that. But what about that woman you saw him with yesterday?’

  Beth shook her head, confused too by the same thought. ‘I have no idea. But I have a feeling I’m going to find out pretty soon. I need to go to him. Now.’

  Beth hustled across the gallery floor towards the exit. Danny was waiting for her now, and she was almost positive as to where. The slightly altered quote on the note had made sure of that. Another movie quote, but one Beth understood (and Danny knew she would) very well.

  Jodi, struggling to catch up with her friend, peppered her with questions as the two made their way to the front lobby of the Met. ‘How do you know where he is now? What did the note say? Where are we going?’

  Beth stopped and turned to face her friend as they exited onto Fifth Avenue.

  ‘Not we, Jodi. I’m sorry. I have to do this next part on my own,’ she said softly. ‘And you want to know how I know where he is?’ She reflected on one major movie-worthy memory from their shared past, and realized just how unbelievably blind she had been. She couldn’t deny it, but now love – real love – bloomed in her heart. This was reality. Danny knew Beth to her core, and she couldn’t believe that she had taken that for granted.

  ‘He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else’ was a quote from a favourite movie, and though the line was uttered by the main character, Isaac Davis, Danny had always teased Beth that it summed her up perfectly.

  ‘Jodi, I need to take back something I said to you before,’ she smiled, giving her a quick hug. ‘I was wrong about something.’

  ‘Makes a change…’ her friend said wryly. ‘No seriously, what do you mean?’

  ‘Sometimes movie moments do happen. I shouldn’t have ever said that they didn’t.’ Beth turned on her heel and ran down the steps to hail a conveniently empty passing cab.

  She opened the back door and jumped inside, leaving Jodi standing bewildered outside the Met.

  ‘Where to, sweetheart?’ asked the driver.

  Beth sat back in the seat and smiled, not needing even to think about it. This time, she knew exactly where to go. ‘The East River at the foot of 58th Street.’

  * * *

  Travelling in the cab, waiting to reach her destination, Beth mulled through everything in her mind. And while some things seemed to add up, she kept coming back to the same question over and over. Why would Danny do all of this for her if he was in love with someone else? Why would he arrange this treasure trail for her – orchestrate so much, down to the very finest and minute details – if he was having an affair?

  She tried to consider why she, in turn, had believed that someone like Ryan – who really didn’t know her at all – would go to such great lengths to woo her.

  Staring out the window of the car, she felt that familiar wave of melancholy wash over her. She knew that she had been fickle in her affections for Ryan, and she felt terrible about that now. But she couldn’t change the past – she could just get on with the future.

  ‘Any spot in particular you want to be dropped off?’ called the cab driver from the front seat. He looked up at the sky. ‘Hope you’ve got an umbrella; looks like it’s starting to snow.’

  ‘Just the foot of 58th, thanks. I’m meeting someone there.’

  The cab driver gave her a thumbs up. ‘You got it, sweetheart.’ He slowed, pulled to the kerb, parked and turned around to face her. ‘It’ll be ten even,’ he said. ‘Hey, I don’t know if you’re a movie fan at all, but bit of trivia for ya…’ he continued, and Beth smiled, already anticipating his next words. As she handed him the money along with a tip, the guy continued, ‘Yeah, so Woody Allen and Diane Keaton filmed a pretty famous scene here for Manhattan. You ever seen that movie?’

  Beth nodded and smiled as she opened the car door. ‘Once or twice.’

  * * *

  She knew without a doubt that Danny would be here waiting for her. As she walked from the street and neared the bench where they’d sat so many years ago – where they had in effect fallen in love – she had a brief moment of fear.

  What if he had put her through all of this and brought her here today, just to break up with her. To say goodbye? She stopped walking as the thought crossed her mind, but then shook her head, trying to clear the thought. No, Danny wasn’t cruel. He knew how much she loved Christmas. He would never do something like that at this time of year. That can’t be it, she thought.

  But then what about the affair? Wasn’t cheating cruel?

  Beth didn’t know the answer to that, and she let the question hang in her imagination, as the bench – their bench – came into view.

  It had a sole occupant, and even from this distance, Beth knew that it was Danny. She would know him anywhere. Taking a deep breath and trying to prepare herself for what was to come next, she walked slowly forward until she was standing ten feet behind him.

  In front of her, the East River flowed and she could hear the traffic on the Queensboro Bridge. It was different from that first time they were here together. Not as silent – not as peaceful. But it was still a special spot. And just then, as the cab driver had predicted, it started to snow. Which merely added to the magic and romance of the final step.

  It was perfect.

