Chapter 15      

Moira couldn’t believe what she was hearing from her sister.

“He just walked into the gallery and asked you to come to Rome?” Moira asked into the phone after listening to Caroline’s rendition of her meeting with J.T. Merriam. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Me either,” she said. “I felt like I needed to down a scotch or something after his visit. He’s like a tornado. Well, not a tornado exactly. Something powerful, but not destructive. You know?”

Didn’t she? It was the perfect description of Chase. “You’re going to Rome, right? Because if you chicken out, I’m going to smack you. This is the chance of a lifetime.”

Moira eyed Gary, who was hovering in the doorway of her office. He gave her an awkward smile, something he excelled at.

Usually she didn’t take personal calls at work, but what was a girl to do when her sister texted her with an ASAP call request? She signaled for Gary to give her a little more time. He nodded enthusiastically, but rather than return to his desk, he began pacing. 

“I know it is,” Caroline said, the words punched with enthusiasm. “My only concern is my schedule. Leggett needs—”

“Your time,” Moira said. “It’s a great gallery, Caroline, but perhaps it’s time to broaden your reach. Heck, you studied abroad in Rome for a summer. It’s your favorite city in the world.”

“True,” she said. “I’m simply…in shock.”

“Well, douse yourself with cold water and call the man back.”

“I’m afraid if I do it now, I’ll look too eager.” Her sigh was audible. “Besides, he might ask me to go to Rome today. After he finishes meeting with Evan. Did you know about that? I didn’t think you did, or you would have mentioned it.”

“I didn’t,” she said honestly. “Evan comes and goes as he pleases. Some days he doesn’t come to the office because he’s working on his inventions or Quid-Atch. I didn’t even know he was going to Denver today. I wonder—”

“What he and J.T. are meeting about,” Caroline finished for her. “If Uncle Arthur set that up—”

“Who knows with that old man?” Moira said, tapping her feet in response to Gary’s caged pacing in front of her door. “Look, I have to get back to work. Bask in this, Caroline, but call that man now. Sounds like he appreciates eagerness. Love you.”

“Love you back,” she said and hung up.

“Gary!” Moira called. “What can I do for you?”

The young man started, as if he hadn’t just spent several minutes trying to attract her attention, and then broke out into a huge smile. “Hey! Sorry if I was loitering. I just couldn’t sit still.”

That was Gary for you. Truthfully, it was part of his charm.

“What do you need?” she asked again.

He barreled into her office and plopped down in the red leather chair in front of her desk. “Evan wanted me to help you send out the invitations for the fundraiser.”

Yeah, she’d received his email this morning. He’d included K-Barker and Quid-Atch’s other competitors. Chase wasn’t going to like it one bit when he heard. 

“That’s great,” she responded. “Happy for the help. I finally stopped tinkering with the invitations. They’re ready to be printed.”

“I’m only doing the mailing labels really. They’re not actually labels, you see, because I found a program where I can take a sample of Evan’s handwriting and make it look like he handwrote the addresses on the envelopes. It’s so cool. Wanna see?”

Evan and Gary were constantly using technology in ways Moira would never have thought possible. “That sounds a lot better than my idea. I didn’t like the idea of printing stock labels, so I was going to ask you to handwrite the invites.”

“Gah!” His face was so full of horror, she had to bite her lip to suppress her laughter. “That’s so old school. It’s like Evan and I told you. If you have an idea about something, we can find a technological solution that will make it easier.”

Easier was a matter of perspective. She didn’t like researching different applications like some tech junkie. “I’m so glad you guys know how to do this stuff. It would take me way more time.”

“That’s only because you have a technology block,” Gary said, completely serious. “It’s like you had a bad date or something and haven’t gotten over it.”

She started laughing. “A bad date? That’s the metaphor you went for?”

“I sucked at English lit and all that grammar shit,” he said with a shrug, “but I think it works.”

Part of Gary’s charm was that he swore about the most offhand things. “I sucked at English lit and all that grammar shit too.”

“Must be why we get along so well,” Gary said. “I mean, when I first met you I thought you were a little scary. But now that I’ve seen your chill side, we’re good.”

Scary, huh? “Here’s the final guest list. How long do you think it’ll take you to print out the invitations and envelopes?”

