The Bachelor Pact (36 page)

Oglethorpe frowned and stirred sweetener into his tea. "I was at first. But... well, I realize now I was being old-fashioned. I can hire an assistant, and we can always have dinner parties catered. Maddie has won the respect of the businessmen in the town, and I think she'd be a great asset for me."

Lance rocked his chair back on two legs. "So, what do you expect us to do about it?"

"I've been sending Maddie gifts and flowers to romance her, but I want to do something really special to surprise her." Oglethorpe leaned forward in a conspiratorial whisper. "Now, this is what I have in mind..."

* * *

"You're going to do what?" Chase dropped onto the bar stool beside Lance, stunned.

"Oglethorpe wants another chance with Maddie."

Chase searched Reid's face, hoping he hadn't heard right. "And you're going to help him?"

Both men shrugged. "Not exactly help," Lance said.

"But we're not going to stand in his way," Reid clarified.

"The decision will be up to Maddie," Lance said.

"So now you trust Maddie to make her own decisions?"

Both men frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lance asked.

"That maybe you should have trusted her in the first place." Then, he for one, wouldn't have been in this mess. He'd never have spent time with Maddie, never been tempted, never seen her lying on that bearskin rug, never fallen in I—

"We trusted
you
." Lance pointed out.

Reid glared at him. "Yeah, at least Oglethorpe was upfront about how he felt about her job. And now he's changed his mind, he's man enough to admit it."

He couldn't believe they were defending Oglethorpe. "That wuss only wants her now because she's a success. He thinks she'll make him look good since the businessmen in town liked her work," Chase argued.

"They did like her, didn't they?" Reid said proudly.

"I keep thinking that Mama would have wanted Maddie to wind up with Oglethorpe," Lance said. "And I have a feeling Maddie's considering getting back with him."

She was? Chase opened his mouth to tell them the entire truth about the wuss, that he'd threatened to destroy Lance and Reid's business if Chase didn't leave Maddie alone, but the closed expressions on his friends' faces said it all. They no longer trusted him, and nothing he said would change things. And if they believed Maddie's mother wanted her to be with Oglethorpe, they'd support him all the way.

A hollow feeling dug its way inside him. He couldn't have Maddie—hell, she didn't even want him; she'd said so that night of the tour. She thought of him as a teacher, for God's sakes, someone to show her how to please other men.

Not one time since that night had she expressed any emotion toward him. While he'd lain awake every night, wishing he could hold her, feeling miserable and lonely without her.

But Maddie had broken things off with him. She must have realized he wasn't husband material and was ready to move on.

Just as his mother had left his father and him.

Besides if he tried to fight Oglethorpe, the wuss would ruin Lance and Reid. No way in hell could he let the man destroy their company. And if Maddie wanted Jeff, he'd have to do the noble thing and not stand in her way. But he couldn't stick around and see the two of them together and pretend he liked the guy. No, there was only one thing left to do. He had to leave Savannah.

Chapter 27

The next morning Chase drove north to Atlanta, determined not to dwell on all he'd lost. Surely, in the big city where construction and new developments sprang up every day, he could find an architectural firm that would hire him. Or maybe he could rent a little place in the suburbs and set up an office. Of course, he'd have to sell the house in Savannah....

Skyscrapers, million-dollar hotels, storefronts and businesses flanked both sides of the highway as he wound his way through the downtown area. Traffic crawled by, and pedestrians filled the sidewalks and crosswalks during the noon hour, all rushing to and fro like ants on a big anthill. Life in the city seemed fast-paced compared to Savannah, something he supposed one day he'd grow accustomed to. A police car raced past him, blue light spinning, siren blasting, and in the distance he spotted a work crew of prisoners gathering trash along the interstate exit.

He immediately thought of his father.

He hadn't seen him since he was a toddler. Hadn't heard from him since the day he'd been sentenced to life in prison. Without realizing what he was doing, he suddenly found himself changing directions and heading toward the state penitentiary. Time seemed to drift into a fog, the minutes floated by in a hazy blur. And suddenly he was there.

Parked in front of the tall, iron-gated prison.

A short while later, he'd convinced the guards to let him see his father even though visiting hours weren't until the next day. Apparently his father had earned favors for good behavior. He almost laughed at the irony, but as he sat in the empty paint-chipped room staring at the dull and worn linoleum floors, he knew his visit wasn't anything to laugh about. He also realized he had no idea why he'd come.

"Chase?"

A tall, lean man with graying hair and a ruddy complexion appeared in the doorway. Chase's breath locked in his chest.

The guard indicated that his father could proceed, and the old man ambled over and took a seat at the scarred wooden table, his brown eyes filled with joy and uncertainty. "This is a surprise, son."

He refused to let the quiver in his father's voice bother him.

"I don't know what I'm doing here," Chase said slowly.

His father nodded solemnly, folding his big calloused hands in front of him on the battered table. Chase saw the prison number on his father's faded work clothes, the fine age lines around his deep-set eyes, a scar on his arm that looked jagged and old. He smelled of cigarettes and sweat, and the unnatural pallor to his skin testified to his confinement.

"I'm glad you came anyway," his father said. "I've wanted to see you so many times. To call you on the phone."

"Then why didn't you?" Chase asked, unable to keep the bitterness from creeping into his voice.

His father shook his head, his features twisting with emotions Chase refused to analyze. "I didn't know if you'd want to hear from me."

"Did you even know where I was?"

"I knew." His father pulled a newspaper clipping from his pants pocket, a recent one that Chase recognized and read aloud, "Chase Holloway, a talented new architect, is on hand to greet visitors for Savannah's recent Tour of Homes."

