About Last Summer

Not caring for the dangerous course this conversation was taking, Natalie sipped at her orange juice. In the three days since Chase’s arrival, Natalie had made it a point to be in any room that he wasn’t. Apparently she had taken the whole avoidance thing a bit too far.

Determined to play it cool, Natalie tucked back a length of her hair. “So?” she said, leveling her gaze with Erica’s. “Chase had a lot of stuff going on last year, and you and Patrick were busy planning your wedding. We spent some time together because Chase needed a friend. But Chase is here to visit with Patrick, not me.”

Erica however didn’t appear to be buying it, as her accusing expression didn’t change. “Something happened between you, didn’t it?”

Erica knew Natalie way too well, but given the two women had been friends since college that wasn’t exactly surprising.

“That is ridiculous.” Natalie scooped up another bite of oatmeal, although it was more to disguise her sudden panic than to satisfy any hunger.

If Erica discovered the truth about Natalie and Chase then she would tell Patrick and Patrick would freak. Natalie didn’t want to be the one responsible for ruining Patrick and Chase’s friendship. Although it wasn’t easy for Natalie to not confide in Erica. Last year, more than once, Natalie had been tempted to tell Erica everything. Natalie could have used Erica’s advice, she still could, but unfortunately confiding in Erica wasn’t a luxury Natalie had.

“What’s so ridiculous about it?” Erica asked, her red hair almost orange from the sunlight drifting in through the window. “I always thought you had a bit of a thing for him.”

“Please.” Natalie wiped her hands on a napkin. “Chase’s a great looking guy, granted there’s not much to not like, but there’s nothing more to it than that.”

Her chair scraped slightly across the wooden flooring as Natalie pushed it back and carried her bowl to the sink. She still had a fair bit of oatmeal left, but her appetite had vanished. Lying to Erica wasn’t improving her state of mind any.

“Fine.” Erica’s heavy sigh carried across the room. “Don’t tell me.”

“I’m not telling you anything because there’s nothing to tell.” There was probably a special place in hell for people who lied to their best friends, although it was just as likely there was also a place for sisters who destroyed friendships between their brothers and his friends. Either way she looked at it, Natalie’s options weren’t great.

“I have to get to work.” Erica stood, resignation heavy in her tone. Erica worked as a sous chef at a trendy Baker Hill restaurant, The Waterworks, and she no doubt needed to prepare for the lunch crowd. “But when you’re ready to tell me the truth, you know where to find me.”

“Erica,” Natalie called after her friend’s retreating form, guilt squirming in her stomach, but Erica didn’t pause. Natalie shut off the water and reached for a dish towel. She should have seen this coming, but even if she had what could she have done about it?

Resigning herself to the fact that this was just one more thing she couldn’t do anything about, Natalie headed for her home office, which was really a corner of the dining room given Patrick’s things still occupied the actual home office. Natalie intended to work from home today as everyone was out of the house.

However a few hours later, Natalie hadn’t made much progress on her To Do list. Her thoughts refused to stay focused, although this time her lack of concentration wasn’t solely Chase’s fault. Her mother had called last night to discuss or, in Natalie’s case, second-guess Natalie’s decisions concerning another wedding. And this morning every time Natalie attempted to make a decision, her mother’s disapproving voice rang in her ears.

“Handmade invitations are so tacky,” Natalie’s mother had said last night. “You shouldn’t have let Cathy Pollard talk you into agreeing. I know her mother is going to be appalled.”

And offending the wealthy parent of a client was truly all her mother cared about. Personally Natalie didn’t care who liked what as long as the bride and groom were happy, but her mother viewed event planning from a different approach.

Seeing she was accomplishing nothing and with hunger jabbing at her insides, she decided to take a lunch break. Given she was working from home; she hadn’t put much thought into her appearance. Well, that was the excuse she was going with anyway. The real reason was she hadn’t gotten around to doing laundry. And that was because the laundry room was in the basement, which was Chase’s territory. After that kiss the other night she knew better than to get within shouting distance of his bedroom, although she was going to have to get past that soon. Lack of clean underwear was not acceptable regardless of the circumstances.

