Page 24 of Just A Little Chase

“I’m sorry,” he said, meaning it. “As Ashley’s sister, you should be.”

She shrugged. “Too awkward, and it’s fine,” she insisted, brushing it off, though he could tell not being included hurt despite her bravado. “All you and I need to do is show up later this afternoon for the wedding ceremony and reception. And since we have the next few hours free, we can stroll around Fairview’s equivalent of Main Street and relax and just enjoy the day. It’s not far from here, so we can walk.”

“Okay,” he said, genuinely curious to know more about this small town where Lauren was born and raised.

They left the bed-and-breakfast, and side by side they walked leisurely along the sidewalk that led into the heart of Fairview. Their hands brushed once, then twice, just because of their close proximity, and when it happened a third time Chase slipped his hand into hers and took hold of it.

She blinked up at him in surprise, even as she curled her fingers around his. “Look at you, being the attentive, demonstrative boyfriend,” she teased with a smile. “You almost make it hard to remember the grumpy guy I bought at the bachelor auction.”

He inwardly winced at the reminder of how gruff and difficult he’d been with her that first night, which somehow seemed like a lifetime ago. When he was with Lauren, he didn’t feel like that same cantankerous, standoffish man. How could he be when she was always so upbeat and optimistic?

He didn’t want to make a quip about holding her hand for appearances’ sake and minimize the truth of how he felt about her in that moment. “I like holding your hand.”

She laughed lightly and ducked her head so he couldn’t see her face. “You shouldn’t say things like that, or else you’re going to make me fall for you, for real.”

Her tone was teasing, but there was a little voice in the back of Chase’s head that reminded him he still needed to be careful with Lauren and her emotions. That at the end of this weekend, they’d both go back to their separate lives. The last thing he wanted to do was lead her on, or give her false hope, because there was one thing he knew about himself, and that was his inability to be the kind of fully committed man Lauren was worthy of. A man who could give all of himself to her.

He didn’t know shit about love, not when he’d seen and lived the worst of it.

As they reached the small but bustling center of town, Chase shoved those thoughts from his mind as Lauren started regaling him with all the different connections she had to the various landmarks. From the hardware store where she had her first job as a cashier to the bowling alley and small theater where all the teens hung out on the weekends because there wasn’t much else to do.

Over the next few hours, they meandered through her favorite antique shop and perused the used bookstore, where he found and purchased a few history books on the Civil War to add to his collection at home. As they made their way down the main street and browsed other specialty boutiques, Lauren introduced him to people she knew that stopped her to say hello. A few mentioned Ashley’s wedding that evening, and there were a lot of speculative glances cast their way from across the streets, all of which made him feel protective of Lauren and strangely possessive, but for the most part everyone they spoke with was very welcoming and kind.

Chase couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed and stress-free. Being away from his high-powered job and the fast pace of New York City and his life there, this town was a whole different world. And he genuinely loved that he didn’t know anyone. There were no expectations of him, and there was no need to impress anyone. It was an incredibly freeing feeling, one that made him feel peaceful and content, even if he knew it was only temporary.

Still hand in hand, they continued toward a large marble fountain that was surrounded by a lush green park with families and children enjoying the beautiful day. Before they could cross the street to head in that direction, Lauren came to an abrupt stop in front of what appeared to be a clothing boutique and let out a soft little gasp when she looked at the mannequin in the window display.

The fiberglass model was wearing a long gown in a lavender hue, with a slit up one leg and a fitted bodice. The shoulder straps were accented with crystals that matched the ones defining the waistline of the dress. It was a simple, but very elegant gown.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed in awe, her eyes wide. “Marie is such an amazing seamstress and always makes the most stunning dresses. This one is just beautiful and lavender is my favorite color.” She turned her head and smiled impishly. “It’s silly, but when I was a little girl I’d always walk by her store and imagine wearing her dresses one day.”

“Why don’t we go inside and you can try it on?” he suggested.

She immediately shook her head. “It’s much too fancy.”

“We’re going to a wedding tonight,” he pointed out with a grin. “That’s the best place to wear something special and fancy.”

She laughed and shook her head once again, trying to minimize her initial interest and the wistful look he’d seen in her eyes. “A new gown isn’t in my budget. I have a dress that will be just fine for tonight.” She started to walk away from the boutique, tugging him along. “Come on. I want to show you something I think you’ll appreciate.”

They crossed the street to the community park, and she led the way to the marble fountain. At the top was a bronze statue of a saluting soldier sitting atop a horse from the Civil War, the Union side. There were plaques all along the circular base of the fountain, embedded into the marble. He immediately noticed the name Connelly engraved into the metal a few times, along with dates that matched when the war was fought.

“This is my great-great-grandfather and two uncles on my dad’s side of the family,” she said, running the pad of her finger across the names before moving on to the name Patterson and pointing them out, too. “And this man right here was my gramps’s great-grandfather, and his uncle, too, who all served in the Union Army.”

Her family was more ingrained in this small town than Chase realized. “That’s a lot of generations living in Fairview.”

She nodded and smiled up at him. “The Connellys were part of a group of settlers who founded the town, and have lived here for six generations.”

A light breeze blew, and he raised his free hand and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek, just as an excuse to touch her. “Looks like you broke tradition by moving to New York.”

She shrugged. “I probably would have lived my entire life here and raised my own family in this town… had I married Greg,” she said, but there wasn’t an ounce of regret in her tone. “It’s a lovely community, for sure, but I’ve never had any doubts about moving to the city. It’s where I belong.”

Now that he knew Lauren, he could easily agree. She was much too vivacious to be confined to a stereotypical small town box for the rest of her life. Obviously, she still loved Fairview because it’s where her roots were, and where the rest of her family resided, but he understood how someone like her thrived in New York City.

A distinctive melody filled the air, and Lauren glanced past him and grinned. “Pete’s here!” she announced, and he followed the direction of her gaze to see an older man pushing what looked to be a food cart of some sort. “How about an ice cream?” she asked. “Pete makes his own and it’s so good.”

Seeing the excitement sparkling in her eyes, as if this was something she’d enjoyed many times growing up, he couldn’t deny her request. Not that he could refuse this woman much of anything, Chase realized.

“Sure,” he agreed, and let her pull him over to where the older man had parked the cart, that tinkling music still trilling in the air and drawing families to the treat.

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