“This isn’t like they make it look in the movies,” she groused. The mist was mixing with the ash the moment it left the bag, carrying some of it back toward land instead of sea. Avi had a thought. He held up the urn so she could place the bag back in.
“Save half. The Baller sails right by the Statue of Liberty. The rest can be scattered there.”
Suddenly, Mrs. Horowitz took matters into her own hands. As if impatient – like when Mrs. Blum stopped a Mahjong play like the Charleston, or Mrs. Felder took too long to decide if she wanted a discarded tile.
Or maybe it was Mother Nature, taking the entire contents of the bag out of Leah’s hands and carrying it on a gust into the mist.
“Hey! You there!” Another ranger appeared on the path. “Throwing anything over the Falls is strictly prohibited.” She reached for the walkie clipped to her coat.
“We were just honoring – ” Leah trailed off as Avi dropped to one knee.
“Honoringmy dearly departed grandmother, who wanted to witness my proposal.” He set the urn down next to him. “Sorry, Gran. I know you wanted this moment to be just perfect.” He threw a glance at the officer looming over them. “Andprivate.”
The officer clearly was not born yesterday. “If you’re proposing, where’s the ring?”
Avi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He couldn’t believe he was about to put himself through this again.
Leah’s eyes widened as Avi’s hand dipped down the neck of his T-shirt. Something fell heavy against his dark hoodie, between the fur lapels of Mrs. Horowitz’s coat — a thin, silver chain, swinging into view. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what was dangling from it: an impressive diamond ring. It glinted in the harsh winter light as he held it up, each facet catching and throwing light into the misty glow around them.
“And what better place than Niagara Falls,” he went on, with an exaggerated flourish, “to ask my beloved to make me the happiest man alive?”
The ranger’s brows furrowed, clearly invested whether she wanted to be or not. Leah could practically see the gears turningin the woman’s head, weighing whether to enforce the law or let this unexpected public proposal play out.
Who is this man looking up at me like I’m his everything?Leah felt a surge of emotions she wasn’t prepared for — shock, curiosity, and a confusing, uninvited pang of jealousy.And who was the woman he’d really bought that for?
“Well, congrats and be quick about it. The county sheriff just issued an advisory against non-essential travel. Youdoknow there’s a storm coming?” The ranger turned back toward the Welcome Center, mumbling something about giving them their moment before disappearing.
Avi – and his million-dollar smile – seemed frozen for a moment, then he abruptly sobered, stuffing the chain back under the fur coat, the ring disappearing with it just as fast as it appeared.
“Let’s pretend you never saw that,” he said, his tone clipped and defensive. His eyes met hers for a heartbeat. “Don’t.” His voice was tight, and his jaw clenched as he looked out at the mist. “Just… don’t ask.”
Leah’s mind spun. “Okay. But are you –”
“Have you been living under arock? She said no, soI’msaying, forget about it, Letty. Don’t. Ask.”
He took her arm and began to hustle her toward Bertha, who was waiting in the lot like a bank heist getaway car. “You should’ve researched,” he snapped, “before desecrating a public landmark! We could have been fined. Or worse.”
“Whoresearchesa loved one’s final request? They wish it, and you do it. End of story. And the only desecration was yours, with yourhappiest man alivebullshit!”
Not to mentionbeloved.
Leah was still reeling from everything that had just happened: the makeshift scattering of Mrs. Horowitz’s ashes, Avi’s sudden, knee-dropfakeproposal to throw off the parkranger, and, most of all, the diamond ring he’d revealed—and just as quickly hidden away—before telling her, in no uncertain terms, to shut up about it.
Now, the two park rangers had joined up outside and were conferring, pointing toward the Falls and turning toward the lot.
“Get in, get in!” Avi urged, yanking open the driver’s side door. Leah scrambled into the passenger seat, clutching the urn.
“You seriously told me topretend I didn’t seea freaking engagement ring?” she sputtered, slamming her door. “What the hell, Avi?”
“Not now,” he muttered, jamming the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and he threw the car into reverse so fast it jerked them both forward in their seats.
“Do you think they’re putting two and two together?”
“I don’t plan to stick around to find out,” Avi shot back. The tires crunched over the icy gravel of the parking lot. He spun the wheel, shifted into drive, and hit the gas like he was Mario Andretti at the start of a race.
Leah’s heart pounded as they sped toward the only park exit that didn’t have a closed gate, the rangers and the swirling blue light of their car disappearing behind a wall of frozen mist. “Oh my God, you’re going to get us arrested!”