  Smiling, Beth took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak. ‘I’m here,’ she said, loud enough for Danny to hear. ‘I figured it out, all of it.’

  She waited with bated breath for the man who she had loved for so many years to turn round, take her in his arms and tell her that he loved her, that he’d done all this to surprise her. For reasons yet unknown.

  Finally, Danny did say something. But he didn’t turn round.


  ‘Come sit down, Beth,’ he said in a strange voice.

  There was something about his tone that immediately scared her, and that earlier fear – that he was about to break up with her, reveal the truth that he didn’t love her any more – once again surged forth in her soul. But she did what he asked just the same.

  Sitting down on the bench next to him, Beth faced him, even as he continued to stare out over the river. She studied his face. The face that she had kissed and expressed her love to so many times. Suddenly, it was as if she was seeing him with different eyes.

  This wasn’t a joyful scene, she realized, it was a heartbreaking one.

  Danny’s face was drawn, pale, thinner than she remembered it. When was the last time I truly looked at you? she wondered. She didn’t know the answer, but now she felt frightened by what she was seeing.

  ‘Danny?’ she continued softly. ‘I found the clue. I found all of them.’ She placed the key on the bench between them. ‘This one too.’

  He nodded and sighed. ‘I know you did. I knew you would and I’m glad.’ He turned to face her and she couldn’t escape the feeling that he was studying her somehow. Like he was trying to memorise the way that she looked because he would never see her again after this moment. Finally, he spoke again. ‘I have something I need to tell you. Something I didn’t know before I set all of this up.’

  Oh God … Beth saw the pain in his eyes and knew that this was it. He was about to confess. She suddenly realized that one of two things could occur. He would tell her that he was leaving her because he was in love with another woman. Or he would confess all and ask for her forgiveness.

  She looked down at the bench and studied the key just sitting there. If he asked for forgiveness would she be able to give it? She looked back up at him and saw that he was struggling with the words – whatever he wanted to tell her was just not coming out. So she decided help him. Take the edge off and get it over with. ‘It’s about her, isn’t it? That woman I saw you with.’

  Danny’s expression immediately changed, and he looked confused as he tried to determine what she meant. ‘What woman?’ he asked simply.

  She bit her lip out of frustration. Here she was, giving him an opening to confess, and he was going to deny it?

  ‘Danny, please, I saw you with her. Yesterday, going up Park Avenue on my way to the Waldorf. I was in a cab.’ Beth paused and then realized that if he had set all this up, he surely must have been aware of where she was headed. ‘I saw you on the street. With the dark-haired woman. You looked … close.’ Beth’s voice cracked and she turned away from Danny.

  ‘Adele,’ he said simply.

  She turned back, the name slicing through her heart. But at the same time Beth was thankful at least that he wasn’t going to try to deny it, pretend it wasn’t him; that she hadn’t seen what she thought she had seen. ‘Is that her name?’

  ‘Yes, that’s her name. That’s who you saw.’

  Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes and she felt her heart begin to break little by little. So it was true. He wasn’t going to deny it. She couldn’t believe it. At Christmastime, with the snow falling all around them in this picture-perfect scene, he was going to break her heart.

  ‘Oh. So I see. OK, then,’ she said breathlessly – and then, unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she decided to get it all out in the open. ‘So all of this … dragging me here … it was just to tell me that we’re finished. That it’s over? Well, I hope that the two of you are very happy together, though I have no idea why you put me through all this – sending me all over the place like a rat in a maze – just to tell me it’s over,’ she cried, her words bitter. ‘Why would you do something like this? And at Christmas…?’ But she choked on the rest. She couldn’t say anything more. She had to get out of there.

  She stood up and headed off, away from their Manhattan bench, away from Danny. She wanted nothing more than to escape from this entire situation. She needed to get somewhere on her own and try to get to grips with this in peace. Get to grips with the end of her relationship, her seven-year love affair with a man she’d been so sure was her soul mate. Why had he toyed with her like that? It was beyond cruel.

  But Danny, apparently, was not finished, and as Beth tried to move away he caught up, grabbing her arm and spinning her round to face him.

  ‘Wait a minute, Beth, please. Let me explain. You don’t understand.’

  ‘I don’t understand?’ she shot back, tears flowing openly now, as snowflakes fluttered across her vision. ‘I understand perfectly. You’re in love with someone else. Adele. How exotic. But why did you have to put me through all of this, Danny? Why couldn’t you just come out and tell me that you didn’t love me any more – and just break up with me? Why create this elaborate charade, this treasure hunt, only to lead me here to end it. Why?’

  Danny ran his hands through his hair and looked at the ground. He took a deep breath and finally raised his gaze to meet hers.

