Chapter Twenty-One
Chase
The next Monday, I ended the general meeting earlier because my parents were about to arrive.
“Excellent. I’ve got a lot on my to-do list anyway,” Cyrus said. He was surprisingly cheerful.
After he left, the door opened and Griffin stepped in with my parents.
He’d brought them up in the management elevator. Susan and Bruce Sterling were both in their late sixties and had only been here once before, when we moved into this building.
Dad was tall and well built, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He worked out regularly and was in great shape. Mom used to joke that she’d cloned him six times, because we resembled him a lot, down to the bone structure and hair color.
Mom looked around warily. It dawned on me that they might be under the impression that something was wrong.
"Boys, this is nerve-racking," she said as she sat down between me and Duncan. Dad sat next to Knox. "What's wrong? How can we help?"
My intuition had been spot-on.
"Damn," Knox exclaimed. "That's not how I thought this was going to work. Mom, Dad, nothing's wrong. Chase has a surprise for you."
" We have a surprise for you," I corrected.
"Technically, Chase does. He won't take the credit, but it's all his doing," Knox went on. "We only found out this past week."
Mom turned to me, smiling. "Oh, darling. Are you finally getting married?"
I stared at her. "Why would you assume that's why I asked you here?"
"I don't know. You said it's a surprise. That would shock the socks off me."
"Susan," Dad said, but it wasn’t his usual exasperated tone. “He would've told us if he was seeing somebody. It must be something else. Son, what is it?"
"I'll make this short," I said. "I bought back your store."
Mom gasped.
"What do you mean?" Dad asked.
"It's been on the market for a few months," I explained.
"I know. I've seen it," Mom said. She glanced briefly at Dad and then back at me. "But why would you buy it back?"
"I figured you two would be happy about it. I know how much it means to you."
"It does," Mom whispered.
"Son, you really didn't have to spend your money on us," Dad said.
"Dad, let me tell you a secret." Knox leaned over the chair to Dad. "He's loaded, okay? He can totally foot the bill."
"This is wonderful," Mom exclaimed. "Thank you so much." She and Dad were both beaming. They were far more civil with each other than I expected. This was going great.
"I already have the key." I reached into my pocket and slid it over the table to Mom because she was nearest.
“That was fast," she said. "I figured.... Never mind." She looked at the key as if she couldn't believe it, then up at Dad. To my astonishment, she had tears in her eyes.
Bewildered, I glanced at Duncan, who just shrugged. I peeked at the rest of my brothers. Griffin cocked a brow. Wyatt was staring at Knox and Finn as if expecting them to have an explanation.
"I can't believe it. How did you even know it was on the market?" Dad asked.
"I kept looking from time to time, and my assistant showed it to me. The owner needed some convincing."
"Our newest employee, Hannah, made some good points that apparently won him over when she and Chase took him to dinner," Knox said.
Why the hell does he like to stir up trouble?
Mom immediately turned to look at me. "Hannah?"
I frowned, looking at Mom. "I met her at Josh and Blair's wedding. She's Blair's sister."
Mom's face exploded into a smile as she pointed at me. "Wait, is this the same Hannah who Jeremy talked to us about?" she asked.
"Yes," Duncan answered.
"I was sure there was something going on between the two of you ," Mom told Duncan.
"Fuck no!" I exclaimed. The room went completely silent. “There is nothing between Duncan and Hannah.”
"Brother, we all know you're a man of few words, but I don't believe you've ever said more with just two words," Wyatt said with a smile.
"All right. I don't need more information." Mom was grinning from ear to ear.
"What? Why not?" Knox asked. "Come on. I thought you'd pester him."
"No, I'm not." She looked at the keys again. "Can we go see it right away?"
"Of course," I replied, glad that we were getting back on track.
“I’ll take you,” Knox offered. “Still want a tour of the company before?”
“Yes!” Dad exclaimed. “Haven’t been here in a while. I’d love to take a look.”
“All right, let’s go,” Mom said.
She, Dad, and Knox left right away.
"Is it just me, or are our parents suspiciously friendly with each other?" Griffin asked once they were gone.
