Page 36 of Head Over Heels

The food is ready, so we make our way to the table and sit down. Katie wants her grandparents to sit on either side of her, which doesn’t take much convincing. I’m expecting to need to jump in to cut her spaghetti, but she asks her grandfather to do it, and he obliges. I’m charmed, watching him, all groomed and dignified but totally suckered by Katie.

“So, Chase,” his mother says. “How are things going? You need help with anything? Are you getting the rent paid on time?”

Wha—?I shoot Chase a quick glance. Like,Something I don’t know about?As far as I know, Chase doesn’t have money troubles or any issues like that at all.

He rolls his eyes.Ignore her,the look says. “Mom. I’m on it.”

“You getting yourself to work on time?” his dad asks, handing Katie her fork. “You stepping up when you have a chance to take stuff on?”

“Yeah, Dad, of course,” Chase says. “Work’s good.”

“The owner wants Chase to buy him out,” I say. Because Jesus, they’re both making it sound like they expect Chase to be barely functional at his job and his life, when he and I both know he’s a superstar. Good enough to be heir apparent at the store. And I want him to know I’m proud of him the way he’s proud of me.

It doesn’t have exactly the result I’m expecting, though. Instead of looking proud, both of Chase’s parents look worried. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” Chase’s mom says, and his dad says, “You don’t have to prove anything to us, son. We know how far you’ve come.”

And again, I’m like,wha—?They’re asking these questions, saying this stuff, that doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s as if they think he’s a kid who can’t tie his shoes. He’s twenty-fucking-eight,and the Chase I know can more than take care of himself and whoever else needs taking care of. He’s running the store, raising his daughter, and hosting his parents for dinner. Why can’t they see how competent he is?

“If I buy the store—and that’s a big if—I’ll make sure I know exactly what I’m getting myself into,” Chase says, alotmore patiently than I think either of his parents deserves.

“We want you to know, Chase, we’re so proud of you.”

“I know, Mom.”

He shoots me a sideways glance that’s full of humor, and I realize: This is old hat to him, and isn’t bothering him nearly as much as it’s bothering me. This conversation happens all the time between him and them. Which—I’m going to need to ask him some questions, later.

“What about you guys?” Chase asks. “Heard anything about how the company’s doing?”

His parents begin talking, and it doesn’t take me long to piece it together. Apparently, they ran a local grocery delivery service until maybe five years ago, then sold it. And his dad isnothappy with the people who bought it. They’re running it into the ground. They’re incompetent, they’re greedy, and it sounds like they might be unethical, too.

And the longer his dad talks, the more Chase’s jaw tightens, and I can’t help the feeling that if his dad doesn’t shut up soon, Chase is going to say something he’ll regret.

But it doesn’t happen. Instead, Chase’s mom changes the subject and starts asking Katie about what she and I do together when Daddy is at work. Katie is thrilled to be the center of all the adult attention and launches into a whole speech.

The moment passes, and we all move on.

Chapter 17

Liv

“What was that about?”

Chase just got back downstairs from putting Katie to bed. His parents left to go back to their hotel—they’re flying out at the crack of dawn tomorrow and didn’t want us all to have to wake up to see them off—so it’s just the two of us in the living room now.

“What was what about?”

“When your dad was talking about the guys who took over the business. And you looked like you wanted to take a bite out of someone.”

He shrugs, but I’m starting to know Chase a little better, and I don’t buy it.

“Seriously, Chase.”

“It’s nothing.”

I wait. I’ll wait all night if I have to, and I can see him starting to get uncomfortable in the silence, and then he says, “It’s a long story, Liv. And water under the bridge.”

“Didn’t look like water under the bridge.”

“It just pisses me off. When he talks that way about it. Because I could have kept all that from happening if he’d left me the business. Or even sold me the business.”

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