Chapter Thirteen
Hannah
"Does Jeremy have favorite uncles?" I asked, hoping he would take my hint and change the subject. "He insisted on seeing Knox and Finn.”
He flashed me a grin. An actual grin. Why did he do that so rarely? It fit him.
"Those two are probably closest to him."
A while later, we arrived in front of a small Mexican restaurant. We circled the streets before finding a parking spot and then walked to it. It had a decent yard with benches outside.
As we were looking around for our guest, Chase put a hand on my upper back, then promptly dropped it. It took everything I had not to lean in, seeking nearness.
He cleared his throat. "There he is."
We walked up to the elderly man who was sitting on one of the tables at the side of the restaurant. Considering it was barely six o'clock, the place was surprisingly full. There were seats inside, but everyone was enjoying the yard. The late afternoon was pleasantly warm.
He stood up when he saw us coming and offered me his hand. "Hi, I'm Elijah Casson."
"I'm Hannah Levine," I said.
"Chase, good to see you. I can finally put a name to the face.” I took it as a good omen that they were on a first-name basis.
"I've never been to this restaurant," I told him, "even though it's just a few streets away from me."
"It's one of my favorites," Elijah exclaimed. "I recommend the trio of tacos. They mix it with whatever fresh ingredients they have—mostly chicken and pork, but sometimes you also get shrimp. It's always delicious."
I nodded. “I’ll have that.”
“I can’t wait to hear your opinion. Everyone I’ve brought here loved it.”
As we sat down, Chase flagged a waiter. We all ordered tacos and sodas. The second he left, Chase began. “So, Elijah, have you given my offer more consideration?”
What is he doing? He needs to ease in. Elijah was looking forward to this dinner, and Chase was all but steamrolling him.
I pressed my thigh against Chase's, and he immediately stopped talking. The contact electrified me.
Elijah pointed to me and then at Chase. "You two are an interesting couple."
I almost laughed at how he changed the subject, except my cheeks felt like they were on fire. "We're not. I work with Chase."
"Really? Why exactly are you here, then?” He focused on Chase. “You thought if I heard your sales pitch from this pretty girl, it would win me over?"
Damn it. This is not off to a good start. I was planning to find out a bit more about Elijah before bringing up the family history, but I had to adapt.
"Not exactly a sales argument," I said, keeping my voice calm, "but the store is important to Chase."
Elijah waved his hand. “You’re running a financial services company. What do you want with this store?"
"His parents owned it."
That had exactly the effect I wanted. He jerked his head back, looking at Chase. "Is that true?"
Chase nodded. How could this be so uncomfortable for him?
“Why didn’t you tell me that?" Elijah continued.
Chase cleared his throat as the waiter brought our tacos. “I didn't consider it to be a relevant argument.”
Elijah looked incredulously from Chase to me, then took one of his tacos.
I had one with pork, one with chicken, and one with shrimp. I started with shrimp and was going to work my way up to the pork.
I couldn't help but glance at Chase. He truly didn't belong in this place with his cuff links and his expensive suit. But he ate with surprising ease, which made me think he wasn't a food snob.
I ate my shrimp taco quickly and sighed. "That was amazing." I was definitely going to come back here again. "It had so much flavor but not too much, so it doesn't overpower the shrimp." I’d tasted cilantro and lime mixed in.
"Exactly," Elijah said, but he was fixated on Chase and the conversation at hand. "Now, tell me more about your parents. When did they own the store?"
"Twenty years ago," Chase said. His tone was clipped.
"Why did they sell it?"
I took one glance at Chase and realized exactly why this was so uncomfortable for him. He didn't want to talk about his parents’ divorce with a stranger, yet there was no way to tell the story without mentioning it.
“They couldn’t pay the mortgage on the place, so the bank sold it to the highest bidder.”
I stopped in the act of reaching for my next taco. He hadn’t told me that. My heart ached for his parents.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"They did what they had to do," Chase said in a brusque tone. “They used what equity they got from the sale to start over.”