“No time at all. Once I input the data, all I have to do is hit the button and poof, invitations. Evan had me buy a seriously high-tech, fast printer. You have the paper, right? He said you picked out some of the fancy stuff.”

She’d thought her boss would want to send out the invitations to be printed, but no, he’d told her to pick out a rich cream paper with matching envelopes. “It’s in the supply closet, above the computer paper. You can’t miss it.”

“I bet I could,” he said. “I’m like a genius when it comes to my IQ rating, but a total moron about finding things like a can of soup or my shoes in a closet.”

“Maybe you need an app,” she suggested, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

“That’s what Evan said,” Gary replied. “In the new house Evan’s planning with Margie, he’s got a coding system for all his clothing. You scan in the receipt from the store, and it creates an entry of the item, everything from the day you bought it to where. The app finds a picture of the item online for you to select and—”

“I get the picture,” she said quickly to head off the lengthy explanation. “Why don’t you try and find the paper? If you have trouble, give me a holler.”

“When I have time, I’m going to use his app for our office supplies,” Gary said, jumping to his feet. “Hey, Moira, have I told you recently how excited I am to be working here with you and Evan? It’s like the best. The only thing that would be better—”

“Would be getting invited into the Inventor program,” she said since he told her how grateful he was pretty darn often, so often it was cute.

“Yeah,” Gary said with a wistful look on his face. “Or working for a company like Evan’s. I can’t wait to work in the defense industry.”

“You’re doing a great job,” she told him. “Now be brave and go find that paper.”

He saluted her, something he was prone to do, likely a habit he’d picked up from his father, who was an engineer on a submarine in the Pacific. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

He sprinted out the door before she could tell him not to call her that.

Her phone buzzed, signaling a text. She turned it over and felt a shiver shoot down her spine. Chase!

No pressure, but wanted to see if you’ve decided to come over here tonight. Didn’t want to be underprepared in the food department. I thought I’d smoke a beef tenderloin. Helga will help me get things ready if you can bring sides again.

Her heart turned gooey at the sight of his text, but then she frowned. He wasn’t supposed to be texting unless he needed something for his recovery. Who cared? He was thinking about her. It was mutual. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him.

Was she really going? She’d been ninety percent sure when she’d woken up this morning, but that little human resources voice inside her head had been broadcasting messages of wreck and ruin.

Then she remembered how she’d urged Caroline to go to Rome.

She had to go. She wanted to go. Not only did she want to see him, but she wanted to kiss him again too.

She texted him back.

Yes, I’ll be over tonight. Seven? You don’t have to cook. I’ll pick something up from Brasserie Dare on my way over. And we’ll have to talk about your texting. Not that it isn’t sweet, but you’re only supposed to text about your recovery.

Her body felt like it was floating when her phone buzzed with his response.

I’m within the texting rules. I’m still recovering…from that kiss last night. And I’m smoking the beef anyway. See you tonight. 

The day couldn’t go fast enough after that. Gary did indeed find the special paper for the invitations and then had them printed in no time. The program he’d used really did make them look like Evan had addressed them personally. The things she was learning. She would have to remember this whenever she ended up getting engaged. How much easier would it make addressing invitations?

Not that she was thinking about getting engaged.

She had a new job and a career she loved. There was no rush. Sure, her last few relationships had led nowhere, and Chase had already made it clear that there was a time limit on whatever this was, but it would still be a fun respite.

When she left the office around five thirty after calling in a takeout order with a six forty-five pickup time, she headed home to get ready for her date. While she didn’t want to wear anything too fancy, she did want to feel sexy. For herself. If it worked for Chase, well, that would be the cherry on top. That meant taking a shower, splashing on a subtle perfume in a few unexpected places, creating fun, understated makeup, and dressing in comfortable clothes that flattered her.

When she entered Brasserie Dare, Brian brought out her takeout order himself. “Hey, Moira! Are you sure you don’t need an entrée to go with these sides?”

She kissed him on the cheek. “This is all I need.”

“Who you hanging with tonight?” he asked.

“Chase,” she said, trying to keep her cool. “I thought I’d keep him company. He’s smoking a tenderloin.”

“Lucky you,” he said. “He must be bored out of his mind.”

“He is,” she responded. “I’m saving him, really.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll bet. Wait, I forgot to add your halo to the bag.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she said, laughing as she left.

