Chapter 2
2
After clearing customs and retrieving her luggage in record time, Deedee scooped her caramel-coloured pashmina around her shoulders and made her way to the arrivals hall, scanning the crowd to find Gina and Rosie who were scheduled to land an hour or so before her. They had all taken separate flights, with each of them coming from different locations.
‘There she is! Deedee. Over here.’ Deedee turned to see her two friends grinning like a pair of Cheshire cats before bursting into a rousing rendition of ‘Happy birthday to you…’ complete with three gold, heart-shaped helium balloons on lengths of ribbon and a handwritten sign saying, ‘SEVENTY, SEXY, EXTRA AF’ in big swirly gold letters on a black background.
‘Ladies, it’s wonderful to see you both, but—’ Deedee paused to lower her voice on seeing people in the crowd stopping and staring, some smiling and others tutting, before leaning in close to Rosie and Gina and adding, ‘Please put the placard down. I don’t want the whole of New York to know that I’m officially old .’ She rolled her eyes in mock shock but laughed too as she supposed she didn’t really mind her friends giving her such a warm welcome. Although she was pretty certain she had let enough people think she was ten years younger than her real age to warrant a high chance of at least one of them being here and discovering her audacious lie. ‘And where did you get these balloons from, surely you didn’t smuggle them on the flight?’
‘I called ahead and arranged to have them delivered right here to the arrivals hall,’ Rosie beamed. ‘This is New York, you can have absolutely anything delivered to anywhere.’
‘I should have known.’ Deedee shook her head. ‘But you know my birthday isn’t actually until next week and so I fully intend on savouring every last second of my sixties!’ She smiled and sighed simultaneously, making her stack of solid gold Cartier love bangles jangle together as she lifted her arms and pulled Gina in for a huge hug. She then turned to Rosie, who hurriedly dumped the sign in a nearby paper recycling bin before flinging her arms around Deedee and near-winding her in sheer exuberance.
‘Sorry about the sign, I got carried away,’ Rosie groaned, letting Deedee go. She pulled a face and shook her head in apology, making her blonde curls bounce around her pretty face.
‘And I expect nothing less,’ Deedee grinned, instantly forgiving her friend, but eyeing up Rosie’s supersized tote bag slung over a shoulder that looked suspiciously similar to the work bag full of her event planning essentials that she had carried around everywhere when they were last on holiday together. Admittedly, Rosie, a wedding and events planner, had been on the Greek island last summer to find the perfect wedding location for one of her clients, but still, Deedee was wary, as Rosie had then got carried away with an impromptu passion project for a reluctant Gina on that same holiday. Deedee had ended up having to calm Rosie down several times before it all got out of hand. ‘Rosie darling, I hope you haven’t got one of your big notepads and fluffy pens in there, intending on planning my birthday to within an inch of its life?’ Deedee tilted her head to one side in scrutiny as she pointed to the tote bag, having seen first hand on that previous holiday just how ‘enthusiastic’ Rosie could be when she became laser focused on organising something. And the last thing Deedee wanted was a big fuss, a supersized extravaganza of a party, which could very well become a reality if Rosie took over. Yes, Deedee loved a party and had been the life and soul of many in her time, but this was different, she just wasn’t feeling it now. A public display of hitting the big seven-zero with quite possibly a big bunch of people she’d barely met before was just ‘not the vibe’, as she had heard a couple of Gen Z passengers saying on repeat about almost everything on the flight over here.
During the flight she had also had far too much time to contemplate the truth of what a big seventieth birthday celebration actually meant. Back home in London last month, she’d thought a big party in New York seemed like a fabulous idea, but the reality of being the focus of attention at her own seventieth was now making her panic at the prospect. It conjured up images of balloon arches and pastel-coloured cupcakes with various pot plant gifts, or God forbid a lily of the valley bath pack, like the one her neighbour was given on her seventieth, and then secretly donated to the local care home raffle fundraiser, because the scent of it made her feel ‘properly old’. And Deedee supposed part of her change of heart too was because she had always envisaged celebrating this milestone birthday with Joe by her side. She remembered how they had talked about it before he became ill, of splurging on an extravagant trip of some kind, a Caribbean cruise, or renting a villa somewhere hot and vibrant, like Ibiza or Mykonos, creating a mini music festival and inviting all their friends to join them. But without Joe here, it really did take the shine off things. Deedee couldn’t back out now though, not when she was already here in New York. And Yiannis’s sister, Cleo, the head chef at Athena, already had arrangements underway – she had created menu options and started preparing the birthday party food, plus Rosie and Gina were counting on her too. Deedee hated letting people down, she didn’t think it was fair when her friends had taken time out of their busy lives to come all this way to celebrate with her, hoping to have a good time. So she was going to make sure that’s exactly what they all had over the next week. Then a low-key party with cocktails and dancing, with plenty of sharing platters on a beautifully curated tablescape, with the hot Greek waiters milling around to admire and distract Deedee from the absence of the love of her life for a while, was much more her style. Something elegant and sophisticated with absolutely no mention of it being her seventieth birthday would suit her just fine. And definitely no giant guestlist, just an intimate soirée to bring her close friends together to have a wonderful time and celebrate life with plenty of fun and joie de vivre ! Yes! She felt better already as she warmed to the idea again of celebrating her big birthday without actually having a big party. As long as she could steer Rosie away from turning it into a pastel-coloured, Instagram-styled extravaganza!
