Chapter 2

 

I must be freakin’ crazy, Chase thought as he and Mike pulled away from the diner and headed to the police station, Hannah following behind in her own car. He’d just resigned himself to two weeks of pure torture. What in the world had he been thinking, insisting on playing house with her until Drew and her dad got back from their trip? He needed to have his damn head examined.

That’s not the head you were thinking with when you made the offer, Dumbass. That’s the problem.

Oh, shut the hell up.

Christ, he’d be lucky to still claim his sanity by the time Drew and her dad returned home.

“So, does Hannah have any idea how you feel about her?”

Chase shot a quick glance at his partner. One of Mike’s greatest assets as a cop was his intuitive nature. And right now, it was Chase’s least favorite. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You have it bad for her; why not just admit it, make a move? She isn’t seeing that loser anymore, and you…well, you haven’t dated anyone since I’ve known you. A couple of hookups that I can recall, but that’s about it.”

“Maybe you should concentrate on your own lackluster love life and stay the hell out of mine.”

Mike shrugged and leaned his head back against the headrest. “Hell, mine seems to be a lost cause. Besides, I’m not the one who raced into Hutch’s like my feet were on fire and crushed a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed beauty in my arms. Not to mention you’ve taken care of a couple tickets for her. You want her, but for some unknown reason you won’t make a move.”

Chase cast him a sidelong glance. “I also took care of a parking ticket for your mom a few weeks ago. Suppose that means I want her, too?”

“Now you’re just being a dick.”

Chase hid a grin. “Just trying to get you to drop the subject. Drew’s one of my best friends, and Hannah’s his little sister, who I’ve known forever. I was relieved to see she wasn’t hurt, that’s all.”

Mike seemed to process that before saying, “Then I suppose you’d be all right with it if I asked her out?”

Jealousy ignited in Chase’s gut, and he clenched his jaw. “I don’t give a damn what you do.”

“Really? ‘Cause it kinda sounds like you do.”

“Just surprised, that’s all. Wouldn’t have taken you for the fickle type. Thought you only had eyes for Bernie.”

Bernadette Mitchell and Mike shared a history, though no one in town seemed to know exactly what happened between them. The only thing that did seem clear was Mike wanted Bernie, but she wanted nothing to do with him.

His partner gave a careless shrug. “We can’t always get what we want. Sometimes you gotta settle for second best.”

Chase pulled to a hard stop in front of the police station and turned to glare at the idiot beside him. “Hannah is second best to no one, got it? And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut the hell up before you really piss me off.”

Mike held Chase’s gaze for all of five seconds before he burst out laughing. “Just friends, huh?”

With a shake of his head, Chase threw the door open and stepped out of the car.

Hannah drove up beside them and rolled down her window. “So how long till your shift ends? If it’s going to be awhile, I think I’ll just head home, get started on that bottle of wine.” She tossed him a cheeky grin.

“My shift ended hours ago; I’ve been covering for Cooper. His dad got into an accident this morning on highway forty-one.”

Her smile faded as concern etched her brow. “My God…is he okay?”

“He’s stable, but I guess it was pretty bad. Coop said he’d call if there’s any change. I have some paperwork to do, which shouldn’t take long. And I’d feel a whole lot better knowing you’re here than home alone.” Chase turned to Mike. “Unless you wouldn’t mind taking care of—”

“Go,” Mike said, waving him off. “I’ll call if I have any questions.”

“Thanks, man.”

Chase climbed into the passenger’s side of Hannah’s car and buckled up. “Would you mind swinging by my place so I can change out of my uniform and grab a few things?”

“Not at all.”

It took Chase maybe ten minutes to change clothes and pack a bag, and they made it to Hannah’s around ten-thirty. After a quick visual sweep of the attached garage, he escorted her inside and locked the door behind them.

Hannah headed straight to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of merlot, then grabbed two glasses from the cabinet above the sink. She set them on the counter and met his gaze with a questioning lift of her brow. “I guess I should have asked; would you like a glass? I’d offer you a beer, but dad doesn’t drink much anymore, so all I have is a couple bottles of red. Well, and an ancient bottle of peppermint schnapps.”

Chase grimaced, and Hannah chuckled. No doubt they were both remembering the time Chase, Drew, and Charlie shared more than half a bottle of schnapps as young teens and puked their guts up for two straight hours.

“Sure, why not. I could use it.” And it wasn’t like he had to work this weekend. Though, at some point, he did need to stop at the station to follow up on a few things.

After setting his bag on the floor next to the pantry, Chase joined her by the counter. He leaned back, feeling like an awkward teenager, unsure of what to do or say next. “So, you want to watch a little TV?”

