“Will you put the poor bastard out of his misery and invite him over?” She jumps up out of her chair, flailing her arms frantically. “Yoo-hoo, Chase! Over here!”
Good fucking lord, she knows how to get someone’s attention. My cheeks are on fire and I bury my head in my hands. If he can’t see me, I’m not here. “What the fuck are you doing?” I whisper, glancing at Brenda, trying to contain my laughter.
“What I should have done months ago,” she answers, still flailing her arms.
“Stop it, you’re embarrassing me!”
“Oh, Liv. I can do a lot worse than this. See, here he comes.”
“Good afternoon, ladies,” he chuckles, clearly entertained by Brenda’s antics.
“Please, take a seat.” Brenda motions toward an empty chair.
“Thank you,” he says, sitting so close to me, he could be on my lap. “How’s your day going so far?” he asks both of us, but he’s looking right at me. I can see his eyes hiding behind his Ray Ban’s.
“It’s been fantastic,” Brenda beams.
“Yes, it’s been nice,” I murmur into my now empty glass.
“I planned on taking an early evening sail to watch the sun set. Why don’t you ladies join me?” he asks with a tone I can’t quite place. It’s somewhere between hesitant and pleading.
“Oh my God, that would be great!” Brenda says with the enthusiasm of a child at a birthday party.
Chase turns to me. “Olivia, what do you think?”
“Sounds like fun.”
After heading back to the room to change, we wait in the lobby as instructed. Brenda, in her cute floral dress, stands next to me, fidgeting with her purse and mumbling profanities under her breath. I quirk my eyebrow at her, and ask, “Lose something?”
She huffs and grips the bottom of her purse to spill the contents onto the hotel lobby couch, frustrated. “I can’t find my phone in this behemoth thing. I need a smaller bag. Why would you let me buy this? It’s so impractical, like the place where things that never want to be found again go.”
“Let you buy it? Since when have you listened to me about anything involving fashion,” I say, playing with the cuffs to my sweater.
“Relax,” she scolds. “Just be yourself, and let whatever happens, happen.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice someone exiting the elevator. Chase strolls out with a confident swagger, causing my breath to hitch. He has on a pair of khakis, a white polo golf shirt, and those soft leather flip flops I love. God, he is beautiful.
“All set, ladies?” he asks with that boyish smile I was first introduced to when we were paddle-boarding on Davis. I know he’s excited and looking forward to this. We both nod our heads in unison. “I have a car waiting, shall we?” he asks, waving his arm in the direction of the lobby doors.
A town car greets us as we walk out of the hotel. The driver jumps out and around to open the back passenger door for us with a smile and dip of his hat. I smile back, nodding my head, and Brenda jumps past me to slide in first, taking advantage of my distraction. I narrow my eyes and scoot in next, smacking her arm. “Ow! What was that for?” She rubs the spot as if my tap was a punch and tries to hide her smile.
“You know what that was for,” I say out the corner of my mouth, giving her the side-eye. She moves to shove me, but stops as Chase slides in next to me. Not moving her big booty back to her side, she’s awkwardly sprawling in the seat, forcing me closer to Chase. Our legs touch and butterflies hover in my stomach. I shudder as a chill runs through my entire body.
“Are you cold?” Chase asks, and I shake my head. The driver closes the door, gets in front, and pulls away. Brenda breaks the silence.
“So, where are we going, Chase?”
“I chartered a sailboat. It’s like a cruise to nowhere. The sunsets are beautiful from the water,” he boasts. There’s that little boy smile again, and it warms my heart. His eyes sparkle and his nose crinkles. It’s the cutest thing.
“Sounds beautiful,” I murmur.
“So beautiful,” he says, gazing at me. His eyes penetrate my soul, and my skin gets all warm and tingly. He isn’t talking about the sunset anymore, and I blush. Thank God I’m too tan for him to notice.
A few short minutes later, we pull up in front of a marina. The driver gets out and opens both passenger doors. As we exit, Chase says, “The boat is at the other end of the dock. Follow me.”
