Chapter 19      

Moira was feeling more than a little wonky by the time she arrived home to change. She hadn’t expected Chase to open his heart to her. When a strong man like him shared his hurts, it was a big deal. Colossal, really.

Her hands were shaking in the shower, and her body was cold despite the warm water. She cranked the temp up and cradled her head against the white tiles.

She’d fallen for him. In the scope of one night, he’d managed to find his way into her heart. Something no other man had truly accomplished. What was she supposed to do about that? He would be leaving soon once his body mended. He’d always been very clear about that. 

Maybe they should stop things before she fell any harder, before she said something stupid like I’m falling in love with you. Better yet, before they made love, because she knew it would only deepen her feelings for him. How could it not?

By the time she arrived in the office, she was in control.

Or so she thought until she spilled her extra-large coffee mug all over her desk when Gary poked his head in her open door and said, “Hey, Moira.”

“Shit,” she uttered, watching the brown liquid soak the papers on her desk. Grabbing the box of tissues she always kept for human resources emergencies, she started wiping up the mess.

Gary had disappeared. Terrific.

“I’ve got paper towels,” he cried, running back into her office moments later.

She jumped. Okay, she’d underestimated him. He lacked social skills, sure, but he had plenty of heart.

“You all right?” he asked. “Looks like you got up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Most people knew not to say things like that, but she’d give Gary a pass. “I’m fine.”

“Doesn’t look like it from here,” he said, eyeing her upper body. “You have your shirt on backwards.”

She looked down in disbelief. “Shit. Oh, sorry.” 

“I’ll just take these wet towels out of here for you,” he said, picking them up efficiently. “You can…readjust. I’ll get you more coffee. You’ll be back to your old self in no time.”

By ten o’clock, she’d broken a nail and knocked her shinbone on the edge of her desk. When she almost started to cry in response, she came to the conclusion that she was a wreck. 

She needed to take a break. Treat herself to a really good coffee. That meant taking a quick drive to The Grand Mountain Hotel and asking Chef T to make her a cappuccino. Maybe Natalie would be free, and she could get a hug from her sis. She could use some TLC.

Gary was hovering outside her office. It wouldn’t have surprised her if he’d stashed the office first-aid kit nearby in case she cut herself and started bleeding.

“I’m going out for a serious coffee,” she told him. “Text me if you need anything. Can I pick you up something? A sandwich?”

He lifted his shoulder. “I’m on a budget, but thanks for asking.”

“Oh, for heavens sake, Gary,” she said. “It’s my treat.”

“I couldn’t…”

“How about it’s Artemis’ treat then? You can walk me through the new catering app you set up for the party.”

His eyes lit up. “Really? A sandwich would be great. I mean, if it’s a business expense and all.”

“You have the sandwich menu at The Grand, right? Text me your order. I’ll bring it back.” She could probably use some food too, she realized. Breakfast hadn’t been on her radar this morning. Her focus had been on getting Chase fed fast so he could take his pill to stop the pain.

“That’s great! Thanks, Moira. If it weren’t weird, I would hug you.”

She studied his eager expression. “Yeah, that would be a little weird.”

“It’s not that you’re not pretty and all,” he rushed to say. “But you’re my boss and like my older sister.”

It was all she could do not to laugh. “You’re right. It isn’t professional to hug, and for future reference, it’s not professional to call your boss ‘pretty.’ Despite how nicely you meant it.”

“Oh, shit, I—”

“I know,” she said, holding up her hand. “I was only telling you since you’ll be getting a job in the professional world soon.”

“Right! Evan said most inventors suck at people-to-people interactions. Good thing we have you around to call us on our shit.” He made a sign over his heart. “I promise to never call you pretty again.”

She fought the urge to smile. “I’m glad we’re clear.”

“Thanks for not holding it against me, Moira,” he said, punching her in the shoulder. “You’re a pal.”

