***
Chance waited on his balcony until he saw movement in her room. He leaned against the rail and pretended he didn’t see her watching him. He flexed his muscles and searched the beach for nothing in particular, all the while spying on her out of the corner of his eye. Almost nonchalantly, he turned and stretched, and his face showed recognition when he saw her. He smiled and waved quickly before going back into his room.
He fell against the bed, feeling like an idiot. What if she didn’t take the bait? He wasn’t even sure this was going to work. Damn it! Maybe he should just go over and ask her to dinner before another man beat him to it. Or, even worse, before she believed he was no longer interested and the opportunity passed him by. He was doing it all wrong.
With his heart in his hands, he crossed the courtyard and stood just beneath her window. He picked up a pebble and tossed it at the lattice door. He waited anxiously for a few seconds before tossing another. He was just about to toss the third when she came out on the balcony.
“I thought that might be you,” she said and leaned over to look at him. “You need to grow up, you know.”
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” he asked. “You can’t say no.”
“In that case, I guess I have no choice,” she smiled back. “But I’m not hungry.”
“Okay then, how about a stroll on the beach? We can eat dinner later,” he said. His confidence was returning now that he hadn’t been rejected.
“I guess,” she said. “Nothing better to do. Let me get dressed.”
“I’ll be waiting here,” he responded and watched as she disappeared inside.
Chance couldn’t remember the last time he felt so nervous about being with a person; Claire was a force to be reckoned with. She was strong and stubborn, from what he could tell, and she could easily blow him off whenever she felt like it. He wasn’t really in control of this game.
Claire walked up behind him without him realizing it. She tapped him on the shoulder.
Chance jumped and turned to her. “I didn’t see you come up.”
“Maybe you should pay more attention,” she said.
“Maybe,” he replied with a grin.
Claire was absolutely taken by his good looks, his dimples, and the commanding air he possessed. He seemed confident and self-assured, and she wasn’t sure she was a good fit for him. Still, this was a vacation, and this fling would probably end with the week.
“So deep,” she smiled.
Chance beamed as he enjoyed his mini victory, and he cringed when he passed the same girl who had been vying for his attention the day before. She stared at him incredulously and looked Claire up and down.
Claire glanced back at the girl after they had passed, and she noticed Chance looking dead ahead. “One of your admirers?” she asked.
“Yep,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Nothing happened between us if that’s what you are wondering. Not when you’ve occupied my head.”
“Is that so?”
He smiled and took her hand as they wove through the tables and chairs in the courtyard. He was content to be in control of his game once more, at least for the time being.
***
Chance shared his knowledge and adventures with Claire as they sat in the dinghy on the lagoon.
“Are you sure about this?’ Claire asked as she looked at the little space they shared on the small boat.
“About what? Have you never been in a canoe?”
“No,” she said as she shook her head.
“Now that’s frightening. The first time my father took me in that thing I almost died,” he laughed. “Especially after it collapsed.”
“I’m a good swimmer, but that doesn’t mean I want to be stuck underwater with this thing over me,” Claire laughed. “So if you’re trying to frighten me, it won’t work.”
“I won’t let you drown, Claire,” he grinned. “Even if my life depended on it.”
Hearing him say her name for the first time, she felt warm and fuzzy inside as she recorded his words and played them over and over again in her mind. “You’d better not,” she exclaimed and looked down into the water.
From where he sat across from her, Chance watched Claire stare at the water below them and put her hand over the side of the boat to comb the water as it moved. They could see the sand at the bottom, and the small fish that raced along. He watched her as she focused on taking in all the sights around her like a child might. Gosh, she was beautiful, and all he wanted to do was pull her to him and kiss her, but he didn’t want to spook her. It had taken him far too long to gain her attention to lose it by doing something stupid.
They spent the rest of the morning and mid-afternoon on the water; by the time they got back to the bay and resort, Claire was red all over.