CHASE: WHAT ABOUT RALPH? HE SEEMS LIKE A STANDUP GUY.
I rolled my eyes. Not him now too. I laughed out loud and texted him back.
ME: HE KISSES LIKE A LIZARD!
I smiled, closed the chat window, and dialed Ralph's number. Within twenty minutes, I had gone from being in a lizard kissing relationship to being very single once again. I threw my phone down on the dining room table and rested my head on my arm. I lay there listening to the silence of my apartment, debating on crying or getting up and carrying on with my life. When my phone vibrated against the tabletop, I grabbed it and saw a message from Chase.
CHASE: EWWW THAT IS GROSS. BET THAT SORT OF MAKES YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK A FEW YEARS AGO AND PICK ME DOESN'T IT. HAHA JUST KIDDING.
I let out a silent laugh, silently wondering about the exact same thing, and plugged my phone into the charging port, made my way down to my bedroom, and got ready for the rest of my day.
2
Chase - Three months later
My cell phone let out a shrill ring just as I grabbed my keys from the entryway table. I pocketed my wallet and threw my jacket on just as the phone rang again. I had half a mind to ignore the fucking thing after the day I'd had. I was stressed to the nines about a case I was working on, and then during court this morning I had received a message from Sophie.
As soon as court broke for recess, I listened to her message. She sounded off, and her message was just strange and out of sorts for her, and it left me feeling concerned. I had attempted to call her back, but court had been called back into session, and unfortunately all I could do was quickly message her back and ask her to contact me in a bit. I had yet to hear back from her. The phone rang out again, and this time I pulled it from my pocket and quickly answered it.
"Hello," I barked. I was rushed for time, and even though I was hoping that it was Sophie, I was also hoping this call would be quick.
"You on your way?" my brother, Bryce, questioned.
"Yep, be there in five minutes," I said, grabbing my comfortable old running shoes from the hall closet, slipping my feet into them, and heading out to meet my brothers for our monthly boys’ night. I was looking forward to a night of relaxation, beer, and conversation.
By the time I pulled into the parking lot of Ducky's it was pretty full. I found a spot around back of the restaurant, pulled into it, shut the engine off, and went inside. As soon as I opened the doors, I immediately spotted my three brothers sitting in our usual booth in the back. I was just about to walk over when I heard two familiar voices call out to me. I glanced over at the bar and saw both Carly and Delilah waving at me. I flashed them my sexy grin. "Afternoon, ladies."
"What can we get for you today, Chase?" they both called out in unison.
"How about a cold beer, ladies."
"You got it, sexy," Delilah called back, while Carly winked at me.
My brothers sat watching intently as I waved and smiled to half of the women in the bar before I slid into the booth. Within seconds, our usual waitress, Trinity, set my beer down in front of me. She ran her hand over my shoulder and winked. "Wish you would call sometimes. I would love to see you again. It gets pretty lonely at night," she whispered to me.
I glanced at my brothers, praying that none of them had heard her comment, but I knew they had just from the way they were watching me. I smiled at her and took a swig of my beer, trying to ignore what she had said, but instead of walking away, she left her hand on my shoulder.
"I might give you a call, but honestly, I'm really enjoying my alone time right now, Trin." I could tell from the look on her face that I had pretty much crushed her, but I wasn't going to lie; it wasn't my style. It also wasn't my style to get re-involved with a woman if I had no interest in developing it any further. Trinity had been fun during the time we had been involved, but I wasn't interested in anything more with her. I looked to my brothers, each of them staring back at me.
"What the hell, Chase. You've been with all these women in here and you still have the balls to come in here and flirt that way? Do you have a death wish?" Hunter asked.
"Hey, each one of these ladies were and are well aware that I don't want a relationship. I'm upfront about it with them. I'm also upfront and honest in regards to when it ends, it ends. Trinity is just lonely, and besides, no one picked on you when you had your cock in everything that moved in this town."