With her thoughts on laundry, what she wanted for lunch, and did she remember to tell Patrick they needed detergent for the dishwasher, she headed for the kitchen. Rounding the corner of the dining room, she collided with a six-foot-one frame that nearly knocked her five-foot-six frame to the floor.

Instantly Chase put his hands at her waist to steady her. Heart racing, she pressed a hand against her chest. “You scared the hell out of me. I thought no one was here.”

“Sorry about that. I just came in, but next time I’ll try to remember to make a bit more noise.” His mouth tipped into a smile.

So he was poking fun at her, which was OK. A little humiliation was preferable to what she usually had to deal with in his presence. Although with his hands still at her waist, humiliation could be the least of her worries.

Needing to direct her attention elsewhere, she stepped toward the refrigerator.

“Have you had lunch yet?” she asked, her eyes searching the confined space. There was some leftover ham from dinner a few nights ago, and she knew the cheese was fresh having bought it just yesterday. She could make a couple of sandwiches, but her mind really wasn’t on food.

Chase had chosen to lean against the counter a few inches away. The trim fit of his jeans riding low on his hips brought back more than a few erotic memories that she didn’t need reminding of, and his nearness triggered a peevish urge to go elsewhere for lunch. After all, if he wanted to lounge he could have sat at the table, which was all the way across the room then she wouldn’t have to worry about making small talk with their bodies scant inches apart.

“I could eat,” he said, his casual demeanor suggesting he was unaware of how his nearness affected her. “Anything look good?”

Her heart jolted, but then she reminded herself he was talking about lunch. That was all that was on his mind, or least she was determined to pretend it was.

Needing a bit more breathing room, she backed away allowing him access to the open refrigerator. “Help yourself,” she said, also talking about lunch, as she turned to examine what was in the cabinets.

Feeling her thoughts slip deeper into the gutter, Natalie counted to ten. Thirty seconds in the man’s presence and she felt the need for a cold shower. And what was worse, all they had talked about was lunch.

And if that wasn’t enough to make her feel awkward, she suddenly remembered what she was wearing. A faded green T-shirt that resembled something that should have been taken out with last week’s trash, tattered jeans and, instead of taking the time to put in her contacts, she had grabbed her glasses. Throw in a sloppy ponytail and no makeup, and she was a candidate for one of those style makeover shows.

She put a pan on the stove for some soup as she tried to ignore her unappealing appearance. Chase took the ham and cheese out of the refrigerator, and while they put their lunches together he asked how the event planning business was going. She took a few minutes to explain some of the finer points of wedding planning, but she could tell the conversation had about reached its peak.

Discussing her career was OK for a little while, but if she went on for more than five minutes she usually ran the risk of putting her companion to sleep. Ten and she worried about the possibility of coma.

“So, Patrick tells me you were recently in Liverpool,” Natalie changed the subject.

Chase talked about his trip mentioning several sights he’d visited. He’d gone to the famous city for the funeral of an old family friend. As Chase talked, some of the awkwardness between them vanished. Gone was the polite, stilted conversation she’d endured over the past few days, and now they were chatting like old friends. Which they were, sort of.

But the irony of the situation was, this was how their former affair started. First a few innocent conversations, which graduated to a few simple touches, and before long they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off one another. Granted she probably hadn’t tried as hard as she should have on that last point, but given how Chase affected her she supposed she shouldn’t blame herself too much.

As she caught a glimpse of the clock above the stove she noted it was after one and she needed to get back to work. No point in tempting fate in Chase’s presence any more than she already had.

“Well,” she said, rising from the table and gathering up her dishes. “Duty calls.”

Chase also stood. “Uh, Natalie, before you go, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Chapter Two

Natalie’s steps faltered then regained speed as she headed for the sink. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”Chase registered her hesitation with a touch of dread. A moment ago their conversation contained the easygoing tone of old friends as he talked about his trip to Liverpool, but now the awkward politeness threatened to return. Although once she heard what he had to say that was liable to be the least of his worries.

