Chapter 6

 

It wasn’t until Hannah hung up the phone that she realized Chase had left the room. Eager to get back to where they were before the phone rang, she hurried into the living room, expecting to find him on the sofa waiting for her. Only he wasn’t there.

“Chase?” When he didn’t answer, she called his name again, a bit louder. Still no answer.

Huh. Now where could he have gone off to?

It wasn’t until she’d checked the entire house that she started to worry. She rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone to call his cell, and that’s when she caught a glimpse of him through the window, sitting on the glider out back on the patio. Relief came out on a hard breath as she once again returned the phone to its cradle.

He didn’t look up when she opened the sliding glass door. Sitting forward with his elbows on knees and his hands clasped, his expression was hard to gauge.

“Penny for your thoughts,” she teased as she approached. She sat down beside him and slid her hand across his thigh, giving it a playful squeeze.

Chase gently grasped her hand and placed it on her own lap.

“Chase…?” Hannah leaned back, turning to face him. “What’s wrong?”

He remained oddly quiet, and she was just about to demand an answer when he looked up and met her gaze.

“Look, Hannah…I lost my head in there and took advantage of the situation. I want you to know that I respect you more than just about anyone I know, and I am so sorry for—”

“Whoa, hold up. Are you apologizing for what you said to Drew? Because believe me, I understand why you had to lie. My brother can be a real hard ass sometimes.”

“No, you misunderstand. I’m apologizing for kissing you. It shouldn’t have happened. You were vulnerable. I took advantage of the situation, and I am sorrier than I can say.”

Confusion gripped her as his words sank in. “I kissed you, Sheriff, not the other way around. If anyone should be sorry it’s me. And for the record, I’m not.” She reached up and caressed his face.

Again, Chase grasped her hand, only this time he held on. Regret etched his brow, and a sinking feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

Her face heated with embarrassment as the truth dawned on her. Chase didn’t want her; he’d simply been humoring her. Or maybe he…Hannah yanked her hand free and shot to her feet.

“Is this about Jimmy? You brought him up several times tonight, and your disgust was pretty clear…Are you repulsed by me because—”

“Of course not,” he quickly denied, seeming genuinely stunned by the question. “It’s not like I haven’t hooked up with a few less than…upstanding ladies.”

“Then what is it, Chase? Is this about the woman you’re interested in? Is it more serious than you let on?”

He leaned back against the metal glider and let out a hearty sigh. “There is no other woman.”

The argument she’d been about to launch on her own behalf died on her lips as his confession sank in. “Okay, now I’m confused. What’s this all about? I’m afraid I’m going to need you to spell it out for me.”

“Dammit, Hannah. Drew trusts me to take care of you, to look after you. And what was I doing when he called to check up on you? I was practically ravishing you on the damn couch!”

Hannah grinned over his word choice.

Chase waggled a finger in her face. “Don’t even say it.”

She bit her lips, but a smile stretched her cheeks.

He swiped a hand through his hair and gave his head a ‘what am I going to do with you?’ shake. “Hannah, I don’t know what would have happened if Drew hadn’t called, but I do know it can’t happen again.”

Her smile faded. “Why? Is this about Drew? You’re one of his closest friends, so I know—”

Chase shot to his feet and turned to face her, his expression grim, resigned. 

Hannah’s breath caught. She’d never seen quite that look on his face before and it scared her.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Hannah. I think the world of you; I always have. But I…I don’t think about you that way. I mean, hell, you’re beautiful and sexy and any man would be lucky to have you, but—”

“Any man but you?” she countered, her chest tight with repressed hurt and confusion.

He reached out as if to clasp her hand, but she stepped back out of his reach.

“You’re like a little sister to me, dammit,” he all but choked out, the lie bitter on his lips. “I would hate to ruin what we have by jumping into bed together.”

Hannah could only stare at him, no cohesive thoughts forming in her brain. She’d known the truth about this man, yet she’d thrown caution—and her good sense—right out the window at the first sign he might be interested. Only she’d misinterpreted those signs and made a complete frickin’ fool of herself. Well, lesson learned.

She gave a decisive nod. “You’re right. And let’s be honest, most of the blame falls to me. I’ve been lonely, I’m still a little freaked out over what happened last night, and I drank a lot more wine than I should have. You’re as comfortable as an old pair of shoes, so I turned to you for comfort. The wrong kind. If anything, I’m the one who owes you an apology.”

“Hannah—”

“If you plan to follow me to work tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the house at five-thirty. ‘Night, Sheriff.”

