His anger simmered all night. Sleep was a lost cause as he tossed and turned all night. Half of what she’d said made no sense, although the more he thought through their conversation, the more he accepted that his father likely had something to do with this. Chase had gone to Simon seeking a solution, and this was the result.
He needed to settle this with Maisy. Chase had no intention of losing her. They were meant to be together. He’d recognized that shortly after their first lunch together, although he should have known it sooner.
First thing the next morning, Chase called his office and asked Tristen to reschedule his appointments for the day. The last thing he needed was to blow off his schedule that was jam-packed with important meetings in order to fly off to Seattle and confront Maisy. This wasn’t what he wanted, but he also knew he’d be worthless until he settled this. By every means in his persuasive playbook, he had to make her believe him.
Early on in their relationship, Maisy had made it clear it was important for her to maintain her independence. The fact that he was wealthy was a disadvantage in her eyes, and in her brother’s, too. Sean didn’t trust him not to break Maisy’s heart. Little did her brother realize Maisy was the one in the heartbreaking business. She certainly hadn’t hesitated to break his.
Before he left on the company plane, word came from the Federal Reserve of a hike in the interest rate that had set the banking world on fire. The news delayed his flight until midafternoon with the necessity to deal with the bank repercussions. He did what he could before leaving the office. The decision to take off when he did sent tongues wagging. It couldn’t be helped. Chase needed to settle this with Maisy.
Chase spent the entire flight to Seattle on the phone. Everyone was upset with him, including the board of directors. By the time the plane touched down, Chase was more than irritated with Maisy and the necessity of this trip.
The rental car was waiting for him at the airport. It was early evening by this point. Maisy would be home by now, which was for the best. He would rather talk to her outside the family home than at the store, where there was sure to be an audience.
His mood hadn’t improved by the time he parked in front.She refused to believe he had no part in this. If nothing else, he needed to convince her of his innocence.
Patrick was the first one to notice his arrival. The minute he saw Chase, he raced across the front yard and hugged Chase’s middle. At least one member of this family was pleased to see him.
“Is Maisy home?” Chase asked her youngest brother.
Patrick nodded. “She’s inside,” he said, and then lowered his voice, as if afraid Maisy would hear. “But she’s not in the best mood.”
Truth be told, neither was he. “Tell her I’d like to talk to her, would you?”
“Sure thing.” Patrick took off racing into the house, slamming the screen door in his wake.
Chase heard him shout Maisy’s name and then nothing after that.
Instead of Maisy, Sean was the one who stepped outside, meeting him on the porch steps. Chase was disinclined to speak to Maisy’s brother. He fully intended to make that clear.
“I asked to speak to Maisy,” he said, letting it be known that he wasn’t going to be thwarted. He hadn’t disrupted his entire day, caused speculation among his colleagues, and flown all the way to Seattle to talk to Sean.
“I told her, you know.” Sean’s words echoed with righteousness. “This relationship was never meant to last.”
Chase wasn’t going to defend himself to Sean. “Let me talk to Maisy,” he insisted, his jaw tight with resolve.
Sean hesitated before he said, “All right, but you should know she isn’t going to change her mind.”
“Then let her tell me that herself.”
“I believe she already did,” he said, as a parting shot before he returned to the house.
Chase paced on the front porch while he waited for Maisy to make an appearance. With every minute she kept him waiting, his frustration grew. After a long, drawn-out five minutes, she finally made an appearance. By that time, Chase’s patience was shot.
“It took you long enough,” he snapped.
At the irritation in his voice, Maisy blinked and took a step in retreat. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”
“Well, I’m here, even though it’s the last place I should be. I don’t appreciate having my entire day explode because you have this ridiculous notion that we’re finished.”
“I didn’t ask you to come, Chase, and I meant what I said. It’s over.”
She remained calm, which served to frustrate him more than he already was.
“You can’t be serious,” he flared. “No one has ever broken up with me before. If the relationship is over, then I’m the one to end it, understand?” He wished he could take back those words the instant they left his mouth. He was mentally and physically exhausted, and this was definitely the wrong approach if he was going to win over Maisy. He couldn’t stop himself, though.
She blinked at his words and then whispered, “I’m sure that’s true. I apologize for ruining your record.”
He rubbed his hand down his face. He was making a mess of this, but didn’t know how to change course.
