Oceans Between Us (A Cinderella Romance) (15 page)

"We haven't got tickets yet."

"They're bound to have returns. Theaters usually do just before a performance."

It was after five by the time they left. The temperature had dropped, so they wrapped up in coats, scarves, and gloves and took a taxi back to Lincoln Center.

The sun had started to set and lights were already popping on across the city. The buildings surrounding Lincoln Center plaza glowed, and the fountain was lit from below, the bursts of water sparkling like a fireworks display. Since the previous day, rows of plastic seats had been set up facing the opera house, some already occupied.

Maria headed straight to the Met and passed beneath the arched entrance into the magnificent lobby. An unusual, cantilevered staircase curved elegantly up to the next floor, while eleven huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling like starbursts of light. People milled around, laughing and chatting, most in evening dress. "Oh," Chris said, looking crestfallen. "I think we're underdressed."

"We're fine. Not all the women are wearing long dresses." Maria led the way to the box office and joined the line. When they reached the front, they asked if there were any tickets available. The woman serving gave them an incredulous glance. "The opening night sold out months ago."

"What about returns?" Chris retorted.

The woman sighed and tapped on her computer screen. "A pair of tickets has just become available. I do have a waiting list, but as you're here I'll let you have them."

"How much are they?"

"$675 each."

"What?" Maria and Chris chorused. The woman couldn't be serious. But her expression said she was.

"That's ridiculous. Our flights over from the UK didn't cost that much," Chris said.

Maria turned away despondently. "You can watch outside for free," a young woman in the line suggested. "There's a big screen on the front of the building where they show the performance live. If you hurry, you should get a seat."

"Thank you." Maria exchanged smiles with the woman and grabbed Chris's hand. "Come on. Quickly, before the seats fill up." They darted through the gathering crowd to the doors.

"I wondered what these plastic chairs were for," Chris said.

"Look up there." Maria pointed at a huge screen on the front of the Met overlooking the plaza. "It's not the same as being inside, but it's free." And at least she would get to see Dino perform.

They found two seats on the end of a row. While Chris kept their places, Maria bought takeout pizza and a cup of coffee for each of them. They hugged their coats close and munched while the few remaining spaces filled and a crowd collected in the plaza. As people around chatted, Maria felt a flash of pride in Dino every time she heard his name mentioned.

After an hour, the plaza was packed and Chris was shivering. "I'm not sure I can stick this out. It's so darn cold."

"Once the performance starts, you'll forget the cold."

Chris gave Maria a doubtful look.

A cheer went up as the screen finally burst into life. The picture and sound quality were fantastic. Maria's heart leaped when Dino first appeared. She touched the tiny gold heart at her throat and her eyelids fell as memories flooded through her at the first sound of his voice. The songs he sang on the CDs were wonderful, but his voice was so powerful and expressive in
La Bohème
. The 'sound of beauty and emotion,' he'd called this type of music that day in the car. When he was the one singing, she agreed. The plot seemed to be a love story that ended with the heroine dying in Dino's embrace. Maria chewed the fingers of her gloves as he held the beautiful, dark-haired singer, wishing she was the woman in his arms.

The opera ran for nearly three hours. About halfway through, Chris left to get more coffee and didn't return until near the end. "Sorry I was so long. I sat in the coffee shop to warm up," she whispered. "Can we go now?"

"Not until it's finished." Maria was determined not to miss a moment. After the performance, interviews with the cast were broadcast as they went into a gala dinner. Maria's heart beat faster as Dino appeared on the screen in a midnight-blue dinner jacket and matching bow tie, but her pleasure faded a little to see the ever-present Rachel on his arm, looking stunning in a shimmering, scarlet evening dress. He graciously accepted praise for his performance and answered questions, his easy smile and enthusiastic manner so familiar that tears pricked Maria's eyes.

"I have an exciting announcement tonight," he said, grinning. "I am delighted to have been asked to play Pavarotti in a Hollywood biopic of the great man." Spontaneous applause and hoots of approval burst out in the audience. "Luciano Pavarotti debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Rudolfo in Puccini's
La Bohème
in 1968. I am honored to be following in his footsteps."

The interviewer raved about how awesome it was to be chosen to play such a legend. This was obviously wonderful for Dino's career. Tears of joy flooded Maria's eyes to see him so happy, but the tears were bittersweet. As Dino explained they'd be filming in the USA and locations around the world, Maria's spark of hope she might ever have a place in his life fizzled out.

After his interview, Maria stared blankly at the opera house. She'd been deluding herself. Dino's postcard had probably been a kind gesture, nothing more. She'd been so desperate for a sign of his affection, her imagination had run away with her.

"Maria, can we go now? Pretty please. I can't feel my fingers."

"Sorry, Chris. Come on." Maria rubbed her sister's hands but her own were nearly as chilled. They hailed a taxi and huddled together in the back to get warm as they drove the few blocks to their hotel.

Maria fell into bed, incredibly weary after the shopping and drained from the emotional highs and lows. "I'm sorry, Mari," Chris whispered in the dark. "I know you're upset about Dino. But be happy for him. He's such a sweet guy, and this movie thing must be good for him."

"I know. I am happy. It's just hard." Maria pressed a hand over her mouth and swallowed back her sadness. She only wanted the best for him, but she badly wanted to talk to him just one last time. To wish him luck. To say the goodbye she'd missed out on when he left Cornwall.

The following day Maria persuaded Chris to go sightseeing. They visited the observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building. The city was so vast, so endless. Staring down at the spiky urban jungle of buildings, Maria longed for the peace and quiet of home, the smell of the salty sea air and the sound of the waves on the beach.