On the way to Chase’s place, she took a moment to think through her approach. Was she going to play it cool this evening? Or was she going to risk diving all in? All in, she decided. She wanted to enjoy every moment.

When she knocked on his front door, he called out, “Enter.” The low command sent a pulse of heat through her.

There was already a fire going in the massive hearth. He was sitting on the couch, looking over his shoulder at her. His gray eyes were intense, as if all polite trivialities between them were gone.

She walked toward him, their gazes glued to each other. When she stood in front of him, she noted he had managed to tug on a bulky cream knit shirt, ripped at the shoulder to allow for his casted arm. It looked good on him. He had on loose brown cargo pants, one pant leg sliced in half to accommodate his cast. 

Clearly he’d gone to extra effort. The beard he’d been sporting had disappeared, and his clean-shaven jaw told her he’d been thinking about another kiss as much as she had.

Why wait? she decided.

She set the takeout bag on the coffee table, which was already set for dinner, and sat down next to him. He’d positioned himself on the couch intentionally, she imagined, since his good arm was free.

“Hi,” she said simply, giving him a smile.

“Hi,” he said back.

Then she leaned in slowly, keeping her gaze on him. His mouth curved, and he extended his head in her direction. Their lips met. Some part of her gave a shiver of delight in response to the teasing passes he made with his mouth. There was a nip here and a tug there, to which she responded with a playful jab of her tongue.

His good arm came around her, and she scooted closer until she was pressed to his side. He was warm, and he smelled delicious—like musk and smoke—and if he kept on kissing her like she was his version of a banana split, she was going to belt out a heartfelt moan in a moment.

Instead, she leaned back and fought the urge to lick her lips.

“I like a greeting like that,” he said in a deep, husky voice, one that raised the hairs on her arms. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

She glanced down at herself. Her fitted navy tunic and black leggings were sexy but comfortable. It was the knee-high black boots that knocked the outfit out of the park. “Thank you. I was thinking you looked pretty good too when I walked in.”

“It’s not what I would normally wear for a first date,” he said with a wry glance, “but perhaps the sizeable slit up my pant leg turns you on.”

Taking her time to study his leg, she said, “The plaster ruins the line for me.”

He chuckled. “I decided to try and look as presentable as possible, so the scooter was out. However, that means you’ll have to pour your wine and serve the food. The tenderloin should be ready. Hope you don’t mind bringing it in. It needs to rest in foil for about fifteen minutes.”

Since he sounded a little vulnerable asking that of her, she leaned in and gave him another slow kiss. He was smiling easier when she pulled back.

“You do look sexy, and I’m happy to arrange everything.”

“While I’m confessing, I might as well mention I have this terrible urge to ask you for the receipt from Brasserie Dare so I can reimburse you. I would never have a woman pay on a date. It…galls the crap out of me.”

Oh, he was so sweet. “I can see your dilemma, but while I appreciate the offer, how about we just pretend the first date fairies paid for things and let it go? It’s only a few sides.”

“First date fairies,” he said, stroking her jaw. “I didn’t know you believed in fairies. I wouldn’t have guessed that about you.”

Clearly, he was too serious for flirting about fairies. “You believed in the tooth fairy, right?” she asked, liking the way he pushed her hair behind her ear.

“Until I found out who was really behind the scenes,” he said, shaking his head. “It ruined all fairy talk for me.”

Her lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

While she didn’t want to pull away from him, she forced herself to stand. “I’ll grab the meat.”

Her first sight—and smell—of the smoked tenderloin made her mouth water. Coming inside with it, she stopped to look at Chase. “This smells incredible. You outdid yourself.”

“It felt good to be productive. How was your day?”

“Pretty good,” she said, heading into the kitchen. “Let me wrap this up to rest.”

While she was in there, she grabbed some serving dishes and utensils from the cabinets. Then she headed back into the main living area and unloaded the sides.

“Gary and Evan continue to blow my mind with everything they can do with technology, although I don’t need to know all the details.” She didn’t think it would overtax Chase’s brain to tell him about printing the invitations, but since it was a sore spot between them, she kept her mouth shut.

“That sounds familiar,” Chase said, laughing. “One time Evan had me fly to Paris to see the newest installment of something he was inventing. After this hour-long recitation—half of which I didn’t understand—he blew up all his test tubes in the demonstration, triggering the sprinkler system in the lab.”