We head down a long boardwalk flanked by dozens of boats, each one bigger than the next. The boardwalk ends at a floating dock. We carefully step down onto the not-so-sturdy surface while continuing to follow Chase. At the end of the dock is a large sailboat. It has to be at least sixty feet long. There is a man at the edge of the gangplank to help us on board. “Good afternoon, Mr. Remington,” a crew member greets Chase. He nods his head as he makes his way to the gangplank.
“How’s the weather?” he asks.
“Perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. Calm seas with just enough wind to keep us moving.”
“Excellent,” he mumbles as he climbs aboard. Brenda and I take a seat toward the back of the boat on a long, cushioned bench. Chase disappears below deck and comes back with a bottle of Clicquot and three glasses.
Someone from below follows him up with an ice bucket and places it in a large hole on the backside of the boat where it fits in perfectly. No matter how much the boat pitches and rolls, the bucket will remain stationary. Passing us each a glass, he motions for the crew member to open the bottle, and does so with ease. The pop of the cork always makes me jump and Brenda chuckles low in her throat, shaking her head in amusement. Chase shoots me a sideways glance as he fills our glasses, giving me a wink. Why am I beginning to get the feeling I’ve been set up?
Looking over at Brenda, she gives me a huge smile. Oh, yes, this was definitely planned. I narrow my eyes at her and she blows me a kiss before turning to look out over the water. Devious woman! I take a large sip of champagne.
Chase finishes pouring and sits directly in front of us in a chair bolted to the floor, his eyes focusing on me. The captain approaches Chase as the crew scurries around the ship, untying knots so we can get underway. “We will be getting underway momentarily,” he says before walking back toward his post.
“Thank you,” Chase mutters, his blue irises shimmering and dancing from the reflection off the water as he gazes at me.
With that, the boat floats away from the dock, the motor starts, and we head out toward the Gulf of Mexico. Once we are far enough away and out of the no wake zone, the crew unties the sail. It billows up and the boat jolts forward.
Chase was right, of course. It’s beautiful out on the open water, but I’ll never admit that to him. I sit back and enjoy the ride, sipping on my champagne. Once the crew finishes with the sails, one member comes over and refills our glasses. I stand up and head toward the bow.
Holding on to the railing with one hand, I look out over the water. Bottlenose dolphins flank the side of the boat, appearing to race us, creating quite the sight. Taking a deep breath, I relax and enjoy the motion of the boat, swaying back and forth as we glide across the water. My eyes drift to the horizon, watching the sun glisten off the tranquil water. I close my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on my face, and sense rather than see someone come up behind me.
“Hello, beautiful,” he murmurs close to my ear. I turn to see Chase’s beautiful smile.
“I had a dream about you the night before the wedding,” I say, turning my body toward him.
“Oh, really?” Chase says, leaning forward on the rail so we’re eye to eye.
“You told me not to marry Evan.”
“Did I now? Did I give a reason?”
“You told me to follow my heart and everything wasn’t what it seemed. Then you disappeared into the surf.”
“It seems I give good advice in dreams, too.”
“Yes, apparently you do,” I say, my face twisting into a partial smile. “I thought it was real. It felt so rea
l. Then I woke up in a panic. I should have followed your advice,” I say with a quiet sigh, my head dipping low.
“Hey,” he says softly, “you couldn’t have known. He was very good at hiding the truth.”
“That’s what worries me. If I didn’t know about him, what else don’t I know?” I ask, my voice trailing off as I gaze back out at the ocean. The soft, salty breeze whispers across my face, blowing my hair back.
“So, that’s what’s been bothering you?”
“I don’t know who to trust. I feel like everything is one big lie.”
“Look, I can tell you to trust me, but you should figure that out on your own. My life’s an open book,” he says, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Ask me anything.”
“Are there any other women I should know about?”
“Besides my stalker?” he asks, trying to lighten the mood. A smile crosses his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “By the way, my locks have all been changed. She won’t be able to get in again.”
