The air was cool as they stepped out, and Chase noticed that it made Emma's nipples perk up under that silky top of her dress.No, you did not notice that. Definitely not. Nope.Chase needed to get a grip and decided to distract himself by fishing his phone out of his pocket.
"Texting a hot date for drinks after this?" Emma asked.
He wanted to tell her he was already with a hot date, that she was his hot date, but he thought better of it. "No, I just need to check with my car service."
He started texting on his phone with the mostly full bottle of pinot noir cradled in his arm.
Sorry, it's going to be another hour, his driver texted back.Lakers just got out
"Dammit," he muttered.
"Problem?"
"Yeah, LeBron James."
"You have a problem with LeBron James?"
He turned to see the amused look on her face, and had to once again remind himself that thiswas a business transaction or whatever.
"I ordered a car service for tonight, and don't worry, my assistant made sure to get a receipt so you can turn it in to Charles."
"Thank you."
"But there's a Lakers game tonight, and my driver is there now, so I have to wait at least an hour." He gave her a reassuring smile. "That's my problem though. I'll just hang out at the bar here or something."
Emma bit her lower lip and looked apprehensive about what she was going to say next. "I mean, I could drive you home."
"You don't have to do that."
"It's fine. I only had a few sips of my wine so I could finish that burger," she replied. "Are you nearby maybe?"
"Just twenty minutes away. But you don't have to do it if it's out of your way. Where are you headed?"
Wait, did he spend an entire dinner talking to her about all kinds of random small talk and never asked where she was living or where she worked or anything like that? That was kind of rude of him.
"Oh, here's me."
Still no answer but maybe he could save those questions for next time. After all, they would be spending a lot of time together in the next month if they had to spend all this money.
A black modern-looking car pulled up, and one of the valet drivers got out. Chase assumed thatit was Emma's car and started walking towards it before a well-dressed older couple gave him the stink eye.
"Chase, over here."
Emma gave him a small wave next to a gold Toyota Corolla that looked like it was at least fifteen years old. He tried to brush off his mistake as if he hadn't seen her or something. And he was trying not to judge, but this car was definitely not what he was expecting. OK, sure, he didn't know what to expect, but it was something a little more modern than this. If anything, it made him happy that he could help Emma get this money from her grandmother and hopefully buy a new car.
She tipped the valet with some cash and watched as his eyes lit up when he saw how much she had put in his hand. Chase suspected it was more than market value, but he wasn't going to call her out on it.
He slipped into the passenger seat and carefully closed the door while making sure not to spill the wine in his hand.
"Do you think this will fit in the cup holder?"
"Probably not," she said. "I hope you can manage."
He watched as she reached back and put the bag of desserts in her backseat, or at least in a little free open space in her backseat. There were a few duffel bags stuffed back there along with some other personal items. It worried him.
"What's up with the stuff in the backseat?"
Emma gave him a sad smile and put her Corolla into drive. "I've been staying at a hotel near my job and just putting it on my personal credit card. I figured I could do that and then pay it off when I get my inheritance."