"What exactly do you want to do with the store?" He was only looking at Chase, so I kept my mouth shut.
"I’ll surprise my parents with it. My dad might want to pick up where he left off. I'm not sure if Mom still wants to. She's enjoying her retirement. They put a lot of heart and soul into the store, so I think they’ll appreciate that it’s part of the family again."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me that in the first place?" Elijah asked, grabbing his third taco. I was only on my second, and so was Chase.
"Buying a company is a business transaction," Chase said.
"Yeah, but the store is my life's work. I've put my heart and soul into it too," Elijah said. "Knowing it will go to someone who appreciates it as much as I do, well, that's all I ever wanted."
Chase looked stunned. God, if I could, I’d snap a picture of him at this moment.
"Everyone else who's bid plans to change it. One guy even said he actually just wants the lot of land and intends to destroy the building. Why the hell would I sell to him? So send me all the paperwork over, and I’ll sign it."
"You're selling to me?" Chase asked.
Elijah narrowed his eyes. "Yes, that's what I said."
"All right," Chase replied, and I could instantly see him shift into CEO mode. "My lawyers will be in touch tomorrow morning, first thing. I think we can wrap everything up quickly."
"Sounds good." Elijah nodded. "I can't wait."
"What are your plans for retirement?" I asked him.
"First things first, I'm going to go on a cruise. I haven't gone on a vacation for the last twenty years. Saved up, God knows for what. Now I plan to enjoy the time with my wife."
"Good for you," I said.
We made small talk about cruises and vacations while we finished our tacos.
"Well, it was great meeting you—both of you," Elijah commented half an hour later as we walked out of the restaurant's yard and onto the street. "Pity you aren't a couple. You complete each other well."
I opened my mouth, but I had absolutely no comeback. My body felt like a live wire.
"My lawyers will be in touch" was all Chase said.
Elijah shook hands with me first, then with Chase before turning around and walking away at a brisk pace.
I was still flustered from Elijah's parting words. I had to pull myself together.
"Congrats on sealing the deal, Chase.” I turned around slowly, buying myself time.
“You’re still blushing.”
"I am?" I put both palms on my cheeks; they definitely felt hot. When I glanced up at Chase, he had a teasing smile on his face.
"Is it because of what Elijah said?"
"I mean, I don't understand why he said that."
"I do."
"Want to enlighten me?" I asked.
"I'd rather not. Opening Pandora's box and all that."
I didn't just feel like a live wire now. I was burning up for this man.
"Thank you for tonight, Hannah," he said.
"Sure, my pleasure. I'm really glad it worked out."
"What do you say we go out and celebrate? A little champagne?"
"You and me, plus champagne? Not such a great idea."
He swallowed hard without breaking eye contact. "You're right. I'll drive you home."
"It's only a few blocks away, and honestly, I’m in the mood for a walk. It’s so nice outside.” I alternated between going to the office by car or public transportation. Today I’d chosen the latter and got in a few steps, but I still wanted to stretch my legs a bit.
"I'll walk you there, and then I'll come back."
“Okay.” I wasn’t ready for this evening to be over. I was beyond excited that Elijah was selling him the store! Truth be told, I did want to celebrate with him. But going somewhere together and drinking champagne sounded like a bad idea. A stroll, however, was genius.
“Are you telling your family?” I asked.
“I’ll share it with my brothers. We’ll decide together how to break the news.”
We passed the arched sign of the Gaslamp Quarter a few minutes later. The streets were bustling, as happy hour had started.
"I love the historic quarter," I murmured.
"I haven't been here in a while," Chase admitted.
"After I broke up with my ex, I knew I wanted to live here. Although, to be fair, I thought I'd be at the inn mostly and would only come out here once in a while."
"Do you miss him?" His voice was sharp.
"My ex? Not at all. He’s in the past.”
“Do you ever see him?”
“Hell no. Can we not talk about him?”
“Fine with me.”
He’d left dents in my heart, no doubt about that. Betrayal and disappointment didn’t heal easily. I wasn’t certain they’d heal at all. But Chase didn’t have to know that.
