Page 19 of Beauty and the Grease
Looking into his eyes dispels my agitation. “You fed me while I’m stranded.” I give him a good-natured grin, still acutely aware of his hand on my back. I don’t want him to move it. I’m not sure if I want him to know I like his touch. “Let’s walk around, maybe get some fresh air.”
The modern building offers long windowed halls leading to outdoor nooks and patios. We find a door with a sign taped to it warning to watch your step for storm debris. Outside, stars appear in the now clear night sky.
Chase’s body uncoils when we hit the cool air. “Nice night. I can’t believe the storm was only a few hours ago. The fallen branch on the road was a close call. Are you usually alone when you drive the tow truck?”
“Yeah. Ole Beasty is a solid medium-duty truck. But don’t worry about me. I’m a grown woman.”
“I can see that.”
Chase consumes me with his full attention. My bones quake. Did he mean to say it all deep and knowing, like heknowsI’m a womananda grown one?
Chase has a way of focusing attention to make a person feel special. Wanted. Valued. It’s all coming back. “We used to watch the stars all the time. I…liked that.” I almost say something worse, likeI missed that, orI miss you.
I haven’t missed Chase for years. I spent so much time missing Chase before I mended the heartbreak. Though I’ve never tested whether a shattered heart can truly become one piece again.
“Those were good times.” He’s still looking at me.
I lost count how often we sat together looking at the night sky. Dreaming big or talking about our day. It was one of my favorite things about us, our ability to just be together outside and talk. A chill rings through me.
“Cold? I don’t have a jacket.” He taps his bare arms below his short sleeves. “Here. I’ll stand like this to block the wind. Better?”
His body radiates heat. He’s almost pressed against me, but Chase was raised to be a gentleman. Still, he inches nearer. I don’t stop him. I want to be in this space with him. I want to feel like we did all those years ago, even for a moment.
I close my eyes and let myself believe it—that our paths never veered, never derailed.
“Jenny, I’m sorry.”
My eyes fly open. Stop.Feel the apology. Let it soak in.
“I can’t change the past,” he continues. “I can’t change what I did, but I’m sorry. I’m so very, very sorry.”
Jagged glass blocks my throat. I don’t want to cry but I also know I’m safe to cry with him. Chase has seen so much of me. I’m the same emotional and fragile young woman inside this 40-something body.
“Thank you,” I edge out.
The night seems to swirl, to wrap around us.
“Can I hold you?” His question surfaces as a whisper.
I can’t explain why this makes any sense. I should say no, but I don’t want to. I ease toward Chase. I fold into his arms like we’re here on a date instead of how I crash-landed at his corporate retreat after towing him from a ditch.
None of today seems real. But this does. Being here with Chase, accepting the apology I once longed to throw back in his face. I needed this apology. I needed this moment.
I look up at him and freeze. He looks at me as if nothing else exists. Our faces are close. Very close.
His warm breath meets my lips.I want this. I want—
The door clicks behind us followed by a gasp. “Oh! So sorry.”
Chase and I shoot apart. Angelina lingers in the doorway with a tall, handsome guy who must be Anvik. They’re holding hands, so hopefully that’s going well. Anvik closes the door, leaving us alone again.
The moment is over. It must have been those beers forcing nostalgia out of me. My head feels light and fizzy. Whether the fizz is from the brews or the man in front of me, who knows.
A question nudges my brain. It’s been forming since dinner. “Chase, why are you here?”
His eyes glaze over. We didn’t even kiss, but I can imagine the taste of him on my lips.
“What do you mean? Here, with you?”
