Chapter 13
Maryellen
Garrett was right on time to pick me up for our date. He was dressed nice in a dark pair of jeans and a gray quarter-zip sweater. His light brown hair was gelled back more than for the party. His eyes were still a stunning blue.
He brought me flowers.
He was super cute.
He was well-dressed.
I learned he had a great job on Wall Street.
He and I had a great conversation at dinner.
We talked more tonight than both the other dates combined.
So why was my mind constantly thinking only about Chase the entire evening?
Maybe because all day at work, Chase was nowhere to be found. He was in charge since Gage was away, so it was possible he was doing his chiefly duties, but something inside told me that wasn’t the case. That and the fact that I received a few calls asking for his whereabouts.
We were supposed to meet about his office renovations as well, and he was a no-show for that.
I made a few of the final decorative decisions for him since he bailed.
He didn’t respond to calls on his office or cell phone, nor to text messages.
Yet, when I reached out to Mitch, he said he’d just seen him.
I tried to force my brain to focus on the cute guy sitting across the table from me. His white teeth sparkled when he smiled, but not quite as much as Chase’s. His blue eyes were gorgeous, but I seemed to like the hazel green of someone else’s a bit more.
I wasn’t being fair. To him or me.
“So how is it working at Parker Financial?” he asked.
“I like it a lot. I’ve been there since I graduated.”
He swirled the wine in his glass as he thought about his next words.
“You work for Gage, but you seem pretty close with his brother.”
Oh crap.
“I help them both out, especially recently. Chase’s assistant just left, and we haven’t hired a new one yet.”
I tried to play it off. But Garrett definitely picked up on the tension between Chase and me that night outside the bar.
Once Chase saw me, we said nothing to one another.
All he did was stand there and watch Garrett put me in my Uber.
Thankfully, Garrett walked straight back into the bar without incident while Chase went on his way down the street.
I watched out the back window.
“Hmm,” Garrett said. And that was it.
This night took a turn, and I was making a mess with two guys now. This was a disaster. I was a disaster. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be with anyone. It was time for me to head home, sit in my cozy chair, read a book, and be content with that as my life.
“Maryellen, did you hear me?” Garrett asked.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to do something once we leave here.” His smile appeared hopeful as he reached across the table for my hand. “It sucks that it’s January, and the zoo and the gardens are closed, but we could head to this cool bar nearby, it’s a beer hall.”
I didn’t screw this up. My belly did a little dance as I smiled back at him across the table.
“That sounds great,” I told him.
“Yeah?” His response was adorable. Surprise mixed with complete joy. “Do you like beer? Because they have tons there, so many I haven’t tried them all yet.”
“I do like beer.”
His smile grew wider, if that was possible. He grabbed his wineglass and drained the contents, eager to get going.
“Let’s blow this popsicle stand,” he said.
His words made me chuckle as he stood from his chair. Joining him, I reached for my bag and coat. And proving to be the perfect gentleman, he came to my side and helped me with my coat.
“Shall we go?” He offered me his arm.
The bar was fun. We shared a couple flights, tasting a wide variety of beers.
From chocolate-flavored to coffee-infused beers.
Some were good and some were awful. Garrett made sure to finish the ones I didn’t like.
And there was a musician playing in the corner and taking requests, which made the evening more enjoyable.
As the night wore on, my thoughts about you-know-who faded. I found myself laughing, singing, and becoming completely enraptured by Garrett. His smile warmed me, and I began to look forward to his occasional embraces.
“It’s kinda late,” he said, looking at his watch.
It was. I couldn’t believe it was almost two in the morning.
“What do you say I get you home.” He put my coat around my shoulders as he started typing on his phone, which I had to assume was to call a car.
The late hour suddenly hit me hard as I yawned and put my head on his shoulder. He held me against him, holding me up, as he walked us to the front of the bar.
“Staying out this late after working all day can be tough, I’m sorry,” he said as he wrapped his arms around me.
“I was having too much fun to go home,” I told him.
He kept me enveloped in his arms, protected from the cold, as we waited for the car on the street. It seemed so…ordinary.
With no drama.
Exactly what I needed.
“The car’s here,” he said.
Before I knew it, we were pulling up to my building. He asked the car to wait for him so he could walk me inside.
“I had a great time tonight, Maryellen.” He held my hand as we walked up the stairs to my floor. “I hope we can see each other again.”
“I’d like that, Garrett.”
We turned the corner and were walking down the hall leading to my apartment when I heard a sound.
“Christ…really?”
Those words came from a voice I recognized.
My head snapped up to see him sitting on the floor, half asleep against the door of my apartment.
“Is that who I think it is?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. I made my way to the slumped body on the floor. “Chase, what are you doing here?”
As I bent down to help him up, I was overcome by the smell of alcohol coming from him. Garrett went to his other side to help as well.
