The Gift of a Lifetime Read online

  The woman nodded and flashed a knowing smile at her, but remained maddeningly silent. Beth’s heart hammered and her mind raced, wondering what she should do next. Was this the person she was supposed to meet? But then, based on the salesperson’s expectant expression, she realised that the woman seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

  Was there some kind of code word or…? But then something struck her, and the message written inside the coffee cup automatically popped into her mind.

  Maybe we could have this engraved … Could the line from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s be like a code, or a password of some sort? Was she supposed to repeat it out loud?

  ‘We could have this engraved, couldn’t we?’ Beth uttered slowly, feeling utterly surreal to be doing such a thing. The woman would think she was crazy. But no, the assistant’s grin grew wider, and Beth knew that she had struck gold.

  The woman held up a finger as if to indicate for Beth to wait a moment, and then turned round, heading to somewhere out back.

  Tapping her foot nervously, Beth felt relieved when eventually the salesperson re-emerged and approached her once again. The woman held a robin’s egg-blue box in her hand, wrapped with a white ribbon. The iconic Tiffany’s little blue box. Beth felt her heart almost stop.

  What on earth…?

  Was this for her? She was almost afraid to think about what would be in the box, for fear of ruining the moment. And she wondered if this was the intention all along: to indeed send her here for a Sweet Home Alabama moment.

  Danny?

  Her heart soaring, Beth glanced briefly around, wondering if her boyfriend, the love of her life, who was admittedly acting very secretive lately, might somehow materialise. But no, there was no sign of Danny or indeed anyone else who might want to take responsibility for this curious situation.

  The salesperson placed the little blue box on top of the glass display counter in front of Beth. Then she took a step back, silently indicating that it was up to her to open the box.

  With trembling hands, and her mind in an absolute tizzy, Beth reached out and pulled the box closer to her. She looked up and smiled nervously, looking for any indication of what was in the box, any clue at all as to what on earth was going on. Briefly she shot another glance around, but still no Patrick Dempsey-type suitor (Danny or otherwise) materialised, and she couldn’t help but wonder now if she’d been set up by a candid camera-style show – or at the very least, was being punked by Jodi or someone else.

  This isn’t a proposal, she told herself, feeling more disappointed than she cared to admit. Just open the box.

  As if understanding her nervousness and trepidation, the Tiffany’s saleswoman stepped forward and placed a calming hand on her wrist. ‘It’s OK, Beth, just open it.’

  At first slightly worried that the woman could read her thoughts, Beth fumbled with the ribbon. But then another thought entered her brain. The woman knew her name. So why had she addressed her as ‘Angelina’ earlier?

  What’s it gonna be, Angelina?

  Trying and failing to make sense of the situation, Beth decided to carry on, hoping that some answer to this mystery would be contained in the box. She pulled the ribbon quickly and without further thought, took the lid off and placed it to the side.

  Reaching inside, she extracted, not a piece of jewellery, as she’d expected, but a piece of paper.

  A note.

  We could have this engraved, couldn’t we?

  The line from the movie echoing once again in her mind, Beth read the words on the paper. ‘Someday if I had the money, I’d take you … we’d sail away … around the world and back again. I promise you.’

  Beth’s eyes opened wide with surprise.

  Sail around the world?… I promise you?

  What did it mean? It sounded like a proposal of sorts, she supposed, but given the absence of a husband-to-be (or indeed a ring), that just wasn’t possible. Then rereading the words, she noticed the presence of quotation marks, indicating that it must be a quote of some kind, just like the one hidden in the coffee cup. Then the realisation struck her and she smiled.

  This wasn’t a proposal or a romantic gesture. It was another clue.

  She looked up at the salesperson, who was studying her face, almost as if wondering whether Beth was working this all out in her head.

  Beth looked down and read the words out loud. ‘“Someday if I had the money, I’d take you … we’d sail away … around the world and back again. I promise you.” It’s another clue. Isn’t it?’ she asked, but the salesperson stayed silent. However, her wry smile remained.

