Chapter Twenty
Maisy remained shocked that Chase would fly all the way from Chicago to attend Patrick’s Little League game. The joy on her little brother’s face when he saw Chase was one that would long stay on her mind. Chase cheered for Patrick as loud as she did herself.
Later, having him sit by her side during lunch at Willie’s Diner, it felt as if he was already part of the family.
Chase had shared his onion rings with her brother and with her, too.
Most often Maisy opted for a salad over fries and avoided anything deep-fried.
She had to admit that a single onion ring was worth every gram of fat it held.
Patrick was right, they were delicious. She threw caution into the wind that afternoon, risking not only fat grams but her heart.
Seeing Chase, spending this time with him, weakened every resolve she’d held so tightly in check, even knowing this relationship would never be more than it already was.
She needed to be realistic. As much as she hated to admit it, they had no future.
His life was in Chicago. Her home, her family, not to mention her schooling, were all linked to Seattle.
Plus, Chase was extremely wealthy, and, to put it bluntly, she wasn’t.
Her family struggled financially. Their differences made any hope of a lasting relationship impossible.
If only she could make herself face facts.
Sitting next to Chase now removed all doubts from her mind.
After seeing everyone else off, they were the last to leave the diner’s parking lot. Chase opened the passenger door to the car and Maisy slid inside. Knowing how organized he was, she was convinced he hadn’t left their itinerary for the afternoon to chance. He likely had already made plans.
“Where are we headed?” she asked, when he joined her in the front seat.
“How would you feel about a trip up the Space Needle?” he asked, his hands on the steering wheel.
Just as she’d suspected.
“I’d love it.” Maisy had toured the iconic needle on a school field trip years ago, but hadn’t been up the Needle since grade school.
“Great. I have tickets for…” He paused and looked at the time. “Two. Our timing is perfect.”
Because Chase had ordered the tickets in advance, they were able to skip the long line and ride the elevator up 520 feet to the observation desk.
The area was thick with observers, who crowded around the outskirts of the circular structure.
The Needle offered a panoramic view of the downtown area, along with Mount Rainier, which stood majestic and regal in the distance.
Because of the number of people all vying for space to enjoy the view, Chase and Maisy needed to jockey for room, slowly edging their way to the railing by the windows. Chase kept her close and stood almost directly behind her, his hands resting on top of her shoulders.
“Are those the Cascades?” Chase asked, pointing toward the snowcapped mountain range in the far distance.
“Those are the Olympics,” she explained. The Olympics ran along the coast, while the Cascades divided Washington State.
They remained silent for several moments, taking in the beauty spread out before them.
“The views of Puget Sound from here are breathtaking,” he commented.
Maisy agreed. With dark clouds gathering, the waters appeared as a rich layer of gray, a deep reflection of the sky.
As her mother had mentioned that morning, rain was predicted for the afternoon.
The sky could rain down in torrid sheets, for all Maisy cared; she was too happy to let a little thing like the weather spoil her mood.
Chase wrapped his arms around her waist, and she leaned back against him, savoring the sensation of being close.
They’d known each other for only a couple of months, but the connection between them was strong.
It felt as if Chase had always been a part of her life.
Their nightly phone conversations had bonded them in ways she had never felt with any relationship.
“I’m so pleased you came,” she whispered, needing to tell him how much it meant to both her and Patrick.
“I doubt I could have stayed away. I needed to see you, Maisy,” he said, as if it was a confession. “Needed to be with you like I’ve rarely needed anything.”
His words melted the carefully guarded wall she’d erected around her heart.
Getting close to Chase was a known risk.
As Sean was quick to remind her, this relationship wouldn’t end well.
To her credit, she’d tried to keep an emotional distance, tried to keep Chase out of her thoughts, tried not to let him invade her life.
And dramatically failed.
“This…whatever this is…is doomed.” She needed to say it, needed him to hear it. “We live in different cities…different worlds, and I’ll never fit in to yours.”
“You don’t know that,” he countered swiftly.
“I do, and the problem is…I don’t care. I know I should, but I can’t make myself.” Chase was her weakness, her kryptonite.
