“I could tell from that silly smile you’re wearing.”
Chase laughed.
“You’re falling for Maisy, aren’t you?”
It surprised Chase that his father knew her name, which told him Simon was paying attention. This was a rarity, as women had generally passed in and out of Chase’s life until he started dating Astrid. “Yeah, I am,” he admitted. And he was falling hard. He didn’t say it aloud, however.
Concern showed in his father’s eyes. “It’s a little soon, isn’t it? I mean, the two of you only met, what…a couple of months ago?”
“Something like that.” Chase stiffened. He wanted it understood that he wasn’t looking for Simon’s approval in this matter.
“She’s made a difference in you.”
“She has.” No use denying it. When he told Maisy she’d turned his world upside down, it wasn’t an exaggeration. He was completely different from the man she’d met on the plane that day.
Maisy had made him a better man. He saw things he had never bothered to notice until after they’d met. Guy was a good example of his heightened awareness of others.
This was all new to Chase. Even his relationship with his team from the office had changed for the better. He listened more. Considered the role they played in the organization, and was far more open to their ideas.
“Maisy and her brother agreed to come to Chicago. They’ll arrive next weekend.”
“Her brother? Isn’t that a bit unusual?”
“He’s ten and a huge Cubs fan.”
“I see.”
Chase listened for censure in his father’s voice and heard none. They were out of the elevator and entered Simon’s office.
Simon closed the door as he took a seat behind his massive desk.
“Maisy put up a fuss about the expense,” Chase said, and smiled at the memory. “It’s hard for her to accept generosity.”
Simon nodded, and it looked as if he had something more to say.
“I want you to meet her, Dad. Once you do, you’ll understand why I feel about her the way I do.”
His father didn’t look convinced. “You’re sure about her?”
“Absolutely. Without question.” Chase knew his father had once fallen for a woman who wasn’t interested in him as much as she was in his position and his money. A lesson Chase held in the back of his mind with every relationship. At the time, he was still a boy. He’d disliked Mimi, his father’s third wife, mainly because she considered him nothing but a nuisance. It was only when Simon overheard her berating Chase, calling him names—words he was too young to understand—that her true character had been revealed.
It came to Chase then, something he should have expected when his father mentioned Maisy’s name. “You had her investigated, didn’t you?”
“I did,” he admitted without apology.
“And you found nothing, right?” It wasn’t a real question, as he’d done the same himself. Chase would have staked his fortune on the fact there was nothing negative about her or her family. They were a good, hardworking family. These people were genuine; there was nothing fake or problematic about a single one of them. What was that phrase? Salt of the earth. That was the Gallagher family.
His father walked over to the window that offered a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline.
“Dad?”
Simon released a sigh and turned to face Chase. “The family is deeply in debt. The store, jewelry, isn’t it?”
Chase nodded.
“It’s on the verge of bankruptcy. I’m surprised they have held on this long. The downturn seemed to have come about shortly after the death of Michael Gallagher.”
Chase had suspected the store was in dire straits, from what little Maisy had mentioned.
