by: Melissa Hill
Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
New York City at Christmas and a visit to Tiffany's is a recipe to sweep a girl off her feet unless fate has other plans . . .
When Ethan Greene lost the love of his life, he never thought he would be able to replace her, until one woman stepped in and showed him how to be happy again. Now, on a romantic Christmas trip to New York City, he has a plan to show Vanessa just how important she is to him and maybe even to give his daughter, Daisy, a complete family again. He's going to propose with a perfect ring from Tiffany's.
Gary Knowles and his girlfriend, Rachel, are on the trip of a lifetime in New York at the most magical time of year. The only thing missing is Gary's gift for Rachel, since as usual, he's left his shopping far too late. On a last-minute Christmas Eve visit to Tiffany's, he quickly picks out a charm bracelet for her and heads back to their hotel.
But, in a moment, one small mistake changes everything…
Chapter 1
The significance of what he was about to do wasn’t lost on Ethan Greene. It was a big moment in his life, would be in any man’s, he guessed.
But as he battled through the Manhattan crowds on possibly the busiest shopping day of the year, he now wished he’d chosen a better time.
Christmas Eve on Fifth Avenue? He must be mad.
Taking a deep breath of the cold air, which was refreshing and not as damp as it usually was in London, he couldn’t help but think how little had changed since the last time he was in this city and, at the same time, how much had.
Arriving in New York only two days before, he’d surprised himself by how well he remembered the landmarks and how easily he found his way around. The jostle of the subway ride from Midtown to downtown and back again, the scent of well-worn vinyl taxi seats, and the endless hum of a billion voices—human or inanimate—buoyed him. The unmistakable buzz of the place put a new spring in his step, something he hadn’t felt in years.
But now Ethan was in a hurry and acutely aware that the minutes were ticking by, and the crowds seemed to be growing thicker. There wasn’t much time left.
Alongside him, Daisy squeezed his hand briefly as if sensing what he was thinking, yet she really had no idea what he’d planned. All he’d said was that he needed to make one more stop before they returned to the warmth of their hotel.
Mindful of how much he hated crowds (and shopping for that matter), she was probably just trying to put him at ease.
How would she react? Okay, so the idea had been in the cards for a while and had been mentioned more than once recently, so by rights, today shouldn’t really be too much of a surprise.
While she seemed keen, Ethan realized now that he really should have spoken to her about it in more detail. It was unlike him not to discuss such matters, but the truth was he was nervous. What if her reaction wasn’t as positive as he’d anticipated? An anxious lump appeared in his throat. Well, he’d find out soon enough, especially when they reached their destination.
She looked especially pretty today, he thought, wrapped up in a multitude of layers to keep out the teeth-chattering cold, her blond curls creeping out under a dark woolen hat, and wearing a black embroidered cape. Despite the cold, she was loving New York just as he’d known she would, and everyone knew there was no better time than Christmas to visit the city. Yes, this was a good idea, Ethan reassured himself. Everything would work out fine.
Finally, having negotiated through the multitude of last-minute shoppers, they reached the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-Seventh Street. He looked at Daisy, and her eyes widened in surprise as he took her hand and steered them both toward the entrance.
“What’s going on?” she squealed, gazing at the familiar nameplate beside the doorway, its typically clean line wording on polished granite, today surrounded by verdant pine branches especially for the Christmas season. “What do we need here?”
“I told you, I need to pick something up,” Ethan replied, leading the way and giving her a brief wink as the glass revolving doors deposited them into the hallowed halls of Tiffany & Co.
Daisy was immediately captivated by the vast, high-ceilinged shop floor and its column-free design, and she gazed in amazement at the long rows of glass-fronted cases, their precious wares twinkling alluringly under the spotlights.
“Oh wow, it’s all so beautiful,” she gasped, standing in awe in the middle of the aisle as crowds of equally captivated shoppers and tourists milled around, each one fascinated by the breathtaking jewelry displays. The store was one of the few in Manhattan that didn’t utilize lavish festive decoration, its twinkling wares requiring little embellishment, and this combined with the unmistakably romantic Tiffany’s allure was more than enough to create that magical Christmas feeling.
