Free Take a Chance on Me by Carol Wyer Page B

at home.’ Marcia wriggled her eyebrows, ‘There is a new man on the horizon, though. I’d like him to see me after these classes. It might help seal the deal,’ said Marcia with a satisfied smirk.
    â€˜Go Marcia,’ Charlie said. ‘Sometimes it’s fun to be a little daring. I’m already beginning to feel a little more adventurous.’
    â€˜Hear, hear!’ replied Jasmine. ‘Now ladies, let’s go and belly dance.’

Twelve
    T he timer gave off a loud ping. Charlie opened the oven door to let the batch of cakes cool. She was tired after a long day at the café, followed by the radio show and then belly dancing. The class was great fun and there had been no more run-ins with the mystery man. Now though she felt drained.
    She logged onto her email account and one email caught her immediate attention. It was from a name she hadn’t seen in her inbox for a while; one she was hoping not to see again. The email was from Harrison Matthews who she had dated briefly and who had not wanted to let the relationship end. She clicked onto the message. It began, Dear Charlotte . She groaned. No one other than Harrison, or her mother when she was cross with her, ever called her Charlotte; she was Charlie to everyone she knew. It made her feel uncomfortable. Feeling needled she read on:
    It has been over two years since you told me we could have no future together. During that time I’ve tried hard to forget you. As you know, I left City Hospital. I travelled for a while and recently I took up a position in a hospital in Wales.
    However, I never forgot those precious times we had. I understand now that you were probably still getting over the loss of your child and your broken marriage. I shouldn’t have been so persistent. I hope time has helped you heal.
    Maybe we could meet up again sometime?
    Love Harrison.
    Charlie banged her head against the keyboard three times. No. Not again. She thought Harrison was out of her life. He was definitely not the sort of man she could settle down with. He was clingy and soppy and irksome.
----
    S he first met Harrison at the hospital coffee shop. Being lunchtime it was extremely busy, so almost all the seats were occupied. He asked if he could take up the remaining free seat next to hers. He seemed reserved and shy. He had only been at the hospital twelve weeks and it was all still new and overwhelming. Charlie felt sorry for him. Once he was installed, she asked him about his job and chatted to him, much as she did with any of the patients or staff there.
    When she took a break at the coffee shop the following day, he came and sat by her again. This time he was keen to talk about his role in the hospital as a diagnostic radiographer. He explained, at length, about techniques such as computerised tomography scanning, or magnetic resonance imaging which uses magnetic field and radio frequency waves to produce cross-sectional images of the body. It was all gobbledygook to her. However, Harrison was enthusiastic about his work and so she listened politely. He was currently working in the X-ray department but wanted to specialise in angiography and investigate blood vessels. She admired the medical profession and Harrison’s desire to be involved in helping cure people.
    Harrison was an odd sort though. He took himself and his job seriously but he was not the confident sort, in fact, he nibbled his bottom lip when not talking and looked down when walking the corridors, as if frightened to make eye contact with anyone. He was a loner who did not seem to bond with his co-workers; Charlie appeared to be his only friend. He invited her out to dinner. She was not keen to accept his invitation as she did not want to actually date the man but he insisted the meal was purely a thank you for making him feel more at home at the hospital. So reluctantly she accepted.
    He was much younger than her and not at all her type, although she wasn’t sure