Keep going she told herself. Don’t think about it.
Taking a deep breath, she once again looked around the lobby, taking stock of the layout and focusing her thoughts on the task at hand. Dominating the main lobby was the famed, ornately carved, bronze Waldorf Astoria clock, set on an octagonal base of marble and mahogany and topped with a Statue of Liberty. It was a popular place for photographs, and a regular meeting place, much like the clock at Grand Central. Today, for Beth, it was a good starting point.
She pulled the book,Love in the Time of Cholera, out of her bag and opened it up to where she had placed the five-dollar bill like a bookmark.
Twenty-three. As in floortwenty-three. I’m sure of it.
Walking purposely, she continued on to the bank of beautifully ornate lifts that had famously featured in the movieSerendipity. Smiling a little as she began to feel closer to the energy of the wonderful love story that was set in this place, she reached out and pushed the ‘up’ button, waiting for a lift to arrive; her chariot to the upper floors.
She tapped her foot and tried to remain focused.Do not think about Danny, do not think about Danny, do not think about Danny…Saying it over and over in her head like a silent mantra – a prayer to the God of Broken Hearts, the Goddess of Spurned Lovers – seemed to help.
Finally, a ding resounded above her, announcing that a lift had arrived. It was the same one that Jonathan had taken in the movie. Entering the car, Beth almost had to fight the urge to hit all of the buttons on the control panel – just like the child who had shared the car with the character in the film – foiling his efforts to meet Sara on floor twenty-three.
Instead, she focused on her destination. Twenty-three. She pressed the button, the doors closed in front of her, and a feeling of nervous anticipation entered her stomach.
Beth was once again focused on her mission, and the giddiness that she had been experiencing since first setting out on her treasure hunt soon returned. She was in her element. Romantic anticipation, a beautiful puzzle featuring her favourite city in the world – and a secret admirer who apparently knew her well, realised her passions and understood exactly what made her tick.
Real life could wait for later.
Chapter 22
Danny sat on the freezing cold bench on 58th Street, overlooking the East River.
The afternoon sun was clouded over, and the beginnings of snow danced around the atmosphere. A child walked by with her mother, laughing delightedly as snowflakes fell into her open mouth. And here he was, in the same spot where he had sat and talked with Beth so long ago.
Though it was almost seven years ago now, he could remember it as though it were yesterday.
The lights had twinkled on the Queensboro Bridge and reflected off the nighttime waters of the East River. It had been Beth and Danny’s second date and they’d walked slowly on the sidewalk that ran beside the water, talking softly, taking in the scene before them – learning about each other.
And Danny was pretty sure he was already smitten.
‘Dinner was really fantastic. I just wanted to thank you again,’ Beth had said, smiling up at him. ‘I didn’t think that you could get such great Italian food anywhere – outside of Italy, of course.’
‘Glad you liked it.’
They had just come from Bella Notte, a great trattoria he knew. Their reservation had been for seven thirty and they had been the last diners in the entire restaurant to leave – and had done so only because it was apparent that the staff wanted to go home.
‘I feel bad that we kept them there for so long, though,’ Beth said, as if reading his mind. ‘I just lost track of time,’ she laughed.
‘Me too. But, we don’t have to keep walking if you don’t want to. This is “the City that Never Sleeps”, after all. We could go get a nightcap somewhere if you like?’ he asked hesitantly. He had already given Beth his jacket, but he was afraid that she might still be chilly. You could tell that summer was almost over and fall was settling in over the city.
But Beth shook her head. ‘Oh, no, I love the weather at the moment. I’m not cold, don’t worry. But I will admit that these heels are killing me. Do you mind if we sit?’ She pointed to a bench about twenty feet ahead. ‘That looks perfect.’
Danny took a look at where she’d indicated and then cast his gaze out across the river. He smiled. A perfect spot indeed, one of the best places to sit in all of Manhattan. In fact you might call it picture perfect.
‘I think that’s a great idea,’ he agreed, leading Beth to the bench and sitting next to her – close enough that their arms were touching, but still far enough away to build anticipation yet feel the electricity that seemed to be sparking between them.
Once sitting comfortably, he looked out over the river, taking in the cityscape in front of them. It was hard to believe it with all of the urban light pollution around, but tonight, when you looked up in the sky you could actually make out stars.
‘Would you look at that?’ Beth whispered in that gorgeous Irish accent, seeing the stars too. ‘This has to be the best seat in the house… in all of Manhattan, maybe,’ she giggled. ‘Someone really should put this in a movie. The rest of the world should see this.’
Danny smiled, wondering if she was joking or not. Because someonehadactually put this in a movie. But he guessed, taking in her happy and innocent expression, that Beth wasn’t joking; it was just likely that she had never seen Woody Allen’sManhattan.
‘So tell me,’ Beth said, turning to him then. ‘We covered a lot of important stuff up until this point, I know you’re from Queens but your parents are originally from Philadelphia – where the best cheesesteak is to be found at Jim’s, not Pat’s nor Gino’s despite what Rocky Balboa thinks…’ She grinned, and he remembered he’d been pretty adamant about that. ‘And you work in marketing, love to travel, but you missed out on telling me one very important fact.’
He looked at her, curious. ‘And what’s that?’
‘What’s your favourite movie? Like your favourite movieever.’