“Get your fucking hands off me, asshole,” Chase said, pushing Garrett away. His words slurred as he stumbled from our hold, and he fell against the wall. “I don’t need your help.”
Yet he did because he couldn’t stand on his own.
I was at a loss as to what to do with him, especially since his brother was out of town.
“I was waiting for you, babe,” he said, still slurring his words. “We need to talk, remember?”
Garrett didn’t flinch at Chase’s comment, but I knew there would be questions. Instead, he helped me get him inside my apartment. Once we had him settled on the couch, he stepped back to assess the situation.
“Let me go pay the Uber,” Garrett said. “I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he walked out the door, Chase pulled me onto his lap. His hands groped me, and I could tell he was extremely intoxicated.
“I thought he’d never leave. I’ve been waiting for you for hours, where the hell have you been? Out with him this whole time? Garrett?”
I pushed myself from his hold, which wasn’t hard to do in his state. My mind was reeling from his words. And his actions.
What the hell?
When I looked back at him, his eyes were closed as if he’d fallen asleep.
“Chase, why do you do this all the time?” I asked, almost rhetorically. I didn’t think he was even conscious.
But he heard me. His voice was quiet. “Do what, Mare?”
I turned to him, and his eyes were sad behind all the bloodshot-ness.
“You always find a way to ruin what’s working in our lives,” I said before peeling myself from his hold.
Before he had a chance to respond, if he was even planning to, Garrett barged back into the apartment.
“So, what’s the plan? Do we have a way of getting him home?” he asked.
That was the big question. The problem was, I didn’t have an answer.
I began scrolling through my phone, hoping a name would pop up that would give me inspiration, but bottom line, Chase and I didn’t run in the same circles.
The only name that kept coming to mind was Mitch, but I didn’t have his personal number.
But Chase did.
I reached for his phone in the pocket of his jeans, but of course, it was locked.
“Chase.” I was prodding him, trying to wake him up. “Chase, look at your phone.”
“Huh?” he said, and his eyes opened just enough for his phone to unlock.
Instead of calling, I texted Mitch. It was the middle of the night, and I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to help us, but it was worth a shot.
“Well, that’s my only idea. It’s a guy we work with who he’s pretty close with. I shot him a text.” I put the phone on the table and flung myself on my chair, suddenly exhausted.
“Don’t you think you should call the guy? What if he doesn’t get the text?” Garrett paced around the room, sending disgusted looks in Chase’s direction.
“I don’t know, it’s not really Mitch’s responsibility to take care of him in the middle of the night,” I said. “If he sees the text and he’s around, I think he’ll come help.”
Garrett seemed frustrated as he ran his hand through his hair.
“Is this guy your responsibility, Maryellen?” he asked. “Doesn’t he have any family who can come help him? Where’s his brother?”
Sadly, he didn’t. I mean, any other time, Gage would be here in a heartbeat. But other than his brother, he had no one. For some crazy reason…I felt like I was the one he needed.
“He actually doesn’t. Gage isn’t around this weekend,” I told Garrett.
Then I felt myself getting a bit defensive. Like, Garrett didn’t need to know where Gage was, or that Chase’s mom deserted him, or that his dad lived across the country. It was none of his business.
Fuck. How did Chase manage to do this to me?
He ruined a completely perfect date with a completely perfect guy. Yet I was coming to his rescue.
I stared at the quiet phone on my table, knowing Mitch wasn’t going to respond at two thirty in the morning.
Looking at Garrett, I saw the reality set in for him as well.
He fell back on his heels against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. He shifted his gaze from me to Chase and back to me again.
“Well, I guess I’m gonna get going,” Garrett said. His fingers rubbed his temple before swiping across his mouth. “This was not how I thought our night would end.”
He couldn’t hide the disapproval in his voice. He spun around and started for my door. I walked with him, though it felt awkward. An unfortunate shift for our evening.
“I’m sorry about all of this, Garrett,” I said as I held the door.
He couldn’t look at me. I wasn’t sure if he was angry or if it was simply disappointment.
“I am too.” That was all he said before he walked out.
I closed the door with a quiet click and moved back into the main part of my room.
Chase was sound asleep on my couch. His feet hung against the floor and his ass was barely on the cushion.
I pushed him onto the sofa, rolling him onto his side.
Once I slid his shoes off, I covered him with my fluffy reading blanket from my corner chair.
My only hope was he didn’t get sick on it.
As I got myself ready for bed, I thought about everything that transpired tonight. From my perfect date to watching Garrett walk away from me. And how I felt when he did.
Or didn’t.
I could have called Mitch. I could have made sure Chase was removed from my apartment somehow, some way.
But I didn’t.
Because when push came to shove, the person I really wanted here with me when I woke up tomorrow is on my couch right now.
Even if that pissed me off.