Chapter Thirty

Polly snapped shut the paperback novel she’d brought with her to the beach, obviously unable to concentrate since she’d been trying to read the same page for at least ten minutes now.

She had dragged one of the Adirondack chairs down to the soft sand and had even built a small beach fire (Chase would be so proud) in the fire ring, had brought along a book, a glass of wine and a cozy quilt, but still she couldn’t shake the feel of, well, waiting for Chase to appear any minute and regale her with tales from his uber-expensive client.

Except that when he’d said he would be gone for a week, it had actually been almost two.

She hoped it was that the client was having such a good time he wouldn’t leave, and not that Chase was trying to give her a gentle brush off, fearing they had gotten too emotionally entangled.

In all honesty, she couldn’t believe she had stayed here this long, especially without Chase to keep an eye on things. 

She had to admit, the solitude had been a balm to her soul for the first week or so – she did a lot of soul searching about her job, her life back in California, and how simple life was here in the Keweenaw. She’d cooked elaborate meals just for her own pleasure, she’d read books she’d been meaning to read (on her Kindle, of course, as she didn’t often travel with fifty pounds of books unless they were a law review or two), and she’d even starting banging out words on her own silly, frothy romance novel, which became a fun treat, rather than a chore filled with legal terms and a ‘murder du jour’.

It may never get published, but the fun was in the writing, she decided.

And yet, every night when she built a fire in the cabin’s fireplace, she half looked over her shoulder to see if Chase and Jack were coming through the front door to greet her.

And so, here she was, almost two weeks later, feeling a bit pathetic to admit she was hanging around, waiting for them to return instead of getting on with her own life.

And it was all because of that kiss, she knew, though she hated to admit it.

Chase and Polly, and Jack too, had meandered around Copper Harbor for the rest of the day after leaving Brockway Mountain, before retreating back to Polly’s house for a home cooked meal and a walk on the beach, both of them throwing a stick over and over for Jack to retrieve from the waves and laughing at his antics. As darkness fell, they returned to the house and Polly knew Chase needed to get going, as he had an early start in the morning with the arrival of his client. 

“So,” she’d said as she stood holding the front door open for him while he tugged on his jacket. “Blow lots of things up. Don’t tip your kayak over or drown or anything. Don’t crash your four wheeler. Enjoy the campfire food, and promise to snorfle Jack every night for me.”

“I don’t even want to know what that means,” Chase had said with a cheeky grin. “But I like it.”

“It’s a secret between Jack and I,” Polly said. “Just follow his lead, but don’t let him go to fast – he might take advantage of you.”

Chase had rolled his eyes slightly, and Polly had laughed.

They stood in total silence for at least a minute, both of them watching the other, neither one moving, nor knowing what to say.

“Be safe,” Polly had simply said. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Chase had whispered, slowly closing the distance between the two of them until Polly’s back was pressed up against the wood door, Chase’s body not quite touching hers. He had pressed his palms to the door on either side of her head, and slowly, slowly dipped his head down to touch his lips to hers.

Polly’s body felt like it was catching on fire as he kissed her, and she had to fight the urge to try and tug him closer, but he continued to keep a slight distance between them, though she thought she saw them shake with the effort. The kiss was so sweet, so tender, she nearly wanted to cry – or to drag him back inside for the rest of the night.

Finally he levered himself away, pausing only to press a kiss against her temple. “Be good, kitten,” he’d whispered. “I’ll miss you.”

It was everything she could do not to wrap herself around him and beg him to stay, to do that again…

Instead, she’d smiled, and watched him walk through the front door, whistling for Jack, who remained firmly seated in the middle of the family room, obviously not wanting to leave Polly. Chase finally growled his name, and Jack reluctantly levered himself up and ambled to the door, where Polly pressed her lips against his muzzle once, then gave him a final pat on the backside to urge him out the door.

And with that, they were gone.

Remembering that sweet kiss with Chase still made her blush. 

Chase had been so careful not to infringe on her personal space since they had reconnected, had never even held her hand, and had been so understanding about her hesitation to do anything untoward with him while Matthew remained in California, and yet…

And yet, he’d kissed the breath right out of her.

And now, it had been nearly two weeks with no answers, no emotional input or output, and definitely with no more kissing.

And that upset Polly more than she was willing to admit.

She looked out over the lake, the normally blue water tinged with reds and pinks as the sun sank below the horizon, Mother Nature putting on her best dress for those watching. For what felt like the millionth time, Polly felt a deeper appreciation for this corner of the world that she had never felt growing up here. California may be all about the outdoors and the water, but this… this was raw, unvarnished nature.

And it truly was stunning.

Polly sighed and settled back in her chair, her book and Chase’s lips forgotten, as she watched the sun disappear entirely from sight before Polly retired for the night.

34292/50000