  Beth searched the recesses of her memory, trying to fit the pieces together, trying to work it all out – make sense of what was going on here. Of course the saleswoman had to be part of this; there was no other way to explain it and she was definitely in on it. In fact, she’d been instructed by someone – the instigator – on what to do, hadn’t she? Which suggested that the words she had first spoken to Beth had something to do with this puzzle, too.

  ‘What was it that you originally said to me?’ she asked her, urgently. ‘When I first arrived earlier? Will you say it again?’

  The woman simply smiled and nodded, only too happy to oblige. ‘What’s it gonna be, Angelina?’

  Beth listened, working hard to make a connection and find a deeper meaning.

  ‘What’s it gonna be, Angelina?’ she repeated. ‘It’s part of a clue, isn’t it? I know it.’ She looked again at the salesperson, but the woman’s face gave nothing away. And then she smiled delightedly. ‘Is this … some kind of scavenger hunt?’ she asked. It had to be, though, admittedly a very elaborate one. ‘Or,’ she clarified, eyes shining with anticipation, ‘a … treasure hunt?’

  The woman’s next words confirmed everything that Beth needed to know. She grinned broadly. ‘Good luck and happy hunting.’

  Chapter 10

  Danny felt as if his skin was a sheet of ice. He couldn’t wait to get indoors somewhere, away from the bitter cold that was freezing the hell out of New York this December. Although everyone seemed to think the weather had been mild lately, to Danny it felt like being in the Antarctic.

  But then, he wasn’t feeling great these days anyway. With all the strain he was under, he was exhausted and weak. He had a load on his mind, and still there was so much to set straight: with Beth, Adele, as well as various things work-related and otherwise, that were in danger of running away with him. He had messed up, and he really had no idea how to go about putting things to rights. At this point, was that even possible?

  It seemed, though, as if fate was trying to intervene today, in some manner anyway. He found himself now in Beth’s neck of the woods. He’d just finished a client appointment a couple of blocks away, so he decided that no matter what might happen tomorrow or the next day, the very least he could do was try to reconnect a little with Beth. They’d barely seen one another over the last while and he really wanted to make it up to her.

  Turning the corner and facing the main entryway to Carlisle’s, he pulled open the door and was met with a blast of warm, centrally heated air. Sighing with relief, he felt himself becoming eager – excited, almost – to see Beth, as if it was their first date instead of their one-thousandth. He tried to recall the last time that he had surprised her at work like this – indeed, surprised her at all – and realised that he couldn’t. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him and to try to fight it, Danny focused on a good memory of him and Beth together.

  He recalled one of the dates they had gone on early on – when they had sat on that park bench all night in the summertime, with the Queensboro Bridge as their audience, laughing with each other, learning about hobbies, interests, passions – beginning their relationship.

  Danny had very quickly realised that he and Beth were almost re-enacting a scene out of Woody Allen’s Manhattan, one of his favourite movies and one that somehow movie-mad Beth hadn’t seen at that point in her life. Her fascination after learni
ng of their connection to that iconic spot, and the significance she’d attached to it, had made Danny fall even deeper in love with her. It was rare to find a person with such passion and wonder for everyday life, who found such happiness in ordinary things and was able to imbue them with the extraordinary. Who had such a good heart and who truly believed in fate and possibility.

  But that was years ago, almost a lifetime ago. And things were very different now, that was for sure. Danny longed to recapture some of that old joy and excitement but he wasn’t sure if it was even possible now.

  Since meeting Adele, had that ship truly sailed?

  Trying to push aside his troubling thoughts, he found his way upstairs to the ladies’ shoe department, keeping his eyes peeled for Beth. He knew that she was working today and it was still a little before her usual lunchtime break, so she had to be around here somewhere. It would be a welcome relief to spend some time together, catch up on what was going on with her.

