Take a Chance on Me. Fiona Harper

more?’

      ‘You haven’t had your present yet.’

      She looked past him to the ice-bucket. No brightly wrapped parcel stood beside it. She bent down and looked under the oval-shaped wooden bench in the centre of the pod. Nothing.

      ‘So where is it? No, don’t tell me—you’re having it helicoptered in when we get a little higher?’

      He laughed and patted the breast pocket of his jacket. ‘It’s right here, but I was going to wait until we got to the top to give it to you.’

      Serena swallowed. It was getting hard to think.

      Her present was obviously very special. After all, he was making the act of giving it to her a monumental occasion.

      And it was small enough to fit into his pocket.

      It couldn’t be … could it?

      No. That was a stupid idea! It was far too soon.

      Jake handed her a glass of champagne and stood beside her to survey the patchwork of the London skyline. They sipped in silence as the pod climbed higher, but she couldn’t concentrate on the illuminations on Battersea Bridge, or St Paul’s Cathedral. All she could think about was what might be sparkling inside his suit pocket.

      It seemed as if the wheel had gone into slow motion. It took a torturously long time for their pod to reach the apex. Just as they watched the one above theirs start to descend, Jake turned towards her and looked deep into her eyes. The entire herd of butterflies resident in her stomach stampeded and came to settle, fluttering madly, in her chest.

      ‘I want you to know you are the most fascinating woman I’ve ever met …’

      Her mouth went dry.

      ‘I don’t think anyone has had the effect on me that you do. And, because of that, I want to give you something that is uniquely for you—something I’ve never given to anybody else.’

      Her eyes followed his right hand as it slipped inside his jacket and reached into the pocket that covered his heart. When it reappeared, it was holding a small, velvet-covered jewellery box. Square. Ring-sized.

      One hand flew to her mouth and she clutched the glass of champagne as if it were a lifeline. She was no longer aware of the motion of the giant wheel. It seemed to have stopped on her in-breath. The world paused as they floated high above a sea of sparkling diamonds.

      He faced the box towards her and gently eased the lid open, to reveal the most wonderful …