“No way,” he says in between mouthfuls of food. “Trust me, the sharks on the board of directors don’t get cold feet when they’re going in for the kill.”
I try not to roll my eyes while I down another sip or two of champagne and prepare myself for the coming drama. “It’s all delicious, Chase. Thank you.”
I hear a faint knock on the door. Chase gets up to answer it. I suck in a deep breath and practice my surprised to see you face.
Then Liam and Ashley pour into the room, serious looks on their faces.
“Hey, Liam, come in,” Chase says, preferring decorum to my surprised face. Lame.
Liam, thinking he really has surprised us, makes no effort at all to hide his business-like manner. “Hello, brother.”
“I’d offer you some food,” Chase says, “but it’s dinner for two.” Then he narrows his eyes at Liam and makes a very convincing grumpy surprised face. Bravo.
“I didn’t buy dinner for extra people. What brings you here? Without bothering to call or text?”
“Well,” Liam starts. He clears his throat, obviously waiting to be invited to sit.
Chase rolls his eyes at him and points to the dining room chair, keeping the interrupters of our evening in the kitchen and away from me. I’m fine with it. Not my monkeys and all. I’m just here for the moral support. And the food.
Ashley isn’t paying attention. She’s lurking in the entryway and giggling at something on her phone.
I wish they would just get to it, though. I can feel the tension in the room. Liam sits awkwardly, holding a plain manilla folder in his hand. He squirms in his chair before opening the folder. He clears his throat. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call, brother.”
“I figured that part out,” Chase answers. “Go ahead and come out with it, Liam.”
“Okay, that sounds fair. The board has some additional questions regarding recent facts that have come to light. And they’d like you to address those facts. Now. In a virtual board meeting.”
“Now?” Chase asks. “In the middle of dinner?” If I didn’t know any better, even I would believe that he’s surprised.
“Yes,” Liam answers, pulling out his phone and a little stand. “I’m afraid now means now. He hits a button on his phone while he fiddles with the stand. “And we’re live,” he says.
Chase clears his throat at the phone and nods, but his face is a frown. “I’d like it to be noted that I’m literally in the middle of dinner. May I?” He asks Liam for the phone and Liam hands it over.
Chase picks up the phone and aims it over at me. Of course, I’m right in the middle of a bite at the moment. I awkwardly chew and swallow, all the while waving cheerfully at the suit-clad people on the phone screen.
When I’m finished with the bite, I finally take a breath. “Hi there, board members. I can, in fact, testify beyond any reasonable doubt that Chase and I were in the middle of dinner.” I can’t help but smirk.
Chase gives the phone back to Liam so that he can continue. “It’s come to the board’s attention through their own investigation into the matter that your lovely fiancé is actually a local.” Liam pauses and nods politely at me. I smile back and hold up my drink, indicating that I have no hard feelings. He continues, “and that the two of you, in fact, only met this weekend.”
Liam’s face is as grave and dour as the rest of the board members. I have to agree with Chase on this one, it’s going to be worth it in the end to see it all come crashing down around them. As long as they don’t have anything else up their sleeve, I get the feeling we might just be okay.
Ashley gives me a mischievous smile and a wink, then starts wandering around the suite. I watch with interest as she starts in the kitchen, poking around in random drawers. Then she starts nosying around the rest of the place.
Liam and Chase are busy, and she’s clearly taking advantage. Smart. I’ll have to keep an eye on her.
Ashley pulled my attention momentarily away from the situation at hand until I hear Chase cut to the chase in the conversation with the board. I chuckle at my own joke, only nobody’s around to hear.
“Okay, fine.” Chase says, raising his hands in a playful and relaxed manner. He’s playing the board like a violin at this point. “You got me. I flew in early for a much-needed vacation and met Kaylee. I don’t know what to tell you guys, sometimes you just know that a relationship is meant to be. I have to admit that I’m as surprised, pleasantly, as you guys are.”
I hear the surprised murmurs of the board. They seem both stirred up and intrigued by Chase’s response. Liam looks surprised too. With all of the board of directors’ drama going on, I realize that I lost track of Ashley. But not for long.
“Holy shit, Chase,” she says from somewhere across the kitchen, “where did you find these chocolates? They’re amazing.”
My eyes dart from Chase and Liam to Ashley, who has a handful of the chocolates I gave Chase as well as one in her mouth.
Chase, clearly proud of himself, chooses this moment to take a sip of his champagne. Which he then nearly spits out. “Hey! Those aren’t yours.” He glares at her in the true animus that exists only in brother-sister relationships. He turns his rage to Liam. “Why did you bring her with you if she’s just going to ransack the place while we’re in a meeting?”
The board members inside Liam’s phone must feel neglected because they start banging on the long wooden conference table they’re sitting at and loudly clearing their throats to bring the conversation back to the engagement of Chase and I while Ashley continues to steal chocolate.
“Those are
