by Ava Miles
Chase felt like his brain was split in two. He wanted to believe his dad was talking to him. Another part thought he was making it all up.
“I’m real, son,” his dad said with a crooked smile. “There’s a lot you can’t see from your side of life. It took me some time to realize what had happened, but now I know why I couldn’t go into all that light. I was too ashamed about what I’d done. I can’t go until I make things right.”
The words were shocking and mysterious, and Chase wanted to inch back from them.
Then his dad extended his hand to him. “I’m so proud of you, son. You’ve become an incredible man.”
Chase’s heart started pumping so loudly he could hear it in his ears. “You still shouldn’t have left us,” he said, realizing he’d whispered it.
“I know,” his dad said, re-extending his hand. “Will you forgive me, son? You can think on it if you need to.”
Then Chase’s mind filled with images of how his dad had been after the fire. They’d lived with his dad’s cousin for a few weeks, and his dad had tried to find work. One day, he’d overheard a heated argument between his parents. His dad had told his mother that all he wanted to do was ranch his own land. He needed his own cattle, his own spread. He didn’t want to work at the feed store in town for the rest of his life. They would rebuild once the insurance money arrived. After Chase’s mother stormed off, his father had put his face in his hands and cried.
Chase had never seen him cry until that moment, and he’d been too scared to go to him.
He felt more tears spill down his face. Felt that callused hand grip his again. His heart was pumping so hard and so fast he was panting.
Pain squeezed his heart, and awareness flooded into him as the memory of the last time he saw his dad surfaced. His dad had just opened the check from the insurance company. His mom had started crying. But his dad had simply stared at the check with something akin to horror in his eyes. Then he’d set it aside and walked off like a robot. Chase had called his name and run after him, but he hadn’t heard him.
His dad had driven off in their pick-up truck moments later and never returned.
“Oh, Jesus,” he cried, feeling the hurt crash through him.
His dad had been hurting so badly he hadn’t seen another way out. The loss of their home and their life had broken him completely.
“I’m sorry,” he heard his dad say again.
Chase was floating then, and everything seemed to grow still around him. He felt warmth surround him. Love, he realized somewhere in his consciousness. It was how he felt when he was with Moira, that giant feeling of contentment and happiness rolled into something powerful and mysterious.
That was when he knew he could do it.
“I forgive you, Dad,” he whispered.
His dad stepped forward and touched his face. There were tears in his eyes. “I love you, son,” he said.
Then he disappeared.
There was a whoosh, like a gust of wind blowing open a door, followed by the most powerful stillness he had ever experienced.
There was no sound. No movement.
But he was enfolded somehow. The peace was endless and all encompassing.
He stayed like that for what seemed like eons. There was no time. No past. No future. Only him.
And all was well.
Like a balloon falling slowly back to earth, he felt himself start to come gently back to himself. He became aware of his body. Every nerve was tingling pleasantly. His chest felt more open than ever, and he felt himself smile.
Everything was okay.
Barney nudged him in the belly, and when he went to remove his hand from Ally’s, he realized he wasn’t holding it anymore.
Then he wondered if he ever had been.
The kitten was purring against him, and damn it all if he didn’t realize how much he loved that little guy too.
When he finally opened his eyes, Ally was watching him. Her eyes were like two shining stars. “Welcome back, Chase. How do you feel?”
“Good,” he answered, sitting up a little straighter. “Calm.”
The soft buzzing was abating, he realized, and again, his rational mind wondered what in the world this was all about. He supposed it didn’t matter. He felt better. He couldn’t logically explain what had happened to him, but something had, something powerful and profound. He wasn’t going to pick it apart.
“That’s wonderful,” Ally said, patting his good hand. “Let me show you what you can do when your skin starts to itch under the cast.”
She demonstrated how he should brush his fingers up and down the area in question, not touching, explaining it would move the energy in the same way as scratching would. He was more open to believing her after their session.
When she rose to leave, he reached for her hand. “Thank you, Ally.”
That mysterious smile flashed on her face, and he wondered again at the mysteries this woman, this healer, connected to on a daily basis. “You’re most welcome, Chase.”
Bonnie left him alone for a while after that, and Chase sat in front of the dying fire with Barney in his lap. He felt like he’d been given a part of his life back.
He couldn’t wait to tell Moira.
Chapter 29
Moira checked her countdown meter. The fundraiser was in three days, and they were in the final preparations.
Chase was getting his casts off today, and they were being swapped for a sling and walking boot. It wasn’t ideal, but he’d be more mobile this way. Of course, for Chase, this meant he’d look more presentable in the Italian suit his tailor in D.C. was specially making for him. She was happy he was happy.
He’d been different after that incredible session with Ally. Forgiving his father had changed him. Hearing the details of what he’d experienced had given her chill bumps, but when it came down to it, all that mattered was that it had helped him.
He hadn’t had any headaches or chest pains since that session—even though he’d had a follow-up appointments with Ally and Dr. Sarah to, in his words, keep everything on track. He considered it the reason Andy had increased his work week to twenty hours, still not enough if you asked Chase.
