She let out a deep sigh. “Yes. Because I’m training, my hours are shorter this first week. Paige and Shaun are coming with me after I get off work.”
“I’ll come.”
She covered his mouth with her hand, and he couldn’t help puckering his lips against her fingers.
“Chase, stay at work and get done whatever Mr. Davidson asks. I promise I’ll call you if I need you.”
He pulled her hand away from his mouth and kept it, rubbing his thumb across her palm. “Nope. I’m coming. Mr. Davidson is used to my emergencies. Last year, Tyler jumped off the top of the monkey bars at school and broke his leg.”
“Oh, that’s terrible. Why don’t I remember that?”
Chase stared at the TV. “I didn’t tell anyone else. Mr. Davidson let me use my vacation days.”
“You didn’t go to San Diego?”
He shook his head.
“What are we going to do with each other?” Ashley whispered. “I’m still trying to get rid of my ex, and you have this terrible lying habit.”
“I guess I’ll just have to tell you everything you want to know.”
Ashley smiled up at him. Maybe he shouldn’t have given her such an open invitation.
“Why did you start the secret admirer thing?”
“Because I’m a chicken, and I couldn’t just tell you in person. Next.”
She laughed. “How did your date really go last night? Don’t tell me it was fine.”
“Terrible. Every time Tiffany touched me, I felt disloyal to you, even though I was convinced you wouldn’t care.”
“And how did this Tiffany touch you?”
Chase scoffed. “Get your mind out of the gutter. She wanted to warm up my hands. She said they were cold.”
“Ah, the cold hands trick. You didn’t kiss her, did you?”
Chase tucked an errant strand of Ashley’s hair behind her ear. “She tried.”
“Are you messaging with any other eager matches?”
“No. I closed the account.”
Ashley nodded but didn’t follow up with the question he’d most expected her to ask.
“You’re not going to ask me why I even tried online dating?”
“I think I get that one. But it didn’t work, did it?”
“What didn’t work?”
“It didn’t push me out of your head.” She ran her hand down his arm and back up, making him shiver. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get it together, Chase. But you have to know I didn’t suddenly decide to take a chance on you when I found your worry stone. I’ve been fighting feelings for you for a while. I think I first became aware of it when we ran into each other at the department store. Of course, I thought you had a girlfriend at the time.”
Chase ducked his head. “Do you remember the day I told you about her? You called me your good friend, and I just kind of snapped and decided I’d show you I didn’t need you. I’ve acted like an idiot.”
“I should have figured it out sooner. I think you called her Vanessa and then later her name changed.”
Chase laughed. “Vanessa, Valerie, close enough, right?”
