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.