Oh, good Lord. “Let’s add friendly punches and calling your boss ‘pal’ to the no-go list. Just say, ‘thank you.’”

He pressed his hands to his chest and said, “Thank you. With you around, I know I’m going to either get into Artemis or find a kick-ass job.”

Gary still wasn’t certain which path he would choose if he was accepted. He had school loans, he said, so the prospect of finding an immediate position in his field was attractive. “You know I’ll help in any way I’m able.”

“Awesome! Thanks. You go get your special coffee and my lunch.”

That kinda came out wrong, but with Gary, things often did. “Will do. Hold the fort down.”

He saluted her again, and she shook her head as she walked out. He still had a long way to go before he’d be ready for the professional world. But they’d get him there, one way or another. He really was a good kid.

When she arrived at the hotel and walked into High Stakes, Chef T’s restaurant, she nodded to the hostess. “Is Chef T in the back?”

“Yes, prepping for the lunch crowd,” she said. “You know the way.”

She made her way to the revolving door to the kitchen and sucked in a deep breath of the savory air as she walked into the magic and madness. Two sous chefs were arguing about using shrimp heads for a stock while another chef was prepping a long black silky strip that looked like eel. Yuck. She trusted Chef T, but there was no way she was choking down eel.

“Moira!” Chef T called out. “You here for Chase’s meat? I thought we were delivering it.”

Chase’s meat? Her brain shot to dirty places. Down, girl. “No, I’m here for one of your cappuccinos. I need a serious hit. I’m also going to order a couple sandwiches for me and Gary.”

He kissed her cheek. “You got it. What do you want in the sandwich depot?”

She checked her phone. “Gary wants your Full Italian with provolone. I want balsamic chicken with spinach.”

“You got it,” he said, his eyes scanning the kitchen. “Is the cappuccino for here or to go?”

“Is Natalie free? I might pop up and say hi.”

His eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t kid a kidder. You come here during the work day for a cappuccino, and now you’re asking about your sister. I know what that means.”

“I had a night.” And a morning.

“Do I need to beat someone up?” He flexed his impressive biceps, and his griffin tattoos looked ready to take flight.

“No, I’m good.”

“Go see Natalie. I’ll send up your cappuccino.”

She kissed his cheek again, grateful for his kindness…and his offer to punch someone for her. “Thanks, Chef T.”

“I’ve got your back,” he said.

Her heart felt easier as she walked out of the kitchen. She was okay. She wasn’t a wreck. People fell in love all the time—why should she treat it like it was the end of the world? 

Mac Maven, the owner of The Grand Mountain, was leaving his office as she passed it on the way to Natalie’s.

“Moira,” he said, kissing her cheek. “What a pleasant surprise. Do you have a meeting with Natalie about Chase’s needs?”

Her mind went to the gutter again. What was it about the service industry and their euphemisms? “No, just picking up some food. How’s hotel management these days?”

“Pretty spectacular, especially since your boss is bringing in some A-listers for the Artemis fundraiser. We’re excited.”

“We’re happy there’s a hotel like yours to accommodate the guests,” she said. “And the fundraiser.” The decision had been an obvious one. They were asking attendees to pay a lot of money to come to the dinner—the food and the venue needed to live up.

“I have a meeting I need to get to,” he said, checking his watch. “See you later.”

Moments later, she knocked on Natalie’s door. “Hey! You available?”

Her sister looked disoriented when she raised her head. “Hey! I’m in spreadsheet hell. What are you doing here?”

The best course seemed to be to shut the door behind her. “I needed a hug.”

Natalie jumped out of her chair, frowning, and came toward her. “What happened?”

Moira put her arms around her. “I…oh shit…I don’t know where to start. I’m…falling for Chase.”

Her sister’s head jerked back. “Chase Parker?”

“Yes,” she said, irritated by how pathetic she sounded. “Oh, I shouldn’t have come.” 

When she took a step toward the door, her sister immediately stepped in front of her. “Don’t act like that. I was momentarily shocked. Come sit down.”

