Chance of Love

Chapter 20

The butterflies in Amanda's stomach got worse as the week progressed. Mark seemed quite excited about their trip and refused to tell her where they were going. He was strangely furtive and wouldn't even tell her what kind of clothes she should take, except at least one nice outfit.

Everybody was ecstatic that Amanda was going away with Mark. Carrie told her to go into it with an open mind. Her mother told her to go into it with an open heart. Amanda did not know what was going to happen; all her nerves were raw and she was confused.

The night before they left, Mark told her that they would be taking his SUV on their trip.

"I'll be picking you up right after work tomorrow so we can leave right away."

"Is it going to take us very long to get there?" Amanda asked, folding some socks.

"We'll probably arrive there by bedtime," Mark replied, putting some papers in his briefcase.

"Oh," Amanda replied, frowning. Where the heck were they going, Fort St. John?

"Amanda," Mark called, suddenly close to her.

She looked up and saw him standing next to her.

"Are you having second thoughts?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"No," she replied, looking away. It was too late for second thoughts. Besides, her curiosity was killing her.

"Good," Mark replied, holding her free hand for a second before turning toward his own suitcase. His touch had startled her and she did not say anything for fear of showing him how shaken she was.

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The next day passed achingly slowly for Amanda. She repacked her suitcase three times, not sure of what she should be bringing. She did not think that anything in her closet looked good on her anymore.

Amanda found a box at the back of her closet. She had forgotten it was there. Inside it was the expensive, red negligee set she had bought to wear on Mark's birthday, but did not because Mark had had been in such a terrible mood. Feeling the smooth folds of the robe between her fingers, Amanda decided to pack it, just in case things went well between them.

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Once Mark picked her up and they were on their way, he finally told her where they were going.

"I don't think you've ever been there before. I know I haven't," he said, as they drove on the highway toward Vancouver.

"Please don't keep me in suspense," she said, giggling for the first time in a long while.

"Well, since you asked me so nicely," he replied. "I'm taking you to Tigh-Na-Mara Resort on Vancouver Island. It's right near the beach and it's even got a spa."

"That sounds amazing," Amanda answered, feeling excited about going somewhere that sounded luxurious. It was almost like their trip to Hawaii.

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By the time they disembarked from the ferry and got to the resort, it was dark outside. Amanda wasn't able to see much except their room faced the ocean. She could tell the view in the daylight was going to be incredible. Their room was luxurious. They were both tired from the journey so they went to sleep soon after they arrived.

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The next morning, Mark said he had something special planned for them, so she put on her special outfit she had brought. It was a short-sleeved purple dress with a long, flowing skirt. She felt somewhat attractive in it, even though it was loose in some places. She was determined to keep trying to gain some weight back by the end of the summer.