"I think it's just because they were surprised," Wyatt replied.
"I don't know. They seemed friendly with each other the last few times I saw them," Griffin explained.
Duncan looked straight at me. “Mom was like a dog with a bone when she heard about Hannah. Think it’s smart to let her and Knox just roam about?”
“Mom won’t do anything,” I assured him.
Finn pointed at me. “Famous last words, brother.”
***
Hannah
I loved my job. When I first started at Sterling Investments, I'd done so out of need. But I realized I was enjoying this more than my previous job, possibly because the atmosphere at the office was a lot less stressful. Everyone seemed more relaxed, and that was mostly because of the management, aka the Sterling men.
The only downside of the job was that I had zero time for the inn. Several contractors had emailed me with quotes based on the pictures I sent them and the inspector’s report, but the repair costs were astronomic—which made the insurance deductible too far out of my budget. I simply didn’t have enough savings. But I wasn’t going to let that deter me. I was a fighter.
Which was why I was considering something I’d flat-out refused to before: I was on the lookout for an investor. I’d discovered a web portal where I could set up a profile for the business, and investors could get in contact if they were interested. It was like speed dating for businesses. But I didn’t have time to do anything yet.
I startled when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Pulling it out, I was surprised to discover a text from Knox. I'd forgotten he even had my phone number. I gave it to him at the wedding, and he must have kept the listing. The only Sterling brother I'd been communicating with was mine . A feeling of giddiness overcame me every time I thought about Chase.
Was I a bit foolish jumping into this with both feet and my heart? Possibly, but there was nothing I could do about it. I sure as hell didn't want to hold back—not when everything felt so delicious and so right.
Knox: Can you come in the break room on the third floor next to the stairs? I need to introduce you to someone.
I frowned but immediately got up. When one of the bosses asked something, you didn't question them. Well, unless it was Chase. I could always question and tease him.
I shot Chase a quick text on the off chance that he could give me some insider information.
Hannah: Knox wants to introduce me to someone in the break room next to the stairs. Any idea what it’s about?
He didn’t reply, and I headed to the break room. Knox was there standing alongside an older couple I’d never met.
Knox looked over the woman’s shoulder. "There she is, the woman of the hour. Hannah, come here and join us."
"Hi," I said, looking at them curiously. Up close, they seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe I had seen them before after all.
"This is my mom and dad," Knox said. “Susan and Bruce.”
"Hi-i!” Did I just stutter on a one-syllable word?
"Nice to meet you, Hannah. We heard you helped Chase obtain the store," their mom said.
"Oh, well, I’d say that’s an overstatement. I just made some good arguments.”
Knox winked at me. “Our brother confided in us that he was playing the bad cop. Although I don't even think it was a 'good cop, bad cop' situation, more of a..." He paused, and I figured he was searching for the right words, but it turned out it was just for dramatic effect. "Grumpy versus sunshine situation," Knox finished.
"Oh, that would describe Chase, of course. We also heard about you from our grandson," his mom said.
"How is Jeremy?" I asked, wondering why they really wanted to meet me. I felt like I was missing something.
"He's great. Spending this weekend at my place. I can't wait to show him the store," she said.
"But tell us more about yourself, Hannah. Chase kept you quite a secret," their dad told me.
I couldn't hide my surprise this time. His parents knew about me and Chase? I glanced at Knox, who seemed to be fighting laughter.
"What the hell?" Chase’s voice boomed behind us. He must have seen my text.
I glanced over my shoulder as he came up to us. "What is this?" He stared straight at Knox and then at his mom.
Knox narrowed his eyes at me.
I held up my hands. "Don’t look at me. I only asked if he knew what this was about," I said.
"Now, don't make a big thing out of it," his mom said. "I was just very curious to meet Hannah."
"So you decided to go behind my back?" Chase asked, standing next to me.
I felt like I was watching a series and had missed a few episodes. What on earth is going on? Then Chase put an arm around my waist, resting his fingers on my ribs. The gesture was so intimate that anyone watching would have no doubt the two of us were far more than boss and employee.
