“Your father is so right. Maybe it’s our humble upbringing. I tend to think that poor folks like us know more about appreciating simple things in life than rich folks,” Abbi said.
Poor folks like us? She really believes I’m poor, doesn’t she? “Now, that’s not true.”
“Well, I’m sure there are exceptions to the rule.”
“Well…” Chase had to stop himself. Damn it. Why was it so hard to hold back on telling Abbi the truth about him? Oh, right, because he didn’t want to blow his cover.
“Your dad is really wise.”
“He is,” Chase agreed, a lump climbing in his throat. He didn’t know how much time left his old man would have fighting his cancer. “When I look at the world around us and the stars above, it’s great to take the focus off me and enjoy the sense of wonder.”
“You said it. It’s a great way to reconnect with your soul. That’s why every chance I get, I come out at night and stargaze and breathe in the air and appreciate life around me…”
Chase looked at her surprised. “Precisely.” He was amazed at how much they connected over a simple appreciation of stargazing. Even his brothers thought he was odd for keeping up their old man’s adventure with a telescope and looking out at the stars and constellations in the night sky.
“You know I’ve never met any other man who shared my appreciation of the natural world and how delicate the balance of life is like you, Chad. Here I was thinking you’d be too macho and everything to like this stuff.”
“Now, that’s a stereotype, isn’t it?” he teased her.
“You’re right. Who am I to judge? Still, it’s only working class folks like us who might appreciate the finer things in life that are free.”
Chase was about to open his mouth to correct her, but he’d be damned.
“Astronomy is a fascinating hobby but it’s not for everyone,” she sighed. “My dad was the one who taught me about it, too.”
“Really? Sounds like you and I have a lot in common.”
“I guess we do,” she said softly. “He used to tell me to reach for the stars in life and that anything’s possible. He said one day I’d reach them.” Her mellow voice was laced with a hint of sarcasm.
“You sound like you don’t believe it.”
“I don’t believe much he told me now.”
“Why’s that?”
She seemed hesitant at first. “Well, I don’t know why I feel so comfortable talking to you about this, but we…we found out my dad was living a…double life.”
Chase felt his heart squeeze. “Oh, no. Sorry to hear that.” He truly felt gutted about her pain and that made the remorse course through his body even more. He just couldn’t shake the feeling of having a guilty conscience knowing he was deceiving her, too.
“It’s okay. He’d been lying to my mom and the family all these years, and well, he had this whole other family out there. He was a traveling salesman, go figure.”
“Really sorry to hear about…what he did to you. Must’ve been rough.” God, it would kill him if she ever found out about his deception. Self-reproach ate away at Chase as he listened to Abbi.
“It was. But, oh, well, I guess I learned earlier on that men…well, people lie. That’s why I-”
“Why what?”
“Oh, nothing. Look, I said too much already. I shouldn’t have spoiled the mood by bringing that up…it’s just that well, you said your father taught you about stargazing and I think it’s a coincidence that mine did, too.”
Chase smiled. “Well, for what’s it’s worth, your old man was right about you reaching for the stars. I think you’ll go far in life.” His voice was smooth and reassuring.
“You do? How do you know that?”
“How do I know that? Girl, where’s your confidence?” he teased her. “Let’s just say I always have a hunch about these things, and I’m often right about my hunches.”
Her voluptuous pretty lips curled into a smile.
Just then, he gazed into her mahogany eyes and saw stars, a beautiful bright light of hope and spark of interest shone in them. There was definitely something there. And he liked what he saw…a lot. Heck, he liked the way he felt around this woman and they hadn’t even known each other long.
Immediately, a scene from the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” slid into his mind. He wanted to tell her like Jimmy Stewart who played George Bailey told Mary, his love interest in the film, that he’d give her the moon if she wanted to, right there in her hands. In Chase’s mind, he said, “I’d give you the moon and the stars, Abbi. Oh, God, how I’d do anything for you,” but he just couldn’t get himself to say it out loud. For one thing, he was sure she’d think he was stark crazy, and secondly, he didn’t want to believe he’d formed this instant attraction with this woman who’d shared so much interest with him and warmed his heart in a funny way.