That way he could keep his eyes glued to the screen instead of mooning over her like a lovesick puppy. As long as he didn’t have to gaze into those gorgeous baby blues for more than five seconds at a time, he’d be able to hang onto his composure until they headed off to bed.

Which is when a whole new set of problems would occur, but he’d just have to cross that bridge when he came to it.

Hannah poured them each a healthy glass of the reddish-brown liquid before surprising him with, “I was actually hoping we could chat a little. Seems like I haven’t seen you in forever.” She picked up the bottle and one of the glasses and, after quickly meeting his gaze, led the way into the living room.

She wanted to chat…great. So how have you been? Nice weather we’ve been having…are you seeing anyone? Because if not, I’d love to take you out for dinner, a movie, maybe a stroll down by the pond...

With a silent sigh of resignation, Chase grabbed the second glass and followed in her wake. Of course he’d never be able to act on his feelings. It just…couldn’t happen. And thankfully, no one even knew his feelings for his best friend’s baby sister had blossomed into something much more. Though Mike figured it out in record time. How long before someone else made the connection? Maybe if he’d quit wearing his heart on his damn sleeve…

Hannah set the bottle on the cocktail table, and then curled up in the corner of the couch. More than anything, Chase wanted to sit down next to her, but thought better of it and sprawled out on the leather recliner in the corner. He gulped down half his wine before lifting his gaze to meet hers. Laughter danced in her eyes, and Chase couldn’t hold back a smile of his own. Damn if she wasn’t the prettiest sight he’d ever seen.

You’ve known her since she was born, dude. Some might consider that shit creepy.

“You look like you’re on the verge of bolting out of here. I know guys don’t normally care for chit-chat, but I was hoping you’d indulge me tonight after...”

When her words trailed off, it dawned on him that she was more upset about the robbery than she’d earlier let on. Which he should have realized—damn, could he be thick, or what?

He put the recliner down and leaned forward, noticing for the first time the slight shaking of her hands as she took another sip of her wine.

“It’s finally hitting you, isn’t it?”

Staring down into her wine glass, she gave a quick nod. “I’m just glad everyone is all right.”

“You were very brave tonight. You held it together and did everything you were supposed to, so don’t beat yourself up.”

She looked up suddenly, as if surprised by his assessment. “I don’t feel like I did everything I was supposed to.” She dropped her gaze and regarded her wine glass, growing oddly quiet considering it had been her idea to talk.

“Now, why would you say such a thing?” When she hesitated, he added, “You can tell me anything, Dimples, you know that.”

She stared at her hands for nearly a minute before looking up to meet his gaze. “One of the thieves, the one with the gun, threatened me. Said he knew where I lived and I’d better keep quiet or he’d pay me a late night visit.”

“Son of a bitch!” Chase shot to his feet and started pacing. “Why didn’t you tell me right away? I could have—”

“You couldn’t have done anything; they were already long gone. And the reason I didn’t tell you is because I knew you’d react exactly like this.”

Chase stopped and faced her. The thought of anyone threatening to harm a hair on this woman’s head made him crazy. He sat back down and blew out a hard breath. Figuring it might be best for the time being, Chase changed the subject.

“So, how come you’re not staying at Lindy’s house while they’re gone? Drew mentioned she made the offer, but you declined. I think it would be kind of a kick to stay there.”

Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. If they’d have left Bo and Bianca home, I probably would have. Bo’s bark is loud enough to scare off anyone, and Binks is quite the ferocious kitty.” She gave a brief smile. “I wasn’t super keen on staying there alone after…well, you know.”

“Yeah…I do. Though it’s probably safer than Fort Knox with the ridiculously high tech security system she had installed. You’d have to be a fool to try and break into that place now.”

She swallowed down the rest of her wine and refilled her glass. “True, but…still. Hey, that reminds me—you guys any closer to finding out who attacked her? Drew said the DNA samples should be back from the lab soon. I really hope you’re able to catch those two before they hurt anyone else.”

“Like tonight, you mean?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he gave himself a mental head slap. Idiot. As if she isn’t scared enough?

“What are you saying?” Hannah went pale. “You don’t think it could be the same two men who…?” She took another quick gulp of her wine, her face a mask of pure terror.

Chase shot to his feet and rushed over to her side. He wanted to take her in his arms, but knew he shouldn’t. Not again. “It’s doubtful. And I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. But if it was the same two guys, they were smart enough not to lay a hand on you. I’d have hunted them down like the animals they are if they’d harmed one hair on your head. In fact, finding them will be my main priority from this moment on.”