She let her sister drag her over to her meeting table by the window showcasing the mountains surrounding Dare Valley. “I can’t stay long. Plus, you’re working.”

Natalie pushed her into a chair. “Oh, shut up. Talk to me. You’re upset.”

She landed hard on her bottom and rubbed it. “Maybe TLC is beyond you.” Maybe that was why she’d come to Natalie. She wanted it straight.

Her sister gave her a look. “Spill.”

“I…Chase and I agreed we were attracted to each other, and we decided to spend time together while he was here…which might have been stupid…given how I feel now. But it’s been a really nice few days. And then yesterday, he told me things…really personal things.” Could she be more vague or pathetic?

Natalie grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. “Breathe. Then start from the beginning.”

“I don’t know that I should say.” Chase was a private man, and she wanted to honor that.

“I swear I won’t tell a soul,” Natalie said. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t need to share it.”

Because she trusted her sister, she told the story from start to finish. “I remembered how withdrawn you became after Kim died, so when Chase tried to cancel on me…it made me feel the same way. I wasn’t going to let him shut me out.”

“Good for you.” Her sister’s face crumbled, and she wrapped her arms around her chest. “And just so we’re clear, I’m not shutting you or anyone else out ever again.”

Moira gripped her sister’s arms. “This is crazy. I haven’t known Chase very long. I shouldn’t feel like this.”

“Love doesn’t need time to make it right,” Natalie said. “I knew how I felt about Blake the first time I met him. I put him in the friend zone at first, but it was only because I didn’t trust myself or him. I wasted six months. I don’t recommend it.”

“But Chase is only here for a few weeks,” she said. “When his injuries heal, he’s going to go back to his life, his work. That’s not here.”

Natalie looked off, as if searching for the right words. There was a knock on the door.

“My cappuccino, I bet,” Moira said.

Sure enough, one of Chef T’s kitchen aides presented Natalie with a coffee tray when she opened the door. “Thank Terrance for making me a cappuccino too,” her sister told the man. Shutting the door, she brought the tray over. 

Taking her time, Moira stirred honey into her beverage, added some cinnamon, and then took a long sip.

“If you’re falling for Chase,” Natalie said, “and I think you have fallen—you have to decide if you’re going to step into it or step back. Given how miserable I was when I stepped back from Blake for a while, I wouldn’t recommend it. By your own admission, Chase isn’t a man who shares personal information like this, which means you’re special to him. Why not talk about how you feel? If there’s one thing Blake has taught me, it’s that love is worth being vulnerable for.”

“I hate being vulnerable,” she said, taking another sip.

“I know. We were raised in the same family, remember? But we can choose differently. We don’t have to end up like Mom and Dad. Can you imagine how different things might have been if Mom had told Dad she was unhappy years ago?”

Sure, she’d wondered, but there was no changing things now. Their mom had finally told their dad how much she hated being ignored for his work. He’d continued to ignore her. She’d left. There was no coming back from that. 

“I don’t know how to say it.”

“No one knows the perfect formula,” Natalie said. “Just say it. From your heart. He was vulnerable with you last night.”

She hadn’t thought of it that way. “You’re right.”

“I have my moments,” she said with a smile. “Blake and I haven’t told anyone, but I feel like this is the perfect time.”

Even before her sister lowered her hand to her belly, she knew. Tears filled her eyes.

“If Blake hadn’t been vulnerable with me and refused to let me push him away, we wouldn’t be having a baby.” Natalie brushed at her eyes. “Every morning, I wake up and the first sound I hear is him breathing next to me—okay, snoring some mornings, but don’t tell him I said that. I know how blessed I am to have a second chance with him.”

Gratitude washed over her as she reached down to touch her sister’s tummy. She was going to have a new niece or nephew.

“Loving someone is everything,” Natalie continued. “And now we’re going to have a baby. Moira, I know how important work is, how important it is to be fulfilled as a person, a woman…but home and family…it’s worth every moment of vulnerability.”