Deciding to use the bandage removal approach – do it quick and get it over with – he maneuvered around the table. “I want to ask you a favor.”

Standing at the kitchen sink, she adjusted the water temperature and asked with a hint of suspicion, “What kind of favor?”

Reclining against the counter next to her, he crossed his arms. The spray of water splashed against the sink with some vigor, and Natalie hastened to lower the pressure. “Do you remember me mentioning someone by the name of Drake Henderson?”

She nodded, as she swiped at a fly that had landed on her nose. “Isn’t he the guy you usually buy local properties from?”

“That’s right.” Just ask her. The worst she can say is no. “Anyway he’s asked me to meet him for dinner.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Um, well, he thinks you’re my girlfriend.” There, he said it.

“What?” Natalie’s spine straightened, as her eyebrows rose. Water continued to sluice over the dishes.

Quick to apply damage control, he hastened to explain. .“The thing is Drake has a niece, and he wants me to take her out. I’ve told him no a number of times, but he’s become more persistent. Finally, the only way I saw out of it was to tell him I was dating someone.”

“So you told him you and I were dating.” She squirted a measure of dish washing liquid into her soup bowl, and swiped a sponge over the moistened surface.

“Not until recently. He called a few days ago and suggested dinner. I would have put him off, but he has a piece of property I want to buy, and he’s agreed to discuss the details over dinner.” Given she had yet to tell him to take a flying leap, he continued, “I really want to buy that property, but if I hadn’t told him I wanted to bring you along, he would have brought his niece.”

“Well, that is a dilemma.” She continued washing dishes, the suds lathering around her hands, her neutral response giving him no clue as to what she might be thinking.

Her placid features suggested she wasn’t mad. It was more like she was weighing her options. Which was certainly understandable. He had his own reservations about them masquerading as a couple, but considering the alternative taking Natalie to dinner was the lesser of the two evils.

Taking a shot at tipping the scales in his favor, he said, “Look, I know this is crazy, and you have every right to not want to go, but I hope you will.”

“So, when is this dinner?” she asked, rinsing a handful of flatware.

“Tonight.” Then he added somewhat apologetically, “I know it’s short notice.”

“I don’t know, Chase,” she said, shutting off the water. “Won’t Patrick think it’s kind of strange for you and me to go out together?”

“I’m sure we can figure out something to tell him.” She still didn’t look convinced, but he hadn’t played all of his cards yet. “It’s just for a few hours, Natalie.” He paused briefly then said, “Unless you’re afraid to be alone with me.”

His challenging taunt must have done the trick as she rolled her eyes. “That’s hardly the problem.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

Natalie reached for a dish towel. “It’s just things have a tendency to get out of hand whenever we’re together. We took enough risks last year. I don’t like keeping secrets and I especially don’t like keeping them from my family.”

“I know,” Chase said. “But I’m not suggesting we pick up where we left off, nor am I suggesting we keep our going to dinner a secret. There isn’t any reason why Patrick should have an issue with us going out to dinner as friends.”

“But your friend will think you and I are a couple,” she reminded him.

“Well, yes, but I just told him we were dating to keep him from bringing his niece along, and in a few weeks I’ll tell him we’re not dating any longer.” Chase did his best to make the evening sound as non-datelike as possible and there was little likelihood of romantic consequences.

However his inner voice whispered there might be more to it than that. Chase had thoroughly enjoyed the time he had spent with Natalie, and seeing her again reminded him of how much he had missed their time together. He knew it was stupid. Being with Natalie meant risking his friendship with Patrick, and Chase had enough uncertainty in his life, but he couldn’t forget how being with Natalie made him feel.

Indecision wrinkled her brow as she carefully arranged the dish towel on a silver towel ring. “So if I agree, it will be just dinner. We go out, have a meal, and then come back home.”

“Exactly.” Chase paused. Natalie’s demeanor suggested she was on the verge of agreeing, that is if he didn’t say anything stupid.

