Authors: Elizabeth Powers
Chase
gave her a half smile then. “Are you ending our relationship, Charlene?” he
asked, unable to completely hide the amusement in his voice.
Lena
regained her composure. “
What
relationship?” she asked. “Be honest with
me. Seriously. Are you really interested in me?”
But
Chase’s expression, when he looked at her, was dead serious, and when he spoke,
it was with some sense of gravity. “In the Charlene that I’ve known for the
past few months? No. Not really. But there’s a hell of a lot more to you than what
you’ve shown me. I don’t know yet if I’m interested in who you really are, but
I’m certainly intrigued.”
Leaning
back against the railing, Lena studied the face of her companion. He stood in
front of her, his hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers as he focused
his attention on her.
“Lena,
nobody can possibly be as full of fluff as the person you’ve been over the past
few months. Not if they are simultaneously running a very large non-profit
organization in a not-so-great part of town. So no. I’m not all that interested
in the non-existent woman that you’ve tried to pass off as your true
personality since I first met you. But I
would
like to get to know the
real you.”
Lena
had no idea what to say.
“Oh
hell. But if you felt that way, why didn’t you break things off with me months
ago?” she finally asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking up
at him with challenge in her eyes.
“It
was coming soon,” he confessed. “Probably after one more question about my
opinion on what someone was wearing.”
Lena
paused, then smiled slightly. “Probably next week then,” she said. “I was
planning to meet all of your news quizzes with inane conversation about the
Kardashians. Or something equally awful.”
Chase
groaned. “Oh Lord. Gardening wasn’t bad enough?”
“I
should have tried bird-watching. That’s always a winner.”
“Yeah.
I would have caved. Have you ever been cornered by Mrs. Wellesby?” he
laughingly asked, referring to an avid birdwatcher who frequently attended
these events, and happily talked about her passion to anyone who would listen. His
smile slowly died as he looked down intently at Lena. “So, Lena. Why all the
games? And more importantly, why are you breaking up with me now?”
“I
don’t even know you,” she responded. “And I’m not sure that it’s technically
breaking up with someone that you never really dated.”
“We
dated,” Chase said firmly.
Lena
shrugged. “Not really.”
“Because
we didn’t sleep together?” Chase asked.
Lena’s
eyes narrowed as she put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “I do not
sleep with every man I date, Mr. Moral Police Officer. Geez. What do you think
I am?”
“Way
different than I’d thought last week,” Chase confessed.
Dropping
her hands from her hips to her side, Lena turned her face back toward the view
of the Rockies. “Oh
hell
,” she said again.
Chase
grinned, even though Lena wasn’t watching him. Cautious as he was about relationships
in general, and this woman in particular, he really was starting to like Lena. In
a short space of time, she had made him laugh, something he wouldn’t have
thought possible a week ago.
Looking
down at Lena, Chase saw the woman he’d met at the shelter yesterday. He knew he’d
missed it before, but now he was seeing glimpses of that woman in the society
beauty that was standing in front of him.
“Lena,
I’m not interested in pushing you into anything that you don’t want,” he said
quietly. “And you’re right – I wouldn’t call what we’ve had for the past few
months a relationship. But I’m not quitting at the shelter. And we’re still
going to run into each other at events like this. And, if what I’ve seen of
your personality at the shelter is the
real
you, I think I might
actually like you. So let’s take things as they come.”
Chase
knew he needed to back down for now – he needed to keep things as they had been
for months, until he figured out how to play this. And when Lena turned back
around and looked up at Chase with a quick glance mixed with suspicion and gratitude
before she pushed herself away from the balcony ledge, he knew that this was
the right course to take. So he simply smiled and held out his elbow for her to
take. He wasn’t giving up, he reasoned. He was just strategizing.
Chase
saw no reason to proceed any differently with Lena, until she made it clear
what kind of differences she expected. As planned, they had met one evening
after work at the shelter, and Lena had laid out some of the issues they were
having with fundraising and with the shelter’s finances. Chase had immediately
stepped in to help, but he insisted on spending time in the kitchen on the
weekends as well. And while Lena didn’t entirely understand why he preferred to
use his first name while he worked here, she accepted it and was careful to use
it when they were with others. But he and Lena didn't run into each other
often, since Lena worked normal business hours during the week, and Chase
volunteered his time on the weekend. Every once in a while, Lena would show up
on a Saturday morning to clear out her in-box and to just connect with her
weekend staff, but it was sporadic at best. So when his invitation to the
annual fund-raising benefit dinner for the American Cancer Society arrived in
his mail, Chase left work early on Friday afternoon and found Lena in her
office at the shelter.
“Go
with me?” he asked, after handing her the invitation.
She
sighed. “Seriously? Didn’t they just have some sort of fund-raiser last month?”
“You’re
thinking of the benefit for the Children’s Hospital.”
“Just
how many of these do you get in any given month?”
“They’re
well-coordinated,” he smiled. “Can’t have competition for attendance. Will you
go?”
