He smiled and nodded. “I’m glad I brought you here.”
Chance looked far more relaxed than when we first stepped inside the restaurant.
“My thoughts exactly.”
The server came over to take our drink and appetizer orders.
“So are these the same dishes you served?” I asked, scanning the menu.
“For the most part.”
“So that’s probably what’s kept people coming back. The food.” I looked up to see Chance studying me carefully and my stomach tightened.
“Chance,” a male voice boomed. “So good to have you here again.”
I looked up to see a man in his forties with dark hair, hardened features, and dressed in a suit, walking over to our table.
Chance stood and held out his hand. “Brad, always good to see you.”
“You as well.” He shook Chance’s hand and looked at me. “And who is this lovely woman?”
“That’s Maddie Wildes, my girlfriend.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Nice to meet you.”
“Thank you for welcoming us.” I shook his hand as my mind stumbled over the word girlfriend. It was nice to hear.
“So now you’ve seen it on a Monday night and a Friday night. What did I tell you? Consistent occupancy.” He smiled and pulled out a chair next to me to sit in.
I understood Brad came at a time when Chance needed him for various reasons, but the guy seemed really pushy and slick.
He reminded me of Mark. I held in a shudder and smiled at Brad as he motioned for a server to come to our table.
By the time the food had been cleared, and the conversation had ended about the business side of the deal, Brad handed Chance a binder to review, but I think we were both on the same page.
There were more reasons than Brad let on as to why he wanted to sell the restaurant. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it might offer a bargaining chip when it came to negotiations.
“On the house,” Brad said, standing up and shaking Chance’s hand again.
Once he walked away, I leaned over the table and smiled.
“You didn’t seem impressed.”
“Just cautious.”
“Hi ya, Chance.” A boisterous male voice called from the bar.
My gaze flashed in the direction of the cheerful sound, and I saw a man making his way to the table.
“Oh, no.” Chance flashed a wry grin and brought his fingers to his temple, nearly sliding in the seat. “What time is it?”
I glanced at my phone. “Ten.”
“Chance, buddy. So good to see you.” He slapped Chance’s shoulder and looked over at me. “Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all,” I told the man as Chance said “yes”.
I laughed and shook my head as Chance stood up and gave the guy a hug.
“This is Stone. One of the many troublemakers wreaking havoc in the streets of Portland.” Chance smiled in my direction.
“Only when you’re in town, buddy.” Stone walked over to me and I stood up for a hug.
“That’s my girlfriend, Maddie,” Chance said as Stone finally released.
Hearing the term roll so smoothly off his tongue—not once but twice tonight—made this Portland trip seem perfect already.
“I can tell. She’s your type. So how long are you in town for?” Stone took a seat next to me while I sat wondering what in the heck Chance’s type consisted of. I really had no idea what category I’d fall into.
“Tonight’s our last night,” Chance’s gaze flicked over to me.
It looked like he was silently begging for me to follow along.
“Then we need to get the old group together tonight,” he said, squeezing my shoulder.
“No, Maddie and I were headed back to the room. We’ve had a long day of driving and—”
“Not on my watch.” Stone laughed as he began texting. “We’ve got to live it up. I bet Maddie, here, would like to meet your friends.”
I was thoroughly amused by Stone. He actually kind of reminded me of Billy from the hot dog stand.
I looked over at Chance, and his smile deepened as he watched me, sending a thrill through me.
“What do you say? Do you want to meet the people who made it an easy decision to flee civilization?” Chance laughed and Stone clutched his chest.
“I’m wounded.” He laughed, checking his phone. “Looks like Willy, Harmony, and the Jester are all game.”
“Is Stone your given name?” I asked.
“It doesn’t sound like it?” He eyed me with a friendly glint in his eye.
“Not particularly and neither does Jester.” I smiled, taking a sip of wine.
“My given name was Robby, but my brother Billy thought I had a heart of stone so hence.” He bowed his head.
“Do you?” I asked and Chance laughed.
“Depends on who you ask.” Stone’s wry grin spread across his expression.
“Wait, so are you the brother of Billy who is on Hound Island?”
“He is,” Chance answered.
“I’m the good-looking one though,” Stone said expressionless. “So you live on Hound Island?”
I shook my head. “I live on Fireweed, an island over.”
“Makes sense. I’m sure Billy would have mentioned a Maddie had you lived there.”
“Well, he did give me a free hot dog when we ran into each other.” I wiggled my brows and Stone laughed.
“Up to his old tricks.” He let out a sigh and stood up. “Ready to hit Eddie’s?”
Chance pressed his lips together as if he was about to say no, but I couldn’t resist. I had to see who else comprised this eclectic bunch.
“So is Billy wild?” I asked Stone.
“He thinks he is.” He shook his head. “But he’s nothing like his brother or that one over there.” Stone pointed at Chance.
“Now, now.” Chance waved his hands to cut him off as we left the restaurant.
“So what’s Eddie’s?”
“A bar we used to frequent,” Chance said, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me close.