She leaned in and hugged her sister. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“We were going to wait until I’m twelve weeks to tell everyone,” Natalie told her.

“I won’t say a word,” she said, looking at her sister’s belly in awe, imagining a little being growing in there. “Oh, this is so wonderful.”

“I know,” she said. “But back to Chase. What do you want? That’s what it really comes down to. Do you think he could be it for you?”

She wanted to tell herself it was too soon, but the emotion she’d felt with him last night…it was unprecedented. “I’m scared, Natalie. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. If I’m being honest, really honest…when I woke up in his arms this morning…it felt right.”

Wasn’t that the truth when it came down to it? Being with him felt right.

“Then maybe you tell him that,” Natalie said. “As someone who’s married to a strong, private man, I know first-hand that they have the same insecurities we all do.”

But Blake had gotten over that with Natalie, which was why he hadn’t given up on her despite how hard she’d tried to push him away. Now they were having a baby. “You tell Blake good job, okay?”

Her sister laughed. “If I have to hear him boast one more time about ‘getting it between the uprights,’ I might have to kill him. But yes, I’ll tell him. We’re both…so happy.” Tears filled her eyes then. “Mo, I almost blew it. Sometimes it still scares me how close I came to losing Blake for good out of stubbornness.”

She found herself getting teary eyed, dammit. “But you didn’t,” she told her, hugging her tightly. “And now you’re having a baby! It’s crazy.”

“You’re having a baby!” a familiar voice shouted. “I knew it was coming. Oh yeah, a baby! My twins are going to have another cousin.”

She and Natalie lurched apart. Jill Hale, who had the biggest mouth of anyone in the Hale clan, was standing just inside the now-open door, rotating her arms in the same direction as her hips. Moira thanked the dance gods that churning the butter had never caught on as a dance move. It was totally dorky, but so Jill.

“Shit,” Natalie whispered. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

Moira’s protective instincts kicked in. “Jill! Why didn’t you knock?”

Jill’s red hair bobbed as she continued dancing. “Mac told me you were in Natalie’s office. If Blake had been visiting, I would have knocked.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Jill,” Natalie cried out, lowering her head to the table.

Their cousin stopped her geek-out. “What’s wrong? This is great news.” 

“It’s not common knowledge yet.” Walking over to the door, Moira shut it and turned to Jill. “You listen to me. I love you, but you can’t keep a secret worth shit. Natalie and Blake plan on telling everyone in their own time. Until then, you aren’t going to say a word. Capisce?”

“Me? I’d never say a word.”

She looked so sincere, and yet… “If you say anything, Jill, I swear on every Hale past, present, and future that you will answer to me. I will steal your private chocolate stash in your office. I will tell Brian you’ve developed a gluten intolerance to baguettes and croissants. And if I have to, I’ll tell Uncle Arthur your dentist banned you from sweets, which means no more red hots for you.”

Jill sucked in her breath. “That’s so mean!”

“I’ll be your worse nightmare.”

Her green eyes—the Hale eyes Moira shared—narrowed. “I’ve had secret baby news myself. I know how precious it is. You didn’t have to threaten my personal food pyramid.” 

Leave it to Jill to call chocolate, bread, and red hots a food pyramid. “So we’re clear?”

“Crystal,” Jill said. “Can I hug my cousin and express my happiness over the new baby?”

Moira rolled her eyes. “I suppose.”

Like the eager puppy she was, Jill pranced over to Natalie, pulled her out of her chair, and hugged her. Then it turned into a crazy salsa dance step, which finally teased a laugh out of Natalie.

“Big congrats, cuz,” Jill said. “I can’t wait to meet your little one. Do you want a girl or a boy?”

“I just want the baby to be healthy,” Natalie said with a smile. “And happy.”

Happy, Moira thought.

She knew what would make her happy. How could she not fight for that?