The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,31

instant contact burn with her skin, right through the thin cashmere wool of her sweater. No flushing, she ordered herself, glad the dim lighting in the bar would offer her some camouflage for the way her body was reacting to him.

“What will you have?” Chase asked, catching the bartender’s attention.

“A white wine, please.”

Chase ordered a wine for her and a pint for himself. She was surprised at that, but decided to say nothing. At least he wasn’t pretentious in his choice of beverage.

“So…” Phoebe said during the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them after their drinks were delivered.

“To new beginnings,” he said, raising his glass in a toast. She smiled. She could agree to that.

Phoebe took a sip of her wine. It was cool and crisp and was probably from a better bottle than whatever the house wine was. She glanced at Chase again. His hand was wrapped around his pint glass and she could see the fine light-colored hair on his tan knuckles. It was not a hand that looked like it stayed inside all day pushing papers around. For a brief instant, she remembered how it had felt on her back, large, warm, almost possessive, as he had guided her onto the bar chair, and she let herself imagine just what else it might be capable of.

“First off, I was sincere when I offered my condolences about your grandmother. Whatever else she was, she was certainly a talented actress,” he said.

Phoebe scanned his face, trying to see if there was a hint of sarcasm. She saw none, so she smiled. “Thank you. But did you know, from the first meeting, who I was?” Phoebe asked, curious.

He shook his head. “No, not until you said something. I mean, I was sincere too. You did look familiar. Of course, I realize that it was the family resemblance that had me thinking you were someone.”

“Thank you, I guess.”

Chase smiled, showing a set of nice, straight white teeth. She felt her skin warm under his gaze. “You’re welcome. It was a compliment, however backward it might have seemed.”

“It’s just I was hoping to be somewhat anonymous, you know, here. Thought it might be possible. To just be myself.”

“Yes, of course,” he raised his glass again. “Though I think your cover might be blown. The real estate agent is pretty much buzzing with excitement. Apparently she was a big fan.”

Phoebe smiled. “There aren’t many who weren’t. I’m told it makes the house more valuable.”

Chase gave her that cocky grin, and she felt her heart bump against her ribcage. “So I would have gathered. Though some may say that it didn’t play host to the happiest of couples.”

Phoebe smiled. “Happy is probably too mild a word. They were wild for each other, a burning passion. And then it all went downhill. Is that why you’re interested in the house, because your grandfather lived there?”

“Leland Harper wasn’t my grandfather,” Chase said. Phoebe was about to disagree when he continued. “At least not in any way that mattered. When he left, my grandmother apparently never spoke his name again. She remarried Sal, who ran the marina here, and she was very happy. Happier than she was with Leland. So happy she waited her ex and Savannah out, and Queensbay was her town until she died about ten years ago.”

Phoebe did the math. Savannah had been much younger than Leland, so the timing made sense. “So, no hard feelings?” Phoebe asked, curiously.

“Do you want me to blame you for something your grandmother did? I assume you didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Phoebe shook her head. “No. Savannah did what Savannah wanted.”

Chase laughed. “I gathered that. Supposedly, Leland was a bit like that too. Perhaps the two of them were perfect for each other.”

She liked the way he laughed and had to look down into her wine to fight the warm clench in her stomach.

“And the house?”

“Always loved it. There always seemed to be some sort of mystery about it, but of course, no one in my family would ever talk about it. It took me a while to figure out the history behind it and then I just kept my interest in it to myself.”

“It is a great house,” Phoebe agreed, thinking of the vision she’d had earlier, it perfectly restored, filled with light and laughter. The feeling of happiness had been so real.

“So you don’t want to tear it down?”

“No.” Chase looked truly shocked by the idea. There was a pause and then he