“It is, isn’t it?” Ethan agreed, his nervousness dissipating somewhat now they were here. He took her arm and guided her through the various display cases and down the back toward the elevators, his tired feet temporarily soothed by the soft-carpeted floor.
“Where are you going?” she asked, following him reluctantly. “Slow down a bit. Can’t we take a look around? I’ve never been here before and… Where are we going?” she continued, bemused as the elevator doors opened.
“The second floor please,” Ethan requested from the suited lift attendant.
“Certainly, sir,” the man said and complied, bowing graciously beneath his top hat. He smiled at Daisy. “Madam.”
“But why would be we going there?” she asked, her voice hushed, and he deduced she’d read from the directory display overhead what was on this particular floor.
Ethan’s heart began to hammer in his chest as the elevator doors closed. Would she be okay with this? Again, he probably should have just come right out and asked, but he figured that she’d enjoy the surprise, and he also thought it was important that she felt very much a part of it. She was certainly taken with the place, but he knew she would really be impressed by the second floor.
His voice was light. “Like I said, I need to pick something up.”
Now Daisy gazed at him with wide blue eyes. “You’re not…” She gasped, immediately understanding, but from her expression, Ethan still couldn’t quite gauge her reaction, and he guessed the presence of the attendant was intimidating her into not asking further questions.
Within seconds, the elevator doors reopened and he and Daisy stepped out into the wood-paneled room of Tiffany’s famed Diamond Floor, where he had come to collect his purchase.
“I can’t believe this,” she said as they approached one of the hexagon-shaped wood and glass display cases, her head swiveling from left to right as she watched various happy couples around the room being served champagne while they made what would arguably be the most important purchase of their lives. “I really can’t believe it! This is what you’re picking up?”
Ethan smiled nervously. “I know I should have said something but—”
“Ah, Mr. Greene.” An elderly distinguished sales assistant addressed Ethan before either had a chance to say anything more. “Pleasure seeing you again. Everything is in order and ready to go. We weren’t sure, and I forgot to ask on the phone if you preferred your purchase already gift wrapped or if you wanted to show the lady first.” He smiled at Daisy, who beamed back at him, wide-eyed.
“Course I want to see it!” she exclaimed and then put a guilty hand to her mouth, evidently conscious that she really should be using a little more decorum—especially in a place like this.
Ethan hid a smile.
“Well, here we are,” the older man said, his voice low and gentle as he presented them with the world-renowned little blue box. Placing it ceremoniously on the glass display in front of Daisy, he pulled back the lid to reveal the platinum marquise solitaire Ethan had chosen a couple of days before.
The ring had needed to be sized correctly, which was why he was picking it up today, and now considering it afresh, he was pretty sure he’d made a good choice. It was a classic Tiffany setting: the diamond lifted slightly above the band and held in place by six platinum prongs in order to maximize the stone’s brilliance.
“So what do you think?” he asked Daisy, but it was pretty obvious from the expression on her face that she was captivated by the beautiful ring, although that wasn’t really the question Ethan was asking.
But when she turned to look at him, her delighted expression told him everything he needed to know.
“It’s the perfect choice, Daddy,” Ethan’s eight-year-old daughter assured him, “and Vanessa is going to absolutely love it!”
Purchase Something From Tiffany’s from:
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You can view the Prime Studios and Hello Sunshine perfectly adorable trailer here, and stream it on Amazon Prime Video today.
A Hollywood adaptation of her international bestseller Something from Tiffany's, by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine and Amazon Studios, will be released worldwide in Dec 2022.
Other novels including A Gift to Remember and The Charm Bracelet have been adapted for screen by Hallmark Channel USA with multiple other titles currently also in development for film and TV.
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sounds like such a wonderful book
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to read the book and/or watch the movie.
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