AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I decide Wednesday evening to surprise Chase at the office with a romantic lunch on Thursday afternoon. He’s been so busy with work, and I want to take his mind off things for a little while. I haven’t seen him all week, and what conversations we’ve had were very brief. It’s almost like he’s not himself.
I’ve been working in Queens all week, so I am closer to home than normal. I take a trip to the store and pick up cold cuts and a semolina loaf, as well as some cold salads. Once home, I assemble the sandwiches. I have them made in advance, so that I can stop home and not worry about leaving them in a cooler in the car.
I stop for lunch around noon. It takes me fifteen minutes to get from my site, back to my apartment, and to Chase’s office. I’ve never surprised him at his office before. I’ve always called him before I showed up, or he would call me. I’m hoping he’s here and not in a meeting somewhere. He told me once he leaves his office door open when he’s in, so I’ll know if he’s there or not right away.
I stroll over to the elevator with my bag of goodies and hit the ‘Up’ button. Once on his floor, I walk past his secretary. She gives me a wave as I walk past. His door is slightly ajar, just enough so I can peek in. Chase is sitting at his desk talking on the phone.
“I can’t talk about this now.” He is forceful. There’s a brief pause as he listens. “I know what I said, but everything has changed. I can’t do it.” His voice is full of regret. “I don’t want to do
it, not now.” He bangs the phone down as he hangs up.
I don’t know whether to walk in or run screaming. His conversation could be work related. I don’t know why I’m jumping to conclusions anyway. I peek in further. Chase has his head cradled in his hands and lets out a deep sigh. He looks tired, defeated almost. He sees me and smiles a small, tight smile. Standing, he strides over toward me, pulling me into a tight embrace.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I am now that you’re here,” he replies. “But what are you doing here?” His voice registers his surprise.
“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by and say hi,” I murmur into his chest. He smells really good.
“I’m glad you did. You made my day.” He looks stressed. The lines around his eyes are tight, and his jaw is clenched. I reach up and run my fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes and sighs. Something is making him anxious.
“Work making you crazy?” I ask.
He gives me a brief enigmatic smile. “Something like that.” He answers a bit too quickly. He’s acting really strange.
“I thought you might want to eat lunch. I made sandwiches.”
“I can’t. I have too much work to do.” He kisses the top of my head to soften the blow and walks back over to his desk.
“Okay, I’ll see you later then?”
“Yeah, later.” He smiles, but it feels forced. What is up with him?
I wander out of the building to my Jeep and head back to the site. I decide to eat my well prepared lunch on the drive back. Chase was acting so strange; I wonder whether it had anything to do with that phone call I overheard. He’s been acting bizarre all week. Maybe I’m imagining things. It was weird, though. I swear he looked guilty about something. He’s acting the same way Evan was the week before I caught him with Brandi, and I don’t like it. It’s giving me a bad feeling.
I come home from work mentally exhausted. I’ve been running through the one sided conversation I overheard Chase having earlier this afternoon over and over in my head. I have no idea who he was talking to. I take a quick shower, throw on a pair of sweats, and flop down on the couch. Having a place all to myself is amazing. I don’t have to worry about who is or isn’t home. Once again, I am so glad Chase talked me into getting a place in Manhattan.
I am settled in for the night when there is a knock at the door. I open it to find Chase holding a gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers. He looks contrite. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hi, yourself.” I move to my left to let him pass.
“My behavior this afternoon warrants an explanation,” he says. “An apology, if you will.”
“An apology for what?” I head toward the kitchen to look for a vase.
“For being rude and dismissing you this afternoon. I needed to focus on a contract, and you were a distraction. I wouldn’t have minded, of course, but it was bad timing.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I stopped by unannounced. Next time I’ll call first.” I open the cabinets, not remembering which one of the many the vase is in. Opening the last cabinet, I find the vase on the top shelf. I don’t remember putting it up there. Chase reaches over my head and takes it down. I fill it with water and arrange the bouquet, placing the vase in the center of the kitchen island.
“No, you don’t have to do that,” he says, standing behind me nuzzling my hair. “I like that you popped in to see me. It’s one of the many benefits of working so close to home.” He spins me around so I’m facing him. “Are you hungry?” A wide smile plays on his lips.
“A little,” I admit. “I was going to order something in.”
“We could do that. There’s a great place that delivers from Little Italy.
“Okay, sounds yummy.” Chase pulls out his cell phone and scrolls down his contact list, then hits ‘Send’. “Hi, I’d like to place an order for delivery.” After a brief pause, he turns to me. “What do you want?”
“I don’t care, whatever.”