‘Weeell, I might have made a few notes, just some ideas to really give your birthday party a bit of a glow up.’ Rosie looked sheepish as she moved a protective hand across the top of her tote. ‘Just a list of party suppliers here in New York for essentials like balloon arches, cupcakes, that sort of thing. I’m sure if we place an order right away we could get everything delivered in time. I did also wonder about placing an order before we got here but without knowing the suppliers, I didn’t want to take a chance on things not being up to scratch.’ Deedee inhaled sharply. ‘Yes, and I was thinking maybe a photo booth with themed hats and accessories, wigs and wacky sunglasses, that kind of thing for people to dress up in. And how do you feel about a fifties theme? A nod to when you were born in 1954… or was it 1955? I could use the calculator on my phone to work it out!’
‘Oh, darling, absolutely no need for all that,’ Deedee jumped in quickly, not wanting to be reminded that it was the fifties when she was born, aka the ‘properly olden days’… as she had overheard a young girl say to her granny when they had come into the travel agents a little while ago to book a celebratory mini break to Milan. With this thought in mind, Deedee gently placed a steadying hand on Rosie’s arm, to stop her rummaging inside her tote to find her phone, presumably. ‘This is supposed to be a holiday for all of us,’ Deedee added, shaking her head as she tried to quell the swirl of panic that was further building inside her now. ‘Rosie, I know it’s your job to plan weddings and events, but I didn’t invite you to join me here just so you could organise my birthday party.’
‘Ah, I know that, Deedee, but it would be my absolute pleasure. Think of it as my gift to you.’ Rosie bobbed from one foot to the other. ‘It is so very exciting. A big birthday in New York. And the three of us back together again. We are going to have such a fantastic time. I know we’ve all been to the traditional New York landmarks before and agreed on a movie location theme so I’ve put together an itinerary listing out as many of the famous movie locations I can think of and popped it in our WhatsApp group for us to peruse at our leisure over a cocktail or three, if you would both like to?’ She pressed her palms together in glee. ‘I thought we could go through the list and put it in a priority order, you know, which one on which day, so we are organised…’
A short silence followed.
‘Well… cocktails always sound good to me, thank you, Rosie,’ Deedee said kindly, feeling overwhelmed already by Rosie’s enthusiasm, but not wanting to hurt her friend’s feelings. She knew Rosie meant well, and a few cocktails did actually sound like a good idea. And to be fair, Rosie had no idea how Deedee was truly feeling about turning seventy so she couldn’t really complain about her friend wanting to go all out to make it special. But also, she wasn’t sure she wanted her time here to be as mapped out as Rosie was suggesting.
Deedee didn’t really know why she hadn’t confided in Gina and Rosie about how very much she missed Joe. Maybe she should? But then it suddenly dawned on her that if she talked about him, then she might cry and end up not being able to stop and it would get messy with a high chance of full-on ugly tears, and she had always been incredibly stoic. She supposed that’s what happened when you were born in the properly olden days and brought up with old-fashioned ideas about the importance of keeping one’s emotions in check at all times. Plus, she was meant to be the wise one in their friendship trio, the strong one who supported the others, so it would hardly do to change all that now, to upset the equilibrium by oversharing. And showing vulnerability terrified her. It made her feel weak, which was close to frail and that was definitely in the ballpark of old lady territory. ‘But would you mind if we do the cocktails another day?’ she added. ‘I’m in desperate need of a shower after all the travelling, and some sleep too, the long flight and the jet lag has really hit me this time, and my body clock thinks it’s already the middle of the night.’
‘Sure,’ Rosie beamed. ‘Something nice to look forward to.’
‘I’ll be back on form tomorrow, I promise,’ Deedee said, suddenly conscious that she was quite a bit older than Gina and Rosie who had both recently turned only fifty and didn’t look at all tired. ‘And let’s discuss your ideas for the party then too – Cleo and the staff at Athena have already got the menu covered in any case, so you can relax and just enjoy being here,’ she mentioned diplomatically, wishing she could just be straight with them and say how the shine of being here had suddenly dulled with Joe’s absence, that she was missing him. That her heart yearned to see him, to touch him one more time. That she felt sad, lonely sometimes, even when surrounded by her friends, and… dare she say it, angry too! Yes, there had been moments since Joe died when she felt absolutely furious with him for leaving her prematurely, which she knew was utterly irrational, so she would then feel instantly wracked with guilt for having such mean thoughts. Because her darling Joe, the only man she had truly loved on every level, hadn’t died on purpose, of course he hadn’t. And then the whole cycle of grief and confusing thoughts would start all over again until she literally had to yell out loud to herself, ‘STOP THINKING’ and find something physical to do to distract herself with, before she drove herself completely mad with her muddled mind.