Hopefully Evan and Gary would keep any flammable experiments away from her.

“It soaked my five-thousand-dollar Italian suit and shoes. Evan didn’t even notice he was soaking wet. He started cussing at what I’ll call his ‘inventing fairies,’ to use your earlier train of thought. I had to drag him out of the lab when the Paris Fire Brigade showed up.”

“Gary wouldn’t cuss so much as he’d say, ‘Dude, did you see that blow up?’ or ‘I’m on fire. How cool is that?’”

Chase had a good laugh at that. “I was a little skeptical when Evan told me he wanted to hire Gary at Artemis,” he said, “but it sounds like they’re two peas in a pod.”

“I was as well, but he’s terrific. Truly. And Evan assured me it won’t impact the selection panel’s decision to accept him if he chooses to apply.” She still didn’t like how it looked to the outside world, but it was Evan’s call.

“It won’t influence it,” Chase said in his executive voice. “That’s why Evan’s not the only one who’ll be deciding who’s accepted. But trust me when I tell you that Evan’s hardly a pushover when it comes to hiring. The head of Quid-Atch’s R&D department went through eight rounds of interviews with him.”

“Rajan sounds like a great guy. But that’s a crazy amount of interviews.”

“Of course, when I pointed this out to Evan, he said they were just chatting.” Chase laughed. “I told him he’d better close the deal or Rajan would go elsewhere.”

Moira finished arranging the sides on the serving plates. “I’m going to carve the tenderloin and bring it out.”

“Great,” he said. “I hope you like it. I coated it with honey, black pepper, and ground lavender—Helga’s idea—and smoked it with mesquite.”

“That sounds…ridiculous and delicious. So you figured out a way to use the lavender, after all.”

“Helga is a great cook. Turns out she’s a nice woman…and that her name’s not Helga.” He gave her an arch look. “Something you’d know since she took care of Andy’s first wife.”

Oh shit, was that out of the bag? “It was Evan’s idea,” she said, feeling like a tattle-tale kid even as she said it.

“So I was told,” he said. “I’d appreciate not being treated like an imbecile or an ogre. I told Evan the same when he called me earlier on his way home from Denver.”

“Did you know he was meeting with J.T. Merriam today?” she said in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject. “I only know because J.T. popped in to see my sister, Caroline. Uncle Arthur put them in touch.” 

“Evan is hoping to buy some Merriam land here in Dare Valley for him and Margie.” 

“Do you know J.T.? I mean…I don’t know him as an adult. He and his family stopped coming to Dare Valley when he was pretty young.” 

“J.T. is a savvy businessman with the heart of a lion,” Chase mused. “He believes in his people, and from what I can tell, they believe in him. Of course, it’s not easy working in Africa and the Middle East, but he’s respected for his vision and leadership.”

Moira was oddly relieved to hear his take on the man. If Caroline was interested in J.T., she wanted current references. “Do you like him?”

“Yes,” Chase replied. “I don’t know him well, but we’ve run across each other at political fundraisers and other corporate events.”

“I appreciate your insights,” she said, turning to finish arranging the sides on his plate and her own. “We should eat. We don’t want to have to nuke your tenderloin.”

“That would be a travesty.”

She headed back into the kitchen and poured them drinks—a glass of wine for her and water for him—and delivered them before returning to carve the meat. 

“Didn’t you have a medical eval today?” she asked when she came back to the coffee table with the platter of tenderloin. 

“I wasn’t looking forward to talking about my injuries on our first date.” His jaw locked. “But since you asked… Your brother is still concerned about the concussion. He thinks I need two more weeks to rest my brain. It was deeply disappointing.”

Pausing in the act of transferring slices of tenderloin to their plates, she set the utensils aside and turned to face him, putting her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

She brought her plate onto her lap and settled back against the couch. Chase shifted forward until he was on the edge of the cushion, extending his casted leg out sideways to avoid the coffee table. He picked up his fork and started awkwardly cutting his meat one-handed. Biting her lip, she tried to decide if she should offer to help. That would gall him, she knew, so she decided to chill. While it was a slow process, he managed to get the job done. She was relieved—for both of them.

