The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,11

so fast because of who he was, or at least the image he’d played up. It was a picture they’d used in last year’s catalog: Chase at the helm of a sleek racing yacht, the seas foaming and looking rough around him. He could remember the feel of power, the sheer strength of the boat beneath him, the sense of rightness. He’d always felt the same way about Ivy House, the way it watched over the village with a quiet dignity, even as its condition took a turn for the worse.

“Savannah Ryan has a granddaughter?” Noah said with a low whistle. “Now that I find hard to believe.”

“Well, believe it because here she is.”

He turned his laptop around to show Noah. He’d been doing a little internet research on Phoebe.

Noah’s eyebrows shot up in appreciation. “Wow, so that’s Savannah Ryan’s granddaughter. Nice to know sometimes the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Noah pursed his lips as he thought through things. “Wait a second. Isn’t there a problem? Since her grandmother and your grandfather were married, does that mean you two are related? That could be a little weird.”

Chase shot his friend a withering look. “We’re not related. Leland left my mom behind when he ran off with Savannah Ryan, and she already had a kid. So, there’s no weirdness there and no blood relations. I guess we’re like stepcousins or something.”

Noah laughed. “Weird, no, but trust me, the media would eat it up. If they got wind that the two of you were even talking. And that Phoebe was living in that house. I can see the headlines now.” Noah held up his hands as he intoned, “The Romance of the Century, Part Two.”

“I’m not interested in her. Just the house.” Chase groped for words. There had been an unmistakable spark between them, but she had stayed curiously immune to his teasing, to his flirting. Phoebe Ryan was a cool customer, and well, dammit, if he didn’t like a challenge, which had to be the reason why the thought of her kept distracting him.

“Well, that should be fine then. She probably has to head back to Los Angeles soon though. That is sort of your type, isn’t it? Someone who isn’t looking for any sort of long-term commitment?” Noah said.

“We will see,” Chase paused. “She flat out told me she wasn’t interested in selling the house. Her house, she called it.” Maybe that was what was bothering him, the fact that Phoebe had never even seen the house Chase had loved since he was a kid and was now getting all possessive about it.

Noah smiled. “Well, hearing ‘no’ never seemed to stop you before. Let me know what I can do to help.”

Chase shook his head. “Well, I’m not sure she’s put it together, who I am, you know, since Leland had a different last name and all that.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? Kind of awkward, right? Savannah and Leland came to a bad end. Not something I would want to bring up in casual conversation.”

Chase pulled the computer back to him, looking at the picture of Phoebe Ryan. He had done a basic internet search on her and was surprised by the amount of information that came back. First off was the website for her company, Ivy Lane Designs. Apparently, she was some sort of designer.

And then there were a bunch of image results and press releases.

“Isn’t that guy on some TV show?” Noah said, pointing to one of the pictures. Chase looked at the headline.

“Yeah, some cop show. Looks like he and Phoebe are an item.”

Noah pulled the computer back to him. “Hmm, Caitlyn likes that show. She says it’s because of the acting, but I swear, that guy always seems to be taking his shirt off.”

“Lucky for Phoebe,” Chase muttered. The guy’s name was Garrett McGraw and he looked like the standard actor type: tall, dirty blond hair, artful stubble. He and Phoebe looked good together, Chase thought.

“Well, if she has that to go home to, maybe she won’t be so eager to stick around. Come on, it could be a good thing.”

Chase shot his friend a look, but Noah was busy scrolling through something on the computer screen.

“You know, once word gets out that Ivy House belonged to Savannah Ryan, the price will go up.” Noah looked up.

Chase smiled, thinking about the envelope he had given her. “That’s why I’ve made her an offer she can’t refuse.”

Chapter 7

Phoebe stared at the envelope. It had