“Yes, besides her.”
“There were a few other women, but they’ve all moved on. A few are married, one is engaged. Natalie was the only crazy one,” he quips.
“That’s good to know,” I quip back.
“You, on the other hand . . .” he jokes.
“Are there any Chase juniors running around I should know about?”
“God, no. I was always safe. That’s why when Natalie said she was pregnant, I immediately left Davis. I couldn’t figure out how that was possible. And we both know she faked the whole thing.”
“Nothing is one-hundred effective.”
He chuckles. “No, I don’t have any kids.”
“Good.” I take a sip of champagne as we continue to sail away from Key West.
“I thought this might calm you,” Chase murmurs.
“The sailboat or the champagne?” I ask, deadpan.
“Both.”
“They’re both helping, thanks.”
“I told you. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”
He says that, yet when I pushed him away, he didn’t fight for me. When the going got tough, he bailed. “Why didn’t you try harder?” I ask.
“Try what?” he cocks his head to the side, a puzzled look crossing his face.
“To fight for me, to get me to realize what I saw wasn’t real,” I say, unable to hide the pain in my voice. If he would have convinced me before, I never would have gotten back with Evan.
“I tried calling a million times, kept leaving message after message. Then I called, and Evan answered. If he made you happy, who was I to stop him?”
“You would have given me up, just like that?”
Dipping his head, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “It was hard. I’ve never felt hurt like that before. I was dying inside.” He looks up, pain hiding behind those rich blue irises. He takes another breath and continues. “In the short amount of time we were together, I found myself falling in love with you.” He pauses. “I am in love with you, but your happiness is more important than mine.”
Wait, did he just admit to loving me again? I want it to be true, but I still lack the conviction and confidence to believe that, especially since we come from two different worlds. How could he possibly want plain old me?
“That’s the thing. After I saw you with her, I felt so betrayed. You knew what happened with Evan,” I say, looking over the rail and watching the waves slowly lap against the bottom of the boat. “I didn’t think I was worthy of a love without flaws. It wasn’t until I saw you in my dreams that I realized I was settling. I didn’t think I was good enough to keep you.”
“Why would you think that?” he asks, sounding wounded.
“You have everything. I thought you would want someone more like you.”
“Please don’t tell me this is about money,” he says, his tone clipped.
“Not just money. It’s more of your lifestyle. I didn’t go to Harvard. My parents worked hard for what little we had. I didn’t grow up like you.”
“That is one of the many things I love about you.” He places his hand under my chin and tilts my head up. “You don’t take life for granted. You don’t expect anything. That’s why I want to give you everything,” he murmurs, his thumb delicately stroking my chin.
“I don’t want anything.” His touch, so warm and tender, causes me to momentarily stop breathing.
“I know,” he whispers.
“I just want you, but I need to take things slow,” I finally breathe. His lips quirk up into a sideways smile and the tension around his eyes eases.
“I can do slow. I can’t promise I won’t pull a string or two, it’s who I am,” he teases. “But seeing you smile makes me happy. You could light up a room and I would do anything just to see that.” He leans down and kisses me on the lips. “For you, I’ll try to tone it down a notch.”
“Just try not to go over the top,” I murmur, resigned to the fact that he’ll probably do something incredibly romantic, and incredibly expensive.
“C’mon,” he says, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go find Brenda before she thinks we fell overboard.” He moves forward and pulls me with him, but I tug on his arm, a little suspicious. He spins around and I furrow my brows before asking, “Whose idea was this? Yours or hers?”
“Whatever do you mean?” he says, a mischievous smile creeping across his face. Ugh.
Hand in hand, we walk back to where Brenda is seated as the boat comes to a dead stop. Looking over the calm water, Chase turns to the captain. “Quite calm for the middle of the ocean, no?”
“Hit a dead spot. No wind.” He shrugs. “It will pick back up in a bit.” Brenda turns to me as Chase chats with the captain.
