“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.”
“I didn’t ask you to,” she told him, her arms crossed.
“You didn’t need to; I saw it and I thought I’d get it for you.” He walked past her and to the cart in the room where he set the box down again. “It’s still yours whether you want it or not; I have no use for it.”
“Chance, look,” Claire paused as she searched for the right words. “I came here to get away and to be alone. Yes, you are handsome and a charmer, but don’t waste it on me. Amy has been digging you from the first time she saw you. Why don’t you just stick to the ones who are…”
“Available?” he finished her sentence for her.
“Yes. Available,” she answered, lowering her eyes.
“You know, going out with someone else can be a good way to get your mind off of another,” he told her. “I know he hurt you…”
The look Claire gave him stopped him mid-sentence. “You know what? How do you know someone hurt me?”
“I can tell,” he said nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
“You’re lying,” she replied. “Admit it.”
“Okay, I admit it. Amy told me why you are here,” he said after a pause. “But that has nothing to do with any of this.”
“I don’t believe this! Why would she be…what did she tell you?” Claire was growing angrier by the minute.
“Nothing much,” he defended. “Just that you were to be married and it didn’t work out so you came here.”
“I think that’s enough,” Claire said, placing her hands on her hips and turning away from Chance. She started crying before she could stop herself.