"First, I didn't have my cock in everything in this town..."
Carter let out a loud laugh. "Oh please, give it a break, would you." He grabbed his scotch and took a drink. "You had your fair share of this town too."
Hunter flipped Carter the finger as we all laughed, then they both shook their heads and took a drink. Bryce looked at me with a shit-eating grin. "It's all right, guys. One of these days, he'll turn around, meet a woman, and his world will spin upside down. You know how it is."
"Yep, and the Chase Malone we all know and love will forever be changed by one pussy." Hunter let out a laugh loud enough to call attention to our table.
"Fuck you all! I’m not like you guys. No way am I settling down. I'm having way too much fun." I grinned.
"Yep, that sounds familiar. I think I said those exact same words right before I meant Autumn," Hunter murmured. “I also believe I said them right to the both of you.”
"But then you meet someone, fall in love, and none of these girls will even enter your mind," Carter chimed in, setting his glass down.
"What the hell would you know about it? You married pretty much the first women you were ever serious about," Bryce smugly replied.
I shook my head, while Carter and Bryce continued to banter back and forth. I opened the menu and looked it over, even though I already knew what I was going to order: two pounds of hot wings—the same thing I ordered every single time we came here. "You fucks don't know what you are missing," I barked out as the three of them were now involved in one of our usual bickering matches.
"Same could be said for you, you know," Carter bit out, seemingly agitated with me.
Trinity approached our table and was halfway through taking our orders when my phone rang. I glanced down and saw Sophie's number sitting on the screen. "And for you, Chase?" she asked, pulling my attention away.
"A pound of hot wings please, Trin," I murmured as my attention quickly focused back on Sophie's number.
"Only a pound?" Carter asked, dumbfounded. "Normally, you're good for at least two."
"Yeah, watching my waistline." I ran my hand over my eight-pack and glanced once again at my phone that was still ringing. "Excuse me, guys, I have to take this," I said, ignoring the murmurs from my brothers. I got up from my seat and headed out the front door.
"Hello," I said as I pushed the door to Ducky's open and stepped outside into the parking lot, avoiding the group of people heading inside.
"Chase. Sorry to bother you. I know you're probably with your brothers, but my day got kind of crazy after I had called you this morning."
"Hey, yeah it's our usual night out, but it’s no bother, Sophie. Sorry I wasn’t able to talk earlier. I was in court. I'm glad you called me back. You seemed off in your message. What's up? What's going on?"
Sophie was quiet for a few moments before she cleared her throat. "Do you think you could meet me for dinner tomorrow night? I have something I want to run by you?"
"Is everything okay? It's nothing serious is it?" I could tell from the slight tremor in her voice that whatever she wanted to speak to me about, it was important.
"No, it’s nothing bad. I just want to talk to you about something," she assured me.
"Sure, just name the time and place and I will be there." I opened my calendar on my phone to check and make sure I was free.
"The Manor House, tomorrow night at, say, seven."
The Manor House was one of Kings Cove's higher-end steak houses, which made me wonder if everything was indeed okay. "Are you sure everything is okay?" I questioned, wanting to make sure before I got off the ph
one with her.
"Yeah, I promise you everything is okay. We will talk tomorrow night. I have to run and finish up a meeting with one of my clients. I'll see you tomorrow at seven."
I could still hear the shake in her voice, but before I had the chance to ask her in a different way if everything was okay, the phone had gone dead. I looked down at my cell phone, wondering what could possibly be so important that she just couldn't tell me over the phone, but a few seconds later, I had shrugged it off and headed back inside. I was quiet as I walked back to our table. Once there, I slid into the booth, checked my watch again, and pocketed my cell phone.
"Was that your hot date for tonight?" Hunter questioned, nodding towards my phone.
"Something like that," I answered, still rather distracted and bothered. "It was Sophie. She wants to meet for dinner tomorrow night. She says she has something she wants to talk to me about. I can't recall a time that she didn't just come out and tell me what was up."