Her phone chimed. Maria checked to find a text from her mum saying she hoped they were having fun. Maria smiled and angled the screen towards Chris. "I miss the girls," Chris said wistfully. "I enjoyed my break, but I want to go home."

"Me too." Maria already knew she was a homebody like her dad. Her trip to Austria had only reinforced that. But it was good to be reminded what was important in life.

She folded her arms on the retaining wall and stared through the safety grid at the tiny cars on the streets far below. Her fingertips grazed her gold heart wistfully. Dino wasn't going to call. Her only chance of seeing him was to wait outside the stage door after his matinée performance the next day. There would be time before the flight if she and Chris had their bags packed and ready.

The following morning they took a harbor cruise to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and then headed back to the hotel to collect their cases before eating a late lunch in a restaurant across the road from the Met. They lingered over coffee, people-watching. For a moment, Maria thought she saw the bald-headed man from Saks, but he climbed into a taxi and she decided she must be paranoid.

After lunch, they wandered around Lincoln Center plaza and sat on the side of the waterfall to take photos of each other on their phones as mementos of the trip.

At three thirty, they headed to the stage door to be sure of a place at the front of the line. As the end of the performance drew near, the crowd swelled. Once the opera finished, more people surged into the corridor, pushing and shoving.

"Holy cow," Chris said, hanging on to Maria's arm with one hand and her case with the other. "These New Yorkers don't take prisoners." As the crowd increased, Maria's hopes faded. Even if Dino saw her, she couldn't say what she wanted to say in front of all these people. Then the doors opened and the cast members emerged. Fans elbowed and shoved to get a good view.

"Don't you give up your spot, Mari. Shove back." Chris pushed Maria forwards and she ducked beneath an arm and around a tall man. She glanced over her shoulder to see Chris had retreated to the safety of a wall, dragging both cases. Then a cheer went up and everyone clapped. Dino exited the stage door with a hand placed protectively on the back of his beautiful, dark-haired leading lady. They chatted with the crowd and signed autographs while two security guards flanked them.

Maria's pulse raced at the sight of him, his easy smile, his warm dark eyes, his oh-so-familiar leather jacket. She shouted his name, but her words were lost in the noise as other people did the same. The crowd was so dense she couldn't get closer, and she wasn't tall enough for him to see her. She shouted louder, a note of desperation in her voice. His head turned, an arrested look in his eyes, his pen poised over the program he was about to sign.

"I'm here, Dino," she shouted and raised her hand to wave. Suddenly a man barged in front of her and she stumbled back, saved from falling because the crowd was packed so tightly. She rose on tiptoe, but the man who'd pushed in front blocked her view. Frustrated, she shoved him and he cast her a withering glance over his shoulder. She froze. It was the man from Saks. With a squeak of fear, she shouldered her way back through the throng to Chris.

"What happened?" Chris demanded.

"It's that man, the one who was watching me." Maria scanned the crowd and caught sight of his bald head. "There," she pointed.

"Okay. Seriously creepy. I don't like the idea of being down here with him. We need to leave now," Chris said. "Take your case." Dino and his leading lady had moved farther down the hall towards their limo and the fans had gone with them. Chris headed in the other direction. With a last longing glance over her shoulder, Maria followed.

Chapter Ten

Dino was still buzzing from his success at the Met. He loved acting as well as singing. Opera was where his heart lay. He promised himself that at the end of the coming concert tour, he would pursue classical opera full time and recover his artistic integrity. The newspapers called him the King of Popera, a moniker he'd grown to hate. He hoped it wasn't too late for the hard-core opera community to take him seriously.

He and Rachel passed through security at Toronto airport and headed out to find a taxi. "Wait a moment,
cara
," he said and beckoned Rachel back as he perused the postcards displayed on a tourist stand. He planned to send Maria a card from every city he visited. Even though he had enjoyed his time in New York, Maria had never been far from his thoughts. At the height of his triumph in
La Bohème
, there had still been a small empty place inside him that longed for her. He hadn't known it was possible to miss someone this much, and he wanted to make sure she didn't forget him. As soon as he had an opening in his schedule, he would visit her.

Rachel looked on moodily while he bought a card and filled out the Crow's Nest address. He didn't hide what he was doing. It was time Rachel knew about Maria and understood that Dino's affections lay elsewhere.

Smiling, he wrote:
In Toronto for the start of my tour. Still missing you! Love, Dino
.

"Who's that for?" Rachel asked.

"A woman I met during my month out." He expected more questions, perhaps a clingy response, but she remained silent. It was then he realized that over the last few days she had been less demanding of his time. Maybe she sensed that romance between them was off the agenda.

He mailed his card and imagined Maria picking it up from the doormat in the Crow's Nest, the look on her face as she read his message. He hoped she would be pleased to hear from him again.

Outside the airport, they climbed into a cab and he gave the address of their hotel. Digging out his cell phone, he scrolled through the photographs to find his favorite one of Maria from their day in Mevagissey. His chest ached with longing as he stared at her smiling face, the wind whipping her ponytail up behind her. That had been a good day. One he would never forget. The first time he had kissed her. After that, he'd taken every opportunity to kiss her and hold her.

He sucked in a catchy breath and released it slowly. Strange that he had to fly halfway across the globe before he realized how much he loved her. "Here." He passed the phone to Rachel. "This is Maria, the woman I sent the postcard to."

Rachel cradled his phone in her hand and stared at the image, biting her lip. A single, silent tear slid down her cheek. Dino winced. He should have remembered she had feelings for him. "I'm sorry,
cara
. Forgive me for being insensitive. I did not mean to upset you."

More tears spilled down her cheeks. She pushed the phone back in his hand. "She was in New York."