LOVE BY CHANCE
Chapter Fourteen
Saturday, September 15, 2001
"This is nice." Rose looked around
the four-star restaurant with delight. She didn’t often go such places, but
Jack had called her the night before and asked her to go to dinner with him,
telling her that it was something she would need to dress up for.
"I thought you might like it when I made
the reservations." Jack pulled her chair out for her, seating her
comfortably before sitting down across the table from her.
Rose smiled. It was a small, intimate
setting, with a view of the bay from their table. Knowing how popular such a
restaurant was, she wondered how far in advance Jack had made the reservations.
"When did you make the
reservations?" she asked, looking across the small, round table at him.
"Just last week, actually. They had a
cancellation, so I was able to get right in." He smiled sheepishly.
"I kept forgetting to ask you, though. I’d think about it, but by the time
I got a chance to talk to you, it had slipped my mind, until last night."
"Well, I’m glad you remembered."
Rose flashed him a pleased smile. "This is really nice."
Jack smiled back, but there was a bit of
nervousness in his expression now. "Actually, there was a special reason
why I asked you to come here tonight…"
He was interrupted by the arrival of their
waiter, bringing their glasses of water. "Good evening. My name is Grant,
and I will be your waiter tonight." He set the glasses on the table.
"Are you ready to order, or will you need a few more minutes?"
"Oh…uh…" Jack glanced at Rose.
"I think we’ll need a few more minutes."
"Yes, sir." The waiter moved away,
allowing the couple to peruse the menu.
Rose glanced at her menu, then put it down.
"You said there was a special reason for you asking me to come here
tonight?"
Jack tugged at his collar, as though it were
too hot and tight. "Uh…yes…but maybe we should order before we talk about
it, so we won’t be interrupted."
"All right." Rose gave him a
curious look, but turned to her menu just the same.
When the waiter returned a few minutes later,
they gave him their orders—lobster for Jack and salmon for Rose. As soon as he
had left, Rose turned to Jack, a bit concerned.
"Jack…this is awfully expensive."
He nodded. "I know…but I can afford
it—as long as we don’t do this too often."
"Do you want me to pay for half?"
Jack shook his head. "No. This is my
treat. Like I said…there’s a special reason why I asked you to come here
tonight."
Rose smiled, nodding to the waiter as he
brought a bottle of wine and two glasses. Turning back to Jack, she asked,
"What is it?"
"It’s…uh…there’s something I’ve been
wanting to ask you…" He tugged at his collar again. "Uh…maybe I
should pour us some wine first."
"Jack…" Rose didn’t know whether to
be annoyed or amused at his nervous behavior. What could be so important that
it made him this nervous? "All right. But then I want to know what it is
you want to talk to me about."
Jack laughed a little, easing the tension.
After pouring them each a glass of wine, he leaned toward Rose, still unsure of
what to say. "I’m doing this all wrong."
"What are you doing wrong? I don’t even
know what you’re trying to do."
"I…well…I was wondering…" He
trailed off, still not sure of how to say what he wanted to say.
"Jack, how long have we known each
other? Whatever it is, you can ask me."
"All right." He ran a hand through
his hair nervously, then reached into his jacket pocket. "Rose, I…"
He sighed. "Hell, I’m still not doing this right."
"Jack!" Rose was beginning to laugh
now, not knowing what was making him so nervous.
Jack took a deep breath. "Rose, what I’m
trying to ask is…" He pulled a small box from his pocket, opening it to
reveal a sparkling diamond ring. "Rose DeWitt-Bukater, will you marry
me?"
Rose’s eyes went wide as she looked first at
him, then at the ring, then back at him. Finally, a delighted laugh escaped her
throat.
"Oh, Jack…yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.
There’s nothing I want more."
Jack slipped the ring onto her finger, and
then, uncaring that they were in public, leaned across the table and kissed her
with all the love in his heart.