An Engagement in Seattle - Debbie Macomber [113]
The phone rang again and the machine automatically went on after the third ring. Whoever was calling didn’t listen to her message and disconnected.
A moment later, she heard the doorbell. It had to be Chase. She inhaled a calming breath, squared her shoulders and crossed the room.
With a smile firmly in place, she opened the door.
“Hello, Lesley.”
“Hello,” she said, stepping aside for Chase to enter. “Come in, please.”
He hadn’t taken his eyes off her, which was both reassuring and disconcerting.
“I’m glad you could come.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
How stiff they were with each other, how awkward, like polite strangers. “Sit down,” she said, gesturing toward the sofa.
Chase took a seat and looked appreciatively at the cheese and crackers.
“Would you like a drink?” she asked. “I have a bottle of pinot grigio, if you’d care for that. There’s a pot of coffee, too, if you’d prefer something hot.”
“Wine would be nice.”
“I thought so, too,” she said eagerly, smiling. She moved into the kitchen, and Chase followed her.
“Do you need any help opening the wine?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks.” A smaller, daintier woman might have trouble removing a cork, but she was perfectly capable of handling it. He watched her expertly open the bottle and fill two wineglasses.
“You mentioned the boys’ letter,” Chase said. Their thank-you note had been an excuse to contact him and they both knew it.
“I’ll get it for you,” she said, leaving him briefly while she retrieved the note. “They really are grateful for the time you spent with them.”
He read it over, grinning, and handed it to her to read. Eric had written the short but enthusiastic message, and Kevin had decorated the handmade card with different colored fish in odd shapes and sizes.
“So,” Lesley said, leading the way back into the living room. “How’s it going?”
“Okay.” He sat next to her on the sofa. “How about you?”
“Same.”
Chase studied her. “Are you going to tell me what Tony wanted or are you going to make me guess?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, sipping her wine. She hoped he didn’t detect the slight shake in her hand.
“You don’t know if you’re going to tell me or if you’re going to make me guess?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t know what he wanted. I didn’t return his call.”
This seemed to surprise Chase. “Why didn’t you?”
Lesley raised one shoulder in a shrug. “I couldn’t see that it would do either of us any good.”
“You were afraid to, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted in a husky murmur. “I was afraid.”
“Is that why you contacted me?”
“Yes.” He wanted his proverbial pound of flesh, she realized, and at the same moment knew she’d give it to him. “But I don’t love you, Chase.”
“It’s a bit difficult to care for someone like me when your heart belongs to another man.” After a significant pause, he added, “A married man.”
He made it sound so cold, so…ugly.
“He wasn’t married when I fell in love with him,” she said, defending herself.
“He is now.”
“I don’t need you to remind me of that,” she cried, raising her voice for the first time.
“Good,” he said brusquely.
“How are the interviews going?” she asked, hoping to make light conversation and gain the information she needed.
“All right.” He set the wineglass aside as if preparing to leave.
“Would you be willing to look at another application?”
“Probably not.” He stood and shoved his hands deep in his pants pockets. “I’ve got more than I can deal with now. Are you going to recommend a friend of yours?”
“No.” Lesley closed her eyes and forced herself to continue. “I was hoping you’d consider marrying me.”
Seven
“You?” Chase repeated slowly, unsure he’d heard her correctly. It seemed too good to be true, something he dared not believe.
“Yes.” Lesley was standing now, too, her steady gaze nearly level with his own. She studied him as closely as he was studying her. “I’d be willing to marry you.”
“Why?” Fool that he was, he had to ask, although he was confident he knew her answer. He wondered if she’d be honest enough to admit it.
“I like you very much,” she said, obviously