"It's such a nice evening for a stroll. Do you mind if we take a detour? I often do it on my way home."
"Sure."
We passed the Davis-Horton House first. While I didn't believe it was haunted, plenty of people did. They lined up in front of the yellow house, taking pictures and selfies. The Royal Pie Bakery was also one of my favorite buildings in the area. The red bricks stood out among the Victorian-era homes surrounding it. My very favorite was the Spencer-Ogden Building. The pub inside was called The Tipsy Crow. The smell of beer was pungent in the streets.
"You walk around here even at night?" he asked, his voice tighter than before.
"Yeah. It's perfectly safe," I said.
“You’re joking.” His body language changed as we walked farther down the street. The bars were full, and we could spot the occasional drunkard already. “You carry pepper spray or something with you?”
“Chase, relax.”
But he didn’t. He kept glancing to my right and walked much closer to me than before. I didn’t see anything dangerous—except perhaps the hormones rolling off him.
"How long until we get to your place?" he questioned.
"Ten minutes, give or take."
We needed fifteen minutes. He kept slowing down and sizing up the streets, and I lived at the edge of the quarter.
We turned onto my street seconds later. It was narrow, but the entrance was well lit. The building was made of red brick, and my studio was above the steakhouse on the ground floor. The smells were heavenly.
"You live here," he stated.
"Hey, you're judging."
"No, I'm just concerned. Hannah, you seriously mean to tell me that you don't run into drunk, obnoxious people in the evening?"
I shrugged. "Well, I do sometimes. The whole quarter is full of bars and pubs. But I've never had an issue."
"All right, I'll walk you upstairs."
I wanted to tell him there was no need, but he seemed so determined that I was sure he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Besides, I didn’t mind. My ex couldn't care less where I lived or if I was safe at all. After breaking up, I asked him where he was going to move and if it was close enough to his work. He didn’t even bother asking me anything. It didn't matter to him.
"I don't have an elevator, and I live on the third floor," I warned him.
"I'm good with stairs."
There was no one else on the staircase. The sound of our footsteps and our breaths filled the air.
"That's me," I said when we arrived on the third floor. The corridor was dimly lit. I unlocked the door, but before pushing it open, I turned around. "Thank you for walking me up."
He gripped the doorway, leaning in. I felt his breath on my cheek.
For the briefest second, I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me against the door. Maybe I even wanted it.
"No, I'm the one who needs to thank you. What you did tonight means a lot to me. You got to Elijah in a way I clearly couldn't."
There was no other word to describe Chase but intoxicating. "You have to stop wearing that," I whispered.
"What?" he asked, confused.
I pressed my lips together.
"Hannah, what do you mean?"
"No, that was just my mouth talking without checking in with my brain first."
He laughed. It sounded throaty and sexy.
"Your cologne is driving me crazy," I confessed. He grinned. "I'm sorry, it messes with my mind. It reminds me of—”
“The beach."
"Yes," I murmured. "I think about that way too often."
"So do I," he said. "Every day. Every time I see you."
"But you haven't seen me."
"I go to Magda's office far more often than I should. But I'm not staying long enough for people to notice."
I gasped. "Chase." What must Magda be thinking?
Then he put a finger on my lips. The contact electrified every cell in my body.
"Don't say anything.” He opened his mouth, then hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. “I need to see you, that’s all. Every day. I can’t explain it.”
A light tremor shook me from head to toe, like he'd flipped a switch and my whole body was yearning for him.
"I won't say anything else," he promised. "If I do, there will be no going back."
I was sure of that. But part of me wanted him to go there, even though I knew this couldn't be. He wasn't the man for me.
"Good night, Chase."
"I’ll wait for you to go inside."
I pushed the door open and stepped in, waving at him before closing the door.
I listened intently, and for a few seconds, there was no sound. Maybe the door is more soundproof than I realized.
But then I heard footsteps going down the stairs, and I leaned against the door, smiling in the dark.