"Oh, the Sophie?" Bryce asked.
"Not the unattainable Sophie?" Carter joined in, smirking at Hunter.
I rolled my eyes and took another pull on my beer, doing my best to ignore his comment, and glanced at Hunter who sat there smirking at me. My brothers had always bugged me about Sophie, especially when we had been younger and she had turned me down. Although, unlike those times, this time I didn't laugh or answer any of their questions. When Hunter noticed, he looked at them both and cleared his throat just like our father used to when he wanted us to stop bugging one another.
"What time are you supposed to be meeting her?" he questioned.
"Tomorrow night at seven at The Manor House."
"The Manor House?"
"That is what she said."
"Must be something special. That place isn't cheap." Carter said, "I took Hope there not too long ago. Three hundred and fifty dollars later..."
"Yeah, Autumn's been bugging me to take her there since Hope told her about it. My wallet isn't looking forward to that bill." Hunter and Carter both laughed.
"Well, if you care about me, tell Autumn and Hope not to mention it to Mia." All three of my brothers laughed.
My phone vibrated in my pocket as Carter and Hunter went on discussing dinner prices. I looked down at my phone to see a message from Sophie and glanced at my watch. I feverishly typed out a response to her. I put my phone down and immediately it vibrated, causing me to pick it up again.
"What is it now?" Bryce questioned, as I continued to type out my third response.
"Six-thirty. She wants to meet me a half hour earlier. Something has got to be wrong."
"What the hell is the rush? I mean, she's kept you waiting all these years." Bryce laughed, looking over to Carter and Hunter.
"Man, she hasn't kept me waiting. We are friends. It is possible for me to be friends with a woman," I bit out.
"Sure..." Hunter said before all three of my brothers burst into laughter.
Shortly after I had sent my last text to Sophie, our dinner was dropped onto the table. My mind was so distracted I could barely eat, which was just another thing that my brothers decided to bug me about. I had never been so happy to have my favorite night of the week end.
I drove home in silence, had a hot shower, and crawled into bed, turning the TV on. I was surprised when my phone vibrated and Sophie's name popped up on my screen. As I read her message asking me to meet her yet another half an hour earlier than previously agreed upon, I knew that whatever it was she wanted to talk to me about was important. However, when I asked her once again, she wouldn't even hint at what the issue was.
I shut the light off, shut my phone off, and rolled onto my side and fought to fall asleep.
3
Sophie
“I Will Wait” by Mumford and Sons played in my ear as I ran up the last flight of stairs back to my condo. I had completed my nine-mile run in record time today. Out of breath, I leaned against the wall and fumbled with my key, finally inserted it into the lock, and opened the door to my place. I walked in, kicked off my sneakers, removed my headband from my hair, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. I pulled the earbuds from my ears and dropped my iPod onto the table before I made my way down the hall to the washroom. I turned on the shower, making sure the water was the right temperature before I pealed myself out of my workout gear. I'd spent the morning working, and after dealing with a rather testy client, going over his corporate year end, I had decided that I need to get into the gym and work off my stress. The client wasn't the only reason I needed to work off some steam. Dinner with Chase tonight was the other reason.
I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body. As the water beat down on my aching muscles, I tried my best to clear my mind and relax. I dropped two drops of lavender essential oil onto the floor of the shower and took in a deep breath. By the time the water had run cold, I hoped out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror wrapped in a towel. All the hard work of trying to quiet my mind and find my calm had been useless; my mind was more active now than it had been before I had gotten into the shower.
I glanced at my reflection and let out a deep sigh. My mind was busy going over everything that I wanted to talk to Chase about. I had spent the better part of the past week trying to figure out what would be the best way to pitch my idea to him, and after the list of ideas I had made, I still had nothing. I must have gone over fifty or sixty ways today alone on how to even begin the conversation with him tonight before I began to get frustrated.