They had a chemistry that was pleasantly indescribable. Chase never felt this way around any woman before—not so instantly. Was his old man really right about finding that special one and knowing it the moment you met her?
He noticed goose bumps spring up on her arms as a gust of crisp evening wind blew hard. Abbi was only wearing a short-sleeved blouse and long skirt. The mountain air could change in a heartbeat around there, he’d noticed these past few weeks. Especially when evening fell.
“You look a little chilly,” he said. Actually, she looked hot as sin from where he was standing, he thought to himself. He could see the rounded peaks of her nipples shape through her blouse and his groin reacted.
Oh, no. That kind of sweet distraction was the last thing he needed to see right now.
Instinctively, he took off his work jacket and wrapped it around her. His hands brushed her skin and he felt an instant pulse race through his body.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Chase was just inches from Abbi’s lips and he felt a profound surge through his gut. He wanted nothing more than to reach over to her, hold her firmly and press his lips to hers. His heart raced in his chest.
This is crazy. I’ve only just met her a few days ago. So what if we’ve got a connection to stars and sci-fi flicks. She’s a co-worker. Nothing more.
Abbi’s soft brown eyes looked dreamy and enticing. But he was a complex man, and someone entirely different than who he’d told her he was. This was so wrong on so many levels. He had to keep reminding himself that he wasn’t Chase Belmont, the heir in control of this empire; instead, he was Chad Rivers, the help.
He turned his face to the darkness of the moonlit night sky and took a deep breath. “Sure you don’t want to join the others in the lodge living room?”
“Oh, right. I heard about the living room. That’s where all the laughter and music is coming from, right?”
“Yeah, guests and sometimes off-duty staff hang out there and share stories. It’s kind of cool, for those who want to mingle with other guests in the resort area.”
“Maybe we can hang out some other night,” she said, a shadow of disappointment slid across her face. She chewed her full lower lip and it drove Chase crazy with all sorts of naughty thoughts about her luscious lips and how much he’d love to taste them. But the last thing he wanted to do was get into trouble. He had to shift his focus back to work and back to the real reason he came down there undercover.
In other circumstances, the girl would have known who he was and probably thrown herself at him. And in the past, he’d made it clear it to his dates, it would only be a one-night stand of mind-blowing sex and nothing more and that would be the end of it. But something told him Abbi wasn’t a one-night kind of girl looking for fun and adventure. She was more than that. And he’d probably want to know her better, too, only his hands were tied.
He was someone else.
What a way to start knowing someone…starting off on the wrong foot with an identity deception.
He lifted up her binoculars again. “You can get a good view of Venus over there but she’s a little difficult to see. She’s easier to spot in the early morning or in the evening. Mars is usually easy to track with most telescopes or a really good pair of binoculars.”
“Go figure,” she said, playfully rolling her eyes.
“Go figure?”
“Yes. The irony of your statement. Didn’t that famous relationship expert say that women are from Venus and men are from Mars?” Abbi hitched her brow.
He chuckled. “I see your point.” She was witty and charming, Chase thought to himself. Yeah, go figure.
Abbi could feel herself getting aroused by this gorgeous guy before her. Their eyes locked in a magical embrace. A soft romantic ballad could be heard in the distance coming from the main lodge. Funny, how some songs really spoke to what was in the heart and knew how to capture emotions like no other. Well, she was feeling very romantic right now and she just couldn’t understand it. Of course, what could be more romantic than being on the rooftop patio of a lodge near a body of water and the moonlight above on a summer night? A gorgeous man by your side—who’d happened to save your neck from breaking. And a real nice guy who connected to everything you enjoyed in life. Talk about kismet.