“This is really good,” Chase said after taking a bite. “The combination actually works. The black pepper rounds out the honey and lavender.”

“What you said.” Moira plopped another piece of meat in her mouth. “Delicious.”

“I’m glad you didn’t bring over a soufflé,” Chase said. “Evan served it once as an entrée, thinking it was a pretty good joke because he’d promised me steak. He has a weird sense of humor.”

“You don’t strike me as a soufflé kind of guy,” she said, spearing a thin green haricot vert dotted with slivered almonds and crème fraiche. 

“I like dessert soufflés like anyone,” Chase said, picking up a forkful of gratin covered in roasted cheese and cream. “But not when I was hoping for steak.”

She laughed. “You and Evan seem to joke with each other a lot.”

“Evan does it more with me than I do with him,” he said, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully. “He thinks it makes me less uptight.”

Was he usually uptight? Yes, he was passionate about his work, pretty much exclusively so, but he was also darn good at it.

“Tell me about your family,” he said, reaching for a napkin and wiping his mouth. “I haven’t met everyone, obviously, but your brother is growing on me.”

Andy had a funny way of winning people over—even frustrated patients. “We’re pretty wacky. Well, not all the time, I guess. We’re all serious about our professions, but we like to tease each other too. Matt and Natalie have this ongoing bumper sticker war, for example. Natalie won the latest round. She found one with the cutest little yellow fuzzy goslings that says ‘I Heart Baby Goslings.’ Matt is convinced she wants to take his Man Card away. I can’t wait to see how he retaliates.”

“Baby goslings, huh? I can see his concern.”

“What about you?” she asked, finally picking up her wine. “Do you have siblings?”

“Only one,” he said. “A younger brother named Boone. We’re not close.”

There was a whole heap of warnings in that recitation. She could all but feel him shore up his walls. Interesting. “And your parents?”

“My dad died when I was twelve,” he said, looking off into the fire. “My mom lives in Cheyenne now.”

Again, his words were buttressed by a million warnings. She’d wait to ask more—if they got to that point. Right now they needed a complete change of subject. “If we were in D.C. having a first date, what would we be doing?”

His head turned, and their eyes met. Even in the firelight, she could see the frown on his face. Whatever the story was with his family, it wasn’t a happy one.

“I’d take you out to a place downtown, maybe Capitol Grille. If it was a nice night, we could take a walk. I might even show you my favorite monument.”

She was relieved to see his tormented look slip away. Yes, this was a safe topic. “What’s your favorite monument?”

“Guess,” he said, spearing a green bean and popping it in his mouth.

“That’s not a fair question,” she said dryly. “I’ve only been to D.C. once, as one of the dreaded family trips my dad used to insist on to further our education of America. I was eight, I think. All I remember is walking around until my legs ached and feeling like the heat was pressing down on me. Oh, and the ice cream cone I had in front of the Washington Monument.”

“You know the monuments,” he said, nudging her with his good arm. “Give it a try.”

What was this? A quiz? Well, it beat the family tree talk. “The Washington Monument.”

“Nope.”

She thought back to all the movies she’d seen that were set in D.C. Where did people go? “The Lincoln Memorial. That’s pretty impressive, right?”

“It’s my second favorite,” he said, reaching for his water glass. “Try again.”

Were they going to sit here all night while she guessed? “The Jefferson Memorial.”

He shook his head again, slowly. “While the cherry blossoms are quite lovely, it’s too predictable.”

Too predictable, huh? “You’re not going to tell me it’s the Vietnam Memorial, are you?” She remembered crying softly after their tour guide told them all the names etched on the wall were people who had died in the war. At that time, the list had seemed endless.

“Impressive and intense, but not my favorite.”

She gave him a look. “Wanna put a girl out of her misery on a first date?”

He must have heard the rancor in her voice because he set his plate aside. “I’m not being very romantic, am I? Well…would you mind doing me a favor? Could you fetch me the box on the bed in the first bedroom on the right?”

A box? Chase was pinging all over the place tonight. Maybe it was due to his concussion. “Sure.”

She headed over to the bedroom, and sure enough, a long white box wrapped with a red ribbon sat on the quilted bed. Curiouser and curiouser. When she returned to the den, she handed it to him.

He gestured to the box with his good hand. “It’s for you.”

