Chapter Nine
Chase pulled his BMW into a parking spot at the library in Torrance near the spot that Emma got out of his car this morning before he headed to set for a bit of filming.
The idea of seeing her again filled him with a giddiness that he couldn't really explain.
There was something just so domestic about it all.
Their conversation on the way here was light and fun as they talked about things they were planning for their weekend away together.
It was just the little things that he enjoyed doing when he was in a relationship.
Of course, he couldn't remember when was the last time he was in a relationship, but that was besides the point.
He also wasn't in a relationship with Emma.
But there was still this weekend trip they were taking together.
Chase came up with this brilliant idea over expensive sushi one night to take Emma with him to a sci-fi convention in Palm Springs this weekend.
It was close to L.A. so an easy trip, and it was one of the nearby conventions that he could always count on seeing Nana at.
He was going to miss her this time around.
Plus, the convention was going to cost him nothing to go anyway. All expenses were paid by the convention and he even made money with his autograph booth and photo appearances. The studio even gave them extra time off since it was to promote the Project Lyonheart series.
On the other hand, it would cost Emma money if she joined him, and he had quickly learned that Emma loved a good money-spending scheme with all this cash that needed to go. So why not spend it with him in Palm Springs?
Chase closed his car door behind him and took a deep breath, pulling his baseball cap a little lower on his forehead. It rarely stopped him from being recognized, but it would at least slow fans down a little before asking for a selfie or something.
This morning, Emma told him that he would be getting there right at the end of story time, whatever that was.
Chase was intrigued though because Emma had specifically packed up that gorgeous blue dress from their dinner to take with her to work.
When he asked why, she just smiled and said her readers would like it.
Chase envisioned her readers as a bunch of old guys staring at Emma's boobs as she read from some James Patterson novel or something. He didn't like that thought.
He also seemed to be very wrong.
Chase had followed the instructions Emma had given him this morning, walking down the library's hallway to a room with the cat on the door. What she failed to mention was the cat in question was from The Cat in the Hat.
What she also failed to mention was that story time was specifically for small children apparently.
He tried to quietly duck in the back, but yeah, he saw several moms turn in his direction, their eyes going wide as they recognized him.
Then they all turned back as if they were trying to pretend it was no big deal.
Then his eyes landed on Emma wearing her super expensive blue dress reading a book about a princess. Unlike the first time he saw her in the dress, she was smiling now and acting super excited as she read to the kids from her spot on the floor next to them sitting in a cloud of blue tulle.
The kids were enraptured by her voice, and Chase felt the same way.
Gone were the moms in their Lululemon leggings staring at him.
Instead, it was like he was watching a one-woman show, hanging onto every word from Emma.
What was going to happen to the princess?
Where was she going to find a prince to save her from the dragon?
And then the plot twist. The princess didn't need a prince! She was going to save herself from the dragon! The kids cheered just at the right place, and Chase almost got swept up in their exuberance.
Then he remembered the book was being read by Emma. He wondered if she had chosen that book for a specific reason, and if that reason was him. Was it a reminder that she didn't need him? That she could handle this whole inheritance nonsense without him? That she definitely didn't need his help?
Surely, he was overthinking the whole moral of this children's book. But as he looked at Emma in that dress, he couldn't help but think there was some truth to the story. Yeah, Emma didn't need him, he knew that. He was still going to work as hard as he could to help her though.
Emma shut the book with a flourish and the kids clapped before running back to their moms. It was a good distraction that Chase used to slip a bit further into the corner of the room.
The moms didn't notice, but Emma did, if only for a little bit before talking to all the kids saying goodbye to their favorite princess.
But as the last of them left, Emma finally turned back to him and walked over, her smile warm and her dress flowing. He couldn't help but stand a little taller as she approached him.
"Finally done with your adoring fans?"
"Adoring?" she replied. "They compliment anything more exciting than fruit snacks and sweatpants."
"You mean like the prettiest princess dress ever?"
Emma rolled her eyes. "It's not the prettiest princess dress ever."
"I think it is."
He didn't mean for that to come out so sincerely.
He was supposed to be joking. It was supposed to be one of those flippant teasing lines of his.
But somehow, his tone was real and warm instead, and Emma noticed.
He saw the awkward smile on her face and the way she looked away from him as if he had embarrassed her with the compliment.
This was dangerous territory for him, and he needed to pull out of it.
"So." He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Do you need to change out of this or something?"
"Oh, uh, yeah. Can you give me ten minutes and I can meet you by the check out desk?"
"Yeah, sure.”
"Cool. Good," she said nervously. "Let me show you where it is, and then I'll do a quick change and we can get out of here."
She gently reached for him, and even her fingers through his long-sleeved shirt sent some weird energy up his arm.
But then she pulled her hand away, and the moment was gone.
It was probably for the best. If they were going to spend the next few days together, it would be better not to encourage that kind of thing.
The light in the main area of the library seemed harsh compared to the cozy reading room as Emma quickly pointed him in the direction of the circulation desk before ducking into an office door that read "Employees only."
It was fine. This was all fine. He could put his head down and busy himself looking around at the shelves or something. He could pretend to be really interested in books even though he wasn't much of a reader and the only words he could think of were the ones describing Emma.
There was a shelf along one wall with a new releases sign over it so he figured that would be a good place to lay low for now with the usual paperbacks and a few hard cover books.
