Room 702 (35 page)

Dropping to her side, he clears his throat and answers, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior and also, I never got to thank you for saving my life.”

“Anything else?”

“Up until my allergic reaction, last night was one of the best dates I’ve ever had.
 
While I was slipping out of consciousness, do you want to know what I thought?”

“What’s that?” Her green eyes widen.

He takes one of her hands in his, and says, “I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to live and do you want to know what my biggest regret was?”

“No, I don’t.”

His voice drops even lower and he says, “Not doing this…”

Cupping her cheek in his hand, he watches as she closes her eyes and all but holds her breath.
 
Bringing her lips to meet his, he kisses her tentatively at first, waiting for any positive signal.
 
Finally, she grants his wish and shifts herself towards him and leans forward, intentionally brushing some of her generous cleavage against his chest.
 
Nathan needs no further encouragement and places a hand behind her head, bringing her closer, enjoying the feel of his hand in her soft hair.
 
Although his body is urging for closer contact, Nathan forces himself to enjoy their embrace.

Somewhat breathlessly, she ends their kiss and says, “So, you can die now?”

“I suppose.”
 

“I guess I could just go then…” She fiddles with the strap of her purse.

“I’d like it better if you stayed.”

“When do you fly out?”

“Tomorrow morning.
 
Any chance you’ve got a convention or reason to visit Texas some time soon?”

She looks at him wistfully and answers, “My restaurant keeps me super busy.
 
I haven’t had a vacation since I opened it.”

“That’s a shame.”

“So why did you call me yesterday?
 
Really?
 
Was interviewing me some sort of angle for the article you’re writing about the Winchester?”

“Not at all.
 
After eating every baked good in sight, I had to meet you.”

“Even if I almost killed you,” she laughs nervously.

“Even if you almost killed me.”
 
An awkward tension fills the space between them.
 
Nathan wants nothing more than to have Laura stay with him – even if they spend the whole night talking and nothing further physical happens between them.
 
He watches her, struggling with the decision to stay or leave, when suddenly she digs through her purse and pulls out a small branded box.
 
Handing it across, she requests, “Open it.”
 
He unties the green bow and opens the lid, revealing a perfect chocolate colored strawberry inside.
 
He smiles and comments, “Looks delicious.”
 
“Taste it.”
 
Not taking his eyes off of her, he places then entire strawberry inside his mouth and starts chewing, surprised there is a hidden amount of cheesecake within the fruit.
 
It’s one of the most amazing mouthfuls he’s ever had.
 
In thanks, when he kisses her, she tastes the sweetness and is glad she gave Nathan another chance.

 
“So what made you come back?
 
The way I treated you, you could’ve just never seen me again.
 
I’m not entirely sure I deserve you here this evening.”

 
She laughs and says, “Would it surprise you that I don’t date much?”

 
“Someone as lovely as you?
 
I don’t believe it.”

 
“Flatterer.”

 
“I have to try something to get back to where we were yesterday.”

 
“And where was that exactly?” Laura asks, her green eyes gleaming.
 

 
“I’d like to think it was potentially on its way to that room over there.” Nathan points to the bedroom.

 
“You would like to think that.”

 
“Would I be wrong?”

 
Laura considers her options.
 
While she cannot deny she is highly attracted to the man in front of her, she is not the type to hop into beds of men she has more or less just met.
 
At the same time, it has been a very long time and he is flying out tomorrow.
 
Not allowing herself to over think the situation, she forces herself be in the moment.
 
Standing up, she takes Nathan’s hand, and says, “You are not wrong.”

Michael Bennett paces nervously in the darkened suite.
 
He can’t sleep, which is unusual for him.
 
As a dedicated swimmer and mentally busy all day with meetings, he usually falls right to slumber every night.
 
Tonight, however, sleep escapes him.
 
Later this morning, he’ll be interviewing for a promotion at a new company.

 
Michael knows whom he’s up against.
 
The list is short, the competition is fierce.
 
The list includes colleagues and one member from his MBA program.

 
Tomorrow he meets with the CEO and the shareholders of his prospective new employer.

No one at his current company knows he is in Los Angeles.

No one in his division, nor the other senior managers have a clue he could be jumping ship in a matter of months.
 
They all think he’s taken a last minute anniversary trip with his wife.
 

He’s been at his current company for years.
 
After a few years of sleepless nights, he completed his MBA, lucked into a job at a decent company and steadily worked his way up.

He can already hear what they’ll say.
 
No one will understand why he wants to make the change, why he would want to move his family and take a risk, but he thinks life is too short.
 
If they can’t understand his decision or be excited for him, that’s their prerogative and one he personally doesn’t give a shit about.
 
This isn’t about the bigger office, an increased expense account or stock options.
 
This is about becoming senior management – a role he honestly believes he was put on this good earth to do.

When the head-hunter he had been networking with called and asked if he would be interested in the role, he leapt at the chance.

He’s survived two phone interviews and one video conference.

In his mind, he’s already walking into his boss’s office and handing in his letter of resignation.

He can see her reaction.
 
She’ll be upset.
 
She’ll ask why and when and how long this has been in motion.

It’s not about the money or the package, or the stock options – it’s about getting out of the never-ending rut that is his life.

