Chapter Eight
HARPER
“You thinkingSea Breeze or Gulf Water?” Chase’s voice vibrated through the bare walls of the bungalow’s shell as he held out two paint chips. My chest tightened when I met his gaze. The flecks of green in his irises held me captive. I bit my lip and touched a finger to the Gulf Water.
He smiled, the same one that had me in bed with him after years of pretending there wasn’t an itch to scratch. “Good choice. I prefer that one too.”
“I thought you weren’t one for blues.”
Chase shrugged, leaning closer than necessary to examine the sample. “Maybe they’re growing on me.”
He was certainly growing on me. I swallowed hard, trying to shift back to the safety of our professional relationship, but Chase was already dismantling that wall with a sledgehammer.
“It’s easier to work together now,” he said, both playfuland probing. “Now that we’ve cleared up those… plumbing issues.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop a laugh. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Not a chance.” Then his smile fell, and he dropped his eyes quickly to the ground. “Actually, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
My stomach flopped disconcertingly. “What?”
He hesitated, clearing his throat like the words were stuck in there. “I, uh… I told Eli last night.”
My heart skipped. “About us?”
He nodded, wincing a little. “I didn’t want to keep it from him. He’s my best friend, Harper. And I know we agreed to talk later, but I want to keep this going. You and me.”
The initial shock melted into a mix of emotions that tangled inside me—relief that the cat was out of the bag, anxiety about Eli’s reaction, and a sense of elation expanding like a balloon. Because I’d also given up on us going back to what we’d been before. “Me too. How did it go?”
“He took it better than I expected.”
“That’s a good sign.” My mind was still spinning at this new reality. It figured that Chase would feel the need to be honest with Eli. And that wasn’t at all a bad thing as far as I was concerned. I had way too much experience with a man who couldn’t handle the truth right in front of him. “I guess with Eli knowing, that’s one down.”
Chase stepped closer, his eyes searching mine as if trying to gauge how much trouble he was in.
I tilted my head. “What exactly did he say?”
Chase rubbed the back of his neck, looking both amused and exasperated. “A lot about treating you right and kicking my ass if I didn’t.”
A relieved laugh bubbled out of me. Of course Eli would play the overprotective brother. “And he was okay? Really?”
“Once he was done warning me, he seemed fine. But you and I both know we can’t keep this a secret. Not if we want to see where it goes.”
I nodded, relieved to have the truth acknowledged. “We can’t pretend nothing happened. Or keep sneaking around like teenagers.”
“I can’t have any more hidden closet meetings,” he said, a flush creeping up his neck.
A laugh tumbled out of me. “That was your idea, remember?”
He rubbed his chin, looking adorably sheepish. “Not the image I’m going for.”
“Or me,” I agreed. “We need to act like the professionals we are at work. Save other things for other times, maybe?”
“Maybe we try a real date instead of our usual room-under-renovation meeting?” His suggestion was hopeful and warm, the playful spark in his eyes grounding us.
“Okay. No more pretending. And we agreed to get together later this week, so how is Friday night for you?”
Chase’s grin widened, the kind that made my heart do ridiculous things. “Friday works. No paint samples or construction dust allowed.” He reached out and squeezed my hand, a simple gesture that held the complexity of everything we didn’t need to say. “And don’t worry. I can handle your brothers.”