“Yo,” Gary called in her doorway. “You cool? How was your meeting with your sister and Chef T?”
As far as she was concerned, Natalie and Chef T were catering rock stars. They were preparing a beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms and sea bass with hazelnuts and white wine as entrée choices, paired with crispy polenta cakes and asparagus bundles wrapped in prosciutto with thyme sprigs.
“Observe my cucumber-like demeanor. Everything is good to go for the fundraiser. I even squeezed in a walk-through of the space with Jill and Abbie. The flowers arrive day of, but they’re starting to set them up today.”
“Awesome,” Gary said. “Hate to break your bubble though. Our musicians backed out last minute.”
She shot out of her chair. “They what?”
“Just kidding!” he said, laughing. “You should see your face.”
Coming around her desk, she drilled him in the chest. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Ouch,” he gasped, dancing away from her. “Fine. I won’t. Man, you’re vicious.”
“When you pull that kind of joke, I’m more than vicious.” She made her face go deadpan. “I’m your worst nightmare.”
“I swear I will never josh with you again,” he said in all seriousness.
Gary either forgot that promise or had never meant to honor it in the first place. For the next two days, he played one practical joke after another on her. There was the fake spider hanging above the toilet in the women’s bathroom. She’d tried to leap away from it and had promptly tripped on the pants around her ankles. He’d smeared mashed bananas on her office phone—something she’d discovered only after pressing it to her face to call Evan with a briefing report. Then there was the exploding can of worms he’d stuck into her tin of green tea in the break room. He said it was to help her chill,
but only Gary would think jump scares were relaxing. Still, the pranks were kind of funny, and they were a welcome distraction.
Of course, she’d tried plotting her revenge, only to discover she sucked at practical jokes. Luckily, she had two siblings who excelled at them. Matt and Natalie had both been liberal with their advice. So when she handed Gary the sandwich she’d brought him from Brasserie Dare, she waited just inside her doorway as he opened the package at his desk.
The girly scream he emitted made her clutch her belly with laughter.
“You stuck plastic flies in my sandwich?” he cried out, dashing out of his office and appearing in her doorway, holding out the items in question.
“You know what the song says, ‘I don’t know why he swallowed the fly…’ Oh, wait, I do. Because he played practical jokes on his boss.”
“You are so dead,” he said, getting in her face. Then he grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
She couldn’t stop laughing. “I know you didn’t.”
“But I would highly recommend you refrain from saying that to anyone you work with,” she heard a familiar voice say.
Chase appeared behind Gary, who lurched around.
“Oh my God, you’re like the big boss, like—”
“Chase Parker,” he said, holding out his good hand to shake.
She thought about warning Chase. Gary shook hands hard enough to make a zombie’s wrist snap off.
“Mr. Parker! It’s an honor.” He tucked the offending sandwich under his arm to take Chase’s hand after shoving the fake bugs into his pants pocket.
Moira’s shoulders started to shake.
“Evan says you’re even a greater man than he is, and Evan is like the shit.” Gary grimaced. “I mean Evan is a visionary, a genius—”
“I know what you mean,” Chase said, stopping the over-exuberant handshake. “You can let go of my hand now, Gary.”
He released it immediately. “I’m sorry. I get a little excited. Working here is like the best time of my life, and Moira is—”
“The shit,” Chase said, his lips twitching. “I’m well aware of that. Why don’t you call out for a sandwich free of bugs—on Artemis, of course—while I speak with this genius right here?”
“You bet!” Gary saluted him.
Moira bit her lip to keep from losing it.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Parker? I heard abut your accident. Ice? A pillow? You’re looking great actually.” A plastic bug fell to the floor—one Gary must have missed. “I’ll just…clean this up.”
Chase stepped over the bug and shut Moira’s office door behind him. “You have a peculiar way of inspiring morale.” Then he started to laugh. “Remind me to never engage in practical jokes with you. I knew you’d think of something.”
She found herself grinning. All she wanted to do was kiss him and wrap her arms around him. Should she? “Natalie and Matt gave me ideas. They’re scary really. You need to meet them. How about tonight? You’re back on your feet and looking very good, I might say.”
He looked over at her, and she paused, feeling anxious around him suddenly.
“Ah…this is weird. I’m second-guessing things right now. I want to kiss you and hug you and…tell you how much I love you, but I’m at work. Is that okay?”
“I don’t pay rent for this facility,” he said, shifting his weight. “So long as we don’t throw everything off your desk and have wild sex, I think we’re good.”
Heat tore through her. “That was low. You know I would have serious ethical qualms about that.”
“So do I,” he said, “but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. God, it feels good to be out of the house and free of all that plaster.”
“How did you get here?” she asked.
“Bonnie is outside in the car,” he said. “I asked her to make a stop here after we left the hospital. I wanted you to see my new getup.”
He proudly extended his black walking boot. Then he gestured to his brace, rapping on it with his good hand. “The marvels of plastic.”
“You had her stop here on the way back from the hospital so you could model for me?” God, she loved him.