“I
thought we weren’t seeing each other anymore,” she pointed out.
“I
think we left it as 'taking things as they come’,” he replied. “I assumed you’d
be invited as well. If you’d rather go with your parents or another date...”
Lena
sighed and shook her head. “No. I’ll go with you. Do you want me to meet you
there?”
“You
sound so enthused,” Chase grinned. “But I can pick you up. Is 7:00 all right?”
She
nodded. “It’s fine. Thank you for the invitation,” she said automatically.
Chase
chuckled. “No need to thank me, Lena – I know it’s probably not at the top of
your list of fun things to do.” He sobered as he added, “But I do appreciate
you going with me. I don’t think I could bear the thought of finding another
date right now. With everything going on at work...”
Lena
laughed. “Ah, just the invitation every girl wants. ‘I can’t find anyone else
to go at this late date, so will you...?’”
“You
know that’s not what I meant, right?”
“Ever
thought of going stag?” Lena asked out of curiosity.
“Oh
Lord no. Wow. No.”
“Why
not?”
Chase
glared at her. “Have you met Mrs. Turnby’s two daughters?”
Lena
had. And the thought of Chase being cornered by the two very insipid and
mean-spirited women made her as uncomfortable as it apparently made Chase.
“OK.
Point taken.”
“Yes.
And since I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, it’s just better all around
if I have a date.”
Lena
sent him an answering sympathetic smile.
“OK.
I’ll get out of your hair. But when you have a chance, let’s schedule some time
to sit down and talk about your fundraising newsletters. I have a few ideas
that might help.”
Lena
looked up at him. “Chase, if you can improve our fundraising, I’ll kiss your
feet. So yes, anytime. I’ll
make
the time.”
“I’ll
schedule something through Amelia. I want to take a look at your donor list as
well. Are you OK with that?”
“More
than OK. Fund-raising is not my strong suit. I’ll take any ideas and any help I
can get in that department. Just let me know what you need. I’ll tell Amelia to
give you any files that you ask for. Thanks, Chase.”
“My
pleasure. See you next weekend.”
The
following Saturday, Chase pulled up in front of Lena’s parents’ home at 7:00
sharp. When he rang the doorbell, he was surprised when Lena herself answered
the door.
“You’re
ready?” he asked in astonishment.
Lena
laughed. “No traffic tonight, and I wasn’t rushing around this afternoon, so I
made it here early. I even had time to give myself a pedicure.”
Chase
glanced down at the perfect peach-colored toenails peeking out from the
open-toed sandals Lena was wearing, then allowed his eyes to follow the line of
her evening dress as he took in her appearance. Her gown was a chocolate brown
with thin straps holding up the bodice, and a long draped skirt that fell to
her ankles. She had pulled her hair up into a knot at the back of her neck, and
thin gold earrings hung from her ears, a matching gold chain around her slender
neck. But it was the peach toes that did him in. With a force that shocked him,
need slammed through him with unexpected intensity. Closing his eyes briefly to
gather his self-control, he opened them again and trapped her gaze with a quiet
strength. He caught the quick shiver that ran through her before she lowered
her eyes.
This
was a different look than he’d ever given her, she thought. And Lena was stunned
by the power of her own reaction.
“You
look beautiful, Lena,” Chase said quietly, his voice huskier than she’d ever
heard it before. He reached out his hand to gently brush a tendril of hair back
off her face.
She
blinked.
Uh oh
, she thought. Counting slowly to ten, she stepped back as
casually as she could, and forced herself to regain her composure. When she
knew she could respond evenly, she said quietly, “Thank you. You look really
nice yourself. I honestly like you best in jeans, but this is a close second,”
she added, striving for a teasing tone to mask her sudden reaction to this man.
“I’m
glad I wear jeans around you often then,” he said, a smile on his face, but his
voice still gravelly.
Lena
cleared her throat and forced a big smile. “Me too.”
Chase
smiled and held out his arm, bracing himself for her touch. “Shall we go?” he
asked.
Lena
took his arm, her every nerve ending tingling as her hand closed around his
tuxedo-clad elbow.
Wow
, she thought.
Where did this come from?
It
was clear that Chase was feeling something too – she could see the tension in
his jaw as he strove to keep hold of his emotions.
He
opened his car door for her and helped her in, taking deep gulps of air as he
moved around to the driver’s side of the car and hesitated. His attraction to
this woman had taken him by surprise. And while it was obvious that she’d felt
the same attraction to him, he still needed to fight this. The time wasn’t
right to take this relationship any further. Not until they could get past the personality
fronts that they had each put forward over the past six months.
He
kept the conversation light as they drove the few miles to the hotel that was
hosting the dinner that evening. Pulling into the circular drive in front of
the venue, Chase helped Lena from the car, and then handed his keys to the
valet. As he again gave Lena his arm to escort her into the event, he felt the
same jolt that he’d felt earlier. There was something about this woman tonight
that was calling to him. He would explore that, he thought. Just not yet.