He knows he’s more than just a middle manager from Ohio.

Michael Bennett can play and work on the national level.
 

He wants to call his wife.
 
Sara can soothe him and has been his greatest cheerleader through this process.
 
Even if she initially wondered if a new hobby might be a better reaction than uprooting their family, but ultimately she has been his rock of support.
 
As he glances at the clock, even with the time difference, it’s still a few hours until she’ll be up.

 
Where will they live?
 
Will they have celebrities for neighbors?
 
A million thoughts go through his head.

Having been sent a packet of sanitized business financials prior to the interview, Michael pulls out his notes on the company.
 
With reports of corporate espionage earlier in the year, the company had no choice but to watch as their major competitor surged forward in the market.

Michael firmly believes they can recover and gain back the market share that has been lost in the past few months.

 
He moves to the closet and looks at his suit, hanging peacefully.
 
After the first call from the head-hunter, he had splurged and bought a brilliant black Armani suit, which fits his 5’10” frame perfectly.
 
When he wore it, he felt like a million dollars – or at least capable of managing millions of dollars.
 
Running his hands over the silk blend, he looks to the fitted white shirt and silk tie in place hanging next to the suit.

What would his new life be like in Los Angeles?

He has a few colleagues in town, but the move would mean starting over.
 
Is this new opportunity something he can force on his children?
 
He and Sara have kept any reference of the move or his interview at a minimum.
 
He doesn’t want to upset or stress their nine year old or the seven year old twins.
 
They can wait until the holiday break.
 
Although the timing is bad and they’ll be apart, the six months will give Sara time to sell the house and him to get into the position without distractions.
 
It’s not ideal, but they’ll make it work.
 
She’s his rock – without her, he begins to realize that none of this would be possible.
 
Perhaps before he starts his new job, they can have his parents come and stay with the kids and take the trip to Hawaii like they’ve always talked about doing.

Michael moves to the settee at the end of the bed and closes his eyes.
 
Between being awake and asleep, his brain starts to drift.
 
Not quite dreaming, he hears a phone ring.
 
Coming out of the near sleep and looking at the phone sees his wife, Sara is the one calling.
 
Alarmed at the strange hour, he answers, “Hello?
 
Is everything okay?”

At this time of night, he hopes something hasn’t happened to one of their children or another family member.

“Michael, there’s something I have to tell you.”

The tone of her voice immediately sets him on edge.
 
As college sweethearts, they’ve grown up together over the years and faced unique challenges together.
 
A few years ago she lost her mother to breast cancer and they survived the loss.
 
Life hasn’t always been easy, but they’ve had more highs than lows.

“What is it?”

“I got the results from my scan last week.”

In his preparation for the interview, Michael has not been the most attentive parent or spouse.
 
He remembers she went in for some test or another, but didn’t give the appointment any further thought.

“And?”

“And the biopsy came back malignant.”

The word echoes in his mind.
 
It’s not a word he uses or hears very often.
 
Certainly, when they first learned about his mother-in-law’s illness, but now… the timing of the word seems off, out of place.
 
After his mother-in-law passed, they debated Becky opting for an elective double mastectomy, but in the end had decided against the operation – had pushed the date for some future rainy day when the kids were older.
 
Without the surgery, Becky had been slightly paranoid about going for her recommended annual scan.
 
The appointments came and went and after the first few, Michael had felt relieved and began to accept his wife would be somehow spared the disease.

“What did the oncologist recommend?” Michael tries to keep his voice even.

“A mastectomy.
 
Chemotherapy.”

“Starting?”

“As soon as possible.”

“I’ll come home.”

“No, Mikey…
 
I know how much this means to you.
 
You’ve worked so hard for it.”

In a moment, Michael sees the future he had so carefully constructed in his head fall away – the new house, the chance to prove himself.
 
Maybe there will be other job opportunities, maybe there won’t.
 
If these are the cards Fate is dealing him, he has no choice in the matter.
 
His wife and his family need him now.

“I’ll have a look at the flights now.
 
I’m pretty sure there’s a morning flight I can catch.”

“You can’t.”

“I can and I will.”

Across the miles, a number of emotions transpire.
 
Michael knows he should feel disappointment, but maybe this is as close as he was meant to come to greatness.
 
The hours of preparation and stress fade away.
 
While there might be other job opportunities in his life, he’ll only have one Sara.
 
His current employer provides a better than average health care plan and they should be mostly covered.
 
If he were to be appointed into the new position, there were no guarantees their health care needs would be met.
 
Additionally, at his current place of employment, he has ten years and a lot of understanding.
 
The CEO, a man he regularly golfs with, will most likely let him take as much time as he needed off work – no questions asked and with his position always waiting for him.
 

He adds, “I love you, honey, and we’re going to get through this.
 
Have you told anyone else?”

“I haven’t told the kids – just Meredith.
 
She’s been wonderful.”

Meredith was one of their neighbors and a dear friend to his wife.
 
Until he returned home, at least she would be in good shape.

 
“We’ll get through this, honey.”

 
“I know we will.” She sounds unsure. “Michael… it’s everything you wanted.”

 
“You are everything I’ll ever want – no job is going to replace you.”