With as much dignity as she could muster, Hannah strode into the house and headed up to bed. Somehow, she managed to hold the tears at bay until safely ensconced in her room.

 

* * *

 

Breakfast—if one could call two cups of coffee and a handful of dry cereal breakfast—was eaten in complete silence, and for that, Hannah was grateful. The last thing she wanted to do after last night’s lesson in humility was make small talk with the teacher.

Chase did follow Hannah to the diner the following morning, though once Miles showed up, he headed off to the station, but not before leaving explicit instructions to call him at the slightest sign of trouble. Hannah gave a curt nod before effectively dismissing him.

The day flew by at record speed thanks to her muddled thoughts, and she managed to make more mistakes by noon than she had during her very first month on the job. She repeatedly delivered the wrong plates to the wrong tables, refilled coffee cups with decaf instead of regular, and vice versa. Mrs. Langhardt had to ask her for ketchup no less than three times, and Hannah spilled not one, but two bowls of soup on the floor.

And because news spread through Redemption faster than a flu virus, everybody assumed the robbery was reason behind her odd behavior. Which was sort of a blessing, she supposed. Having the town folk eye her with concern was a sight less humiliating than having them pity her over Chase’s lack of interest.

By the time three o’clock rolled around, Hannah was more than ready to get out of there and head home. With any luck, Chase would be busy with work the rest of the night, and she could curl up on the sofa with a mug of tea and a good book. Lindy’s latest romance novel sat on Hannah’s nightstand, and she’s been itching to crack it open.

She had just locked the doors to the diner when Chase pulled up in his squad car, Officer Donovan sitting beside him in the passenger’s seat. Both were in uniform and wore mirrored sunglasses. With reluctance, Hannah turned to face them. Mike lifted his shades and winked at her, easing the tension a bit. She winked right back, then, careful not to make eye contact with Chase, asked, “Working on anything interesting?”

It was Chase who responded. “Some lab work we’ve been waiting on finally came in. As soon as we escort you to the bank and then home, we’re heading back to the station. I’d like you to stay put until I get there. Shouldn’t be any later than six.”

Annoyed by his heavy-handed attitude, Hannah straightened and bit the inside of her cheek to keep a nasty reply from tumbling out of her mouth. She dug her keys from her purse and somehow managed to meet his gaze with a semblance of decorum.

“Miles dropped off the deposit on his way home, so you guys can head back to the station right now. I’ll go straight home, as instructed. It’s broad daylight, so no need for an escort.”

Chase pushed his shades up and eyeballed her with barely concealed frustration. “Just remember what I said: don’t leave the house. You can be as pissed at me as you like, but my only concern is your safety.”

With a curt nod, she slung her purse over her shoulder, said goodbye to Mike, and got the hell out of there.

Once home, Hannah took a nice long shower, poured herself a glass of lemonade, and got comfy on the sofa with Lindy’s latest novel. But thanks to a certain sexy cop’s hot and cold attitude, she had a hard time getting into a romantic mood. With a sigh of frustration, she tossed the book on the end table and leaned her head back, suddenly feeling liked a caged animal.

The phone rang, and after letting it go to voicemail, Hannah nearly squealed with relief when her friend Shar’s voice filled the room.

“Hey, girl, I haven’t heard from you in days—how the hell are you? I heard about the diner sitch from my dad. Holy shit, are you all right? Call me, please. Or better yet, stop by when—”

Hannah snatched up the cordless. “Hey, I’m here.”

“Hannah, oh, my God, I can’t believe what happened! Are you all right? I heard Hutch was hurt pretty bad; Max Frazier, too.”

“I’m fine and so is Max, thankfully. He’s a tough kid. Hutch is in the hospital, but they should be releasing him soon. He’s going to stay with Lauren and Caleb for a few days, just ’til he’s back on his feet. ”

“Well, that’s a relief. I love that old man. Did they catch the assholes who did it?”

Hannah grinned. Sharlet Russo did not mince words. “Not yet. But you know Chase. He won’t rest until both guys are behind bars.” Though he may be a clueless jerk when it came to the opposite sex, Chase was an amazing police officer.

“I bet he won’t.” Her tone turned sly. “I heard he raced into Hutch’s and swept you off your feet. Sounds like maybe that man has a thing for you after all.”

“He was concerned, that’s all. Can we please change the subject?”

Shar laughed. “Ah, it’s like that, is it? I have an idea. Why don’t you hop in your car and come hang out for a while. You can tell me all about whatever it is you don’t want to talk about.”

