The salmon sank like a lead weight in her stomach. “Chase…It’s a lovely thought…I appreciate the offer, but…”
“And I want Patrick to come, too,” he said, not allowing her to voice her argument. “Your brother is a huge Cubs fan. I’ve arranged for us to attend the game in the company suite.”
All Maisy seemed capable of doing was staring at Chase as if he’d suggested they take a spaceship to Mars.
“I can’t…First off, it’s too much, and I can’t leave—”
Again, Chase didn’t allow her to finish. “I’ll arrange the tickets and book you a hotel room.”
Maisy set her fork down and shook her head. “It’s more than generous of you, but…I can’t accept.”
He grinned; he’d expected this reaction. “You mean to say you’d deprive your little brother of the opportunity to see the Cubs play?”
He made a good argument. She could well imagine how excited Patrick would be to see his favorite team play in person.
“It isn’t that…My life is complicated.”
“And what about a visit with Laura and Bella?” he said, adding fuel to his argument. “I’m sure they would love the opportunity to see you.”
“But…” He made it difficult to refuse.
“Don’t disappoint me, Maisy. If you can’t make the trip, I don’t know how long it will be before I can see you again.” His gaze held hers.
“What do you mean?” She hated the idea of not seeing Chase again for an extended time period. When she said her life was complicated, she could only imagine his schedule.
“My father is leaving soon for a lengthy business trip to Europe. I’ll be needed in the office to cover for him. My days will be long. I’ll need to start early and stay late. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be able to plan another trip to Seattle.”
“Oh…I would love to come, but, Chase, I have responsibilities, too.”
“I know,” he countered. “I’ve already spoken to your uncle about this time away, and your mother has agreed to let Patrick accompany you. She said she’d fill in for you at the store.” Her mother had done that several times and it had seemed to go well.
Shaking her head, Maisy said, “I wish you’d talked to me about this before arranging things behind my back.”
“Don’t be upset with me. I figured you’d have a hard time accepting, so I made sure to cover your objections.”
It was underhanded of Chase, but she couldn’t be angry with him. Patrick would be thrilled to see the Cubs play in person.
“What do you say?” he asked, his eyes full of pleading.
Really, how could she refuse? She nodded and smiled. “I’ll look forward to meeting your father.”
Chapter Twenty-one
On his way in to work Monday morning, Chase stopped for coffee and bought an extra for Guy. Over time, he’d managed to get Guy to talk beyond a few mumbled words of thanks. He continued to refuse to give up his name, but seemed okay with Chase calling him Guy. Chase looked forward to their brief exchanges each day. Building trust would take time, but Chase was patient. Guy seemed reluctant to accept the gifts Chase brought him. Chase suspected he shared the clothes and other items with his street friends. He knew next to nothing about Guy’s past life. When Chase offered to set him up in an apartment and find him work, Guy pretended not to hear him. Chase hoped Guy would eventually be willing to accept his help, but he wasn’t quite yet.
His father met Chase in the lobby, and they entered the elevator together. As the doors closed, Simon Furst turned to his son and asked, “How was your weekend?”
Chase hardly knew how to answer. His time in Seattle with Maisy had been one of the best days of his life. He’d enjoyed every minute, especially the lunch with all her family gathered around to celebrate Patrick’s home run.
“Great. Just great.”
His thoughts went to Maisy and the last few minutes of his visit before he headed back to the airport. Leaving her had been hard. More than anything, he’d yearned to stay an extra day. She’d wanted that, too. That was impossible, however, as he had a tee time with a business executive that he couldn’t miss.
Before boarding the plane, he’d kissed and held Maisy for several minutes, unwilling to let her go. She had tears in her eyes when they finally broke apart. Anyone watching would assume he was heading off to war, from the way they clung to each other.
Sunday, after eighteen holes of golf, he couldn’t wait to get home to call Maisy. They spoke for three hours. He had prearranged everything for her visit the following weekend. The time couldn’t come fast enough.
“I had a marvelous weekend,” Chase added.