She hesitated, carefully arranging the dish towel just so. Silence stretched, suggesting her decision could go either way, and just when he began to suspect she wasn’t going to agree, her shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. “Sure. I suppose there’s no real harm in it. What time are you supposed to meet him?”

He filled her in on the details then headed downstairs as she returned to her office. Being alone with her for an extended period of time was high on his list of bad ideas. Kind of like that kiss the other night. He wanted to prove nothing incredible had happened between them, but all that brief kiss had accomplished was to make him hungry for more, and knowing she slept under the same roof didn’t help. He wanted to believe he could keep his hands off her, but he honestly wasn’t sure if he could.

Because he sure as hell didn’t want to.

After he’d finished dressing for his ‘date’ with Natalie, Chase headed upstairs. His misgivings about the evening increased when he found Natalie dashing about, fretting about her appearance. First she decided she didn’t have the right handbag, and then she changed her mind about her earrings. Personally, he thought she looked sexy as hell, and although it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her so, he decided that probably wasn’t the wisest thing he could say.

He may have teased her about being afraid to be alone with him, but to be honest he had a few reservations about the evening himself. Although he’d known Natalie for a number of years, it had taken him a while to notice she was no longer just Patrick’s little sister, but once he noticed he played hell keeping his hands off her. A part of him had always wondered why she agreed to an affair that was destined to end before it really began, but he never asked. Mostly because he didn’t think he wanted to know.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked after having changed her shoes, jewelry and grabbing another handbag.

He obligingly looked her up and down, but soon regretted it as his hormones jumped to attention. Her halter cut, fire engine-red dress fit like a glove displaying her cleavage, the curve of her hips, and the leanness of her legs. Chase didn’t know a great deal about fabric, but this one had a soft sheen and looked alternately red and hot pink depending on the lighting. Her hair was pulled back with a simple barrette, and her subtle makeup, or maybe it was the lighting, brought out the green in her eyes. However, a dress like that served basically one purpose – to make a man wonder how to get it off, and given the halter style, Chase doubted he’d need much direction.

But before he could manage an intelligent response the door opened, and Patrick came strolling in looking every bit like the high-powered advertising executive he was. Patrick and Chase were the same age, six years older than Natalie, but back in college it had become obvious Patrick was more suited to working behind a desk, whereas Chase preferred a more hands-on career. Although there was no denying Patrick was doing well for himself. Patrick’s suit wasn’t exactly Armani, but Chase recognized custom tailoring when he saw it.

“What are you all dressed up for?” Patrick asked, eyeing Natalie’s supposed going-out-with-a-friend dress.

“Chase and I are going out to dinner,” she said simply, while rearranging the contents of her black evening bag.

“You’re going out to dinner?” Patrick cast a wondering eye at Chase, then at Natalie. His expression reminded Chase of Natalie when she was uncertain about something. “Dressed like that?”

With a touch of annoyance, Natalie planted a hand on her hip, her gold bracelet catching the light from a nearby lamp. “Don’t give me that Dad routine.”

As Patrick’s expression grew more concerned, Chase hastened to explain. “A friend of mine wants me to have dinner with him. He told me to bring a friend, and since you and Erica are busy tonight – ”

“Yes, but that’s not a going-out-to-dinner-with-a-friend dress,” Patrick said in an accusatory tone. “That’s a date dress.”

“And how would you know?” Natalie slid her purse strap over her shoulder.

“I’m engaged, remember?” Patrick said, clearly offended.

Recognizing sibling rivalry when he saw it, and hoping to sidetrack Patrick from jumping to any more conclusions, Chase quickly intervened. “Look, Patrick, it’s just dinner. We won’t be late.”

“Yes, Patrick,” Natalie mimicked in a falsely sweet voice. “It’s just dinner. Besides I’m a big girl. I think I can manage for a few hours without a chaperon.” She slid her arm through Chase’s.

Chase wasn’t sure her touching him in front of her brother was such a smart move, but he supposed the gesture went along with her I’m-a-big-girl-and-I-don’t-need-advice-from-my-older-brother act.