The
dinner was very good, and well attended, though Lena loyally thought that Kat’s
catering would have upped the caliber of the food by a few notches. Still, she
ate well, and quietly sipped the red wine that had been poured into her glass
at the start of the meal.
Chase
was an attentive dinner companion. It had been a while since they’d been to an
actual dinner together, but Lena remembered far too many events where he had
left her on her own after finishing the main course, only returning in time for
a quick bite of dessert and coffee before heading off again for yet another
business discussion. Lena was used to it, and was comfortable talking with
other people at the table, so while it bothered her on some level, it never truly
disturbed her since she knew that she had no feelings for Chase, and he had
none for her.
But
tonight was different. He stayed at the table, made sure her water glass was
filled when she took a few sips, passed the butter or the salt or pepper before
she even knew she needed it, and made small talk with everyone else seated with
them. It was like dating a whole new Chase, Lena thought. And she was finding
the new Chase infinitely more appealing than the old Chase.
How
had she not realized before that his right cheek dimpled when he smiled? Or
that the grey in his eyes turned darker when he was intensely focused on
something that interested him. Or that his sense of humor aligned closely with
her own? Or that his hand, resting on the back of her chair, could cause her to
shiver, just in anticipation that he might move it to her shoulder.
She
reached carefully for her water glass and drained it, needing the icy cold that
she felt as she swallowed. He looked at her with amusement and refilled her
glass, almost as if he knew what motivated her.
“Thirsty
tonight, aren’t you?” His voice in her ear was low, his breath tickling the
side of her neck.
“Yes,”
she replied. “Perhaps the food was a bit saltier than usual,” was her feeble
excuse, and she heard him chuckle in response.
As
the waiters cleared the plates and offered coffee, Lena shook her head. Chase
requested decaf, and it was quickly served. He drank it with his left hand,
keeping his right arm firmly planted on the chair behind her back.
“Why
aren’t you socializing and putting together all sorts of business deals
tonight?” Lena asked, half-irritated that he wasn’t giving her space to
compartmentalize the evening, half-pleased that he chose to stay with her.
“I’d
rather be with you,” he said softly, his hand moving to lightly caress her
neck.
“Chase…”
“Dance
with me?” he asked, smiling mischievously over at her, as if knowing exactly
what his touch was doing to her.
She
sighed. “I’m not sure that’s a great idea,” she said softly, turning her face
so her gaze caught his. The look in his eyes was searing in its intensity, but
he just held out his hand.
“Come
on. It’s no worse than sitting here. And I’m finding that I badly want to touch
you,” he added softly.
Lena
felt the ripples in her belly – the butterflies were taking flight again, and
she was stunned at how intensely she felt their presence. “Chase,” she started
to say, but he had stood up next to the table, and was holding out his hand.
Short of rude refusal, she had no choice but to accept his hand and his offer.
He
drew her out onto the dance floor, his thumb rubbing gently over the back of
her knuckles before using his grip to pull her firmly into his arms. “Relax,”
he whispered as his other hand landed firmly on her lower back, his fingers
spread widely, pulling her decisively against him, their joined hands clasped
firmly between them.
“Chase,”
she tried again, feeling a long quiver take root. He would feel that, she knew,
and he would understand exactly what he was doing to her.
“Lena,”
he whispered in her ear, his fingers wrapped around hers, her lower body
pressed firmly to his.
“Chase,
stop,” she said quietly. “People will see.”
“There’s
not really anything to see, sweetheart. It only feels like there is. Just dance
with me, Lena.” She lowered her head to his shoulder, willing her feet to move
in time with his. Goosebumps, she thought. As warm as she was, she felt them
break out all over her arms.
Chase
noticed them too. “Are you cold?” he asked, pulling her closer in his arms.
But
Lena wasn’t going to lie, not even about this. “No. Not even a little bit,” she
said.
“But
you…”
“I
know. It’s not the cold.”
“Ah,”
the man said with some satisfaction. “Well, how about that.”
Lena
pulled away and looked up at Chase, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What?”
Chase
smiled down at her then, gently allowing more space between them. “It’s not
just me,” he said softly. “That’s good to know.”
“But…”
“Relax.
And dance with me, sweetheart. We’ll have time to talk later.”
Oh
geez. Lena closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten. It was bad enough that
she had spent the whole damn evening fighting the strong and sudden attraction
she was feeling for Chase, but now she was going to have to do something, and
soon, to help her stepmother.
“What’s
wrong, Lena?” Chase asked quietly, appearing back at her side with a glass of
champagne.
She
opened her eyes again. Nope, not a dream. Sighing, she looked up at Chase and
said seriously, “I think that I should take Jeanette home.”
Chase
looked up and caught sight of Mrs. Magill, wavering toward the open bar with a
wide smile and a look of determination on her face. Even from here, he could
tell how that she’d had more than a few drinks too many, and he immediately
shared Lena's concern. Looking down, he saw frustration and anxiety in her
eyes.