"Hannah, I need to get you up to speed," he said.
"That would be good," I murmured.
"Mom and Dad came in this morning, I gave them the key to the store, and I told them you helped with the negotiations.”
"I had to meet you," his mom explained.
Chase exhaled sharply, looking at his dad, who was suspiciously silent.
"And you couldn't stop this?" Chase asked his father, who just laughed.
"Son, I didn't even try."
"Chase, don't be like this," his mom said.
"Did it occur to you that I wanted to introduce Hannah to you myself?"
He did? Oh, be still, my heart.
His mom glanced up at him with a soft smile. "Well, that did cross my mind, but I was too curious."
"Of course you were," Chase said. It was the first time I'd ever heard defeat in his voice. He looked at his mother intently.
"Oh, all right. We'll go. We don't want to keep you much longer," she added. "It was really nice meeting you, Hannah."
“Likewise,” I replied, still feeling like I hadn't found my footing. At least I didn’t stutter.
"All right, let's go," Knox said. His parents left the room first.
Knox stopped in the doorway, whispering, “Sorry. You know how Mom can get.”
Chase cocked a brow. “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy this.”
“I did at first, but then I felt guilty. Sorry, Hannah. I didn’t want to give you a hard time, just bust my brother’s balls.”
I laughed, turning to Chase. “Okay, then.”
“Get out,” he bellowed at Knox, who immediately left.
Once I was alone with Chase, I felt like doing a happy dance. I wanted to steal a kiss, maybe cop a feel or two. Just enough to get me through the rest of the day.
I hurried to the door, closing it.
“Lock it,” Chase commanded.
"There's a lock to the break room?" I said, trying to ignore just how much my lady bits liked his tone of voice.
"Yes. It was an office at some point."
I turned the lock and then faced him. He was already walking toward me. Chase looked so damn hot in his white shirt with the top button open that I might spontaneously combust.
He touched the side of my face with his thumb and forefinger, then traced my jaw.
“Sorry about this,” he murmured. “That’s not how I imagined you’d meet my parents.”
“It's fine, really.”
"Let's do this every day."
"What, sneak in the break room?"
"Yes," he said before capturing my mouth.
I instinctively gave in to the kiss. It was so delicious it made my toes curl. I grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging him even closer, like I could somehow climb inside him.
He paused to breathe, and I released my grasp. "Oh no. I made a mess of it." I tried to smooth the collar down. "I crumpled it. Damn it. I think we need a rule, something like 'only kissing, no touching when in the office.'"
"That's a shit rule. I need to touch you," he said, then kissed me again, putting both hands on my waist.
My lady bits were about to go up in flames, but as long as he kept his hands on my waist....
But of course, he didn't. He lowered both of them to my ass, cupping my buttocks.
I could reach his shoulder blades with the tips of my fingers. He relaxed under my touch, and I pulled back a bit. "You're tense."
"I've got a lot on my plate." His voice was low and rough.
"Want to share?"
He shook his head. "No. This is better."
He explored my mouth, kissing and stroking until I was ready to climb him. I lifted a leg on instinct and had to wrap it around his middle. Then I caught myself and moved sideways.
"What are you doing?" he asked, holding his hands up.
"This is not a good idea. Couldn't you tell I was about to jump you?"
He grinned. "I don't have anything against that."
"Not at the office,” I murmured.
He cleared his throat. "No. You're right. Fuck, you make me lose my mind so damn quick. You leave the room first, and I'll stay here for a few minutes."
"Why?" I asked, miffed.
"Because I have a hard-on."
I'd given the master of self-control a hard-on in the middle of the day, at the office. I did a mental happy dance at the thought.
“Fuck, I need more time with you," he growled. "Seeing you from time to time in the evening is not enough. Not nearly enough.”
“What do you propose?”
“Let’s start the day by drinking coffee together. There’s a bakery with good coffee a few blocks away.”
“Sold.”
Chase wanted to spend more time with me so much that he’d actually thought about the logistics. My heart sighed with happiness. This man was unbelievable, and I cared deeply for him already.
I couldn’t hide my grin. I felt on top of the world.