Take a Chance on Me (4 page)

Wait a
minute, there’s just a partition separating us? Is it too late to run for the
elevator?

The boy smiled again
. Yeah, probably too late, so just get it over and done with.

Rachel handed him some bills and then went into
the suite and shut the door.

She took a deep breath while looking at the
partition that divided her and this strange man whose name she didn’t even know
until five minutes ago.

I still
don’t know his first name.

Okay, might as well dive in here. Meet him and
let him know ASAP, that sorry, there would be no romance and definitely no sex.
Ask for your money back if you like.

Rachel glanced in the mirror, pushing down the
arms on her blouse to make sure they were covered, and then checked her hair. She
eased her hands down the front of her skirt to iron out the creases.

She marched over to the door, wondering what he
looked like. She’d soon find out. She lifted her hand and gave two quick taps
on the wood. Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door and then it slid
open.
 
And there he was.

She swallowed… almost choked on her own saliva.
He was handsome, broad-shouldered and tall with light brown hair and gorgeous
blue eyes. She swallowed again at a loss for words. Had her heart missed a
beat? No, surely not. She never believed in that sort of crap.

“You must be Ms. Moore,” he said.

He held out his hand and she shook it. “I’m
Mitchell.” He had a firm grip and looked her straight in the eye.

“And I’m Rachel. I’m sorry I’m late, but my last
patient didn’t show up on time and I couldn’t rush through treatment.”

I’m
rambling and he probably doesn’t care. And why do I care all of a sudden?

“Patient?
Are you a doctor?”

“No, a physical therapist.”

“I’m being rude standing here like this. How
about I slide this open and you can come over to my side of the suite and have
a drink. Looks like the hotel left us champagne and chocolates.”

“Sounds great, because I’m
famished.
I didn’t have time for lunch.”

Mitchell pushed the wall back and Rachel
followed him into the other side of the room.

“Hey, you’ve got a whirlpool,” she said.

“I assume it’s for both of us to use, so feel
free to jump in whenever you want.”

She wanted to, but guessed he’d think it sort of
strange if she left her blouse on to do so.

“You said you’re hungry and in fact, so am I.
Should I order something from room service for us?”

“That sounds great.” Rachel sat on the bed
thinking what a nice guy he seemed to be Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she’d
thought
..
She watched Mitchell pull out the black
folder with menu written on the front and walk toward her. She would have
noticed the limp even if she weren’t a physical therapist. She tried not to
stare as he dragged his left leg slightly behind him, but she couldn’t avert
her eyes fast enough.

He didn’t say anything but simply sat down and
offered her the menu. Now she felt guilty about staring.
Her
of all people should have known better.

“Anything you’re particularly hungry for?” he
asked.

She took a quick look. The cheeseburger sounded
tempting. The photo of the shrimp quesadilla looked downright mouthwatering,
and right now she couldn’t narrow it down. Her stomach rumbled as if telling
her to make a decision, and soon.

“Everything seems so good. The pizza might have
won me over, though.”

“I was thinking about one of those too. I’ve
missed eating a really good one while I’ve been out of the U.S.”

“Really, where were you?”

“I was in the Army for ten years and I just got
back from Afghanistan.”

Rachel guessed, and it was only a guess, that
maybe his limp had something to do with his profession. Had he been shot or
wounded in action?

She did have a couple of patients who’d lost
arms or legs while serving in the Armed Forces.

“How about we order the large size and split
it?” he asked.

“Sounds good to me.”

“I’m
an everything
on
my pizza type of guy, but if there’s something you prefer we can order that.”

“I’ll eat just about anything, so whatever
you’re craving’s fine with me.”

“Okay, I’ll call down.”

Rachel watched him again as he got up and walked
over to the phone. She’d come here adamant that she wasn’t going to get
involved with him but now she’d seen him, well, any woman would find him hard
to resist. He turned around and smiled and her heart melted. She smiled back
noticing that, like her, he had glitter in his hair and some flecks of it
across his shoulders. The limo––that had to be the most logical explanation.

Mitchell put the phone down and placed the menu
back on top of the desk.

“They said it shouldn’t be more than twenty
minutes and I also ordered us a couple of sodas.”

There was an awkward silence between them as he
looked at her, she at him, and then they both spoke at the same time.

“I’m…”

“I have…”

They both laughed. “Go ahead,’ said Mitchell. He
walked over to her and sat on the bed close enough for her to feel the heat
from his body penetrating into hers. It suddenly felt comforting and she began
to relax.

“I was about to say I’ve never done this sort of
thing before,” she said.

“Me neither, so I guess it’s the blind leading
the blind.”

“So what made you sign up for this?”

“My brother.
How about you?”

“It was my mother.
Thirtieth
birthday present for me.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“It was last Wednesday.”

“Well, belated happy birthday.”

“Thank you. So what are you planning to do now
that you’re out of the Army?”

“A good question.
I’m not sure yet. I might start my own security company, but before
I make a definite decision I have to go into …”

He stopped suddenly.

“Can I get you one of those chocolates? In fact,
I’d really like one,” he said jumping up off the bed.

“Sure.”

His limp seemed more pronounced now, probably
because he’d been sitting. Rachel knew she could help him with some exercises
specifically for that, but didn’t think this was the time or place to raise the
subject.