“Sounds fun.”
Chance grimaced and let out a low grumble. “I’m not sure this is the best idea.”
“Don’t be worried about Harmony,” Stone called behind his shoulder. “I told her to be on her best behavior. That you had a guest.”
I felt Chance’s body stiffen slightly, and I realized Harmony just might have been a little more than a buddy.
“Thanks for that,” Chance said in a clipped voice, and I had to keep in a giggle.
Eddie’s was only two blocks down, and it had enough blinking beer signs to light up the alley it sat next to. The moment Stone pulled on the door, loud music drifted outside and the sound of balls clanking on the pool tables echoed in the air.
“They have the best curly fries with cheese sauce in the state, maybe the country,” Stone informed me as he waved at a booth across the way with two men sitting in it.
“Keep me away from the cheese sauce.”
“You don’t like it?” Stone looked surprised.
“No, I love it, but I’m not very restrained when I’m around it.”
“More winds up on her shirt than her mouth.”
“A woman after my own heart.” Stone wound us through the pool tables and over to the group of men.
“Chance, so good to see you. Way to tell us you were coming to town.” A redheaded guy popped up and gave Chance a hug before looking at me. “Oh, you didn’t want to scare her off.”
“I don’t scare easily.”
“That’s a good thing. I’m Willy and that’s Jester.” He pointed at the bald guy who was now pulling Chance in for a hug as Stone ushered me into the booth.
I had a view of the entrance and most of the bar. It looked pretty much like any bar in any state where regulars flock to unwind from a busy day. I just think instead of happy hour at five, it was happy hour at eleven when the chefs around town started unwinding.
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A woman in a red halter top came over, delivering a couple beers and the infamous French fries with cheese sauce.
“When you’re busy cooking froufrou all day, sometimes it’s just nice to have something gooey and bad for you,” Jester explained, reaching in for a fry. “It’s like giving the bird to the establishment.”
I giggled. “So you’re all chefs?”
“Line cook,” Jester said.
“Sous chef,” Willie announced.
“Harmony, who you’ll meet in a few minutes, just made head chef,” Stone said.
“Really?” Chance asked.
He looked genuinely happy to hear the news, and the nosy part of me wondered how extensive their relationship was.
“Two weeks ago today, actually.” Stone slid in next to Jester and Willie.
I saw a woman blast through the entrance of the bar and all eyes turned to her. It wasn’t until she strode into the bar that I finally understood what type of woman I qualified as. I was short and curvy—some might call me thick, but they’d get an evil eye in return—and my style consisted of flannels and mascara as opposed to lipstick and heels.
I looked out of the corner of my eye at Chance who seemed to recognize the woman coming toward us, and I knew without a doubt this was Harmony. Her blonde hair was in a messy top knot. She wore jeans, and a red flannel shirt had been tied around her waist. I wouldn’t have thought it odd except she was only wearing a black camisole beneath and it was freezing outside. She was really pretty, and it was hard not to be a little jealous that Chance was so very consistent.
“Doll,” she drawled, and I knew immediately where our similarities ended.
Chapter Twenty
“Remember that one time you went sailing with my family and you got sicker than a dog?” Harmony asked, chuckling. “And you said it was because the seas were rough, but they were as smooth as glass?”
“I don’t remember that at all.”
“Then the next time my dad invited you it happened again?” Her brow arched, and she glanced at me before returning her gaze to Chance. I couldn’t gauge what was running through her mind.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Stone interjected. “It was horrible. I could never look at tacos the same. Why I decided to go out on the boat with you and Chance was beyond me.”
“I thought you didn’t get seasick.” I narrowed my eyes at Chance.
“I don’t. It was coincidence.”
“Just like mine was a coincidence?” I joked, and he squeezed my hand under the table.
“Precisely like that.” He turned his head, nearly burying his mouth into my hair.
“I just remember Chance being able to outlast us all on the nightlife circuit,” Jester said, raising his glass.
Chance turned and nodded. “I knew how to get down. It was getting up the next day that was a bit of a challenge.”
Harmony laughed. “I remember.”
My chest tightened, and I instantly reached for a French fry.
“I still have that tattoo you dared me to get.” She laughed, first looking at Chance before glancing at Stone. “Remember that?”
Stone nodded. “How could I forget? You talked me into getting a matching one.”
Please let it not be Chance’s name.
Chance let out a tired sounding sigh. “I told you it was a bad idea then, and I still think it’s a bad idea now. You’re only going to embarrass yourselves.”
“What’s the tattoo?” I asked, almost afraid to find out.
“It’s a saying.” Stone sounded less than impressed. “It haunts me daily.”
“Life is a game of Chance.” Harmony sat up straighter. “Right on my tailbone. Same with his.” She pointed at Stone, and I couldn’t hold in my laughter.
Regardless of whether she dated Chance or not, I couldn’t imagine a worse place for a tattoo that said something like that.
“Aren’t you glad you came for drinks?” Jester rolled his eyes.
