Small Town Billionaire

by Cheryl Michaels

  “Yeah, she’s okay with it. Actually, I think she’s hoping you’ll take a liking to me. That’d let her off the hook. She wouldn’t feel so responsible for me anymore.”

  Shay looked alarmed as her eyes met Chase’s. “Honey, I’m sure that isn’t true. Your mother loves you—”

  “I didn’t say she doesn’t,” he snapped. “But things have been different since my old man died. They’ve been talking about retiring to this little cabin my step-dad has. In fact, they plan to spend the whole summer there.”

  “And you’re not looking forward to that?” Chase asked, taking a pull from his beer as he watched Nick.

  “I don’t even wanna go, but they say I’m not old enough to stay here by myself. It’s brutal. They still treat me like a kid.”

  He wasn’t even fifteen yet, but Chase knew he must feel as though he was old enough to make his own decisions. “Still, being at the cabin must give you a chance to do some of the things you enjoy. Your mom tells me you’re into hunting and fishing.”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at Chase before setting the white napkin in his lap. “It’s weird, huh? You and me being into the same things?”

  “I guess it is.” Chase wouldn’t have thought so had he been the one to raise Nick, especially since his own father had played such an important role in helping him to explore his passions as a kid.

  The waitress returned with a basket of fresh bread and seasoned butter for the table and Chase laughed when Nick dove in as though he hadn’t seen food in a week. It reminded him of himself at that age. Their parents always complained with two teenage boys in the house it was impossible to keep the kitchen stocked. That’s why they had so many fruit trees and a big vegetable garden.

  “Sorry,” he muttered, looking embarrassed as he extended the basket to Shay. “I didn’t get a chance to eat before the game.”

  “No problem.” She laughed. “I remember you used to have a voracious appetite at that age too,” she said to Chase. “Your mother used to make fresh bread every day. And remember those cookies, the ones with the chocolate chunks and pecans that…” She stopped talking when she realized Nick was studying her.

  “You were close with his family?” Nick asked, gesturing to Chase with his butter knife.

  “Yeah,” she said, reaching for a small piece of bread and setting it on her plate. “Landon is a lot like Brockville I assume. Everyone knows everyone else.”

  “Yeah, sometimes I’d rather live in a big city.” He looked at Chase. “You used to live in Houston, right? What was that like?”

  “I liked it,” Chase said. “But Landon is home. Always has been, always will be.” He questioned whether he should tell Nick that he was a big part of the reason he’d moved back home. “Now that my dad’s passed I wanted to be there for my mother. My sister’s going to school out of state, but my younger brother runs an inn in Landon.”

  “That’s cool.”

  Chase smiled, thinking that seemed to be Nick’s favorite catch phrase. “So, tell us about school. You like it?”

  “It’s okay, I guess. I get most A’s and B’s, so it’s not as bad as it could be.” He reached for another piece of bread, buttering it.

  “I know it’s way too soon to ask this,” Shay said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. “I mean, you still have a lot of time to decide. But any idea what you think you’d like to study in college? Um, assuming you want to go to college, that is?”

  Chase knew how important getting an education had been to Shay, but he was glad she wasn’t putting any pressure on Nick to follow in her footsteps. If he’d learned one thing in life it’s that the people who were happiest were those who’d made their own way and ignored the critics who thought they knew best.

  “I don’t know.” He glanced at Chase. “Business, maybe? That gives me lots of options.”

  The waitress returned with the appetizer platter they’d agreed to share and Nick dove right in. “So, any girlfriends?” He chuckled when Nick blushed. “Sorry, am I not allowed to ask you that?”

  “No, it’s okay. There is this one girl I like, but we’re just hanging out, you know, with other friends too. Not really dating.”

  “You have plenty of time for that,” Shay assured him, smiling at Chase.

  “You guys must have hooked up when you were pretty young, huh?” Nick asked. “Or were you not really together when I was, uh, when you got…”

  Chase smirked, opting to put the awkward line of questioning to an end. “No, we dated through most of high school.”

  “You ever think about getting married?” Nick asked. “You know, when you found out about me?”

  Chase and Shay both popped food into their mouth simultaneously as they decided how and who would answer his question.

  “Sure, we thought about it,” Chase said finally, not wanting Nick to feel any question was off-limits. “But we were both really young. We were headed off to college when we found out Shay was pregnant and we had no way of supporting ourselves or you at the time.”

  Nick shook his head. “I get that.”

  “It’s not that we didn’t want to keep you,” Shay said, softly. “We did. Believe me. It’s just that…” She drew a deep breath. “My parents had very strong opinions about it. They didn’t think we were ready, and honestly, they may have been right. I don’t know.”

  “I read your book.”

  Shay gaped at Nick. “You did? When?”

  “A while back. I was curious.”

  “Oh.” She reached for her water, taking a sip. “What did you think?”

  “I thought you were pretty brave to put it all out there like that.”

  Chase shared their son’s sentiment. He didn’t think he would have had the guts to bleed on the pages the way Shay had.

