Ready To Love Again (10 page)

Her voice was deeper than his sister’s—sultrier—but not in the way some women tried to mimic when they wanted to let you know they were interested in getting you into bed. It was sexy. Chase shook off the thoughts and smiled.

“Likewise. I simply thought of you as Buddy’s owner.”

Gina rubbed a fingernail under her nose, trying to hide the too-happy-to-be-innocent smile. It would be nearly impossible to keep her from playing matchmaker.

“I invited Katie to dinner with us. I hope you don’t mind,” Gina said with wide, innocent eyes.

Chase didn’t buy the innocent act. He forced a smile and nodded, wondering how he would deter his sister from the course she was set on.

“Great! I’ll meet you at our house after I pick up the babysitter,” Gina said. Before he had time to argue, she was halfway across the field.

“She’s a little pushy, isn’t she?”

He laughed at Katie’s evaluation. “If only you knew.”

Katie smiled up at him. “So Gina helps out with your kids?” she asked while they made their way to the parking lot.

“Uh . . . yeah.” Chase wondered how much Gina had told Katie about their family situation. His hand went to his ring, and he twirled it between his fingers. “I work wonky hours, so she’s been a life saver.”

Shawn and Tony ran around Chase’s car in a ball of energy while Liz leaned up against the door. His reserved son laughed and screamed at the top of his lungs. It was rare for Chase to see Tony’s playful side, and he wondered if this was who his son was under his quiet exterior.

Tony decided he wanted to ride with Shawn, so Katie and the boys pulled out behind Chase, staying close while he weaved through the narrow streets of Carmel.

“Why are Shawn and his mom coming over to our house?” Liz demanded in a tone that made Chase cautious.

He could hear the hint of jealousy, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it so she wouldn’t explode like she had in the past. “Well, Aunt Gina invited her. I’m also going to teach Shawn to pitch, so I’m sure she wants to know who her son is spending time with.”

“Do you like her?”

“She seems nice enough,” he answered, hoping his vague response would deter her from her interrogation.

“No, Dad, that’s not what I meant. Do you
like her
like her?”

“Elizabeth, I just met the woman, for Pete’s sake. Calm down. We’ll spend time together because of baseball. Can’t your dad have a female
friend
?”

Liz folded her arms over her chest and looked out the window. After a long silence, she relented. “Yes. You need more friends, Daddy. You don’t ever do anything anymore, unless it’s with us.”

Chase reached over and patted her knee. “Thank you, sweetheart, but I like to spend time with you and your brother, so I’m not sacrificing anything.”

They pulled into the driveway, and Liz unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned over the console, and kissed her father’s cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”
 

For a moment, he saw his little girl again, the one who loved to cuddle and make daisy chains, the little girl she had been before she’d grown up too fast because of the tragedy in their lives. He kissed the top of her head and climbed out of the car. When Liz came around, he took her arm and hoisted her onto his back while he waited for Katie and the boys to come up the driveway.

“Wow, you have a beautiful home,” Katie said when she met him at the stairs.

“Thanks.” Chase nodded and motioned for her to go ahead of him. Liz’s grip tightened around his neck, reminding him that she was still there. Once he reached the landing, he let her slide off his back, and she disappeared up the stairs after the boys.

“Gina should be back with the babysitter in a minute, and then we can go. Would you like something to drink?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

He asked her to follow him into the kitchen, and he chuckled at the look on her face when she entered. The room was spacious and modern, with large windows that overlooked the Pacific and crisp white cabinets set against bright, yellow walls.

“This kitchen is amazing,” she told him when he handed her a glass of Chardonnay. Her hand ran across the granite countertops while she took in every detail.

“Terri—” He paused as the pain of speaking her name aloud settled in his chest. “My wife liked to cook.”

Katie nodded, then took a sip from her glass. A silence fell between them, and he cursed himself for making things uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to have a normal conversation with a woman, and it became more obvious with every moment that passed. Chase tried to relax and ask the first thing that popped into his mind.

“Do you like to cook?”

“I do. I considered becoming a chef before I found my love of the ocean. I’d die to have a kitchen like this in my home.”

“It hasn’t been used much over the last few years.” He waved toward the appliances, the purpose of which he had no idea. “When Gina gets a new recipe from Daniel, she uses the kitchen to try it out, but I’m not much of a cook.”

“My ex-husband wasn’t much of a cook, either.”

Chase smiled, and some of his anxiety melted away when she didn’t shy away from uncomfortable topics.

Liz came into the kitchen and stared at the two of them before she asked for a cookie. Chase pulled himself away from Katie and brought out a box from the cabinet. When he turned around, Liz was standing in front of Katie with her arms crossed over her chest.

He held out the box to her, but she ignored it. Instead, she focused all her attention on Katie. “Are you married?”

Chase wasn’t sure where Liz was headed with her question, and he didn’t think he wanted to find out. Setting the cookies on the counter, he wrapped an arm around his daughter as a silent warning not to be rude.

“Divorced,” Katie said. Chase didn’t like to see the guarded shift in her posture.

“Why?” Liz asked. 

“I’m sorry. Please don’t feel obligated to answer that question. It was rude.” Chase gave his daughter a gentle squeeze to let her know she should end her inquiry. “Why don’t you go share these with the boys?” He handed Liz the box of cookies. “I’ll have the babysitter order some pizza when she gets here.”

Looking for any reason to flee the embarrassment of being reprimanded in front of a stranger, Liz grabbed the cookies and bolted for the stairs. Chase didn’t know what to make of her interrogation. He wasn’t sure if she was curious or if there was something more ominous going on.

~*~

“Again, I apologize for her rude line of questioning.”