Her heart kicked up at the thought of him getting her a present. How had he done that? She untied the ribbon and opened it. A bed of orange and purple-colored orchid flowers captured her attention. “You bought me flowers?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t give them to you earlier.” He gave a tight smile. “I forgot about them, actually. Seeing you walk in here…and then having you kiss me…”

She could have melted to the floor. “These are beautiful.” She traced the orchid petals. “And rare. Where did you get them?”

“I had Bonnie call The Grand Mountain Hotel and ask if they had some orchids they could spare to brighten this place up. Quid-Atch has a business account with them, and they know about my accident, obviously, since it happened on their grounds. They were happy to send some over.”

Of course, they would be, she thought. Chase was a good client.

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a smile. “These are…quite a surprise.” Most of the guys she’d gone out with in the past hadn’t bothered with flowers. 

“I’m glad you like them,” he said. “Bonnie thinks I should get some flowers for this place to boost the feng shui. She might actually arrange for an expert to come by to consult me on the layout.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m serious,” he said, crossing a finger over his heart. “Bonnie thinks acupuncture and a whole bunch of other healing modalities might help me get better faster. Your brother agrees. There’s certainly a growing body of scientific evidence to suggest there’s merit to it.”

“That’s a good idea. Acupuncture and energy healing helped my sister-in-law when she had cancer,” she said, feeling a swell of hurt in her heart over losing Kim. “I hope they’ll help you too.”

“Bonnie mentioned taking care of Kim,” Chase said softly. “It must have been hard on Andy and the rest of you, losing her so young.”

His voice was warm and soft and threaded with emotion. When she met his eyes, she realized what it was: compassion. “Yes, it was terrible. For Andy and his young son most of all. We’re so happy he’s found love again, but it doesn’t take away the hurt we feel when we think about Kim. Natalie was her best friend. That’s how Kim met Andy.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his mouth for a kiss. “Losing someone you care about is never easy.”

“You said your dad died when you were twelve,” she said, deciding to put it out there. “That must have been horrible for you, especially at that age.”

His chest rose as he dragged in a deep breath. “It was,” he said, looking away. “Did you bring any dessert by chance?”

She respected that he wasn’t ready to pour his heart out. If she were in his position, she’d feel the same way. Placing the orchids on the coffee table, she tucked her knees under her and turned to face him. “Actually, I thought we could make dessert together.”

His brow rose. “What did you have in mind?”

Leaning in, she kissed him on the mouth and then moved to the corners of his lips. “Something like this.” Slanting her mouth over his again, she pressed her full advantage. The kiss was hot and carnal, and by the end, both of them were breathing hard.

“I like this idea of us collaborating on dessert,” he said, running his good hand down her back. “You’re certainly sweet enough.”

“I thought you might,” she said, kissing his jaw. “You shaved for me. Is it hard shaving one-handed?”

“It’s hard doing just about everything one-handed,” he told her, fingering the edge of her tunic.

She could tell he wanted to lift it and find bare skin. While she wasn’t ready to sleep with him quite yet, she didn’t see any reason not to take things a little further. “How about you show me what that one hand can do in the way of, say…touching my bare back?”

Oh, the fire that lit in those gray eyes of his. She shivered in response.

“Your bare back is a great place to start,” he mused, leaning in and sucking on her bottom lip. “I was also thinking we might take a tour to another area of confectionary delight.”

“For a corporate executive, you sure know your dessert terms. What kind of confectionary delight did you have in mind?” Oh, this was getting good.

“Your breasts are spectacular,” he said in all seriousness. “I’ll admit that I noticed them before we agreed to…ah…explore this attraction between us.”

“Does it make you feel any better knowing I checked out your ass more than a few times and thought it was pretty great?”

“Too bad all I do is sit on it now.” He gave a brief laugh. “I’m beginning to fear it won’t be as ‘great’ as you claim once I get my casts off.”

It touched her to think a man like him would be worried about his physique. “Oh, a few weeks can’t affect a masterpiece like yours,” she said with a grin. “Maybe six months.”

His mouth found hers and gave her a kiss that made the room start to spin.

“You never did tell me what your favorite monument was,” she said, pulling back.

She felt his hand edge up her tunic, and then a single finger traced her spine. She arched in surprise at the heat that shot through her, from her tail bone to her nape.