One of them actually caught his eye, and he picked it up off of its stand to take a closer look.
It was an oral history of new wave music in the eighties, which fit perfectly with the Project Lyonheart movies he was working on right now.
He immediately recognized the names of some of the artists in the blurb on the back.
Echo and the Bunnymen, Blondie, Eurythmics.
Someone had been playing the best of the Pet Shop Boys to get the Project Lyonheart cast in the mood on set today, so Chase got an extra kick when he saw them mentioned.
"See something you like?"
Emma was standing there looking the way she had when he dropped her off this morning with her black slacks and a blue knit shirt with just enough of a v-neck to make a man stare. Yeah, Chase saw something he liked, but he wasn't about to tell Emma that the something was her.
"A book about new wave." He held it up to show her the neon pink and blue cover. "You may have to check this out for me so I can do research for my movie."
"You know, as a resident of Los Angeles County, you can use your library card in any of the branches." She leaned in closer as if she was about to tell him a secret. "Even this one."
"What if I don't have a library card?" he whispered to her.
She pulled back and scowled at him, and he couldn't tell if she was teasing him or seriously disappointed. He really hoped he hadn't disappointed her.
"Put it back on the shelf and let's get out of here."
Yeah, he disappointed her, or at least her voice was disapproving. Whatever it was, Chase figured he would have to do something to turn that frown around. At least, he wanted to do something to make her smile at him again.
And that's when the perfect opportunity presented itself in the form of a petite woman with dark hair and a very high-wattage smile.
"Heeeeey," the woman said without taking her eyes off of him. "Who is this?"
"Nothing," Emma replied.
"Um, I'm actually somebody." Chase put on his Hollywood smile and reached his hand out to introduce himself. "Chase. And you are?"
"Sabrina."
She gently took his hand, and it seemed to be shaking a little bit. Yeah, she recognized him even if she was trying to play it off like she didn't.
"So, Emma." She took her hand back and turned. "Is this the guy you've been talking about?"
Chase looked to find Emma's face contorted in some weird fake smile. "Yep, this is the one."
She flashed her fake smile in his direction, and it felt a little odd. But he quickly realized it was because she wanted him to play along to whatever lie she was telling. "Yep, that's me I guess!" he exclaimed.
"Well, I'm glad Emma has a boyfriend now," Sabrina said.
"A what now?"
Oh wait, he didn't realize that's what they were talking about, and he wondered how this conversation had become so out of his control.
"Well, she says you're not her boyfriend," Sabrina said with an eye roll. "She also said she didn't like the latest J.D. Robb book, so I don't really trust her judgment right now."
"Ah, well, I see," Chase replied with a bit of trepidation.
Emma took a step closer to him, her perfume teasing his nostrils. He didn't remember that when he dropped her off this morning.
"It doesn't have a label," Emma said. "We're just having fun for now."
Fun? That stung Chase more than it should've considering their situation. It also was a good reminder that this wasn't a relationship. This was Chase fulfilling the wishes of a fan. That was all. He couldn't get his feeling entangled in all of it.
"Anyways, we have to get going."
"Oh, of course." Sabrina gave her friend a knowing smile before turning back to Chase. "It was nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again soon."
"You too!"
He probably said it with too much enthusiasm, which he kind of picked up on when Emma pulled his arm a little too forcefully to get him to finally leave her friend and the library behind.
They walked through the parking lot to his car, and Chase popped the trunk of his BMW to help Emma put her dress in there.
It was well protected by the dress bag she was carrying it in so he wasn't too worried about it, but there was still something about that expensive dress that made him want to be delicate with it.
Kind of like how he was trying to be delicate with Emma.
Her suitcase was already in the trunk from this morning when they loaded them up together and she held onto her purse as she slid into the front seat of his car.
Apparently, her bag was big enough that she was able to slide her heels inside and he couldn't help but smile seeing them again sitting on top of a pile of books.
"So help me out here," he said as he pulled out of the parking lot into traffic. "What was up with that meeting with Sabrina?"
"What do you mean?" Emma said with a bit of an edge to her voice.
"I can't decide if you're trying to be private about what's going on with this whole set up or you're actually embarrassed to be seen with me."
"I just don't want to get into details about what we are."
Chase turned and cocked his eyebrow up. "And what are we?" he asked mischievously.
"We're professional partners." Emma gave him a small smile and looked out the window of his car. "Besides, it's not like we're ever going to see each other after this."
Chase looked at her for a second, not letting on to Emma that her words had stung.
"Right," he simply implied instead.
Honestly, he hadn't really thought about what would happen after this month was up, but he figured they would still see each other in some way or another.
Maybe become friends or go out to dinner on occasion.
Maybe he would invite her to some movie premieres.
Maybe she could let him stop by story time and get coffee afterward.
But if he thought about it, really thought about it, he knew she was closer to the truth than he wanted to admit.
They probably wouldn't see each other after this month was over.
It was just a crazy adventure that Nana made them go on together and that was it.
There was no being friends with Emma after this just to be friends with her.
It made him sad to think about, but he was thinking about it instead of responding to her question, which likely just confirmed to her that she was right.
They probably wouldn't see each other after the money was spent.
So the least he could do was make their time together magical before they parted ways, which only made him more determined to show Emma a good time until she was gone from his life.