Chapter 5 #2
Luke shook his head. “No, nothing like that. That stuff gets boring after a while — I ask it about a million times a day as a doctor. Tell me something you don’t usually tell people.”
“Is this you seizing the day?” Bella grinned.
“If I say yes, will you answer?”
“Maybe.” Bella winked.
“Then yes.”
“Okay… let me think.” Bella trailed her feet through the water again. For a few moments, they sat without speaking, kicking their feet through the water and listening to the faint patter of rain on the roof. “Okay, I’ve got something. I once lost my tooth on a ski lift.”
Luke burst out laughing. “I know I asked for something random, but I really didn’t expect that.”
Bella giggled too. “I know — I figured you didn’t.”
“Now I need the story, though.”
“Of course. So, when I was a kid, my family went skiing up at Timberline Lodge a lot.” She paused.
“I forgot you’re not from around here, so you might not know it, but Timberline Lodge is on Mount Hood and is about a ninety-minute drive from here.
That doesn’t really matter. We were up on the lift, and I was wiggling my tooth, and all of a sudden, there was something in my mouth.
I spat it out — and it fell all the way down onto the snow. ”
“Oh, no!” Luke chuckled. “I thought you were going to swallow it and have to go to the ER.”
“No, I just dropped it.” Bella grinned. “Do a lot of people end up in the ER after swallowing teeth?”
“Some.” Luke made a face. “Did the tooth fairy still come even though you dropped the tooth in the snow?”
“Oh, my family didn’t do stuff like the tooth fairy.
” Bella looked away, her expression suddenly distant.
Luke’s brow furrowed. He was tempted to ask her about her family and why she looked sad, but he held back.
Once again, he made the choice not to let things get too personal.
It was better to keep a little distance.
“Really? My family did all that stuff — the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny — I still believed in all of them until I was like ten.”
“That’s embarrassing for you.” Bella’s smile returned, and she nudged his shoulder with her own. “Did you really think they existed? Mr. Facts-No-Gut-Feelings.”
“I don’t think I love that nickname.” Luke smiled back. “And yeah, maybe I didn’t really believe. The other kids definitely told me Santa didn’t exist and all that. But a part of me thought it was fun to believe in magic.”
Bella smiled. “Now, that I understand. Everyone needs a little magic now and then. Speaking of which…” She got to her feet. “My gut tells me I need another drink.”
They slipped their shoes back on and walked down to the bar.
The hotel had gotten noisier while they were away, and people had filled most of the barstools.
Luke and Bella found a quiet booth near the back and ordered another drink each.
After glancing at the menu, Bella also asked for a slice of cheesecake.
“Don’t worry,” she said when she saw Luke looking at her. “You can have a bite.”
“That’s okay; I’ve already had dessert today.” He smiled at the memory of the red velvet creation at dinner. “It was great.”
“It was,” Bella said, her green eyes sparkling. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a second dessert.”
Their drinks came shortly, along with the cheesecake. Bella took a bite and closed her eyes as she considered it. A hint of a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Excellent,” she said, flicking her eyes open. “Sweet, but not too sweet. The crust is just the right thickness without overwhelming the cheesecake. I like the fruit on top, though I would have stuck with forest fruit instead of tropical fruit, I think. Come on, try.”
Luke obediently tried a bite. The cheesecake was thick and rich and smooth, just like Luke liked it, and he nodded.
“It’s nice.” He tilted his head. “You know a lot about food.”
She smiled. “I do. It’s an interest of mine.” Then, leaning forward, she said, “Enough about me. I told you a story earlier, one I don’t usually tell people. It’s your turn. Tell me something good.”
Luke considered. He had plenty of options, because he didn’t usually tell personal stories to anyone.
He could tell her about the patient he’d saved when no one else could, because he’d managed to patch a torn carotid in thirty seconds flat.
He could tell her about the time he’d won a fishing competition as a child — though he’d been the only entrant in his category, so he’d been a shoe-in.
He could tell her about all the double shifts he worked and all the granola bars he ate for dinner.
He could tell her about the night more than five years ago when Jenna had died. He could tell her about what had come after.
No. He couldn’t tell her that.
“When I first moved to Portland, I almost went to Portland, Maine instead of Portland, Oregon,” Luke said. Bella giggled.
“Perfect. Tell me more.”
“Well, I got an offer from Willamette Hospital, and I saw it was in Portland. I just assumed it was in Portland, Maine.”
“Terrible,” Bella said, shaking her head. “Portland, Oregon is clearly the better one.”
“Spoken like a true local.” Luke winked.
“And more importantly, why didn’t you check?” she asked.
“My mind was on other things. Anyway, I was moving by car, so I packed everything up and drove almost six hundred miles in the wrong direction before I realized my mistake.”
“What made you realize?” Bella asked.
“I saw a sign for Toledo, Ohio, and remembered that more than one place can have the same name.” Luke chuckled. “It’s a very embarrassing story and one I never tell people.”
“Thanks for telling me.” Bella took the last bite of her cheesecake and pushed the plate away. She looked thoughtful, and she was smiling. “I like you better now that I know you aren’t perfect. You seemed pretty perfect in your speech.”
“That’s just because I practiced a lot.”
At that moment, the waiter came back to take their plate and empty glasses. “Sorry, folks, but I have to let you know that the bar is closing in about fifteen minutes,” he said.
“Already?” Bella pulled her phone out of her pocket and glanced at it, and her eyes widened. “I can’t believe it’s almost midnight. We’ve been talking for hours.”
Luke couldn’t believe it, either. “Do you need to rush home? Or…” He paused.
It wasn’t like him to invite someone he’d just met up to his room, and he didn’t want Bella to think he was pushing her in a certain direction, but he felt a connection with her.
And this evening was all about following instincts and seizing the moment. “I actually have a room. Upstairs.”
Bella lifted those soft green eyes to his.
Her lips were slightly parted, and her hair was a little less neat than it had been earlier in the evening.
Her cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the alcohol, and perhaps from something else.
She looked lovely — and uncertain. Luke began to worry.
Maybe he’d made her uncomfortable. Maybe it would have been better to leave their evening as just a fun flirtation between strangers and nothing more.
Maybe it was too soon, anyway.
Then, Bella smiled and stood up.