Page 12 of The Pop-Up Cake Shop

I smiled. ‘Costume jewellery.’

‘That’s what I meant.’ He grinned. ‘So shall we have a pair of these? Will you wear them?’

I chuckled. ‘Of course I’dwearthem. But are you sure?’

‘Yes, I am. And you’re worth every penny,’ he murmured, slipping his arm around me.

Happy tears sprang to my eyes. Why had I been so worried about this trip? It was clear that Richard had missed me as much as I’d missed him. I should never have doubted it...

When it came to buying the earrings, presented to us in their gorgeous turquoise box, Richard realised he’d forgotten his credit card, so I produced mine and he said he’d pay me back later. I wore the earrings straight away and I was smiling broadly as we left the shop. The diamonds really did make me feel like a million dollars.

‘Thank you.’ I reached up and kissed him. ‘They’re gorgeous. I’m quite glad now that I forgot to put my earrings in this morning.’ Something occurred to me. ‘Were you going to surprise me with earrings anyway?’

He looked puzzled for a moment.

‘I mean, that was quite a coincidence, me forgetting them, if you really were planning on buying me diamond studs.’

‘Ah, I see what you mean.’ His face cleared and he smiled. ‘No, I was planning on treating you to some kind of jewellery, but I wasn’t sure what you’d like.’ He shrugged. ‘It just seemed obvious in the end.’

I nodded. ‘A happy coincidence. Serendipity. And actually, if you’d asked me, these are exactly what I would have chosen myself.’

‘Good.’ He nudged me affectionately. ‘I’m glad you’re pleased with them.’

‘Oh, I am. I really am,’ I told him with feeling. ‘They’re the most gorgeous things anyone’s ever bought me.’

We went to a cute café and celebrated my amazing gift with a hot chocolate for me and a black coffee for Richard, and he made the bank transfer for that staggering amount into my account.

When we left, I felt like I was walking on air, and the day passed in a whirl of sightseeing, wandering through Central Park and having a late lunch in the lakeside café, then taking the subway to the famous Radio City Music Hall, where we joined a group of other tourists for a fascinating tour of the place.

Later, we called in at a supermarket to buy food, and as we wandered back to his apartment, we passed the cute little pub – The Old Ale House – on the corner of the street again, and I suggested I buy him a drink in there before we went back to cook dinner.

He frowned. ‘It’s not great.’

‘Isn’t it?’ I looked at him in surprise. ‘But it looks so lovely from the outside.’

‘The prices are horrendous. Don’t waste your money. You can buy me lunch tomorrow, okay?’

‘Oh. Okay.’

He took my hand and we walked on, back to the apartment. ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked, a moment later.

‘Erm, not especially. I’m still feeling full from lunch.’

He gave me a wicked grin. ‘Good. Because I thought we could do something else before dinner.’

I laughed. ‘Aha! So is that why you didn’t want to go to The Old Ale House for a drink, then?’

‘Precisely.’

So we hurried the rest of the way back to the apartment. And finally, we enjoyed the proper reunion I’d been looking forward to for so long...

*****

Later, I lay in the crumpled bed feeling totally relaxed, listening to Richard moving around and clashing pans in the kitchen. He’d put some music on and it drifted through, adding to my blissed-out mood.

Leaning forward to hear it, I realised I recognised the song. It was Jimmy Durante’s ‘Make Someone Happy’ and I recalled that it featured in the closing scenes ofSleepless in Seattle. I’d watched the movie the previous weekend in anticipation of my New York trip.

Sighing, I settled back against the soft pillows, feeling thoroughly pampered. Richard knew it was one of my favourite movies but I’d no idea he knew the songs from it. He must have looked for it on Spotify and played it specially...

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