“Then don’t fight it. I don’t know what this is, either. What I do know is that you’ve taken root in my heart.”
As he had in hers as well, although she dared not admit it.
“You’re forever on my mind.”
He was constantly on hers, too.
“Everything I think and do is filtered through what you would think. You’ve made me a better person, a better man.
Everyone around me has noticed, and it’s all because of you, Maisy.
” He paused, and then added, “It’s crazy how you’ve completely upturned my well-ordered life, but I wouldn’t change any part of it.
I feel as if we were destined to meet that day, almost as if God Himself had ordained it. ”
Maisy felt the same way, although she’d been unable to voice it. No one could be any more different than the two of them. By all that was right, they should have been nothing more than strangers sharing seats on the same flight.
“My entire day revolves around your calls each night,” she told him. “Hearing how you practice generosity fills me with this happy anticipation.”
Chase turned her around then, and she raised her eyes to his. Although they were in the middle of an area packed with tourists, Maisy knew by the way he gazed at her mouth that he was about to kiss her. It wasn’t in her to stop him.
Leaning toward him, she closed her eyes as his lips settled gently over hers.
What started out as soft quickly fired to life.
Maisy wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the warm electricity that shot through her entire body.
This feeling, this sensation, was strong, as if being in Chase’s arms was exactly where she was meant to be.
They remained deeply involved in each other until someone in the distance coughed. Whether it was intentional or not, it was enough for Chase and Maisy to break apart.
Chase leaned his forehead against hers, as if unwilling to let her go. “Not the most appropriate place for our first kiss,” he said with a smile.
Maisy smiled back.
“Come on,” he said, and reached for her hand. “We have places to go.”
Maisy couldn’t hold back a grin. She knew Chase would have their day all planned. “Where to now?”
“Not far. The Chihuly Garden and Glass is right here in Seattle Center. Have you been?”
“No, but I’ve always wanted to see it.” Maisy had heard wonderful things about the beloved glassblower and the garden display.
“Dad has several Chihuly pieces in his home,” Chase mentioned.
Of course he did, and likely several other expensive works of art. Chase probably did, too.
“Dad was fortunate enough to collect those pieces early in Chihuly’s career. From what I understand, they are worth a fortune now.” He casually mentioned this as he led them to the elevator that would bring them back to ground level.
Maisy didn’t know a single person wealthy enough to purchase even the smallest pieces of Chihuly’s work.
As before, Chase had prepurchased the tickets, so they were quickly ushered into the exhibit.
Although the clouds were thick with the threat of rain, it couldn’t take away from the sheer beauty of the garden’s glasswork.
The space offered a rich tapestry of trees and plants purposely positioned to complement the glass.
The richness of the purple-blue obelisks rising from the ground made her pause in their stroll.
It was hard to look away from the beauty of the glass that so perfectly blended in with the foliage and plants in the area.
Chase was several feet ahead of her before he realized she had lingered.
He came to stand with her then. Words weren’t necessary.
He seemed to understand her profound appreciation for Dale Chihuly’s talent.
When the first drops of rain started to fall, they ventured into the Glasshouse. Halfway through the door, Maisy stopped and gasped at the hundred-foot-long sculpture that graced the ceiling with vibrant flowers in a palette of yellow, red, and orange.
“Wow,” she whispered. Naturally, she’d heard of Chihuly and his work and had seen photos of various projects. But viewing his talent up close had escalated her admiration a hundredfold.
When they finished walking through the Glasshouse, they found shelter from the rain in the theater that played a short series of videos showing interviews with Chihuly, followed by an example of his glassblowing in action. His art and glassworks were displayed all over the world.
The rain had eased to a light drizzle by the time they headed back to where Chase had parked the car at a lot close to Seattle Center.
“How would you feel about a wine tasting?” he asked. “Washington State wines are garnering a good reputation. A friend of mine owns several labels and invited us to a tasting.”
“I…sure.” Maisy wasn’t much of a drinker. If sampling wine meant she was able to spend more time with Chase, then all the better. She’d gladly consume castor oil if it meant they would be together.