  Danny looked around and saw that the department was decidedly empty of salespeople, including Beth. Standing in between a display of shiny heels and a table of aggressive-looking studded pumps, which looked more like weapons than accessories, Danny stuffed his hands in his pockets and craned his neck, looking for someone who might be able to direct him Beth’s way. She could be out back checking stock or something. And, knowing Beth, marvelling at every piece. He never quite got her – or indeed any woman’s fascination – with what were essentially just trussed-up pieces of leather, but as a guy, why would he? Though he did appreciate the sentimental attachment Beth always had to her grandmother’s wedding shoes. Nostalgia he understood, dangerous-looking studded stilettos, not so much.

  Just as he decided to go find a sales associate in a neighbouring department to help him, someone walked from the inventory room onto the main sales floor. Not Beth, though, but Jodi.

  ‘Hey, Jodi,’ Danny called out, happy to see a familiar face. ‘How are you? Long time, no see,’ he said cheerily. True, Jodi was loud and a bit abrasive, but she was also a good friend to Beth – and pretty funny when she was in the right mood.

  ‘Danny. What are you doing here?’ she asked with a slight frown, and his smile faded ever so slightly at her less-than-enthusiastic greeting.

  ‘I came in to see Beth. Thought I would take her to lunch today. She is working today, right?’ he enquired, his mind running through a million other scenarios, including the idea that maybe she had got a new job in another department and he hadn’t been listening when she told him.

  ‘Yes, she’s working today.’ Jodi looked around and her gaze focused past him on a position to the upper right of her vision, before returning her eyes to meet Danny’s. He thought she looked nervous and a little jumpy, and completely devoid of her usual devil-may-care attitude. ‘But … I think she already went to lunch. Had to go out a little bit earlier today, she said; you just missed her. I’d imagine she won’t be back for an hour or so.’

  Jodi seemed to make a great show of tidying a shelf in front of her, despite the display looking barely touched, and somehow Danny felt as if he was being dismissed.

  ‘Oh, I see. Well, do you know where she went? Maybe I could go and meet her.’

  ‘I really have no idea. She just said something about an errand. I’m sorry, Danny, I wish I could stay and chat but I have tons to do.’ Jodi looked around as if she had a long queue of waiting customers vying for her attention and, realizing it was an empty sales floor, motioned with her hand to the stockroom. ‘When she gets back, I’ll be sure to tell her you were looking for her, OK?’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you if you are busy,’ Danny said. Jodi was trying to get rid of him. Why was she so jittery?

  One thing was for sure: she was hiding something. Whether or not it had anything to do with Beth was the question. But if so, what could she be hiding and, more to the point, why?

  ‘So, well … I’ll see you around, OK?’ She scurried off then, as if afraid to be in the same room as him.

  Danny was completely confused. Jodi was treating him like a total stranger, as if they hadn’t known one another for years. What had he done to make her behave this way?

  He couldn’t think of anything. Unless, his absences of late had indeed been noticed by Beth, who had in turn vented to Jodi? And now, through some bond of sisterhood and solidarity, she was taking Beth’s side.

  He started heading down the hallway towards the men’s department, mentally cursing the fact that his plans for a heart-to-heart had been ruined, when, just then, Danny heard it. Beth’s laugh, like sleigh bells tinkling. He moved quickly towards the source of the sound a little way further down in the men’s section, and saw his girlfriend, giggling like a schoolgirl, near a display of Tommy Hilfiger sweaters.

  And she wasn’t alone. She was chatting with some guy.

  For some reason Danny stopped in his tracks, and, realising that he was seconds away from being spotted by Beth, he quickly jumped behind a rack of suits. Unsure as to why he’d felt the need to hide, he studied the scene a little away from him, Beth laughing with ease at whatever this guy was saying.

  He was a stranger to Danny, but judging by how close together they were standing, and the easy tone of their voices, it seemed the very opposite where Beth was concerned. This was someone his girlfriend seemed to know very well indeed.

  ‘Ha, as if! Elf is not the most romantic Christmas movie of all time,’ she was laughing. ‘I mean, I suppose it’s a love story of sorts, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Love Actually.’ Beth laughed again and Danny listened intently to the tone of her voice. Was she cooing at this guy? He felt his hackles rise, and alpha male instincts coming out. OK, so he hadn’t been the easiest to live with lately, but Beth was his girlfriend.