Great idea, Hannah thought. With any luck she’d still be out when Chase arrived back from the station. And if he got mad because she’d dared to disobey him, too damn bad.

“I’m leaving now.”

Her friend was waiting for her on the front porch when Hannah arrived. “You don’t look any worse for the wear. I was expecting crutches, bandages, stitches maybe.”

Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at the woman’s absurdity. “Gee, sorry to disappoint. Next time, I’ll tell them to crack me a good one.”

“Shut up and get in here before I crack you a good one myself.”

Hannah followed Shar upstairs, waving at her father as they passed. A nice if nerdy computer genius, John Russo worked out of his home—which meant very little privacy for her friend.

“So, are you ever going to move out and get your own place?” Hannah asked as soon as she shut the bedroom door behind her.

Shar plopped down at her vanity table and picked up her curling iron. She met Hannah’s gaze in the mirror as she twisted it around a lock of her ridiculously thick, long blonde hair. “I could ask you the same question.”

“True, though I do have some privacy now that Drew’s moved into Lindy’s place.”

Shar slowly slipped the ringlet curl free and set the curling iron down. “Maybe it’s time you and I thought about getting a place together. I’m finally making enough money to afford it, and didn’t Hutch give you a raise recently?”

Hannah thought about culinary school, which had been on her mind, of course, since Chase brought it up. “I’ve actually been thinking about going to school. I mean, I love working at the diner, but I don’t want to be a waitress the rest of my life.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” her friend was quick to stress. “But yeah, I hear you. Okay, so what were you thinking about going to school for…a business degree? No, wait…culinary school?”

“Culinary school,” Hannah confirmed.

“Very cool. But why now? I mean, I guess I did think you would probably work for Hutch ‘til you were too old to lift the coffee pot.”

Hannah whipped a pillow at her. Shar laughed.

“I’ve thought about culinary school before, but…well, it seemed impossible. I’d have to work in order to afford it, but I’d have to quit working at the diner because the closest culinary schools are in either Chicago or Minneapolis.”

“Well, it’s not like you can’t get a part-time job in either Chicago or Minneapolis,” Shar pointed out. “Sure there’s not more to it than that?”

Hannah shrugged, reluctant to admit again just how much influence Jimmy had had on her. “I guess I wasn’t sure I had what it takes to make it in the culinary world.”

“Okay, so what changed your mind?”

“Chase. I made him supper last night, and he loved it.”

“Ooh, Sheriff Sexalicious! What, did he stop by to check on you or something?”

“No, he’s staying with me until Drew and my dad get back from L.A. In Drew’s room,” Hannah quickly amended. Boy, if that wasn’t starting to sound like some sort of mantra.

“Well, now, isn’t that convenient,” her friend teased with a bat of her eyelashes. “Have you made a move on him yet? And don’t bother lying to me, I can read you like a book.”

Hannah chuckled over the truth of that statement. Sharlet Russo: human lie detector.

With a sigh of resignation, Hannah told her best friend everything, including the humiliating conclusion to their almost night of passion. “I swear, I’ve never been more humiliated in my life. The thought of that man feeling—sorry for me makes me want to scream.”

 Shar unplugged her curling iron and sat on the bed beside Hannah. “What a dumb ass. And it’s his loss. If the man is truly that stupid, he doesn’t deserve you.”

A reluctant grin broke free of Hannah’s pursed lips. “Well, to be fair, you are a bit biased. And Chase is far from stupid. He’s just…not interested.”

“If he’s not interested then he is that stupid.” She gave Hannah’s shoulder a little nudge with her own. “But if he is interested, he’d better come to his senses quick. Before some other guy sweeps you off your feet.”

Hannah couldn’t even imagine dating anyone else at this point, never mind being swept off her feet. “Hey, could I run downstairs for a bottle of water or something?”

“I’ll get it.” Shar stood up and grabbed an empty glass off her nightstand. “I’ve got a taste for something sweet.”

She hurried from the room and returned a few minutes later with two bottles of water and a pie box from Hutch’s Diner. “There’s one slice left. I’ll split it with you.” After tossing a bottle of water and a fork on the bed, Shar opened the box to reveal one last slice of Carrie’s strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Hannah’s stomach clenched. A vision of a gun being brandished in her face caused her to bypass the fork and pick up the water.

Sudden confusion gripped her just as she twisted off the cap. She was almost certain the only pie box that had left the diner in the last couple weeks was the one the thieves helped themselves to. Shar’s half-brother, Dillon Zelinsky, had a rap sheet a mile long and moved back to Redemption a few months back after his girlfriend kicked him out of their apartment. Could he have…?

