He kissed her the way he used to when they first met – when he and Beth had nothing but time available to them. Beth vowed to herself that no matter what, they would make the most of what little they had left.
‘No more wasting time, Danny,’ she whispered. ‘It’s us – in this together. We’re a team. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.’
Danny put his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. ‘Are you sure?’
She encircled his neck with her arms and covered his face with kisses.
‘I’ve never been surer of anything,’ Beth said. ‘I’m not giving up on you just yet; I’m not giving up on us.’
Satisfied, Danny kissed her again and finally raised a smile. Beth was pleased to see some of his former self in his eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was true that she was a perpetual optimist, and shewouldn’tgive that up. Nor would she give up hope. It was too precious – and powerful.
Feeling her relax a little in his arms, Danny broke their embrace.
‘OK, well, in that case I guess I should tell you there’s one more clue. The one I had in mind all along to give you when I started this thing. Before I got sick.’
‘What do you mean, you had something in mind all along?’ Beth said, confused and a little taken aback by this unexpected turn in the conversation. ‘I thought the whole point of the trail was the key?’
Danny was smiling. ‘Nope. Actually it was something entirely different. I just had to change direction a little when Ryan came into the picture, just in case…’
He reached under the bench and presented her with the final clue. ‘But I have a feeling you’ll solve this one easiest of all.’
Epilogue
Beth sat quietly, in a private space called the ‘Reflection Room’. It was located in a wing of the church not far from the nave. Out front, so many people were gathered, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
She wasn’t quite ready to face them all yet. She needed just a bit more time to herself. And reflect she did. It had been a whole year since that day by the East River, but it felt like an eternity. So much had happened.
Much of it was still very raw to Beth, and now, as she stood up – thinking quietly about Danny’s last few weeks in the hospital – she realised that despite everything they had been through, all of the worry and suffering, there still was something to be thankful for.
And she still had hope. Beth had promised Danny that day on the bench that she would always have hope and she intended to continue to live by that promise.
She crossed to the lone window in the room and peered out. From this vantage point she was able to see the snowy parking lot of the church where people were still arriving.
This whole affair was a lot bigger than expected, but then again, everyone loved Danny.
Beth had chosen the church that Danny had attended while growing up in Queens. While she wasn’t overly religious, she knew it was important to Mae and Rick for the ceremony to be held in their church, and she didn’t argue.
Suddenly, she saw some familiar faces filing in, all bundled up against the winter cold with hats and fur coats. Yuri Yussopov, and his wife, Lin, who it turned out was a good client of Danny’s. The Madison Avenue firm had been involved in the marketing and advertising of the Manhattan Sailing Exhibition, and explaining his intentions for the treasure trail, Danny had in advance enlisted Lin and her husband’s help with the boat and the hotel.
She watched the Russian couple in their mink coats and hats hurry inside. Danny and Beth had much to thank them for over the last year – not only for playing a pivotal role in bringing them together, but also for sending a lot of additional business to Danny’s firm – saving his job, his income – and being so incredibly over-the-top kind while he was in the hospital. Beth felt her eyes mist up thinking about Yuri and Lin’s overwhelming generosity. She promised herself not to cry, however – not yet.
Turning her attention elsewhere, she then saw Courtney, their teenage dog walker and neighbour, with her boyfriend, Steve, another participant in setting up the hunt, who worked as a part-time bellboy from the Waldorf for the holidays. The Tiffany’s salesperson was another one of Danny’s business contacts and, like all the other players, had promised in the early days – before he’d got sick – to help him out with the hunt once he’d explained the reason behind it.
Then there was Adele, Danny’s doctor and a woman whom Beth had also become very dependent on over the last twelve months. She was kind, but formidable, as if helping Danny through his illness was some kind of personal mission for her. Yet there was no doubt she’d been a tremendous support through it all.
As had Billy. Beth smiled when she saw the doorman approach, hand in hand with his girlfriend, Claire. Far from a potential suitor for Beth, the Scotsman had been wooing a different woman entirely, but hadn’t wanted to reveal anything about his new relationship while it was still in the early stages. It seemed Beth had interrupted him wrapping a gift for Claire when he’d been flustered in the lobby that time.
Another thing she’d got all wrong.
Her thoughts moving automatically to Ryan then, and Beth wondered how he was getting on back in LA. Apparently he’d decided that New York wasn’t the place for him and had quit his job in Carlisle’s in the New Year, and moved back to the West Coast. Beth guessed she had more reason than he to be embarrassed about what had happened, but of course, she had other things on her mind by then.
How nice of them all to come, she thought. So many people, going out of their way to be here for us.
At that moment, a quiet knock came from somewhere behind her and Beth turned towards the sound. ‘Come in.’
Jodi poked her head in and Beth immediately caught a whiff of all of the flowers – their gorgeous scent wafting from the church all the way to this room. She had briefly glanced in earlier – she had never seen so many flowers in her life.
‘They’re ready to start,’ her friend announced quietly.
