Page 24 of Built to Last

Chase laughed. “I don’t think I’m the one who needs help.”

It said something about how far I’d regressed into discomfort and pettiness that I wanted to stick my tongue out at him. “Have a great weekend, Chase,” I said with a smirk instead, hoping he would get the message.

He did not get the message.

“I’m always here to talk if you need anything,” he said. “You know I studied Psychology in college, and even though I never finished the degree, I learned a lot about how to be a good counselor.”

He looked like he wanted to prove his point by sitting in the chair by Sam’s desk and swiveling it to face me.

I stared flatly at him. “Do I really look like I need therapy?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” Chase fired back.

I smirked. “No.”

“Then I won’t answer it.” Chase smiled. “You’ve clearly got something going on, though. You’ve been weird all day despite winning the baseball championship last night. I haven’t heard you brag or rub it in to any of the other guys in the league who came in this morning at all.”

Shit. I’d entirely forgotten that the Barracudas had won the final game last night. That was a really bad sign when it came to how distracted Kyle had me.

“I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” I said. That part was the truth, the rest wasn’t. “I’ve been thinking about the second store we want to open in Jenkintown and how we can move forward with that, and also about some of the proposed joint promos and business ventures Marco suggested the other day.”

“Ah, Marco,” Chase said with a nod. “He has his own theories about what has you all flakey and distracted these days.”

My eyes went wide. “Wait, what? When did you talk to Marco, and why were you talking about me?”

Chase grinned. “Marco grew up in the building next door to mine. Who do you think tipped him off about the new shop space next door? We’ve been friends since we were riding bikes in the street and giving our moms heart attacks.”

“You rode your bikes in the streets around here?”

“No, in New York. I lived there for a couple years when my dad was working in the city. Marco and I were dumb kids, but don’t change the subject,” Chase said, a smartass twinkle in his eyes. “Marco thinks you’re hung up on a certain someone.”

“Yeah, well, Marco’s one to talk,” I blurted before I could think better of it.

Chase’s smile widened, like he’d tripped over psychology gold. “What’s this?” he asked.

I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face, caught up once again in the feeling that I should probably be honest with the people I was close to. Chase might have been an employee, but he’d been part of the Common Grounds family for a while.

“I don’t know if your buddy Marco told you this, but he’s got the hots for Kyle,” I said, unable to stop my feelings about that from showing on my face.

“Yep, he told me,” Chase said without even the decency to pretend otherwise. I must have let my emotions show on my face too much, because Chase went on with, “He doesn’t think you’re half bad either.”

“Not very picky, is he,” I said, unnecessarily grouchy.

Chase laughed at me, which seemed to be his default reaction today. “A, you’re selling yourself short. You’re a catch. Everyone thinks so.”

“I’m a what now?”

“Even I had a crush on you when I first started to work here.”

That had me gaping. I’d known Chase was gay when we hired him, but it had completely missed me that he’d looked at me as anything other than his boss. If I’d had even a little clue, I might have tried for something, Sam’s employee dating rules be damned. Chase was hot. But that was beside the point.

“B,” Chase continued, not indulging in my shock or my momentary distraction to change the conversation, “Marco is extremely picky. He only goes for intelligent men, which you and Kyle Jameson both are.”

“Well, you’ve got one of us right,” I muttered, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.

Chase sent me a wry look. “Don’t make me lower my estimate of intelligence to just one of you.”

“Okay, fine,” I said. “And if your bestie Marco wants to go chasing after Kyle, he’s welcome to try.”