‘Yes, I’m sure they are very used to hosting parties in the restaurant,’ Gina said, catching Deedee’s eye. ‘And it will be wonderful for us all to relax and just enjoy each other’s company, go with the flow and see what we fancy doing each day rather than have it all mapped out for us. Plus you don’t want to be working while you’re here on holiday, Rosie, you need a break too. And cocktails sound good to me, a great way to start our holiday,’ she added, smiling. ‘Although what I’d really like to do first is eat a big slice of authentic American pizza, or even better… a hot dog from one of those stands on a street corner. I’ve only ever seen them in films and always thought they looked like a fun thing to try.’
‘Well, I’m sure we can get you pizza or a hot dog, or both if you like,’ Deedee nodded, relieved to be talking about something else now.
‘Oh yes, “try authentic American pizza and hot dogs” – I will add it all to the itinerary!’ Rosie beamed, seemingly back in her element as she whipped out her phone and started tapping away on the screen. ‘In fact, hang on a minute!’ Rosie switched her tapping finger to feverish scroll mode and then suddenly announced, ‘ You’ve Got Mail ! The movie… yes, right here I’ve made a note… “hot dog place where Kathleen and Joe go in You’ve Got Mail and is also visible in the background of a scene in Die Hard With A Vengeance ”.’ Rosie turned her phone to show the screen to Deedee and Gina. ‘Perfect for your hot dog fix, Gina, and it’s a famous movie location too so ties in nicely with our holiday theme. It’s at 2090 Broadway and 72 nd Street.’
Deedee and Gina laughed and shook their heads.
‘Ooh yes, I love that film! Thanks, Rosie,’ Gina said.
‘And how are you, Gina?’ Deedee turned to take a good look at her other lovely friend, loving how relaxed and glowing she appeared. Her curly hair was longer and even more sun-kissed than the last time they were together for Gina’s fiftieth birthday party the previous summer. The hot pink trousers with matching oversized jacket that Gina was wearing with a fitted white vest beautifully showed off her natural, golden tan.
‘I’m so happy,’ Gina beamed. ‘And it’s a dream, a real bucket list moment, to be back here in actual New York! The last time I came here was on a school trip in my early teens.’
‘Oh, I’m really pleased for you, darling. And you look fabulous, all golden and glowing. Now, shall we find my driver?’ Deedee suggested, and the three women made their way through the crowds to the exit doors.
‘You have a driver?’ Rosie gasped as she caught up with Deedee.
‘I sure do, although it sounds far more bougie than it actually is. Anthony is a friend and we’ve known each other for decades. We first met when I was here in New York for a wild weekend in my twenties and we hit it off right away, became firm friends and then I was his best woman when he married his gorgeous husband, Karl. Anthony was then my queen of honour when I married Joe.’
‘Cool, I can’t wait to meet him,’ Gina said, pushing a luggage trolley alongside Deedee.
‘I should warn you, he pretends to be perpetually outraged about something or another most of the time, but underneath it all he’s an absolute sweetheart,’ Deedee continued. ‘Anthony used to be a professional performer – he sang and danced in many Broadway musicals back in the day, and we would go clubbing together in the seventies, dancing to disco music at Studio 54 after the shows.’
‘Wow, that sounds amazing!’
‘It was,’ Deedee said, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia for those gloriously hedonistic days. ‘Anyway, it was a long time ago. Anthony’s always loved driving and showing off his beloved New York so is now living his dream as a chauffeur and we help each other out. I send all my clients who are travelling to New York to him for a sightseeing tour and he looks after me when I’m here. A perk of being a travel agent. Come on, he’ll be waiting. You’re going to love him. Trust me, he can recommend all the best places to go and seems to be on first name terms with most of the restaurant ma?tre d’s so can often find lunch and dinner reservations at short notice. Plus Karl is a fashion stylist, so I’ve arranged for the three of us to visit his studio in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District to have a styling session with him tomorrow, to kickstart our holiday off and help us all find something fabulous to wear to my birthday soirée.’
‘Ooh, that sounds amazing! Thanks, Deedee,’ Rosie said as she hurried along on the other side of Deedee, still clutching the ribbons with the gold balloons bobbing about in the air above her head.
‘My pleasure, darling. And maybe we could do the cocktails after the styling session,’ Deedee said.
