Guy snickered. “Not much to tell.” For being homeless, he was well kept. His hair, while uncombed, was cut a decent length and his beard was trimmed. His clothes weren’t ragged, either. Maisy figured his clean appearance was due to Chase, but didn’t mention it.
“You got yourself a good man,” Guy told her with a hard nod, as if to say it was so.
“How come you live in a tent?” Patrick asked inquisitively.
Guy shrugged. “Bad decisions. Don’t you go making them, you hear?”
“No, sir, I won’t.”
“Good,” Guy said.
They stopped off at Starbucks, and Chase brought Guy coffee and lunch. He let Patrick deliver the bag while the barista finished their order. Patrick returned as the barista handed Maisy and Chase their lattes.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked Patrick again.
“No, thank you.”
Maisy was proud of Patrick’s manners. Manners and kindness were something drilled into them by their parents. Their father had been a good example of both traits in dealing with difficult customers at the store. When someone arrived disappointed or upset with a purchase, their father handled the matter with composure and gentle understanding. Without fail, the customer left with a smile. Maisy did her best to do the same, but feared she simply didn’t have the tact her father had.
Gallagher Jewels was the last thing she wanted to think about. It seemed inevitable that the store would need to close its doors soon. The accumulation of debt made it impossible to remain open much longer. Not wanting to mull over that unpleasantness, Maisy focused her attention on Chase. She noticed his pride in anticipation of showing her his office and was pleased with the changes she’d seen in him since they’d first met.
Furst Bank headquarters was a skyscraper that rose thirty floors. A security guard greeted Chase by name and opened the glass doors to allow them into the building. Chase and his father occupied the top floor. He pointed toward the elevator and entered a code in the keypad there.
Unable to hide her nerves, Maisy clenched her hands together. Her mind circled around several scenarios of how this meeting would go. Simon Furst would probably be suspicious of her the same way Sean was of Chase.
Maisy wouldn’t fault him. The vast discrepancy between their lifestyles was cause for suspicion. Chase’s father must question what it was about her that compelled Chase to bring her to Chicago so they could meet.
Once on the top floor, Chase gave her a quick tour of his office.
Patrick poked his head into the private restroom. Having a good look, Patrick turned to Chase.
“You have a shower in your office?” her brother cried out.
“I do.”
“That’s weird,” Patrick mumbled.
“Patrick,” Maisy whispered, reminding him to be respectful.
Chase smiled, revealing amusement at the comment. “Sometimes I arrive to work after a long business trip and need to come directly to the office. I keep an extra set of clothes here so I can take a quick shower and get down to business.”
This was another reminder of how busy and important Chase was. She appreciated that he had taken an entire weekend to spend with her and Patrick, and wondered how late he’d stayed at the office to make that possible.
Next, Chase showed them the huge conference room with a long table that could seat up to twenty people. A large screen occupied one entire wall.
“You have a kitchen, too?” Patrick said, as they sauntered to the area adjacent to the conference room. “You could live here!” Patrick exclaimed, utterly amazed.
“We often employ a caterer to prepare meals,” Chase explained.
Leading the way out of the kitchen, he turned the corner to the beverage island with an elaborate coffee machine. “The support staff is welcome to help themselves to whatever they wish,” he explained. The lower half of the island was a refrigerator filled with a variety of drinks, sodas, Vitaminwater, seltzers, and just about anything one could imagine.
Patrick’s gaze focused on the sodas. “Wow.”
“Help yourself,” Chase urged.
Patrick looked at Maisy, who nodded.
Eagerly, Patrick opened the glass door and reached for a root beer.