  It sounded as though they were talking about movies, Beth’s favourite subject.

  ‘Look, I have my reputation to think about here. If a big macho guy like me admits out loud to liking Love Actually, they are going to take my manhood card away, OK?’

  Now he was smiling, showing those cheek dimple things that all women seemed to love. And, what’s more, he was flirting. Danny recognized a play when he saw one.

  His eyes narrowed. Even worse, Beth seemed to be eating this crap up.

  ‘Anyway,’ said Beth, ‘I should be getting back. Jodi’s been covering for me while I was out and there may be a rush on. Thanks for the sandwich.’

  So much for ‘just missing her’, Danny noted, thinking back to Jodi’s insistence that Beth would be gone for an hour. Sounded like her so-called errand was an opportunity to share a sandwich (what else?) with this guy. No wonder Jodi had been so edgy when he’d arrived asking for Beth; she must have known she was out with this guy and was covering for her in more ways than one.

  Man, was he getting his payback right now or what …

  Danny couldn’t help but realise that maybe this served him right, and he was experiencing a dose of Beth’s beloved serendipity. While he’d thought of this as a harmless opportunity to take Beth to lunch, karma was, in reality, a bitch that played dirty, throwing all of this in his face.

  Trying to get his thoughts, never mind his feelings, in order, he watched as the guy smiled again at Beth. It was obvious he had a thing for her and, by the sound of it, very possible that she had a thing for him too. It was written all over their faces. They were acting like high school kids, for crying out loud. And it was driving Danny nuts.

  ‘So, how about a drink later? We both get off at the same time. Think the universe is trying to tell us something?’

  ‘Thanks, Ryan, but no.’ This time Beth looked genuinely hesitant, making Danny feel a little better.

  ‘Don’t you go out with Jodi for happy hour sometimes?’ he pressed, smiling. ‘No big deal. It’s just what friends do.’

  Friends. OK, so they were friends; Danny felt somewhat reassured. Not that Beth was that type of girl – she definitely wasn’t a cheater. Or was she?

  He knew for
a fact that she was flirting. It was written all over her face. And this likely explained her giddy behaviour at home of late … Danny continued to examine their body language and he felt his temperature rise afresh.

  He took stock of Ryan’s appearance once again. OK, so he was attractive enough, he supposed, with that whole dimpled smile thing that women seemed to love. Danny’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of what was going on, and how this impacted his plans, and he belatedly noticed that Ryan and Beth had already said their goodbyes to each other, and she was now on her way back to the shoe department. He wasn’t sure whether or not to follow her as Jodi would surely tell her that he was looking for her, and she’d have to wonder why he was still around some fifteen minutes later.

  But he also came to the conclusion that Ryan wasn’t just Beth’s lunch companion, but apparently worked in the department Danny was now camping out in. And was, in fact, now making his way over towards him.

  He stood up, and was staring blankly at a suit jacket when Ryan spoke. ‘Good afternoon, sir, is there something that I can help you with?’

  Danny stood up straighter, coming face to face with the man who’d just been flirting shamelessly with his girlfriend, the woman with whom he’d been sharing his life for the past seven years. Now, the flirty, smooth-talking persona was gone, and the guy was back on a different kind of sales job.

  ‘What?’ Danny replied, trying to collect his wits.

  ‘Would you like to try on that jacket? Are you a size forty-four?’ Ryan persisted helpfully.

  Danny started shaking his head. ‘No, no, sorry, I don’t want to try it on, I was just looking. I was actually, um, shopping for a Christmas gift for my … wife,’ he muttered, shoving his hands into his pocket – conscious that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring and didn’t want Ryan to get suspicious.

  It was only when Ryan’s eyes widened a little that Danny understood how odd a man’s Tommy Hilfiger suit would be as a Christmas gift for your wife. ‘I, um, wanted to buy her some shoes. Some, um, nice shoes. But I think I’m a bit lost.’