  “It was kind of cathartic for me,” Shay explained. “I had all of these pent up emotions about you and the adoption. Writing has always been my release, so my best friend talked me into writing the book. At first it was just going to be for me, a memoir, sort of. But after I let Ainsley read it, she convinced me to submit it to a couple of publishers, and to my surprise one of them picked it up.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Nick said, popping a pita square piled with dip into his mouth. “You’re really good. I don’t even like to read that much and I got through that book in like a day.”

  “Thank you,” Shay said, smiling. “That means a lot, especially coming from you.”

  “So, have you written anything else?” Nick asked.

  “I’m plugging away at something, but I don’t have a lot of time to work on it. Writing isn’t my full-time job. I’m running my family’s car dealership while my father recovers from a stroke.”

  Chase couldn’t believe how easily the conversation continued to flow as they worked their way through appetizers and entrees. Nick told them about his hobbies, the other sports he played, some of his friends, and his favorite subjects. He also asked about their families, saying it would be ‘cool’ to meet them sometime. Chase knew his family would be excited to meet Nick, but he wasn’t so sure about Shay’s parents.

  “Maybe I could come to Landon sometime,” Nick said, after they ordered dessert. “If it’s okay with you guys? You could show me around, introduce me to everyone.”

  “That would be great,” Shay said, clearly not thinking about how her parents might react to the news that their grandson was coming to town. “Whenever you’re free. Assuming it’s okay with your mom.”

  “Like I said, she won’t mind if we all hit it off.”

  Chase got the uneasy feeling that he might be trying to replace the family unit he’d lost with one he perceived to be better somehow. “Still, I’d like to talk to her about it just the same,” Chase said. “Before we make any plans.”

  “Sure, whatever,” Nick said, digging in when the waitress set his chocolate lava cake in front of him.

  Chase wanted nothing more than to get to know his son better, but he refused to do that at the
expense of the woman who’d been there for him when they couldn’t be.

  Chapter Ten

  “I can’t believe how well that went,” Shay said, as they were heading home an hour later. “I wish we could have met his mom and step-dad when we dropped him off though. Do you think it was weird they weren’t there?”

  “I wouldn’t read too much into it,” Chase said, turning down the volume on a classic rock station that played some of their favorite songs from high school. “Nick said they had a thing at the church, right? Some potluck or something. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

  “Do you think they go to most of his football games?” she asked. “I hope they didn’t feel they had to stay away tonight just because we were there.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Shay knew she was gushing, but she couldn’t believe how strong and smart and handsome he was. Not only was Nick a great athlete, he was a solid student, and he had them in stitches several times during dinner as he shared some of his buddies antics with them. “I already feel like I’ve known him forever. You felt it too, right? That connection?”

  “Yeah, I did.” Chase curled his hand around the steering wheel. “And I want more than anything to connect with him, but—”

  “But what?”

  “I just want to ease into it, you know? I don’t want his mom to think that we’re trying to take the place of his parents or anything, Shay. They’re the ones you raised him, who loved him. They’re the reason he is such a great kid. We can’t forget that.”

  “You’re right,” she said, sighing as she sank back in the leather seat. “We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. It’s a shame his dad passed so soon, isn’t it? I wish we could have met him. I would have liked to thank him for the great job he did with our…”

  “Son,” Chase said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “You can say it. He is our son.”

  “I don’t feel we’ve earned the right to call him that.” Shay knew it took a lot more than biology to make a person a parent. “Maybe someday we will, but not right now.”

  Chase reached for her hand. “I know what you mean, but seriously, there’s no denying it, is there?”

  She laughed. “If his hair was a little longer he’d look exactly like you did at that age.”

  “And English is his favorite subject,” Chase reminded her. “He may not like reading, but he loves writing. He sure didn’t get that from me.”

  She appreciated his attempt to remind her that he had some of her traits too, but it was obvious Nick and Chase were more alike. Not that she minded. She was just thrilled to be getting to know him after all these years.

  “How do you think your parents will react if we bring him to town?” Chase asked, squeezing her hand. “You think they’ll give you a hard time?”

  “Honestly? I don’t care what they think about it. They may have been able to bully me back then. I was just a kid. But now I’m all grown up and I can decide for myself whether I want Nick to be a part of my life. And I do.”

  Shay could tell Chase was relieved she wasn’t the same insecure girl she’d been back then, eager to please her parents, afraid to rock the boat.

  “Still, it’s probably not a good idea to get your old man all riled up. He is still recovering from that stroke, right?”

  “Yeah.” She used her free hand to reach into her purse when her phone rang, smiling when Ainsley’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey, girl. What’s up?”

  “I couldn’t wait ‘til tomorrow to find out,” she said. “How did it go with Nick?”

  “He’s a great kid. I know I don’t have the right to be, but I am so proud of him.”

  Chase smiled as he released her hand, curling both hands around the wheel after turning the volume down on the radio so they could chat.

  “Was it weird?” Ainsley asked. “Or awkward?”