  ‘Like I said, that whole thing was set up long before … just … before. And yes, I admit I’ve been seeing Adele lately,’ he confirmed quietly. ‘But, Beth, she’s not my lover. She’s my oncologist.’

  Chapter 37

  Adele was his…? Beth thought but couldn’t even repeat the word in her mind, let alone out loud. Because she understood the significance. Danny wasn’t having an affair, he was—

  ‘Please. Sit back down. Give me a chance to explain,’ Danny pleaded, taking Beth’s hand and leading her back to the bench. Still reeling at what he had just said, she sat while he put his head in his hands. ‘There’s so much I haven’t told you, and I just want to say in advance that I am sorry for that. It was wrong of me to keep it from you, but I really didn’t know how to—’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, swallowing the huge lump in her throat. ‘Are you sick?’ It was a stupid question, of course; why else would he need an oncologist, a cancer specialist?

  Cancer … All thoughts of an affair – of Danny having fallen out of love with her – had completely left her mind. In their place was concern – and pure and utter terror.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Danny finally spoke.

  ‘Yes, I’m sick, Beth. I’m very sick. I found out about a month ago – not long before Thanksgiving and way after I’d set this thing up. I should have cancelled, but to be honest I’d kind of forgotten about it, until everything was already in motion…’

  Very sick. Oxygen seemed to disappear from the air all of a sudden, and Beth couldn’t catch her breath. She felt as if a cold, icy hand was gripping her throat.

  His voice broke. ‘It’s pretty bad, honey…’

  Beth was desperate, yet at the same time reluctant, to know more.

  ‘Adele – Dr Rovere – she’s become a confidante of sorts over the last few weeks since I was first referred.’ He took both of her hands in his and turned to face her, his voice soft. ‘I have leukaemia, Beth. A rare form.’ His voice cracked again, and for the first time since she arrived, Beth reached out to make contact with him. She pulled him close and was shocked when she realized he was crying.

  Oh God … ‘Danny, it’s OK, let me help you. We’ll get through this; I know we will. Tell me how I can—’

  But he was shaking his head as she held him. ‘No, Beth, you don’t understand. You can’t help me. I don’t think anyone can. Yesterday, when you saw me on the street, Adele followed me out because I’d left my phone behind. She had just given me an update on my prognosis – and I was so overwhelmed and disorientated … She’s been trying to help me, not just with the treatment but in how I should be dealing with things emotionally. She tried to persuade me over and over that I needed to tell you, that having a support system would help, but I wasn’t hearing her. What with Thanksgiving and now Christmas, I couldn’t do it.’

  Beth felt the spectre of dread settle over them. ‘What was the update?’ She knew that she had to ask the question, but she was terrified of the answer.

 
‘It wasn’t good news,’ Danny said, pulling away from her. ‘It’s accelerating, Beth.’

  Her mind frantically worked to process all this new information. Her Danny, the love of her life, was ill – seriously ill – for weeks and hadn’t told her about it. Why hadn’t he told her?

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Beth pleaded. She was quickly understanding the gravity of the situation, but the fact that Danny had knowingly and purposely excluded her from being a part of this devastating news cut her to the core.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered. ‘I’m so sorry. It was wrong. But I did have my reasons.’ She waited for him to continue, and after a quiet moment he did. ‘You’ve always been light and life to me, Beth. Everything about you is sunny, happy, serene. And you see the good in every situation – I love that about you. And I suppose I knew that if I told you what was going on, that all of that would change. It would blight your soul, make you unhappy, anxious, worried. Of course it would change you and everything about our life, and I didn’t want you to change. I just wanted you to stay you.’

  Beth understood and now more than ever she also realized that what she’d been thinking at the museum and what Jodi had said before was true – she lived in a fairy-tale world – avoided reality. And because of that, it had encouraged Danny to think her fragile, weak … unable to deal with real life. That was why he had kept her in the dark.

  ‘You thought I couldn’t handle it … the reality.’ Beth looked down at the ground, ashamed to her core. She felt like a complete idiot.

  Danny reached out and raised her face to his. ‘No, it was me who couldn’t handle that,’ he said. ‘When I heard, my first reaction was to deny it all, pretend it wasn’t happening and the longer it went on without telling anyone, the longer I could convince myself that it wasn’t real. Telling you would only make it real. So no, you’re not the weak one Beth – I am.’

  ‘What about your folks? Do they know?’ She wondered now if this was the reason he hadn’t asked her to come with him to Queens. But chances were Mae and Rick couldn’t possibly know about it either, or Beth would have surely found out. His mother would be devastated and there was no way she would countenance keeping secret something of this importance.