Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ADDISON
It had been more than a week since that morning when my brothers made me lose my shit. I hadn’t been able to take any more. So, without a word, I’d gathered up my things and hustled out of the room without anyone noticing—too wrapped up in their arguing to pay attention.
No one in their right mind would ever call me idealistic.
I generally assumed the worst and had contingency plans for every possible negative outcome.
But there was still a tiny part of me—a little girl buried deep inside who’d never had that special kind of father-daughter relationship portrayed in movies—that couldn’t help but hold out hope that maybe this time would be different.
I knew it was stupid. And I knew they’d tell me as much if I voiced that to them. So, I’d bailed. Run off to the one place I knew no one would look for me.
Well, no one but Chase.
Having his reassuring presence next to me, his body heat seeping into my bones as he sat and just…listened—didn’t try to fix, didn’t heap advice on me—had been exactly what I’d needed.
And he’d known that.
That scared the hell out of me. I could fend off cocky Chase. Could ignore jealous Chase. Had no problem taunting horny Chase. But thoughtful Chase? I was fucked.
Thankfully, his furniture had been delivered to his new home—a home I had no idea the location of, but that was fine by me.
Less chance I’d accidentally-on-purpose find myself on his front step—which meant he was no longer staying at the inn.
No longer sharing a wall with me. No longer witnessing me getting myself off to the visual of him.
I’d been so busy this week, I’d barely noticed his absence.
Yesterday, I’d received a call from an agent’s office—why the agent couldn’t call me himself, I wasn’t sure.
But the assistant I’d spoken to had let me know one of the agent’s big clients was from Maine and was hoping to partner with some local businesses to endorse and give back to their home state.
And, luckily, the resort had come up in conversation.
This was exactly the kind of side project I needed in our back pocket for when—if—the resort started to backslide again.
When the assistant asked if that was something we might be interested in, I pretty much fell all over myself to say yes.
Though the person I’d spoken to hadn’t dropped any clues as to who this A-lister was, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same top-secret person building a cabin on the bluff on the outskirts of Starlight Cove.
Ever since construction had started on it months ago, it had been the talk of the town.
The current rumor was that the owner was a certain superhero in a very popular film franchise.
Thoughts of what that kind of partnership could possibly mean for the resort had been a constant whirlwind in my mind since I’d hung up after confirming our meeting for today.
Not wanting to get anyone’s hopes up, I hadn’t let any of my brothers know what this meeting was about.
Part of me was still mad at them for their behavior and didn’t want to talk to them, despite the olive branches they’d sent my way.
Beck had sent over my favorite dinners, Brady had cleaned off my car every morning, Aiden had taken care of the shit jobs I hated doing, Ford had dropped off a care package full of my favorite snacks, and Levi had stocked the fridge with my favorite ice cream.
Which told me they knew they’d fucked up.
The other part of me just wanted to make sure this opportunity was as good as the agent’s office had made it out to be before I spilled the details to anyone.
The drive to the bluff was a little rough, snow coming down heavy and wet, but I’d lived in Maine my whole life, so this wasn’t anything new. I could navigate wintery weather conditions like a motherfucking boss.
The road leading to this elusive cabin was secluded, a canopy of bare trees arching overhead and creating a makeshift tunnel that would’ve been kind of spooky if it weren’t the middle of the afternoon.
With how far on the outskirts of Starlight Cove this home was, I absolutely believed the rumors about who owned this place.
Someone who wanted privacy and seclusion.
Who didn’t want to be harassed any time they stepped out their front door.
And I was going to lose my mind if I was about to meet one of the Chrises today.
After a dicey uphill drive, I followed the long, winding driveway until I was in front of what could never be classified as a cabin by any stretch of the imagination.
It was a lodge. Beautiful and impressive.
Built of wood logs and stone with a steep, peaked roof, it stood proudly on the otherwise secluded property, with towering trees surrounding it.
But what should have looked imposing somehow gave off a warm and inviting vibe.
I shut off my car and grabbed my bag before stepping out into the falling snow.
My stomach was a mixture of nerves and determination, so I rolled my shoulders back, shook off any apprehension, and put on my game face.
No matter what awaited me, I’d handle it because the resort deserved my best. My brothers, sporadic shitheads that they were, deserved my best. Especially after all they’d given me.
I rang the doorbell and barely had time to worry about what my first words were going to be to this Hollywood elite before the front door swung open…and the smile melted right off my face.