He turned around slowly in a circle. “I wanted to stand on my own two feet before you and tell you how much I love you. I couldn’t have gotten through this ordeal so easily without you.”
“I was just thinking about how much I love you,” she said, putting her hand on his chest. “And…I’m glad it was easier for you.”
“Know what else?” he asked her, smoothing back the hair behind her ear.
“What?” she answered.
“I’ve been cleared to work forty hours a week, adding ten extra hours each week moving forward.” Then he frowned. “Of course, it’s still not enough time to get everything done. It’s going to take me weeks to dig out.”
Her heart squeezed. That meant he’d be leaving, right? She’d known it was coming, and she was happy he’d be able to reclaim his life. She just didn’t know what that meant for them yet. “That’s wonderful. I know how much you’ve been looking forward to that.”
“Yeah,” he said, but his tone lacked its usual certainty.
“It’ll be fine,” she said. It was a reassurance they both needed.
“Of course it will.” He pulled her against his chest. “I’m not letting you go, Moira, even if I am going back to work.”
“Of course, you aren’t,” she said, injecting some humor into her voice. “Especially now that you know I’ll put plastic bugs in your sandwich if you mess with me.”
Kissing her on the top of the head, he tightened his hold on her. “All I could think of when I got this great news was how I couldn’t wait to share it with you.”
It was the same way for her. She called or texted him every time Gary pulled a particularly Machiavellian joke, and after the outrageously delicious lunch she and Evan had enjoyed yesterday at Brasserie Dare, the first thing she’d done was call Chase.
“Does that mean you’d be open to meeting my family tonight? They can bring pizza and beer over to your house if that’s more convenient. Caroline is coming in tonight for the weekend.”
“If you don’t mind, I’m tired of being cooped up.” He traced her face. “How about we do it at your house? I’ve never been there. I’d…like to make love to you in your bed.”
Everything tightened up down south. “That sounds like a plan. I’ll be your chauffeur. Oh shit. My place is a wreck since I’ve been staying with you. And Caroline will have to stay with Mom. Okay, you need to go. I have a lot to do. In addition to making sure this fundraiser rocks.”
He kissed her nose. “It will. Don’t worry about me getting to your house. I’ll find my way there.”
“You sure?” she asked.
Gesturing to himself, he said, “I’m an independent man again.”
After he left, she sat down in her chair, unable to dispel a slight sense of unease.
Would an independent Chase love her and want her as much as the old one had?
Chapter 30
No two ways about it—when the Hales got together, it was a party, and a rowdy one at that. Somehow word had gotten out about Chase meeting Moira’s family—everyone blamed Jill—and the whole extended family had been invited as well. That meant there was a passel of children in addition to all of the adults. Jill and Brian’s twin girls were chasing after Danny and Keith, their older cousins, who were trying to teach the little girls how to play a game of tag. So far, it had been hit or miss. The girls were only interested in chasing the young boys, not being chased, and they emitted high-pitched squeals guaranteed to puncture an ear drum when the boys wouldn’t run away.
Sure, there were a lot of people, but he’d heard about most of them from either Evan or Moira, so he was well prepared. The open affection in the family was palpable—just like Evan had told him. He felt both immediately welcomed and like an animal on display in the zoo for the first time. He’d been to hundreds, no, thousands, o
f parties. He’d even mingled with heads of state, but this was a little disarming.
What would it be like to have a family this large?
Moira’s immediate family was especially kind to him. Her mom, April, kissed him on the cheek and said she’d been praying for his recovery. Her brother, Matt, shook his hand and offered to share embarrassing childhood stories about Moira, which had earned him a punch in the gut from his sister.
And then there were the sisters. Natalie promised to keep everyone in line at the fundraiser if Moira fell down on the job, but it was obvious she was joking from the way she slung her arm around her sister as she said it. It was easy for him to connect with Caroline, who enjoyed the wonders of Rome as much as he did. He met all of the in-laws as well, speaking about wine with Jane, world events with Lucy, and professional athletics with Blake.
But his sense of ease faded a little when Natalie and Blake announced they were expecting a baby. He didn’t feel he deserved to be privy to such a celebration. After that, he tried to stay out of the way.
“Sometimes it gets so crazy at one of these shindigs,” Peggy McBride said, sidling up to him. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to arrest people for disturbing the peace.”
Dare Valley’s sheriff was a no-nonsense police officer to the core, which Chase quite appreciated. She was married to Mac Maven, owner of The Grand Mountain Hotel. “I don’t think you have enough handcuffs,” he said.
“Don’t be so sure,” she told him.
“I actually believe you,” he replied, smiling as he caught Moira wink at him from across the room. She was shoving beer bottles into a large red tin filled with ice. He’d offered to help her before, but she’d told him to mingle.
“You’re wise to believe her,” Mac Maven said, putting his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Whenever Keith or I step out of line, we watch to make sure she’s not pulling out the handcuffs.”
She gave him a look. “You’re so full of it, Mr. Poker.”
“She likes to sweet talk me,” Mac said, laughing.
Peggy caught his lapel and kissed him hard on the mouth. “How’s that for sweet talking?”