Chasing Destiny by Nikki Rittenberry Page B

themselves into four organized lines, quickly filling their plates with a combination of fresh fruit, tea sandwiches and small pastries. Jacob searched up and down each of the lines, but surprisingly she wasn’t there. He peeked around the ballroom door, thinking that maybe she was still inside, but she wasn’t there either.
    Okay, don’t panic , he thought. She was probably upstairs in her room and if he could just convince someone at the front desk to give him her room number, he could deliver his apologetic speech there. Jacob left the seminar and journeyed back to the massive, granite lobby desk. He waited for a moment behind the draped, velvet rope until he was called upon.
    “Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?”
    Jacob moved toward her, making sure to read her nametag as he approached. “Yes, Lisa, I certainly hope you can. I’m supposed to meet a very, dear friend of mine; however I seemed to have misplaced the paper that I wrote her room number on. Is there any way that you can look up that information and give it to me?”
    “We don’t normally give that information out—”
    “Please, Lisa… It sure would mean a lot to me.” He gave her his best charming smile. “I’m already running about ten minutes late…”
    Lisa hesitated for a moment, but finally concluded that he looked harmless. She looked over her shoulder to ensure her supervisor wasn’t observing them before continuing. “Okay… What is your friend’s name?”
    “Cassandra Warner. W-A-R-N-E-R.”
    Lisa typed her name into the computer and waited for her information to appear. “I’m sorry, sir. She’s no longer a guest at this hotel.”
    “ What ? Are you sure?”
    “Our records indicate that she checked out this morning around ten-thirty.”
    “I don’t understand—the convention isn’t over until later today and she wasn’t scheduled to leave until early tomorrow morning.”
    “Well, it appears as though she left early, then.”
    “Yeah… it does. Thanks for all of your help, Lisa.”
    “It’s my pleasure, sir.”
    Jacob advanced toward the exit and retrieved his phone from his pocket. His mind was accelerating with panic and he knew that if he didn’t confess how he really felt about her, he may never get the opportunity to do so again.
     
    “Hey, Cass... I just left your hotel. I didn’t want to say this over the phone, but since you’re probably halfway to Chicago now, you haven’t left me much choice. Spending time with you the last few days has made me realize that I still have feelings for you. I’ve always known it, but after we kissed… I can’t deny it—nor do I want to. We have a substantial amount of chemistry. I felt it and the way you kissed me back—I know you felt it, too. I want you to know that I didn’t plan any of this. The last thing I wanted was to push you away… Please, talk to me—that’s all that I’m asking… just… talk to me…”
    The desperation in his voice frightened him. He located a nearby bench and sat down, resting his forearms on his lap. He inflated his lungs and then slowly exhaled, taming his spirit with every breath. How did you end up here again, he questioned? Losing her once was hard enough, but twice? Fate had played an unquestionable part in their unforeseen reunion, first in Chicago and again here in New York; everything leading up to their kiss could be explained by it. Although, if fate was controlling their actions and behaviors, what did her spontaneous escape from Manhattan mean, exactly ?
     
* * *
 
    “Ma’am , would you care for a beverage ?”
    Cassie looked up at the perky flight attendant. “I’ll have a ginger ale, please”, she answered. She watched as the cheerful woman poured her bubbly concoction into a small, plastic cup and then gently placed it on her tray table.
    “Would you prefer peanuts or pretzels?”
    “Pretzels would be great, thank you.”
    Cassie slowly sipped her ginger ale, hoping that the effervescence would settle