“I’m learning more and more every day about this guy.” I pointed at Chance. “You don’t have any I missed, do you?”
“I’ve got more sense than that. I’d get something stoic like . . .”
“A unicorn spitting fire?” Willy laughed.
“Exactly.” He kissed my cheek and the warmth that spread through me turned to ice the moment Harmony saw.
Willy leaned back and slowly shook his head side to side. “Nights here just aren’t the same without you.”
“You’re making me blush.” Chance laughed and wrapped his arm around me.
“Are you going to be able to get used to the lifestyle again?” Harmony asked Chance.
“Up all night. Sleep all day.” Her lips pursed into a perfect oval.
“Who says Billy and I aren’t like that back on Hound Island?”
“Because whenever I call Billy at about nine, he’s fast asleep,” Stone retorted before breaking into laughter. “But it’s good for him. My brother is much happier.”
Chance nodded in agreement. “The islands are a pretty special place. It’s going to be a tough decision to leave.”
“But if you come back to PDX, you’re going to kill this city once again. We’ll rule the nights.” Jester pumped his fist in the air and Willy cringed.
“That sounds so, so, so very sad.” Willy held his head in his hand. “Are we going to turn into those people?”
Chance squeezed me close before he dropped his arm and reached for my hand under the table.
“What people?” Stone asked.
“The ones who don’t realize they’re the oldest ones in the club even if they’re getting carried out on a stretcher,” Willy answered.
“Nah. We’ve got at least another ten years before—”
“Nope. I think we’ve hit that mark,” Harmony agreed. “Actually, I think that moment came and went about five years ago, New Years Eve.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Stone looked around the table, devastated.
I hid a chuckle.
“I don’t miss those nights or the morning after,” Chance said. “If I come back, I’ll be hiking, biking, going straight home after work.” He shook his head. “The world I left behind sucked my soul right out of me.”
“Don’t kid yourself.” Stone flashed a wicked grin. “You never had one.”
“The more you guys keep talking, the less likely Maddie will want to hitch a ride back home with me.”
“It would take a lot more than that to scare me.”
“So how did you two meet?” Harmony’s features were delicate, but her gaze was intense with something I still couldn’t place.
“I own a tea shop where I make all my teas and—”
“And Hildie was at it again with her matchmaking skills,” Chance continued, smiling.
“What do you mean?” I turned to get a better look at him.
“She’d wanted me to meet you for months.”
“I thought you only came because Dorinda couldn’t make it,” I teased.
“That part was true, but I’m sure we could have found someone else to make the delivery.” A glint of satisfaction flashed through his gaze.
“On the night he delivered the lavender, my Christmas tree caught on fire and he managed to put the flames out.”
“Now that’s not too unusual for good ol’ Chance.” Willy chuckled.
I laughed. “I had no intention of dating him.”
“Smart woman.” Jester chuckled.
I drew in a breath and decided to keep on talking.
“Or anyone. I hit a bit of a snafu in my last relationship that made me a bit gun-shy.”
He squeezed my hand as if to tell me I didn’t have to continue, but for some reason, it felt right to keep going.
“I got stood up on my wedding day so I kind of wrote off all men.”
“Did you hunt the guy down and kill ‘em?” Harmony’s eyes were wide. “If not, I have a cousin who—” Her lips broke into a smile as I shook my
head. “I’m telling you, I’m sure she’d love to make him pay.”
“She?” I laughed and Harmony nodded. “Well, Chance proved that not all men are disloyal.”
“Yup. If you want a man with that quality, I’d say you couldn’t get anyone more loyal than him.” Harmony traded a look between Chance and me. “Happiness looks good on you, Chance.”
“I’ve always been happy.”
She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Nope. Now your smile is genuine.” Her brows pulled together as if she wanted to add something but thought better of it.
“I don’t think either of us are looking for anything serious.” I smiled. “So that’s got to take the pressure off him.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” Jester leaned back in the booth and took a sip of beer. “His tongue is basically on the table with you next to him.”
I quickly glanced at Chance and waited for him to correct his friend, but he didn’t.
“So you won’t mind giving up your store?” Harmony asked. “Or will you run it from here?”
I froze before shaking my head.
“Oh, no. I can’t move to Portland.” I sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest.
“Ooh, long distance.” Willy grimaced.
I felt my cheeks flush with worry. We hadn’t talked about anything even close to a future, and I’d done such a good job of not worrying about where things might end up that I never expected his friends to care one way or another.
Shoot, I never expected to care one way or another, but I did.
“The Portland deal isn’t definite,” Chance added.
“We’re just taking things one day at a time.” I forced a tight swallow down my throat.
I was not going to start making my life or his complicated. He had a lot on his plate, and I had already fallen for the trappings of love before.
There was nothing wrong with taking life at a slug’s pace.
“I have to powder my nose,” Harmony said abruptly, standing up from the table. “How about you?” She looked straight at me, and my chest tightened with apprehension.
Chance at Love on Mystic Bay (Island County Series Book 6) Page 16