‘Oh yes, good plan. And I have the location details of the bar where Tom Cruise worked in the Cocktail movie,’ Rosie beamed, and Deedee opened her mouth to say that she already knew the perfect place only a block away from the studio but stopped herself just in time on seeing Rosie’s eager face. She was pleased that her friend seemed happier now she had something to organise. There was no need to spoil that for her.
Outside, and Deedee stopped momentarily to close her eyes and lift her face upwards to bask in the gloriously warm and welcoming New York spring sunshine. It really was the best time of year to visit… when the temperature was just right, it wasn’t too cold or too hot. And it instantly lifted her mood. The buzz, the sound of traffic, the raw frenetic energy in the air, it was palpable, instantly all-surrounding to remind her there really was no other place on earth like New York.
‘And here he is!’ Deedee pulled her luggage trolley up beside a sleek black limousine in a waiting bay. She could see Anthony, who usually wore faded Levi’s and a polo shirt, was most definitely playing his part by posing in a tailored black suit with a crisp white shirt and dark shades as he languished against the car’s big bonnet. There was even a black peaked hat perched on top of his head. He had his arms folded and a cheeky smile on his stubble-chinned handsome Italian face.
‘Welcome to New York, ladies, so good they named it twice!’ he announced theatrically, putting on a strong Jersey accent so he sounded like Tony Soprano on gas. He winked and blew a kiss as he swept the hat from his head and flung his arms out wide in greeting as if he was back on a Broadway stage and about to burst into a rousing rendition of ‘All That Jazz’ or something equally showtune-y and perky.
‘Oh stop it, you’ve always been such an outrageous flirt,’ Deedee said, batting the side of his arm before pulling him in for a hearty hug.
Once he had stowed all their luggage into the limo and bundled the balloons in too, Anthony tossed his hat in through an open window and directed Gina and Rosie to their seats. After showing them how the mini cocktail bar worked, where the glasses, ice bucket, straws and stirrers were and helped them to select a cocktail can each, he turned to Deedee who was still standing by the driver’s door.
‘It’s so good to see you, doll. How are you doing?’ he asked, back in his usual Brooklyn accent.
‘I’m OK, good in fact,’ she said, but caught her breath on doing so.
‘You sure?’ He touched a thumb and index finger to her chin to gently tilt her gaze up to meet his scrutinising eyes. ‘Cos your face is sure not saying the same as your mouth. Is it what happened with your last lover?’ he asked in his typically blunt way. Deedee smiled wryly. Anthony narrowed his eyes as Deedee remembered the WhatsApp chat she’d had with him a few days ago.
‘Oh, Luca? Of course not, you know these flings never last. And besides, he met someone else. It was just a fun, mutual thing for me with no strings,’ she said, and it was true. It had suited her, the friends with benefits arrangement she’d had with Luca. He lived in Milan, and they would get together whenever he was in England for business which tended to be every other month or so. Deedee was still in love with Joe, even now, after four years without him and so had never even considered actually falling in love with someone new. She just couldn’t contemplate it. Yes, she’d had other lovers since losing Joe, but had never allowed it to become anything more than a casual thing.
‘So who is this other woman he wants to “be exclusive” with?’ Anthony asked, straight to the point as always with a protective look on his face as he did sarcastic quote signs with his fingers up in the air.
‘Her name is Bella, much younger than me of course, but then so is he,’ Deedee said resignedly, because she was genuinely pleased for him having found someone special to build a life with and have a family. But it had been a stark reminder for Deedee that she was nudging towards the later part of her own life and was never going to experience that heady feeling of falling in love again, the swirl of excitement that she’d had with Joe. And at her age it was most likely that she would be on her own now for the rest of her life. Yes, she might meet another lover, but it wasn’t the same as a loving and long-lasting relationship, one that was so much more than just flirting over dinner, with sex for afters.
‘Hmmm, well, let him settle for basic Bella then!’ Anthony pouted and rolled his eyes. ‘She will never be as good as you, my love.’
‘Oh darling, now, now! Put your queenie claws away,’ she laughed, picking a piece of fluff away from his lapel. ‘I let him go and wished him well. Luca deserves happiness too, and remember he is twenty-five years younger than I am and was always keen to become a father, so this is his chance. I can’t begrudge him that. We’ve agreed to remain friends, but without the benefits of course! I would never do that to another woman.’ She smiled and lifted her eyebrows remembering the pain it caused her when both her first and second husband had cheated on her with other women. ‘And so now I’m looking forward to and focusing on having a wonderful time here in the best city in the world surrounded by my closest friends.’
‘But what about the sex?’ Anthony said, aghast, and then winked.
‘You’re outrageous!’ Deedee shook her head. ‘And yes, I will miss that of course,’ she said, a firm believer in sex not being taken off the table for women her age.