Page 75 of Drawn to You (Chasing Olivia 1)

“I told you that I could accommodate that request,” he says with an enigmatic smile. Sneaky bastard.

I make my way around the room, greeting friends and family. Chase’s father and Tiffani, Brenda, friends from Anthony’s, including Anthony himself. A few of Chase’s friends he’s been dying for me to meet. One of them I recall from when we were at Davis. I walk out on the terrace to find more of my friends.

There is a waiter walking around with hors d’ oeuvres, a bartender behind a makeshift bar, and a chef manning the grill. Chase has thought of it all. I stand on the terrace, amazed at what he’s managed to pull off. Chase comes up behind me, placing his hands around my waist. He nibbles on my ear.

“Are you happy, my beautiful girl?” he inquires in a seductive tone.

“How did you manage all of this?”

“I had the idea and ran it by Brenda. She told me who to invite.” Of course she did.

“It’s amazing, I can’t believe you did all of this.” I turn around in his arms and kiss him tenderly.

“Believe it,” he breathes. “I would do anything for you.” He leans down and bites my bottom lip. I let out a quiet groan. He lets go. “We’ll finish this later. Enjoy your party.” He walks over to the bar and asks for two glasses of Cliquot. He hands one to me. “To your new apartment,” he toasts so only I can hear him. I clink my glass with his, and we both take a sip. “Go and mingle with your friends. Now, off you go,” he says as he playfully smacks my ass.

I find Brenda and give her a stern scolding. “How did you keep this from me?” I whine. “You know I hate surprises.”

“Yeah, but this was a good one. He’s a keeper,” she states.

“I hope so,” I reply, my voice barely audible.

“He called me a couple of weeks ago. He put this together quick.” Then it dawned on me. The texting.

Suspicious, I ask, “Bren, were you texting Chase earlier today?”

“Why?” she smiles. Oh, boy. I know that look.

“I felt like he was stalling. We went back to his apartment for something he said he needed for work, but I got the feeling that wasn’t why we went back.”

“We were waiting for your mom to get here. He sent a car for her, but it got stuck in traffic.”

“That explains it,” I say.

“Look who else is here,” she says as a distraction tactic. Any time she wants to avoid a conversation, that’s what she does.

She brings me over to some friends I haven’t seen in a while. As our conversations continue, I look over to see Chase on his phone. He is with his friends and his brother. He looks up and sees me watching him. He gives me a smile; I smile back and continue with my conversation.

I eventually wander toward the grill, and I’m handed a plate with bite sized grilled chicken and grilled zucchini and squash. Yummy. I pick up a fork and start to nibble at it as I walk around. Once I’m finished, I go over to the bar and ask for a Sauvignon Blanc. I’ve just taken a sip when I spot Chase’s father approaching me.

“Hello, Olivia.”

“Hello, Mr. Remington,” I greet politely.

“Very nice place you have here.”

“Thank you. I owe it all to your son,” I admit. “I didn’t want to move to the city, but he convinced me. I’m glad he did.”

“Yes, I’m glad too,” he says with a smile. “He’s in good spirits these days. It seems you make him very happy.” His comment causes me to blush. I take a sip of my wine. Suddenly, I feel a presence behind me.

“Dad, are you monopolizing Olivia’s time?” Chase asks playfully as he slides up next to me. He places his arm around the small of my back.

“I would never do such a thing,” Mr. Remington looks at me and winks. “She’s all yours,” he says and walks back toward Tiffani.

“Hello, beautiful,” Chase murmurs as he gazes down at me. “Having fun?”

“It’s wonderful. Thank you for everything.”

“Did you get something to eat?”

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