“I…thanks. That’s good to know.”

She did her best to offer a reassuring smile, but Chase wasn’t fooled. He refilled his own glass, then scooted over to the opposite end of the couch. “Listen, I think the best thing for you right now is to get your mind off it completely. Why don’t we watch a movie?” He checked out some of the titles in the DVD tower. “Something mindlessly funny like Liar Liar or Shrek.”

She leaned back and cocked her head. “Shrek? Really? So much for not thinking I’m a little girl.”

Chase feigned a look of outrage. “I happen to like Shrek. Besides, it’s in your DVD collection, and I can’t imagine Drew or your dad bought it for themselves.”

She rolled her eyes. “Remember when I used to babysit the Brolsky twins? They were complete terrors, and the only way I could get them to settle down was to put Shrek on. When they moved away, they left the movie behind.”

“Okay, so no Shrek. Anything in particular you’d like to watch?”

“What I’d like to do is talk.”

“About…?”

“Well…”

She took several small sips of her wine, taking her time as if she were about to broach a difficult subject. Normally, he’d comment on how fast she was sucking down the wine, but today was a far from normal day, so he kept his opinion to himself. When she looked up at him again, a mischievous smile curved those luscious lips. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Chase barely held back a sigh of resignation. He definitely hadn’t seen that coming. “I think you should pick another subject.”

“Why? Have you suddenly gone shy on me?”

“No. There’s just…nothing to talk about, that’s all.”

“So you’re not seeing anyone?”

“Are you seeing anyone?” he countered, becoming a little uncomfortable.

“Nope. Now your turn to answer the question.” The little wiseass had the nerve to grin.

God, how he’d love to kiss that smug look off her face. “No, I’m not seeing anyone. Happy?”

“Are you interested in anyone?”

He laughed. “What is this sudden interest in my love life?”

“Why are you dodging such a simple question? We’re friends, aren’t we? I need to get my mind off of what happened tonight, you said so yourself. So indulge me. Are you interested in anyone?”

Chase tried to hold her gaze, but as if his eyes had a mind of their own, they dropped to her lips.

She licked them as if she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Oh. Well, awesome. Who is it? Details, please.”

Was it his imagination or did she seem less than enthused by his answer? “Sorry, but that’s not something I care to discuss.”

“With me?”

“With anyone. Look, it’s been a long day, for both of us. Maybe we should call it a night and get some sleep. I’ll even take you out for breakfast in the morning…unless you’re too hung-over to roll out of bed before they start serving lunch.” He smiled in an effort to ease the tension.

Hannah playfully pursed her lips, but then her eyes widened, and she set her glass down with a thunk. “Crap, I just thought of something—I’m going to have to open the diner tomorrow! Hutch usually does the cooking on the weekends…I’ll have to see if I can get Jason or Miles to come in and cover for him.”

“I’m sure Hutch would understand if you closed the diner for a few days. No one would expect you to work the day after such a traumatic incident.”

Hannah hurried into the kitchen as if she hadn’t heard him. She ran back into the living room with her purse, tossed it on the table and rummaged inside until she pulled out a little booklet. A quick glance at the clock produced a frown. “Think it’s too late to give them a call? It’s not quite eleven, and—”

“Hannah, it’s too late.”

Frustration etched her brow. “It’s Friday night. I doubt either one of them are sleeping.”

Chase got up and stood before her. He wanted to take her in his arms as he had earlier and breathe in her intoxicating scent. Instead, he propped his hands on his hips. “Probably not, though that’s not really the point. The last thing you should be worried about is opening the diner tomorrow.”

She matched his hands on hips stance, only she stuck out a hip. “Those assholes already got away with a whole day’s earnings from Hutch. I’m not going to let them take anything else from him. I’m opening the diner tomorrow.”

He stared at her, a little surprised by her vehemence. “You’re as stubborn as that brother of yours.”

She let out a delicate snort. “As if you have room to talk.”

They stared at each other until Chase finally blew out a hard breath. “Fine. If you’re that damn determined, I’ll drive you in tomorrow and give you a hand until you can get someone else to come in.”

She gave his chest a playful thump. “My hero. And on that note, I’m going to take a quick shower before climbing into bed. Set Drew’s alarm for five, just in case mine doesn’t go off, okay? Night.”

Chase watched the graceful sway of her hips as she climbed the stairs to the second floor and disappeared around the corner. Visions of her emerging from the bathroom with that silky pink robe he’d seen her wear a time or two clinging to her damp skin had him rushing into Drew’s room and shutting the door behind him as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.

Damn, it was going to be a long night.