Chase stood in the doorway, blocking my view inside. He wore tattered jeans and a long-sleeved navy Henley, his feet bare as if he owned the fucking place.
I scowled at him, not prepared for this wrench thrown into my plan. Not prepared to face him so soon after I’d exposed my underbelly. “What the hell are you doing here?”
With that stupid, smug smirk on his stupidly handsome face, he reached out, hooked a finger in the pocket of my coat, and tugged me inside before shutting the door behind me. “What do you think I’m doing here?” he asked, grabbing my bag and hanging it on the rack next to the door.
I narrowed my eyes at him, crossing my arms over my chest. “Don’t tell me you’re here for a partnership, too. The agent’s office never said the resort would be competing for attention.”
“How about you come in, and you can crank up your anger to yell at Marty about that when he gets here.”
My stomach dropped at the thought of being here with Chase…alone. It wasn’t like I thought I’d jump his bones at the first opportunity. Probably. But it was best to err on the side of caution and stay as far away as possible. “He’s not here yet?”
“Just me, firefly.”
“Great,” I said on a sigh.
“Take off those shoes you hate and stick around for a while.”
As much as I didn’t want to do what he said, I couldn’t deny the truth of the statement. I did hate these torture devices. I also had no intention of stepping a foot into this immaculate home with my heels on. I kicked them off as I glanced around, taking it all in.
This place was…gorgeous. Basically everything I would put into a house if I’d had one custom-built.
The main area, painted in soft grays with distressed wood floors, was one giant great room, with a white gourmet kitchen and a huge eat-in island, what looked like the fluffiest sectional I’d ever seen in my life, and a fireplace along one wall below a large TV.
But the real showstopper was the wall of windows against the back of the house, running from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.
I stepped up to take it all in, my eyes widening at the view beyond.
Driving up here, it had felt like this place was in the middle of the forest with all the trees surrounding me.
But this proved otherwise. The house sat hundreds of feet above sea level, the ocean spread out below.
My breath caught in my throat as I stared out the windows, watching as snow flurries swirled above a turbulent sea.
“You like it?” Chase asked, his shoulder brushing against mine.
“It doesn’t matter if I like it.”
He hummed but otherwise didn’t comment on that. Instead, he said, “Why don’t you give me your coat?”
I glanced over at him, narrowing my eyes. “Why are you acting like this is your house? Taking my coat and walking around barefoot—honestly, who does that?”
“And why are you—” Chase hooked a finger in my coat pocket and tugged me toward him once again, his hands landing on my hips to steady me “—being so difficult?”
I ignored how close he was, how fucking good he smelled, and how much I wanted to feel his lips on mine again as he slowly slid each button on my jacket through its hole, his eyes locked on mine the entire time.
Without my heels on, I was more than a foot shorter than Chase, and where I’d once loved that height difference, I couldn’t deny how vulnerable it made me feel.
Something I couldn’t afford to be around him.
I swallowed hard, trying to appear unaffected by him. “Because it’s my favorite thing to be around you.”
Chase laughed, free and unrestrained, and I hated how much I loved it. Hated, too, how much I’d missed it. He and Avery were the only two people in the world who could have me giggling at 3 a.m., punch-drunk on laughter, and it had been far too long since I’d done that with him.
“You know,” he said, “I read somewhere that people always push boundaries the hardest with those they feel the most comfortable with. The safest with. Those they think will be there, no matter what. It’s why teenagers are such assholes to their parents.”
“I assume you have a point?”
He raised a brow, his lips kicked up at the corner. “My point is you push awfully fucking hard with me, Addie. And as much as I’m sure you hate it, that tells me just how comfortable you are with me.”
“Have you ever thought that maybe I’m like this around you because I don’t want to be around you?”
He shook his head, eyes boring into mine as he slid the last button on my coat through its hole. “Never once.”
I pinched my lips together, shoving down the spark of heat his words had ignited, and glared up at him.
But then he brushed his hands over my shoulders and down my arms, stripping the coat from my body, his touch featherlight and scattering goose bumps across my skin.
Those were easier to hide with my long sleeves, but the shudder that ran down my spine wasn’t.
Apparently Chase valued his life too much to comment on it, though.
Instead, he took my coat without a word and strode back to the entryway, hanging it on the rack next to my bag.
I watched him move around this home with ease, narrowing my eyes on him as various puzzle pieces slowly started shifting into place. “You’re awfully comfortable in somebody else’s house.”
He shot an amused smirk my way, one brow raised. “Who said it was somebody else’s house?”