Unfortunately, she couldn’t positively identify either of the robbers—as Dillon, or anyone else.

She watched as Shar dug her fork in for a bite, unsure of whether or not she should say anything. It’s not like she couldn’t be mistaken. Though they rarely sold whole pies, it was certainly possible Hutch had sold one himself some morning before she’d started her shift. Unlikely, but definitely not impossible.

“Hey, if you don’t want any, I’m more than happy to polish this sucker off myself,” Shar teased as she forked another bite into her mouth.

“Thanks, but my stomach is a little off today. Just the water is fine.”

“You okay? This isn’t over Sheriff Sourpuss, is it?”

Hannah laughed. “I thought he was Sheriff Sexalicious?”

“That was before I realized what an idiot he is.” Shar grinned as she stuffed the last bite of pie in her mouth.

“Can’t argue with that. Though it’s not his fault; he’s not attracted to me.”

Shar lifted an eyebrow. “Please. Even I’ve seen the way he stares at you when he thinks you aren’t looking.”

Hope flared to life again at her friend’s declaration, though Hannah hated herself for it. “It’s obviously not enough—he made that very clear.”

Shar pursed her lips and seemed to mull something over. “You said everything was fine until your brother called, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“So? Isn’t it obvious? He’s one of your brother’s best friends. I’m sure there’s some kind of guy code among friends that you don’t tap your friend’s sister, right?”

Hannah caught the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth as she considered her friend’s observation. When Chase first burst through the door of the diner after the robbery, he’d had a look in his eyes she’d never seen before. Then he’d crushed her in his arms as if he’d never let her go.

At first, she’d thought that maybe she imagined the raw emotion in the way he’d held her, spoke to her. But when they’d kissed…wow. There hadn’t been a shred of doubt that Chase wanted her as much as she wanted him. And of course, that was when Drew called and screwed everything up.

Could it really be as simple as that? The reason Chase did a complete one-eighty after their passionate kiss and pronounced them just friends? Her heart swelled with hope—which annoyed the crap out of her. Dammit, she didn’t want to keep getting her hopes up over that fickle man!

“Hey, I meant to ask you, did you know Jimmy’s back in town?”

Hannah glanced up in shock, all other thoughts blown from her head. A slight pounding started at the base of her skull as she digested that bit of news. She had so hoped to never see that man’s face again. And if he was, in fact, back in Redemption, he’d probably show up at her place, sooner or later.

“Are you sure? I mean, did you see him? Or just hear he was back?”

“Sorry, but I saw the sleazy little bastard with my own eyes. Dillon’s had him to the house a couple of times now.” Shar rolled her eyes. “Figures those two losers would reconnect, hey?”

Hannah gave an absent nod.  Jimmy back in town…Could his timing be any worse? “Hopefully he’ll get bored soon, like he always does, and skip town again before I run into him.”

Shar shrugged as she took a long pull off her water bottle. “One can only hope. Last time he was here, Dillon bragged they were on their way to Green Bay to visit a few strip clubs.” A look of disgust curled her lips.

“Wish I could say I was surprised. Jimmy’s hand spent more time down stripper’s G-strings than down his own pants. And that’s saying something.”

Not that she personally gave a shit. Any genuine feelings she might have had for the handsome bad boy died for good the last time she caught him cheating on her. And truthfully, by that point, she’d felt more relief than anything else. She’d only put up with his last couple of attempts to win her back because she knew he’d make a scene—and usually while she was working. So it just became easier to humor him than get pulled into a public argument. She’d known he’d become bored again soon or later and leave town for a while, which he’d done right after Lindy’s Valentine party. She’d just really hoped this last time he wouldn’t return.

But as the saying goes: Wish in one hand, shit in the other.

“Yoohoo, Porter? You in there?” Shar teased as she slowly waved her hands in front of Hannah’s face.

 “Sorry…I was just thinking about the diner.”

Shar gave her head a playful tilt. “Now, why am I not surprised? I suppose if Hutch is still in the hospital, you’ll have to open for him?”

“Just for a few days, give him some time to rest.”

“That man is lucky to have you.”

Hannah shrugged. “He’s like family to me. He and dad have been friends for as long as I can remember.”

The distinctive rumble of a truck engine could be heard coming down the road, and Shar hurried over to look out the window. She chuckled, then turned and pinned Hannah with a slow, ‘let the fireworks begin’ smile.

“Guess who’s here?”