Chapter Thirty-Nine

This was getting ridiculous.

Polly put her iPhone down on the bathroom counter and finished drying her hair in preparation for going to the office for work. Matthew had asked her to stop by and sign some paperwork that needed both their signatures for filing at the courthouse on a joint case they had worked on, and then she was going to try and get some papers off her desk and either filed, acted upon or thrown out.

Something productive, she hoped, other than wallowing in her life.

But she was distracted by the fact she hadn’t heard from Chase in almost a day, which was totally unlike him.

She didn’t know if she should be worried that something had happened to him, or worried that his emails had become her only lifeline to happiness, and to have them taken away equaled a full scale nuclear meltdown in her life.

Either way, she needed to cut the cord and get going to work – the firm needed her at her best, not some unhappy noodle type woman trying to decide if her heart was in LA or in the north woods.

She cranked the hairdryer back on, drowning out all sound around her, including the front doorbell as it chimed downstairs and echoed throughout the house.

**

Matthew sat reading the morning newspaper at the table in the breakfast nook when the doorbell sounded, and he called for Rosalie to get that for him, before remembering she had the day off today to take care of a sick child at home.

With a protracted sigh, he stood up, folded the newspaper neatly and laid it down and then ambled to the front door, wondering who would be calling so early on a Thursday morning.

He opened to the door to see a man taller than himself, clad in jeans and a plaid shirt, waiting with an expectant smile, which fell slightly when his eyes landed on Matthew.

“Can I help you?” Matthew asked, eyeing the man up and down quickly. Younger than himself, and fairly fit and good looking, he obviously wasn’t pretty enough to be an actor, but not exactly rough enough to be the hired help of some sort. Or was he the new gardener they had hired? “Are you the new gardener?”

The man shook his head slowly, obviously composing himself. He cleared his throat and then stuck on his hand in greeting. “You must be Matthew. I’m an old friend of Polly’s. I’m Chase Colton.”

Matthew took hold of his hand and shook it, noting the firm grasp. “No kidding?! Matthew North, Polly’s husband. She’s upstairs getting ready for work – was she expecting you? Would you like to come in? Do come in. Have you traveled far? I’m so glad to meet you – I’ve met so few people from Polly’s past.”

Matthew was all ease and politeness, and despite himself, Chase could feel himself warming to Matthew – there was something about him that made you want to be in his orbit. A certain charisma, and a certain confidence that made you take notice of him, though he was not terribly tall, not terribly remarkable, and not terribly nice, by Polly’s accounts.

Chase shook his head. “You know what, she wasn’t expecting me. We grew up together and I was in the area on vacation, and thought it might be nice to catch up on old times, but you know what, I don’t want to impose…”

Matthew waved that way. “Nonsense. At least wait for her to come down from beautifying herself – you can arrange a lunch date or something. Or we could all go – my treat. I’d love to know what Polly was like before I met her.”

Chase felt slightly insulted, knowing that Matthew assumed from his casual dress and lack of BMW outside that he was somehow unable to pay his own way.

SEALs get paid well; being a gillie was profitable, and Chase was damn careful with his money. He might not have a palace like this one or a housekeeper and gardener, but he had more than enough to provide for himself – and anyone else in his life. He chafed a bit at Matthew’s suggestion, and then let it go, realizing Matthew was only being a good host and a good husband.

“So how well do you know Polly? You grew up together, you say?” Matthew asked, conversationally.

“We went to school together. I was friends with her brother,” Chase said easily.  “We were in the service together.”

“You’re in the Navy?”

“Was,” Chase said. “SEAL, until I got hurt overseas and was discharged.”

“Thanks for your service to our country,” Matthew said, almost as if it was a mantra he knew he should say, instead of genuinely believing it. “I know Polly worries about her brother in Afghanistan.”

Chase nodded, not sure what else to say. He glanced around the house as discreetly as he could, floored by the size and scale of it, and the immaculate and tasteful decorations. No wonder Polly threw her towels on the floor and wore sweatpants – it would be her only way to rebel in a place as flawless as this.

“You know what, I shouldn’t have arrived unannounced,” Chase said, looking at Matthew apologetically. “I should just call Polly at the office, perhaps.”

Matthew shook his head no. “She’ll be down in a minute, and I know she would be disappointed to miss an old school friend. She’s grown into such a friendly, charming, stunning woman – you simply must catch up.”

And with that, Chase could see the pride and pleasure in Matthew’s eyes as he mentioned his wife and her beauty and charm. He knew that Matthew had assumed they hadn’t seen each other since high school, and it was obvious he wanted to show off his wife – and rightly so.

It was clear that Polly made him happy, and that he was proud of her – and at that moment, Chase saw what Polly was up against. A palatial home, a charming husband, a successful career, and more money than God.

What the hell was he doing here in his scuffed work boots and mussed hair?

He shouldn’t have come here.

He can’t compete with this – with him.

And the bitch of it was: Chase actually liked Matthew, found him at least amiable and charming.

And now that he had a face with a name, he knew he couldn’t be the reason that Polly and Matthew’s marriage disintegrated. He just couldn’t be.

So much for hopping the Red Eye to LA and surprising Polly… what was he expecting – for her to fall into his arms and he carry her into the sunset with Matthew wishing them well all the way?

He had to get out of here before Polly saw him.

“I appreciate that, Matthew, but I should go and let you get back to your breakfast. I’ll give her a call and set something up,” he said, turning for the front door and pulling it open hurriedly before whirling around to face his host.

He and Matthew shook hands once again, and then Chase fought the urge to sprint down the long, winding driveway.

“Who was at the door?” Polly asked, descending the stairs and adjusting one of her diamond earrings absently.

Matthew looked puzzled even as he closed the door. “It’s the oddest thing: it’s a man who says he went to school with you. I invited him in to wait for you, but he got a bit – well, twitchy – and left. He said he would call you to set up a lunch or something. I don’t know why he didn’t want to wait.”

Polly’s stomach fluttered – how many high school friends even knew where she lived, or what her new name was? She just knew, she just knew it was him…

“Oh?” She said casually. “What was his name?”

“Something trendy,” Matthew said, wrinkling his brow and trying to remember. “Riley? Landon? Caden? No, I know… Chase. Chase Something.”

Polly knew it.

“Gosh, I haven’t seen Chase… I should… maybe I can still catch up with him to coordinate calendars…” Polly muttered and with that, she practically sprinted out the front door, leaving Matthew in her wake.

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