He couldn’t care less about his status with the country club or anything else. None of what he’d once considered important would matter if Maisy was in his life. He needed her to keephim grounded, to save him from falling victim to his own self-importance. Her warmth had thawed his heart, and because of her, he’d never be the same.
Hardly realizing where he was, Chase ended up at the cemetery where his mother was buried. He parked and walked the grounds until he found Michelle’s grave marker. Although he’d flown into Seattle several times recently, he’d never made the effort. If he were to analyze why, he might recognize how guilty he felt to have refused her every attempt to connect. Guilt. Regret. Confusion.
Kneeling down at her grave site, Chase brushed away a few bits of grass and then ran his finger over her name. Remorse tumbled through his mind at the speed of light. He ached for what might have been. And now, like with Maisy, it was too late.
He pressed his hand over the grave marker. His father had mentioned Michelle’s deep desire for a family. It came to him that he wasn’t all that different from his mother. He deeply loved Maisy and her extended family, and had hoped one day to be part of it, but it looked like that was not to be.
His heart linked with his mother’s.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
A breeze whispered through the trees. It might have been wishful thinking on his part, but he felt that Michelle had heard him and granted forgiveness.
Chapter Thirty-one
Maisy found a part-time job working at Swedish hospital and was grateful HR was willing to work around her class schedule. She’d spent the morning with her adviser, Mrs. Greer, who was thrilled Maisy was able to pick up where she’d left off in her studies. Chase’s parting gift to her was this scholarship. He might deny he’d been the one to set it in place, but deep down, she knew it’d been him. She loved him all the more for it.
On her way home, she stopped off for a latte, as she hadn’t taken time for lunch. If she bought a sandwich, she’d ruin her dinner, and it was Wednesday, meatloaf night. Immediately, the memory of Chase joining her family for dinner flashed into her mind. The jubilation she’d experienced earlier drained out of her. Nearly two weeks had passed since Chase had shown up unexpectedly at her front door. He’d kept his word. He hadn’t tried to contact her again. She hadn’t expected he would, but oh,how she hoped for a reason to bridge the insurmountable gap that separated them. Every time she was tempted, she forced herself to remember all the reasons their relationship was impossible.
When she arrived home, her unshakable mother met her in the foyer, as if she’d been pacing, awaiting Maisy’s arrival. Her ashen face was streaked with tears. She grabbed hold of Maisy and hugged her, trembling.
Maisy was stunned. She had no idea what was happening and hugged her mother close, as she was clearly distraught. “Mom, what is it?”
Sniffling, her mother broke away long enough to explain. “Everything is fine now, thank God. This afternoon, Patrick broke his arm.”
Maisy looked past her mother to find her little brother stretched out on the sofa, his right arm in a colorful purple cast.
“I fell off my bike,” Patrick explained. “Mom called nine-one-one and I got to ride in an ambulance and the fireman gave me a shot because I was screaming.”
“He was going into shock,” her mother explained.
“Oh Patrick.” Maisy hurried to her brother’s side and knelt on the rug beside him. “Does it still hurt really bad?”
“No. But I’m sleepy.”
Their mother wiped the moisture from her face. “I was totally fine until we got home from the ER,” she said.
Maisy noticed that her mother’s hand continued to tremble. It was rare to see her calm mother so clearly flustered. Patrick’s broken arm must have triggered memories of the day of her father’s heart attack. Because Patrick needed attention, Maisy took over dinner for the evening. She called Sean and told himabout Patrick’s accident and that all was well. Within the hour Sean and Katie arrived with a pack of baseball cards and several balloons.
Her little brother slept through dinner. Maisy was helping with the dishes when Patrick wandered into the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. Their mom had put aside a plate for when he woke.
Patrick yawned and shook his head. “I’m okay for now.” He wandered out of the kitchen and Maisy watched him go. He paused in the hallway and then glanced over his shoulder. Apparently, he didn’t notice Maisy had her eye on him. To her shock, he opened her purse and started rooting through it. Maisy’s mouth sagged open, and she was about to chastise him when Patrick withdrew her phone and then snuck inside the hall closet. Tiptoeing so as not to arouse his suspicion, she listened.
It didn’t take her long to discover that Patrick was calling Chase.
—
When the incoming call was identified as Maisy, Chase felt his heart stop. He’d prayed for this moment. Lived off the hope she’d recognized that whatever obstacles stood in their path, they could overcome them together. Hope that she’d finally come to trust his word and his love.
His finger shook as he accepted the call. His heart raced like he was on some powerful drug. Silently, he pleaded with God that Maisy had come to her senses.
“Chase,” Patrick’s soft voice greeted him.
“Patrick?” So it wasn’t Maisy after all. That would have been too much to hope for. He remembered the first time he’d met herlittle brother, when Patrick had told him his sister was stubborn. So infatuated with her, Chase had brushed aside the comment. He should have paid better attention.
“It’s me,” he reiterated. Patrick’s voice was so low Chase had to strain to hear him.