  “Honestly, no,” Shay said, shaking her head. “Not at all. I was just telling Chase I can’t believe how easy it was.”

  “Hi, Chase,” Ainsley said, grinning.

  Shay turned the screen so Chase could see Ainsley. “Hey, beautiful. Thanks for calling to check in.” He glanced at the digital read-out on his dash. “It’s after midnight. Isn’t it past your bedtime?"

  “Ugh, I had a date tonight,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I just got in.”

  “Didn’t go well?” Chase asked, smiling.

  “He’s the town vet and he bored me with the details of this dog who had an obstruction. Apparently he had to perform a very delicate procedure to remove a chewed sock from his stomach. Like I want to hear about that over my filet, right?”

  “Should I assume you won’t be seeing him again?” Chase asked.

  “Probably not,” Ainsley said. “But you know how it is around here. Slim pickings. We can’t be too choosy or we’ll be sitting home every night, according to my mother.” She laughed. “Have I mentioned she’s eager for grandchildren?”

  “Sounds like my mother,” Chase said, grinning.

  Shay listened to the exchange, knowing her own parents were in no hurry to add to their family. They believed it would be several years before her brother was stable enough to think about settling down and they hadn’t asked her whether there was a man in her life since before Chase moved back to town.

  “Well, I’ll let you guys go,” Ainsley said, stifling a yawn. “You wanna meet for breakfast in the morning, Shay?”

  “I have a few things to take care of at work.”

  “Okay, I’ll bring coffees and pastries by around ten,” Ainsley said. “I should pass by the shop too. I just hired a new high school student to work Saturdays and I want to make sure she’s working out.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you then,” Shay said before disconnecting the call.

  “You think Ainsley’s ready for another relationship?” Chase asked, as they passed the sign welcoming them to Landon.

  “I don’t know.” Shay was impressed with how mature her friend had been about the demise of her marriage, claiming she didn’t blame her ex-husband for anything. “I know she wants some stability in her life. She’s got a great little home of her own and her business is doing well, but I think she misses being married.”

  “Was her ex a decent guy?” Chase asked, turning down the side-street leading to her house.

  “Yeah, he was. I thought they were really compatible. They had a lot of the same interests.”

  “Why do you think it didn’t work out?” Chase asked, pulling into her drive.

  “Right from the start Ainsley said she didn’t have the chemistry with him she used to have with Bryce, but she convinced herself what she had with Bryce was so intense because they were just kids. She thought a more mature love was supposed to be tamer, I guess.”

  “What do you think about that?” Chase asked, releasing his seatbelt and shifting in his seat to face her as he curled his hand around her headrest. “You think just because we’re older we should settle for boring and predictable?”

  “No.” She sighed. “I guess that’s why I’m still single though. Unrealistic expectations.”

  “Who says we can’t have as adults the kind of love we had as teenagers?”

  Shay didn’t know if he was talking about them specifically or was speaking in general terms and she was too afraid to ask. “That honeymoon phase can’t last forever, can it?” she asked, opting to believe he was speaking about the population at large.

  “I don’t know about that. My parents were in love right up until the end. I don’t remember a time when my old man left the house without kissing my mom good-bye. And we’re not talking about just some perfunctory peck on the cheek. I mean a full-on kiss.”

  Shay smiled as she settled her purse in her lap. “I remember that about your parents. They were always so affectionate with each other. It must have been so hard for your mom to lose him. He was more than her life partner. He was her best friend, wasn’t he?”

 
; “Sure was.” Chase hesitated before he added, “I guess that’s why I never got married. I’d only found the kind of love they had one time in my life and I wasn’t willing to settle for less.”

  “I wasn’t willing to settle either.” He hadn’t come right out and said he’d been talking about her, but after their conversation over dinner at her place, she thought it was safe to assume he’d been referring to her. “I’d rather be alone than have a marriage like my parents have.” She knew that sounded harsh, but she’d always been honest with Chase. There’d never been any reason to hold back with him.

  “You can have whatever kind of relationship you want, Shay,” he said, sliding a strand of her hair through his fingers. “You just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Get clear about what you want and go for it.”

  “What if I’m not sure I can have what I want?” It was becoming increasingly clear to her with every moment they spent together she still wanted the same thing she’d always wanted: Chase.

  “Tell me what you want.” His gaze passed between her mouth and eyes as he waited for her response.

  “Maybe I want a second chance.” That was just about the scariest thing she’d ever said, but it was also the most truthful. “Is that crazy?”

  “A second chance with me?” he murmured, moving in closer.

  “A second chance for us. To maybe get it right this time.” She didn’t know if that was even possible, but she wanted to try, so at least she wouldn’t be left wondering for the rest of her life.

  “I want that too.” His lips were hovering above hers when he whispered, “I want that more than I’ve wanted anything in a really long time.” His kiss told her he intended to make up for every second they’d lost. “But we need to take it slow.”

  “I know.” His kiss made it difficult to breathe, but she was trying to keep her voice level when she said, “Because of Nick.”

  “And us. We’ve messed this up once before. I don’t intend to let that happen again.”