The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,43

next catalog.”

“So you think this will help you get the house?” Noah asked, pulling back the tarp on the oddly shaped thing in front of them.

“The house?” It took a moment for Chase to figure out what his friend was talking about.

“Yeah, isn’t this why you’re wining and dining her? So you can get her house? At least that’s what you said the other day.” Noah’s eyes, shrewd, looked up at him.

“Sure, the house. I figure she’ll be so excited, she’ll have the place cleaned up and head back to Los Angeles in a couple of weeks. She’ll be the next big design star, and she’ll be so thankful to me that she’ll sell me the house. No agent’s fee or anything.”

The words came out easily, but Chase knew he had stopped thinking about the house or even his business deal sometime during drinks with her. She had been refreshingly candid about her life during their dinner. And, of course, there was the way she looked at him. He couldn’t quite get that out of his mind. She had wanted him to kiss her, he was almost sure of that. There had been that moment in the hall of Ivy House.

Chase shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but he couldn’t. Her red-gold hair in a messy ponytail; her wide, sensual lips; her long, thin fingers—artist’s fingers. He had felt his body hunger for her and knew that something would need to be done about that. Especially if she was the least bit willing. Oh, yes, if Phoebe Ryan gave him that kind of opportunity, he just might take it.

“Well, just be careful. I don’t want to see it all backfire on you.” And with that, Noah pulled back the tarp to reveal a boat. It was all wood, the paint chipped and peeling, the varnish bubbling, and there was a large hole in the bottom.

“Wow. It’s a beauty,” Chase said, running his hands along the gunwale.

“I know. A Herreshoff America eighteen. Limited edition. Classic, yet easy to maneuver.”

“And this is your next great idea?” Chase asked. Since Noah had sold his tech company, he’d been working head down on his next one, something to do with a new clean energy source. Noah was cagey on the whole subject, but Chase had told him that there was a blank check waiting for him when he was ready for investors.

“Hey, it’s a wind-powered vehicle. Perfectly environmentally friendly.”

Chase looked at his friend, staring him down until Noah came out with the truth.

“I wanted to do it for the baby. You know, his first boat.”

“Do you even know it’s a boy?” Chase asked.

“No and it doesn’t matter, right? Girl or boy, it’s never too early to get them out on the water.”

Chase laughed. “I think they need to be able to walk first. But you’re right, it’s a beauty. It will be perfect when it’s restored.”

Chapter 19

Phoebe took a step into the shop. It was more than a shop, she supposed. North Coast Outfitters occupied prime real estate along the waterfront of Queensbay Harbor, adjacent to the Osprey Arms, and an easy place to stop for boaters and general tourists. She figured if she were going to make a deal with the devil, then she should get a better feel for him. Plus, she had some concerns over the terms of the contract, and it seemed more expedient to deal with Chase directly than go back and forth using lawyers, hers in Los Angeles and Chase’s in New York. After all, the two of them were in the same town.

Large black-and-white posters hung on the walls of the shop, pictures of people sailing in boats, sunning themselves, generally enjoying the good life. She took a closer look at one of the pictures and saw that, sure enough, it was Chase, at the helm of a large sailboat, standing on the deck like a modern-day pirate, winds filled, water foaming at the bow. She swallowed. He even looked sexy in black and white, his dark hair blown by the wind, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, his hands large and capable at the wheel. She swallowed, suddenly thinking that it might be better to just send her comments to the lawyer.

She heard it then, a trilling happy laugh, and a stunning woman with dark hair stepped into view. Chase walked next to her, one arm around her shoulder. He said something to her, and she looked up at him and laughed again. Phoebe tensed.