He refrained from saying anything more while he backed out of the drive. Although the evening had been Chase’s idea, he was beginning to question the wisdom of his plan. Sure, bringing along Natalie to keep Drake from forcing Chase into an unwanted date was a simple enough solution, but things between him and Natalie weren’t exactly simple. The nights Natalie had spent in his bed were never far from his thoughts, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want a repeat performance.

However he wasn’t some horny high-school kid who couldn’t control his hormones. He could, when needed, exert some self-control. And as for tonight if Natalie wanted to torment her brother by wearing a dress that was guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of any normal male in the general vicinity, Chase really had very little say in the matter.

Although he had to admit, casting another sidelong glance at how the silky fabric clung to her breasts, if he was her brother he doubted he would like her dressing like that, either.

*****

Seated in a comfortable chair surrounded by understated elegance, Natalie perused an expensive looking menu. She had congratulated herself on how well she handled the scene earlier with Patrick, but a small voice reminded her Patrick was only part of the problem. The remainder of her problem sat to her left with his arm draped around her shoulders. All for Drake’s benefit she knew, but Chase’s innocent touch was a subtle reminder of everything she longed for, and everything she knew would never be.

Knowing such doomsday thinking was counterproductive she shifted her thoughts to Drake. Drake reminded her of an older version of Chase: passionate about his work, too good looking for words, and wary of any woman who crossed his path. Chase could usually talk a good story, but deep down she knew there weren’t many people he let close.

Not that she could wholly blame him with his family. His father’s multiple divorces had nearly buried the family in scandal, and in between marriages Chase’s father and mother would attempt reconciliation, and always with disastrous results. Natalie had given up trying to figure out Chase’s parents, but she wouldn’t mind getting closer to the man next to her. Too bad he wouldn’t let her.

Well, maybe you just need to try harder.

Knowing that listening to that tiny, encouraging voice would just get her into trouble, she ignored it. She was not going to delude herself into believing she would be the woman who would capture Chase’s heart. What she shared with him last year was about the most he was willing to give, and after he left she’d been forced to accept that’s all they would ever share. Although that didn’t mean she wanted a repeat performance. Her heart couldn’t take any more.

“You ready to order?” Chase’s smooth as honey voice in her ear reminded her of their close proximity.

Determined to remember she was only here to appease Drake, she gave her order then leaned against Chase, his arm once again encircling her shoulders. She knew she shouldn’t be encouraging his touch, but sometimes a girl just wanted to live on the edge.

Over the past few years Chase had bought several houses from Drake. Houses that he would renovate and then later sell for a profit. Chase had so much local success with renovating properties that when he moved to New York eight years ago, he had turned it into a full-time occupation.

Chase still bought property in Baker Hill, but those properties he hired other contractors to renovate. Rarely did he involve himself with those properties unless he spent an extended amount of time in town. Like he had last year when he returned home because of his father’s car crash, which had led to his affair with Natalie.

After dinner Drake suggested they move into the lounge. Chase kept Natalie at his side, his innocent touch like a subtle promise of something more. Kind of like the appetizer before the main course, and she wondered if that was where this night was leading. Given their former relationship anything was possible. She could easily delude herself into believing she had everything under control, but given her feelings for Chase that kind of control might be an illusion.

But considering how hard she’d worked over the past few months to get him out of her heart, those thoughts were rather unsettling. The main reason she’d agreed to this charade was to prove she could control her reaction to him. For the most part she was managing fairly well, but then again the evening wasn’t over.

The conversation drifted to the property Chase wanted to buy. Natalie sipped her wine, catching phrases like crown molding and curb appeal, grateful no one expected her to join in. It was just before nine, which meant the evening could go on for several hours yet. She wanted to encourage time to move forward, yet her heart wanted to extend the evening as long as possible, sort of like wishing for a new car then complaining about the color. Unfortunately when fate granted one’s heart desire, it didn’t usually bother with the fine tuning.