"Accountants don't pitch people, Sophie," I said aloud to my reflection. The more I thought about it, the more I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't about to make some colossal mistake.
Frustrated with myself, I left the bathroom, walked across the plush carpet in my bedroom, and began sifting through my closet. I needed something conservative yet sexy to wear tonight. I laughed to myself as I started going through my dresses. This is not a date, I thought to myself as I continued going through the dresses that hung in the back of my closet. I was growing frustrated. Accountants did have sexy outfits; mine just seemed to be conservative or boring.
I let out a sigh, flipping to the next dress. "Whoa, way too sexy, too sexy, way too conservative, funeral, funeral," I mumbled as I flipped through the dresses that hung in my closet. "Finally...this is perfect!"
I squealed as I pulled out my favorite black cocktail dress and placed it on the bed. I stood back and looked it over. I had only purchased it because it had reminded me of the dress Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman. I seriously couldn't even remember if I had worn it, but it was perfect for tonight, and I smiled to myself, wandered over to my dresser, and pulled out my only matching black bra and pantie set.
"May as well know I am wearing something sexy underneath..." I mumbled as I slipped into them and then went back to the bathroom and pulled out my makeup bag.
I sat down and brushed my hair, quickly sweeping it up into a clip on my head and looked at my reflection in the mirror.
"You better be prepared. He is a lawyer, after all," I murmured to myself. "You can't just go in there on a whim. Chase thinks twelve steps ahead of everyone and on everything."
How true that statement was. He would have every single argument against why this was a bad idea, if I knew him, which I did, and he would have them ready within sixty seconds of me spilling the beans. That reason alone was why I needed to have a solid pitch ready and have every answer to every reason why he was going to come up with as to why this was a bad idea.
I looked at myself in the mirror, blew out a breath, and smoothed moisturizer into my skin, then I grabbed the bottle of foundation. "Plus, he specializes in contract law. It’s going to be a nightmare, if you aren't prepared," I murmured.
I pumped out a squirt of foundation into the palm of my shaky hand and quickly smoothed that onto my skin, then I reached for my powder compact. Carefully, I smoothed out my foundation, making sure there were no bare spots, and reached for my eyeshadow
. My stomach rolled in anticipation of our date, and my hands shook.
This whole meeting in public had been my bright idea. I could have just as easily invited him over for coffee and spoken to him in private about all of this, but no, I was the one who wanted to do this over dinner. I was the one who wanted to do it over dinner in a crowded restaurant. I had never even contemplated what would happen if he flat out refused on the spot, got up and walked out of the restaurant leaving me looking foolish sitting there all alone. How humiliating that would be, I thought. Within seconds of that realization, my stomach rolled. I was so nervous, I seriously wondered if I would even be able to eat anything. Another reason why a public meeting was probably not such a bright idea. I quickly lined my eyes with eyeliner and grabbed my mascara.
"What do I have to offer him?" I wondered out loud. "Nothing about my job is even remotely sexy. I'm a freaking accountant for goodness sakes. I guess I could help him from having to pay too much in tax, and I could definitely keep him out of jail for anything tax related." I looked at my reflection in the mirror, nervously smiled, and then dropped my head in my hands thinking how pathetic I sounded, even to myself.
Perhaps a drink, I thought. Maybe that would make it easier and take the edge off. I got up from my vanity and wandered into the kitchen. I pulled open my liquor cabinet and pulled out the bottle of gin, dropped two ice cubes into my glass, and poured myself a gin and soda. I took a sip of the cool liquid and went back to my vanity and began drying my hair.
Where would we meet, I thought to myself as I continued to dry my hair. I guess we could meet here, or perhaps somewhere between our condos would be better. Perhaps I could pay for a hotel. No, there was no way Chase would meet at a hotel. He was too well-known around town. Okay, so here. He'd have to come here. I didn't even know why I was so concerned about where we would meet. It wasn't as if we had to hide from anyone.
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