Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Adalyn
“So, Adalyn, do I know you?”
“No. You don’t, and I’m so sorry for just popping over like this, but I have something that belongs to you.”
“You do? What is it?”
I reached into my purse and pulled out the ring.
“I believe this belongs to you.” I smiled as I held it up.
Instantly, tears filled her eyes as she placed her hand over her mouth.
“Oh, my goodness.” She took it from my hand. “Where on earth did you find it?”
“I found it while I was scuba diving in Antigua.”
A single tear fell from her eye as she placed the ring on her finger.
“This ring has been missing for twenty-five years. Come here and let me hug you.” She held out her arms.
I got up from the couch, hobbled over to her wing-backed chair, and wrapped my arms around her.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I think I do.” I smiled as I broke our embrace.
Harrison’s phone rang, and he went into the other room to take the call.
“I have to go. There’s a problem with a contractor. I’m sure you’ll be leaving after this, Adalyn. Have a safe flight back to Seattle,” he abruptly spoke as he walked out the door.
Wow. Okay then.
Athena walked over with a tray of tea and some scones on a plate.
“Isn’t it a miracle, Grandmother?” she asked.
“It is. Would you care to spend the day with me? Or do you need to get back to Seattle right away?” Mary asked me.
“I’d love to spend the day with you. Seattle can wait another day.” I smiled.
“Excellent. Athena, thank you for bringing this lovely girl over. You may go to the office now.”
“But Grandmother.” She pouted.
“I’m sure you have much work to catch up on since you spent the last month in Europe.”
“Fine. Adalyn, don’t you dare leave without saying goodbye first.” She walked over and hugged me.
“I won’t. I promise.”
After Athena left, Mary took hold of my hand.
“Enjoy your tea, dear. I’ll get dressed, and then we can sit out in the courtyard. We don’t have many nice days left.” She patted my hand.
I picked up my teacup and walked over to a long antique table she had sitting against the wall. I smiled as I looked at all the pictures she had on display, especially the one where it was just her and her late husband, Harry. Harrison must have been named after his grandfather.
“That is my Harry,” Mary spoke as she stood beside me. “My best friend, my lover, and soulmate.” She smiled.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mary.”
“Thank you, dear. That was a long time ago. Are you ready to head to the courtyard?” She held out her arm.
We took the elevator down to the ground floor and walked down a short hallway lined with windows until we reached the double glass doors. We sat on a marble bench, and Mary reached over and took hold of my hand.
“How on earth did you find out that the ring belonged to me? You must be quite a detective.” She smiled.
“The designer’s name is on the inside of the ring. So, I Googled his name, and it led me to his shop here in the city.”
“He passed away ten years ago.”
“I know. I hit a dead end. To be honest, Mary. It’s a miracle I found you. I was giving up. The jeweler didn’t have any information. We only found an old receipt for the ring with the name Harry on it. There was no address, last name, or phone number.”
“That’s because Marco was a dear friend of ours.”
“If I wasn’t so dumb and walked into oncoming traffic and Harrison hadn’t saved me, I never would have known the ring belonged to you.”
“Then it was a godsend that my grandson was in the right place at the right time. So, tell me about yourself. You’re from Seattle?”
“Yes.” I smiled.
“A beautiful and sweet girl like yourself must have a special man back home.”
“Nope. No special man for me. He left me a couple of weeks after we returned home from Antigua. He claims he met his soulmate.”
“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “What do you do for work?”
“I’m an interior designer, but I’m in between jobs.”
“So, you’re an independent interior designer?”
“I guess I am now. They fired me from the company I worked for. A client lied to my boss and said things that never happened, and because she was our biggest client, he sided with her without even hearing what I had to say.”
“He sounds like an asshole.” She smirked. “It was a blessing in disguise, anyway. Everything happens for a reason.”
She went silent for a few moments while she stared at me.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No. Not at all. Is it imperative that you get back to Seattle?”
“I don’t know. There really isn’t anything left there for me since my apartment building burnt to the ground and all my things with it.”
Shit. I didn’t mean to blurt that out.
“Your apartment burnt down? You’re homeless?”
“No.” I smiled. “I’m staying with my best friend Carly and her husband until I figure things out. I might move back to California where my family is.
“You poor thing. Since there’s no hurry for you to get back, I would like you to stay in New York for a while.”
“Why?” I asked in confusion.
“I like you, Adalyn, and I want to repay you for returning my ring. There aren’t very many honest people left in the world. You came looking for me, and that says a lot.”
“I really had no choice. Trust me. It’s been one thing after another with that ring.”
Shit.
“What do you mean?”
Well, I did it. I told her all the horrible things that happened to me while I had the ring in my possession.
“You poor girl. I am so sorry.” She leaned over and hugged me tightly.
“It’s not your fault, Mary. Please don’t apologize. Your ring was a special bond between you and your husband, your soulmate. It wasn’t meant to be worn by anyone else. All those horrible things that happened led me to you. It was almost as if it had to happen. It meant you had to get your ring back, and I was the one to return it to you.”
She placed her hands on each side of my face as tears filled her eyes.
“You are an angel, and I know Harry is watching from above. Please say you’ll stay in New York for a little while longer. Where are you staying?”
“The Holiday Inn.”
“Oh, dear. That is unacceptable. You will stay at the Infinity.”
“I would love to, Mary, but I can’t afford a hotel like that.”
“Nonsense. You will not be paying a dime. My hotel is your hotel. It’s the least I can do for you traveling all this way to give me my precious ring back.”
“Mary, I can’t let you do that.”
“You can and you will. I’m not ready to say goodbye to you yet, Adalyn Banks. Stay and explore the city. You’ll find that you’ll love it here.”
“Okay. I’ll stay for a little while longer.” I smiled.
I really had no choice. I couldn’t say no to this sweet eighty-five-year-old woman. She was over the moon to have her ring back. Mary called her driver, Roberto, and had him take us to the Holiday Inn to retrieve my things. After she made the bellman take my luggage to the limo, we walked to the front desk to check out.
“Please put Miss Banks’ room charges on my card,” she spoke as she handed the clerk her credit card.
“No, Mary. You’re already doing enough.”
“Dear, let it go. I’m paying for your brief stay here.”
After we left, Roberto took us to the Infinity. The moment I stepped inside, I felt like I was in the land of luxury. The elegance of the décor and the rich feeling were overwhelming.
“Good day, Mrs. Grant.”
“Good day, Xavier. I would like you to meet Miss Adalyn Banks. She will stay here as my guest in the Penthouse Suite.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Banks.” Xavier smiled as he extended his hand.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, Xavier.”
“All food, room service, spa services, and everything else we offer will be at her disposal free of charge. As I said, she’s my guest, and we shall treat her as such.”
“Of course, Mrs. Grant. She is our top VIP guest.”
“Mary, this is too much.”
“No, Adalyn, it’s not. This will be your home for however long you want to stay. Xavier will take you up to your suite.” She hugged me. “I need to get back to Mr. Clayton.” She winked. “I’ll be in touch soon, darling.” She began to walk away and then stopped and turned around. “Roberto will be your driver, and he will take you anywhere you want and need to go. Xavier, please give Adalyn Roberto’s number.”
“I will, Mrs. Grant.” As soon as she left the hotel, Xavier turned to me. “You must be someone very special. Ms. Grant doesn’t do this.”
“I found her ring that her late husband gave to her that had been missing for twenty-five years and brought it to her.”
“You are very special indeed.” He smiled.