There was a knock on the door.

“You want me to get that?” asked Rachel.

“Sure, it’s probably our room service.”

***

The room felt suddenly hot and oppressive, despite it being a
spacious suite. To him, at first sight, Rachel was the most beautiful girl he’d
ever set eyes upon. The moment he’d opened the door, his heart had flipped and
his legs had turned to a wobbling mess that barely supported his weight. Her
beautiful skin, the wavy dark blonde hair, the little upturn in her nose, and
those mesmerizing green eyes…He’d vowed not to even think about getting into a
relationship, and sex had actually been the last thing on his mind this
evening, but now he wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in his arms, carry
her to the bed, and make love to her.

But she’d seen his limp. He knew she had. Rachel
had been diplomatic enough to glance down at the floor when he’d caught her
staring, but he’d seen the look in her eyes. She’d probably run right out of
the hotel room and down the hallway once they got naked. Not worth even trying
to go through with it.

He watched as she signed for their meal and then
looked over and smiled at him. She was so pretty when she did that. And she
also had glitter in her hair, just like him. Now he didn’t feel like such an
idiot. Maybe she’d been attacked by it in the limo, too.

“Are you going to eat this with me? Because I
warn you, I have a
huge
appetite,”
she said.

Laughing, Mitchell pulled out the chair from the
table where she’d set the pizza along with two plates and a stack of napkins.

“This looks more than great.” Mitchell took his
first bite. It was heavenly, and not just because he hadn’t eaten honest-to-
goodness
 
American
-made
pizza for over a year. The present company was a hell of a lot better, too.

“Wow, this is pretty fantastic,” said Mitchell,
hoping she didn’t mind him talking with his mouth full.

“So, what’s Army food like?”

“Not as bad as you’d think, but nothing
like
this. I might have to take some of this home with me.
I’m a lousy cook.
How about you?”

“I haven’t killed anyone with any of my
recipes…yet.”

They both laughed, and as they did a dollop of
pizza sauce dripped from the slice Rachel was holding and onto her chin.

Mitchell reached across the table and swiped it
with his index finger. It had obviously taken her by complete surprise, because
she stopped eating and sat there looking at him. Maybe he shouldn’t have––it
was something people who knew one another really well did, like old lovers. Not
a couple thrown together because of two overzealous relatives insisting they
hook up.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” He wiped his
finger on the napkin.

“No, I didn’t think that. I’m afraid I’m a messy
eater at times.”

He must have made her nervous or something,
because just as she said that, her hand shook a little and a chunk of pepperoni
slid off the slice of pizza and landed smack in the middle of her pretty white
blouse.

 
“Geez,
what you must think of me,” Rachel said, apology in her tone.

Rachel removed the meat and set it down on the
napkin before grabbing another one and dabbing at the stain, but it just spread
it around the fabric and made things worse.

“Here, take off your blouse and we can go and
soak it in the sink before the stain sets in,” said Mitchell, standing. “Tomato
sauce is deadly, and we Army guys are pretty good with laundry.”

“No, please don’t worry about it. I’ll go to the
bathroom and take it off there and rinse it under the tap.”

“It’s no problem. Here, let me help you.” He
reached out to help her, but suddenly regretted it when she dodged his
arm .
She stood and shied away from him. Her eyes and
expression suddenly showed fear, or maybe it was dread. It was as if she were
suddenly afraid of him.

“No, please, don’t touch my arm or blouse, just
don’t. Okay?”

Mitchell stood with his mouth open as she threw
down the pizza slice, ran across the room, went back to her side of the suite
and slid the wall across with a distinct
bang
.

He swallowed, sorry that he’d insisted she take
off her blouse or tried to grab her arm. Maybe she thought he was going to attack
her or something. He had to clear things up.

He rushed to the door and tapped lightly with
his knuckle.

“Rachel, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you or
anything. I swear I wasn’t going to hurt you.”

He put his forehead on the wall between them
waiting, praying, for her to respond.

“It’s okay. I didn’t think that at all,” she
said through the door.

Her voice sounded muffled now. She was crying,
and that was the last thing he wanted. They’d been getting along so well. He
was also starting to really enjoy himself. He thought she was, too.

Mitchell put his hand on the door handle, hoping
to slide it open so he could see her face when he offered his apology. However,
it wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t try and come in here.” He heard her
sobbing. Just what had he done?

“Rachel, there’s something more going on here
than the blouse and stain.”

“Please just forget about this evening. I’m
really sorry if I’ve ruined things for you.”

“Hey, open this door and let me in. I hate to
hear a woman cry. Please, Rachel.”

“No, just get your money back from Perfect
Pairing and leave, please.”

“It’s not my money, it’s my brother’s and I’m
not leaving you like this. It’s obvious you’re very upset over something and I
want to make it right.”

“You can’t, and it’s not your fault, really it
isn’t. It’s mine.”

“Give me a try, okay?
Just one
chance to make it right…And if I can’t, then on my honor I’ll walk out of this
hotel room and leave you alone.
You’ll never have to see me ever again.
But please give this guy an opportunity to clear things up.”

“You’re pushy, has anyone ever told you that?”

Did he detect a slight laugh when she’d said
that?