The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,32
asked, “You?”
“No. Savannah said it was a magical place. I just didn’t know it was such a dump. Or how much work it would take to restore it. I’m not about to tear it down.”
“Does that mean you’re going to fix it up, live in it?” Chase asked.
Phoebe smiled, hoping she wasn’t giving too much away. “I’m definitely going to fix it up. As you mentioned, I’m not from around here, and I’m not quite sure I’m up for the East Coast winters.”
He shrugged, grinned. “They can have their charm, when the harbor’s rimmed with ice and the trees sparkle against the winter sky.”
“You sound like a poet.”
“I’m a sailor. I notice the weather.” There was a pause while they studied each other, and then Chase said, “If fixing it up becomes too much or you get too cold, you know the house would be safe with me.”
Phoebe shuddered. “You’ll probably want to put in a black leather couch and a giant TV.”
Chase laughed. “And what’s so wrong with a TV?”
“Fine if it’s for screening black-and-white classics. But if it’s for watching every game being played, then you might as well be in some place where you’re not paying for the view.”
“Noted. I’ll make sure the couch isn’t black.”
Then, because her senses were raised and she was aware that she had been feeling too much at ease, too much under the spell of his charm, she asked, “It’s awfully presumptuous of you to think you might get a crack at decorating it. Do you always get what you want?”
He looked at her, his eyes dark, smoky in the dim light. There wasn’t a hint of a smile as he answered. “Always.”
Phoebe swallowed, wondering how one simple word could have her hot, her body tingling with excitement down to her core.
She didn’t know what to say next, the art of small talk escaping her as she tried to get her emotions under control, since his closeness was making her feel too hot, too aware of everything going on around her.
“So what brings you to Queensbay? Besides a free house?” Chase asked. He said it casually, his eyes actually on the flat screen showing a baseball game, but she sensed he was deeply curious about the answer.
“You said it yourself,” Phoebe replied.
“I did?” He looked at her now, and she felt the force of his presence wash over her. He had, she decided, a very commanding one.
“New beginnings. It seems like it’s the perfect time in my life to start over to make a change. I don’t have any family, anyone waiting for me in Los Angeles, so I thought it might be time for a change. Savannah claimed the house was magical.”
“Magical?” Chase asked, and she looked closely to see if she was making fun of her.
“Well, perhaps not magical, as in witchy magic. But I think for the first time in her life, Sarah Jane Ryan felt like she belonged.”
“Sarah Jane?”
“Her given birth name. Legally changed it to Savannah when she was of age. I never did find out why. But Savannah grew up in a small town, in the middle of nowhere, where no one believed in dreams. And to her, Ivy House was the embodiment of every dream she’d ever had, even if it only lasted for a while. Ivy House meant that your dreams could come true.”
Chase nodded, but he didn’t say anything and was watching her intently. She felt a surge of heat wash over her under his scrutiny.
“It’s just a house,” he said, a faint trace of amusement evident in the way his lip curled up.
“It wasn’t for Savannah and Leland.”
At that, Chase tossed his head back and laughed; then he lowered it and looked down at her. “I don’t think there was anything magical about them.”
Phoebe let the hint of a smile ghost across her face. “Well maybe you only heard one side of the story. Savannah always said Leland was the love of her life and they were happiest here. They were out of the limelight; they could be themselves.”
“Savannah was an actress. Was she never not acting?”
Phoebe could feel herself smiling at the memories. Chase had a point. Savannah never did anything by halves. Even sitting by the pool was a production. She would be in a sexy two-piece, with some gauzy swim dress thrown on, with a huge hat and big glasses to hide her face and keep it sun-free. Still, there were times, like when she made a big bowl