A tight sensation gripped Chase's throat.

"I'm proud of you, son."

He didn't want him to call him son, but he couldn't seem to find his voice.

"It says here you're working with these builders, someone named Summers."

"I was."

His father's forehead crinkled into a frown. "Something happen?"

Chase had no inclination to tell his dad his whole life story, but he did find himself rambling on about his friendship with the Summerses.

His father simply nodded and listened quietly. "Sounds like they've been your family."

"The only one I've had," Chase admitted. He finally summoned the courage to look his father in the eye. "Why'd you do it, Dad? Why'd you kill that man?"

A sadness seeped into his father's eyes. "I was young and stupid, son. Crazy in love with your mom." He rubbed a hand over his beard stubble. "She had this boyfriend on the side, and when I saw them together, I went nuts. But look where my temper got me. Locked in these walls."

"Did... did my mother love you?"

"No, I don't think she ever did." His father's voice grew stronger, resigned. "That was my mistake—I picked the wrong woman to fight for. Your mama wasn't the stick-around type."

Just like Chase.

"So, you in love with this girl, Maddie?"

Chase's gaze met his father's. He saw understanding and wisdom there, knowledge learned at a painful, life-altering price. "What makes you ask a question like that?"

"She's a pretty thing. I saw the way she was looking at you in this picture. Like she thinks you're the cat's meow."

Chase laughed at the old-fashioned expression, then tipped his head to study the photograph. It was a candid shot one of the reporters had taken during the tour. He'd been so upset after the breakup with Maddie he hadn't even looked at the paper or read the articles.

"If she's a good one, don't let her slip by. You don't want to end up like your old man, aging and alone."

And locked in those walls.

Chase heard the silent message. The guard had told him his father was up for parole again soon; maybe this time the courts would release him. Of course, he'd already given up so many years....

"You know what I regret most?"

"What?"

His dad cleared his throat, his voice husky, "The day the judge sentenced me, I lost a whole lot more than my freedom. I lost my son."

Moisture warmed Chase's eyes but he blinked the offending substance away. "Maybe not, Dad. When you get out, maybe... maybe we can start all over."

His father stood and hugged him, the big man almost choking up. "I'd like that, son. I'd like that a lot."

Chase contemplated his father's words all the way back to his truck. In a way, he'd been in a self-imposed prison of his own his entire life, refusing to believe that anyone could love him.

Refusing to love anyone for fear they wouldn't want him.

Until Maddie.

He put the truck in gear and said good-bye to the prison walls, smiling at the sunshine slanting off the dark gray roof, grateful he'd come.

He'd go see Oglethorpe. And if Maddie hadn't already retrieved her mother's necklace, he'd get it back for her. The heirloom would be his final going-away gift, a gesture to show Maddie that their relationship hadn't been all about sex. That somewhere down the line Chase had fallen in love with her.

And that he wanted her to be happy, even if it meant he had to walk away.

* * *

Lance studied the books, smiling as he jotted down the latest figures. Business was great. In fact, if they continued to make deals the way they had this last week, they'd be able to pay off their initial loan by the end of the year.

He only wished everything else in his life was going as well. Reid had been acting oddly lately, not being where he said he was supposed to be, making phone calls from his truck that he didn't want to discuss. What was up with his brother?

He glanced back over the records one more time, turning the page to study an entry Reid had made.

Miscellaneous. Hmm, the sum was an odd amount. And he thought they had a petty cash fund for such purchases. He had no records of a KS contractor or subcontractor or potential buyer. Making a mental note to question Reid, he closed the book and stood, his thoughts turning to his best friend and his other sibling.

His friendship with Chase hadn't been the same since that night of the tour when he'd seen Chase making out with Maddie. The sight had shocked him to the core.

Chase and Maddie?

Now he'd had some time to think about it, he remembered Maddie had had a crush on Chase when she was little. Hmm, what if?

No, Chase claimed their relationship was over, and Lance believed him.

Although Maddie had been acting strange lately, and she hadn't returned any of his calls. In fact, she'd been curt with him when he'd seen her during the remainder of the tour. She'd also looked exhausted, as if she'd lost weight. Pale and peaked, her eyes puffy as if she hadn't been sleeping well. Maybe she was just swamped with work the way they'd been, but his gut feeling told him something else was wrong. He decided to give her a couple more days, then if she didn't call him, he was going to drop by and find out what was going on. Maybe she was in love with Chase.

Or maybe she was still mad at him for the way he'd treated that Sophie woman.

Come to think of it, he hadn't been sleeping too well himself. Images of Sophie's bright green eyes glittering with desire, her jet-black hair against his white pillowcase, her naked, voluptuous little body pressed into his sheets... the images had kept him awake constantly. Hell, why did she have to be Maddie's friend and work for that show? Why couldn't she be someone he could just bed and...

No, he wouldn't, couldn't think of Sophie Lane in a personal way. But she was Maddie's friend, and he did have to pay her a visit and ask her to help with Oglethorpe's surprise. He'd definitely have to suck up and offer her an apology if he wanted her help. He'd just have to brace himself against her sexuality.

* * *

Reid left the work site, climbed in his truck and snagged his cell phone, quickly punching in Knobby's number. "Did you find out anything on Oglethorpe or our business problems?" After Chase's accusations about the banker, Reid had called and asked the P.I. to look into Oglethorpe as well Sophie.

"Nothing substantial. I have heard that Oglethorpe likes to use his influence to his own gain. He's had several meetings with some contractors, off the record, of course."

"So, nothing we could prove?"