‘Yup. Seen it, inspected it and hypothesised over it, too. Don’t worry, Holly has it.
‘Excuse me, excuse me please,’ Jessica said, trying to stay as professional as possible as they moved through the crowd, when at that point all Greg wanted to do was start tossing people out of their way.
‘Come on, she’s just down here,’ Jessica said, leading him to a small room down the hallway that looked as though it might be a conference room but was now being used as a cloakroom. It was empty.
‘She was just here … ’ Jessica said under her breath.
Greg shook his head ruefully. It was as if somebody somewhere was trying to stop him from getting the bracelet back.
72
Holly felt faintly excited as she allowed herself to be led through the crowds.
She couldn’t believe that after all the searching she would finally be able to reunite this precious bracelet with its rightful owner.
They wandered around for quite a while, until eventually she had to tell Gennaro to slow up, her feet were hurting.
‘There are so many people,’ he complained, looking frustrated. ‘I don’t think it is possible to find him in this way.’ He took out his mobile phone and scrolled through it. ‘With luck he will have his phone.’ Holly watched expectantly as he put the phone to his ear and waited. After a few moments, he shook his head.
‘It doesn’t seem like he has his phone. Or,’ he said as if a thought had struck him, ‘maybe he just cannot hear it. Come, let us go through to the ballroom.’
‘There’s a ballroom in the New York Public Library?’ Holly repeated in confusion.
Gennaro winked. ‘There is on New Year’s Eve.’
Then suddenly Holly was being led towards the famed Reading Room, which truly looked like something out of a fairy tale. The books that usually lined the large open space had been covered with light satin gauze and the flowers that bedecked the room uplit by soft candlelight.
‘Wow,’ she gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Just then her own phone began to ring and she guessed it was Jessica.
‘Oh darnit. Sorry Gennaro, I don’t think I can do this now, I’m needed. Like I said, I’m actually here working and—’
Gennaro, who was looking into the distance, shook his head. ‘Wait just one moment. I see him,’ he said, and before Holly had the chance to say any more, he took her hand and led her to the other side of the room.
Feeling guilty, she fumbled in her bag with one hand, trying to get the phone out. She’d promised Jessica she’d help out at this thing, not wander around the building with a handsome Italian.
But Gennaro was on a mission and, as she followed his course through the path of people up ahead, she saw a red dress and a mane of blonde hair. Jessica.
She looked seriously on the warpath, and Holly hoped she wasn’t about to get a serious dressing-down.
But when they got closer, Gennaro began to slow his pace; as the crowds parted, another person she recognised came into view. Standing beside Jessica was the man she’d collided with that day on the way out of Gennaro’s gallery. Holly was sure of it.
He happened to see her at the very same time and his eyes brightened the moment their gazes connected. Instant recognition bloomed on both of their faces.
Gennaro dropped her hand and stopped about a foot in front of Jessica and the guy from the gallery.
‘There you are!’ Jessica exclaimed.
‘Sorry, I know you’ve been looking for me but—’
‘Not me, him.’ She nodded with a smile towards Greg.
‘Seems you have both been looking for each other,’ Gennaro commented mischievously. Jessica whispered to Holly that she would catch up with her later, and Gennaro followed her, an intent gaze on Jessica’s backside as she walked away.
The man and Holly looked at each other.
‘It’s you … Gregorio,’ she said, remembering how Gennaro had addressed him at the gallery.
