Sandra Panting - About Last Summer

Resigning herself to the fact that this was just one more thing she couldn’t do anything about, Natalie headed for her home office, which was really a corner of the dining room given Patrick’s things still occupied the actual home office. Natalie intended to work from home today as everyone was out of the house.

However a few hours later, Natalie hadn’t made much progress on her To Do list. Her thoughts refused to stay focused, although this time her lack of concentration wasn’t solely Chase’s fault. Her mother had called last night to discuss or, in Natalie’s case, second-guess Natalie’s decisions concerning another wedding. And this morning every time Natalie attempted to make a decision, her mother’s disapproving voice rang in her ears.

“Handmade invitations are so tacky,” Natalie’s mother had said last night. “You shouldn’t have let Cathy Pollard talk you into agreeing. I know her mother is going to be appalled.”

And offending the wealthy parent of a client was truly all her mother cared about. Personally Natalie didn’t care who liked what as long as the bride and groom were happy, but her mother viewed event planning from a different approach.

Seeing she was accomplishing nothing and with hunger jabbing at her insides, she decided to take a lunch break. Given she was working from home; she hadn’t put much thought into her appearance. Well, that was the excuse she was going with anyway. The real reason was she hadn’t gotten around to doing laundry. And that was because the laundry room was in the basement, which was Chase’s territory. After that kiss the other night she knew better than to get within shouting distance of his bedroom, although she was going to have to get past that soon. Lack of clean underwear was not acceptable regardless of the circumstances.

With her thoughts on laundry, what she wanted for lunch, and did she remember to tell Patrick they needed detergent for the dishwasher, she headed for the kitchen. Rounding the corner of the dining room, she collided with a six-foot-one frame that nearly knocked her five-foot-six frame to the floor.

Instantly Chase put his hands at her waist to steady her. Heart racing, she pressed a hand against her chest. “You scared the hell out of me. I thought no one was here.”

“Sorry about that. I just came in, but next time I’ll try to remember to make a bit more noise.” His mouth tipped into a smile.

So he was poking fun at her, which was OK. A little humiliation was preferable to what she usually had to deal with in his presence. Although with his hands still at her waist, humiliation could be the least of her worries.

Needing to direct her attention elsewhere, she stepped toward the refrigerator.

“Have you had lunch yet?” she asked, her eyes searching the confined space. There was some leftover ham from dinner a few nights ago, and she knew the cheese was fresh having bought it just yesterday. She could make a couple of sandwiches, but her mind really wasn’t on food.

Chase had chosen to lean against the counter a few inches away. The trim fit of his jeans riding low on his hips brought back more than a few erotic memories that she didn’t need reminding of, and his nearness triggered a peevish urge to go elsewhere for lunch. After all, if he wanted to lounge he could have sat at the table, which was all the way across the room then she wouldn’t have to worry about making small talk with their bodies scant inches apart.

“I could eat,” he said, his casual demeanor suggesting he was unaware of how his nearness affected her. “Anything look good?”

Her heart jolted, but then she reminded herself he was talking about lunch. That was all that was on his mind, or least she was determined to pretend it was.

Needing a bit more breathing room, she backed away allowing him access to the open refrigerator. “Help yourself,” she said, also talking about lunch, as she turned to examine what was in the cabinets.

Feeling her thoughts slip deeper into the gutter, Natalie counted to ten. Thirty seconds in the man’s presence and she felt the need for a cold shower. And what was worse, all they had talked about was lunch.

And if that wasn’t enough to make her feel awkward, she suddenly remembered what she was wearing. A faded green T-shirt that resembled something that should have been taken out with last week’s trash, tattered jeans and, instead of taking the time to put in her contacts, she had grabbed her glasses. Throw in a sloppy ponytail and no makeup, and she was a candidate for one of those style makeover shows.

She put a pan on the stove for some soup as she tried to ignore her unappealing appearance. Chase took the ham and cheese out of the refrigerator, and while they put their lunches together he asked how the event planning business was going. She took a few minutes to explain some of the finer points of wedding planning, but she could tell the conversation had about reached its peak.

Discussing her career was OK for a little while, but if she went on for more than five minutes she usually ran the risk of putting her companion to sleep. Ten and she worried about the possibility of coma.

“So, Patrick tells me you were recently in Liverpool,” Natalie changed the subject.

Chase talked about his trip mentioning several sights he’d visited. He’d gone to the famous city for the funeral of an old family friend. As Chase talked, some of the awkwardness between them vanished. Gone was the polite, stilted conversation she’d endured over the past few days, and now they were chatting like old friends. Which they were, sort of.

But the irony of the situation was, this was how their former affair started. First a few innocent conversations, which graduated to a few simple touches, and before long they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off one another. Granted she probably hadn’t tried as hard as she should have on that last point, but given how Chase affected her she supposed she shouldn’t blame herself too much.

As she caught a glimpse of the clock above the stove she noted it was after one and she needed to get back to work. No point in tempting fate in Chase’s presence any more than she already had.

“Well,” she said, rising from the table and gathering up her dishes. “Duty calls.”

Chase also stood. “Uh, Natalie, before you go, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Chapter Two

Natalie’s steps faltered then regained speed as she headed for the sink. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”Chase registered her hesitation with a touch of dread. A moment ago their conversation contained the easygoing tone of old friends as he talked about his trip to Liverpool, but now the awkward politeness threatened to return. Although once she heard what he had to say that was liable to be the least of his worries.

Deciding to use the bandage removal approach – do it quick and get it over with – he maneuvered around the table. “I want to ask you a favor.”

Standing at the kitchen sink, she adjusted the water temperature and asked with a hint of suspicion, “What kind of favor?”

Reclining against the counter next to her, he crossed his arms. The spray of water splashed against the sink with some vigor, and Natalie hastened to lower the pressure. “Do you remember me mentioning someone by the name of Drake Henderson?”

She nodded, as she swiped at a fly that had landed on her nose. “Isn’t he the guy you usually buy local properties from?”

“That’s right.” Just ask her. The worst she can say is no. “Anyway he’s asked me to meet him for dinner.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Um, well, he thinks you’re my girlfriend.” There, he said it.

“What?” Natalie’s spine straightened, as her eyebrows rose. Water continued to sluice over the dishes.