Katie waved her hand and dismissed his apology. “Please. If I had a quarter for every time Shawn said something he shouldn’t, I’d be a very rich woman.”

They laughed together at the awkwardness of the situation but then settled into easy conversation. Katie’s eyes flitted from her drink to his hands, and she noticed he was twirling his wedding ring again. Chase caught her gaze and quickly stuffed his hand in his pocket. Grabbing his glass of wine, he took a long drink before setting it back on the counter.

The front door opened, and Gina popped into the kitchen, with a small blond girl following close behind her.

“Katie, this is Tiffany. She’s our usual babysitter when she’s home from Berkeley, and she’s great with the kids.”

Once Katie nodded her greeting, Tiffany’s full attention turned to Chase. Gina ran out to get ready, leaving the three of them standing in the kitchen.

“Hello, Dr. O’Donnell,” Tiffany whispered in a shy but inviting voice.
 

Katie brought her glass up to her lips to hide her smile while she watched the girl turn up the charm.

Chase shifted his weight in obvious discomfort. “Good evening, Tiffany. The boys may get rambunctious tonight, but please keep them in line. I’ll give you some extra money to order pizza for everyone.”

Tiffany lowered her lashes, looking up at him with pure admiration. Katie turned her back to them to hide her amusement and walked to the sink, setting her empty glass on the counter.

“I love your children, Dr. O’Donnell.” Tiffany’s voice sounded like it came from the mouth of an experienced woman rather than a college student.

Trying to hold back a giggle, Katie turned from the sink in time to see Chase’s eyebrows rise. He was very aware of Tiffany’s flirting.

“Uh, well, Liz is waiting for you in her room,” he said, trying to steer Tiffany in a different direction. Her bottom lip jutted out in a pretty pout, but she turned and went up the stairs.
 

Chase’s eyes met Katie’s, and he gave her an embarrassed shrug. There was a slight pink tint to his cheeks when he moved to the sink to wash out the glasses—she found it endearing. It was obvious to her that he wanted to ignore what had happened. Being the instigator she was, Katie couldn’t let the incident go without saying something.

“So, Dr. O’Donnell,” she said in a seductive voice, walking closer to him. He turned from the sink, and the surprise in his eyes was ten times greater than it had been a moment ago. “What was that?”

He looked at her with a bemused expression. “You’re honestly going to tease me about Tiffany?” A sly grin appeared on his handsome face.

“Yep.”

“Well, Ms. Rodriguez . . .” He leaned closer to her and closed the gap between them. Katie’s breath caught in her throat at his sudden movement, and she took a step back, colliding with the counter. “Don’t be surprised when I tease back.” Chase flicked a strand of her hair over her shoulder before he chuckled and stepped away. She had to shake her head to clear the haze that fogged her brain from his unexpected playful banter.

“Are we ready to go?” Gina asked when she came into the room, her brow raised and directed toward her brother.
 

Katie glanced at Chase, but he was looking at his feet like a boy who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Gina looked from him to Katie and then back again before a wide smile spread across her face. It took Katie a moment to realize Chase was nervous about being caught flirting with her.

Gina ignored her tongue-tied brother and grinned at Katie. “Daniel and I are going on the motorcycle, so why don’t you guys ride together? We’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

Chase nodded, and Katie caught a wink from Gina before she turned and darted out the door. Katie had a strange feeling Gina was playing Cupid, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. For now, she would enjoy the time with her new friends and not think about spending the evening with an extremely sexy and
single
man.

Chapter 6

Chase and Katie drove to the wharf in comfortable silence. His flirtation with her at the house had been out of character, and he wondered what had possessed him. He had forgotten how entertaining it was to tease an intelligent woman. There was no way he would have dared to cross that line with one of the nurses, and especially not with Tiffany.

The flirtatious babysitter had been obvious about her crush on him, but even though she was harmless, he was still embarrassed Katie had witnessed their exchange. He didn’t want her to think he had any interest in a girl half his age. Chase had always ignored Tiffany’s batting eyelashes and leading comments, but now he felt like he should have stopped her unwanted advances sooner.

He caught Katie watching him before she turned and looked out the window. Glancing at her profile, he was struck by her natural beauty. She wasn’t like some of the artificial women who flounced around Carmel. Katie was genuine and had that girl-next-door appeal. Innocent—yet not. He was sure she’d seen her fair share of heartache. With her divorce and raising a son by herself, it was inevitable.

Chase had been around Shawn enough to know he was a great kid. He had a kind heart and a sense of justice that could turn him into a little vigilante. Chase was going to have to watch him around the Arnold kid, but he couldn’t be angry with him for protecting Tony. Shawn had been doing what any friend would do, and Chase wondered if it was the first time someone had defended his son.

“Why are you smiling?” Katie asked.

Chase glanced over at her, and his smile widened. “The boys. I think Shawn will be good for Tony.”

“Your sister said the same thing. Shawn tends to get in a lot of trouble, but he always means well. Besides, he has a pretty bad case of hero worship, so I’m sure he’d do anything you or Daniel asked him to do.”

Chase smiled. If only his own kids were so eager. “So what brought you to Monterey?”

“I called an old professor, and she told me there was a position at the aquarium.” Katie’s eyes lit up as she spoke. “I’ll start as an aquarist because I haven’t worked since college, but hopefully I’ll be able to put my degree to use in the future. It’s an exciting time at the aquarium with the white shark. It’s pretty amazing that they’ve had her for so long.”

Chase nodded along while she filled him in on the progress of the shark. She’d been following its development since its rescue several months earlier, and her enthusiasm for her new job was refreshing. Chase could remember a time when he had been that excited about his own occupation. Somewhere along the way, he’d lost the zeal for his work, and that troubled him.

“So I know you’re a doctor. What’s your specialty?”