“I’m not sure.” He sipped some more water.
“I would advise you not bother her or try to get her to notice you. She has been through enough and doesn’t need her heart broken again. I see the way women look at you, and I’ve seen the way you look back from time to time. She doesn’t need someone like you in her life.”
“You don’t know me, Amy,” he told her.
“I’ve seen enough,” she replied. “I just don’t want to see her get hurt again.”
“Me neither,” Chance said.
“Why do I get the feeling you are not going to leave her alone?” Amy asked as she folded her arms over her chest.
“It’s like a sickness,” he grinned. “I always get what I want. She’s mine.”
“I think this dinner is over,” she said and got up. “Can’t believe I wanted to have dinner with someone so full of himself.”
Chance rose and watched her as she walked away. He should have felt remorseful about making Amy feel bad, but instead, he felt the weight lift from him as he stood there, and suddenly an idea came to him. Claire wasn’t a woman one could wine and dine for a night and forget about the following morning, so smiling and acting the fool would win him no points. He had to be more creative than that, now that he knew she wasn’t stone-hearted after all. He settled the bill, and with a grin on his face made a beeline for the one place he knew would give him something that might bring a smile to her face.
“Hello,” the attendant said as he entered the gift shop. “How may I help you?”
“I’m looking for something special for someone,” he told her. “Something really nice.”
“I see,” she smiled. “Follow me.”
She showed him an assortment of gifts and treats, but none caught his eye; none seemed perfect enough to express what he wanted to say.
“Well, how big is your budget?” she asked him.
“Pretty big,” he told her and grinned. “For her, it’s unlimited.”
“Alright then,” she said as she took him to a section in the back. “This is where we keep our special merchandise for our special clients.”
It didn’t take Chance long to find exactly what he was looking for. He asked her to box it up and make a delivery to room 127.
“She must be a special girl,” the woman commented.
“Very,” he said as he paid for the gift and tipped her handsomely. “Thank you.”
He returned to his room, anxious for the morning when he would see the reaction on her face.
CHAPTER 9
Claire got out of bed, surprised that someone was knocking. She looked over at the clock and saw that it read five minutes after seven. She got up and hurriedly slipped into a robe. “Just a minute,” she called.
When she opened the door, no one was there. She looked down the hallway, but it was empty. She saw the food cart and wondered if someone had left it there by mistake. But her room number was on the card, and though she was suspicious, she wheeled it inside. Maybe her mother had taken the liberty of ordering her breakfast out of concern that she may not be eating properly.
But when she lifted the cover, she saw a large, black box with a velvet exterior. She stood there looking at it for a while before she picked it up and turned it over in her hands. She took a deep breath and opened it. She immediately dropped the box and staggered backwards. Surely someone must have sent the box to the wrong room. With hands covering her mouth and her eyes wide, she ventured closer to the thing once more. She decided to lift the other cover on the cart, and there she saw a note.
“Emerald is a great compliment for hazel eyes.”
Claire replaced the note and opened the box again to admire the gold necklace boasting an emerald pendant shaped like cayenne pepper. It took her breath away, but it didn’t take long for her to realize who the buyer must be. In that moment of realization, she heard the door knock.
She opened the door, box still in hand. “Chance.”
“Good morning, Claire,” he said.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” she said sarcastically as she held the box against her chest. Chance looked a nervous wreck as he stood there with his anxious eyes. Claire almost took pity on him.
“So?” he asked, and folded his arms as if he expected her to roll over after one gesture.
“So what?” she asked, looking at him blankly.
“You like it?”
Claire felt like smacking him. He still held the pompous air that was doing him no favors, and as beautiful as the jewel was, Claire knew she couldn’t take it. “I do,” she murmured as she pushed it towards him. Unfortunately, he chose to come closer to her at that moment so that she ended up touching his chest. She let go quickly before other thoughts started making their way into her mind. He grabbed it before it fell.
Confused, he looked at her. “So why are you giving it back? I went out of my way to get this for you.”