“It’s the FDR Memorial,” he commented, kissing her neck as best as he could from his seated position.

Leaning into him to give him better access, she cried out when he shifted her onto his lap. “Are you sure you’re okay with me…” Splayed out all over you? 

“I might be laid up, but I’m still strong enough to handle you and your body,” he said, curving his arm around her back. He’d hiked up the sleeve and his skin was bare against hers.

Yes, she had no doubt that he could handle her. She watched his face for pain and didn’t see any trace of it. “Why is that your favorite memorial? I don’t know much about it.”

He settled her more firmly against his chest. Pausing to kiss her between words, he said, “It tells the story of one man’s determination to inspire a country facing the worst days of the Depression and World War II. The whole monument is like a mini-play, so to speak, with different sculptures and quotes to represent each act of his presidency. FDR was a man who fought through incredible pain and disability to lead. I admire the heck out of someone who decides not to take what life gave them and lay down in defeat.”

When he talked like this, he was more than Chase Parker, corporate executive. His passion compelled others to share it. “You should give the half-time speech to one of the football teams playing in the Super Bowl.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m only stating the facts.”

No, he was telling her something important, something that helped her see down to the heart of him. “He was in a wheelchair, right?”

“Yes,” he said, tracing her back, suddenly lost in thought. “While more modern scholars dispute the original diagnosis, he was told he had polio at thirty-nine. One moment everything was fine, and the next he was paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of giving in, he kept going. He worked tirelessly to improve his condition. He continued to work. Can you imagine what this country would have looked like if he hadn’t run for president?”

History wasn’t her strongest subject, so she couldn’t say much. All she remembered was that he’d been president a really long time until he’d died at the end of the war.

“That man is a goddamn hero in every sense of the word,” Chase said, his voice impassioned, so much so she felt the need to reach out and touch his face.

His gaze came back to hers, and in his eyes, she could see a bleakness she hadn’t expected.

“So a guy like you can handle a concussion and two casts, right?” she asked softly.

He seemed puzzled for a moment, and then his mouth lifted at the corners into an easy smile. “I guess you could say that. When it comes down to it, I have nothing to complain about, do I?”

She could tell him it was okay to be upset he’d been hurt and limited, but this wasn’t the time. “From where I’m sitting, you’re pretty lucky. In a few weeks, you’re going to be back on your feet with your brain intact. Right this moment though, you have a pretty incredible woman lying in your lap, offering you dessert.”

The kiss he gave her was long and sweet. She felt the warmth of it spread all the way to her heart.

“You are pretty special, aren’t you?” he asked. “I suspected as much, but my imagination didn’t do you justice. Must be the concussion.”

“Must be,” she said, bringing both her arms around his neck.

“Thank you, Moira,” he said as he pulled her against his chest.

She rested her head against the hard muscles there, feeling the emotion he was struggling to contain. “For what?”

“For reminding me of who I want to be,” he said. “For helping me get my head out of my ass.”

Now they were talking. And if discussing past presidents was all it had taken, well, she would count herself fortunate. “It’s one of my finest qualities. You can ask anyone in my family.”

“I’d prefer to experience it all myself,” he said, cradling her suddenly in a way that was both tender and sweet.

“And so you shall.”

“Our next date is going to be even better,” he told her.

“Are you already thinking ahead?” she asked. 

“You bet I am. I’m a good planner,” he said. “I’m going to romance the hell out of you tomorrow night. All day I was sulking a little over not being able to take you out like I normally would. Dress in a three-piece suit. Open the car door for you. You know, normal stuff.”

“And talking about FDR becoming president despite his illness helped you get your A-Game on?” Goodness, he certainly wasn’t a normal guy, was he? But maybe important people like Chase needed inspiration from other important people like FDR.

“Yeah. I can excel at dating you, even in my current condition. I’ve set my mind to it.”

She shivered all over. “I’ll bet when you set your mind to something, you’re fierce.”

“Fierce is a tame word,” he mused. “Intense won’t work either. How would I describe FDR? Maybe—”

She interrupted him by kissing him. And kissing him. By the time, she drew back, his whole body was tense under her. “Chase, stop with all the FDR stuff, okay?”

His smile was downright wicked. “Your wish is my command.”

Then he tugged her close and took them both under in a way that made her certain she was the only thing he was thinking about.