“So?” she whispers, looking up at me with inquiring eyes.
“We’re working through my issues,” I mutter so only she can hear me.
A grin spreads across her face. “That could take a while,” she teases. Furrowing my brow, she chuckles softly. Regaining her composure, she mouths, “Good,” and pats the cushion next to her, motioning for me to sit.
It’s almost 8:00 p.m. before the wind finally picks back up and we’ve just opened our second bottle of Clicquot. Sitting on the bench next to Chase, his arm wrapped around my shoulder, his fingers ghosting along my upper arm, I watch the sun as it sets. As the boat sways back and forth, I witness the fiery red orb of light slowly sinking beneath the horizon, threads of light lingering in the sky, mingling with the rolling clouds, dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that’s left of the sunset is a chalky mauve.
“How much longer are you staying?” Chase asks, drawing my attention back to him.
“Brenda needs to be back to work on Tuesday, so we changed our flight to tomorrow.” Chase tries to mask his disappointment with a smile, but I can see right through him.
“I have my plane on standby. Stay another day,” he whispers in my ear, before placing a kiss right below on my neck.
“Isn’t that misappropriation of company funds?” I tease, shivering at the sensation of his touch.
“Yes, but I’m part owner.” He cocks his head to the side and smiles.
“I’ll fly home tomorrow, why don’t you stay?” Brenda interjects, giving me a sly smile.
“I don’t know. I need to get back to work,” I mutter. Though a part of me wants to stay, another part is hesitant. Chase and I agreed to work this thing between us out, to see where it takes us, but now I feel like it’s moving so fast all over again. I still have reservations. The last thing I need is to get wrapped up in all that is Chase before really experiencing a normal relationship with him. My heart can’t take any more shots.
“It’s just one more day.”His persistence starts to win me over, although I won’t tell him that.
“Maybe. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow,” I say, leaning my head against Chase’s shoulder while watching sequin-silver stars reflect off the water.
“Olivia. Olivia, wake
up.” Regaining my senses, I open my eyes to find Chase kneeling next to me. “You need to get up now,” he says, stroking my hair. I turn my head to see we’re back at the dock.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask, stretching my limbs.
“About an hour. You looked so content, I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” I swing my legs to sit up and he stands, offering his hand. As my fingers touch his, a current runs through me and I’m reminded of the electricity that I feel when I’m near him.
“Are you hungry?” he asks as he tugs me vertical.
“No, not really.”
We exit the boat, and walk down the dock toward dry land. As we approach the end, Chase breaks the silence and asks, “Did you want to go anywhere?”
“I think I just want to go back to the hotel,” I murmur, still exhausted.
“Yeah, me, too. The champagne is making me sleepy,” Brenda, who is waiting by the car, emphatically agrees.
“Okay,” Chase concedes. “I’ll take you back.”
The drive back to the hotel is quiet. When we arrive, Chase opens the door and helps me out while Brenda exits from the other side of the car. “I’ll see you in the morning before my flight out,” she calls to me as she practically sprints to the hotel doors, leaving me alone with Chase.
“Olivia,” Chase says, bringing my attention back to him. Running his hand through his hair, he gazes at me intently. He grazes my cheek with the back of his hand before cupping my chin, and saying, “Please, let me stay the night.”
“Chase—”
“We can just sleep,” he rushes out, cutting me off. “I just need to be near you. I miss you,” he says, moving a stray tendril of hair out of my face. God, I have missed him, too. I close my eyes and inhale slowly as he takes my hands in his, strumming his thumb across my knuckles.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” I say. His face lights up and that dazzling smile I’ve missed is back. “Why do all men think maybe means yes?” I mutter under by breath.
“Because it isn’t no,” he answers, obviously catching what I had said. Turning back to the car, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out some cash to pay the driver. As the car drives off, Chase turns back to me, grabs my hand, and walks us toward the hotel entrance.
Lost Without You: Book 2 in the Chasing Olivia Series Page 2
