Chapter Seventeen
"Chase!"
Emma had almost tackled him with her enthusiasm when he walked in the door after a long day on set earlier this week. But he was still willing to go along with her enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He liked this change in their relationship.
"Vegas!"
He kissed her neck right under her earlobe, which he had learned was something she liked. "What about Vegas?"
"It's genius!" She pulled away for a brief moment and kissed him. "Vegas, this weekend, spending lots of money. You know you want to."
He did want to spend some cash in Vegas and he wouldn't mind spending some cash with Emma. He also knew she was right and it was genius.
But there was also something bittersweet about it. It would easily get them to the end of this challenge, she could go on her way with her inheritance and forget Chase, and he could get back to his normal Hollywood life.
It was the perfect way to finish this.
Except as he sat in the departure building for their private plane at the airport in Burbank, he started to feel a little bit of sadness creeping in.
He tried to talk himself out of it because seriously, how could anyone be disappointed by Vegas?
But leaving Las Vegas when this was all over probably meant leaving Emma behind.
This weirdness started with a challenge from Nana when she asked him to help her out with her final wishes, but it had become so much more to Chase.
There were moments when he thought Emma felt the same way, when there was something in her eyes that made him think that she wasn't looking forward to the end of this, or maybe she wanted some sort of reassurance that the end of the challenge wouldn't be the end of them.
That she truly meant something to him, and Chase truly meant something to her.
But then there would be times when he would catch her looking at real estate listings on her phone. It would be nothing fancy, of course. That wasn't Emma. But it would be a cute place tucked away in Santa Monica or a condo near the beach. Whatever it was, it wasn't his guest house.
"Mr. Warwick? We're ready for you."
Chase was pulled out of his thoughts by the ticket agent for their little section of the airport. He gave her a tight smile and thanked her before turning to Emma. "You ready?"
She looked a little apprehensive as she stared beyond the windows to the private jet waiting for them. "Are you sure this is safe? It seems like a small plane."
"Totally safe." He tried to reassure her by grabbing her hand and pulling her up from her seat. "You're going to love this."
"But I don't even have to take my shoes off to get on the plane."
"I know! Isn't it great?" he said giddily. "C'mon."
Emma turned to look at him and he gave her another one of those reassuring movie star smiles that seemed to put her at ease. She reached for her roller suitcase with one hand and reached for him with the other, and they strolled out of the doors to the waiting plane.
Chad the flight attendant beamed at Chase as they got to the plane door. "Hey, Mr. Warwick, nice to see you again! Pick your seats and we'll be taking off in a few minutes."
Chase stuck his hand out to shake Chad's and made sure to have a little bit of cash to slide him. "Can you bring some of your white wine and snacks to the back when you have a chance?"
Chad smiled at him and discreetly slid the cash into his pocket.
Yes, Emma was going to be treating him this weekend as part of Nana's deal, but it was nice to feel like Chase still had some pull with his own money.
That cash would guarantee that Chad would make sure they were taken care of while also giving them some extra privacy when they wanted it.
Chase walked down the aisle of the plane and joined Emma in the seat next to her at the back, staring out the window.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.
Emma snapped out of her thoughts and turned to him, putting a smile on her face. "That I didn't have to take my shoes off and go through security to get on this plane."
"I told you it was great."
There were some things that Chase had become comfortably familiar with now that he was a big Hollywood star.
Fancy soft sheets, gift bags packed with stuff he could totally afford but was getting for free anyway, skipping the line for dinner reservation.
But there was something about renting a private jet that still felt special so he totally understood how Emma felt right now.
"Excuse my reach."
Chad put a chilled bucket on the table in front of them with a bottle of white wine and a cutting board filled with fancy cheeses and meats and olives.
Chase was famished as he went straight from the set to the airport.
Shooting ran a bit later than expected, but the nice thing about a private jet was that it would wait for him rather than trying to rush to make a flight.
"Not to bother you with business, Mr. Warwick, but the office said we would be charging this on a different credit card than usual."
"Oh, um, yes." He could hear Emma grab her back and start rummaging through it. "Let me see if I can find it for you."
Chase gently put his hand over her arm and smiled up at Chad. "My assistant is taking care of it."
"Sounds great, Mr. Warwick. I'll let the office know."
Chad gave them a smile and quickly turned back to the front of the plane, leaving the two of them alone with their fancy cheeses and glasses of wine.
"So you're sure Charles approved all of this?"
Chase honestly didn't give a rat's ass about what Charles thought of this, but he already had his assistant check for him anyway. He wanted to make sure this trip would help her get her inheritance.
"Marcus talked to him two days ago." She turned and gave him that small smile of hers that loomed large over his heart. "Charles approved it as long as I'm with you."
"As long as you're with me?"
Chase leaned in closer to her. "As long as you're with me," he repeated.
Emma's smile grew bigger just as the plane started taxiing from its spot and Chase couldn't help but watch her reaction as the plane took off from the runway.
There was no going back now. They were off to Vegas with Emma's credit card and a goal to spend lavishly or, in Chase's case, to spend as much time as he could with Emma.
He held his glass of wine up and dipped it towards her. "To Vegas."
"To spending a lot of money in Vegas," she replied as she clinked her glass against his.
Yeah, this was going to be a weird weekend with Nana's challenge hanging over their heads, but she wanted them to spend money, and Chase couldn't let her down. Nana would just have to forgive him for falling in love with her granddaughter.