The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,45

you’re getting the proper rate of return on your investments, and you can totally trust her. She’s like some sort of uber-mother hen.”

“I still don’t get the drinking-alone thing,” Phoebe said.

“She’s expecting. About three months along.”

“Looks great.” Phoebe felt her heart rate return to normal. So, the glow that hovered about Caitlyn had not been due to Chase’s grin.

Chase gave a shrug and a smile. “Hey, when I knew him, he was just a computer geek who liked playing video games. Who knew where it would lead him.”

Phoebe shot another look at Chase.

“What? Think I’m not refined enough for the likes of Noah Randall?”

“No, not at all. But you do seem a bit like the odd couple,” Phoebe said. There was a knock on the door and an older woman with reddish hair and freckles brought in a tray with a pot of coffee, cups, milk, and sugar. She set it down, reminded Chase he had a meeting, and left with a brisk, efficient nod in Phoebe’s direction.

“We were an odd couple,” Chase said, pouring her some coffee and then a cup for himself. “At first, but we both loved to sail. But I was better. So, Noah used me to win the Junior Cup at the Yacht Club.”

Phoebe frowned. “What did you get out of the deal?”

Chase shrugged. “You’d be surprised.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means Noah and I have been business partners for a long time. I invested in some software, and he invested in some hardware.” Chase made an encompassing gesture and Phoebe nodded.

“Smart.”

“And some luck. You never know where a friendship is going to lead you.”

Chase’s voice had dropped an octave and his grin was wolfish. “Caitlyn and Noah dated each other back when they were teenagers. I’ve known both of them a long time.”

Something about the easy way he said it made Phoebe jealous all over again. Chase seemed to be suggesting he had known both of them—in different ways—for a very long time. They had been very comfortable together. But then she remembered the look in Caitlyn’s eyes when she had said her husband’s name.

“Well, it’s nice to have old friends.” She kept the wistfulness out of her voice, glancing around the office as she did so. It was spare, a modern place or, she realized as she studied it, more like a ship’s cabin with lots of polished wood and discreet storage space. It was masculine without being overpowering. Unassuming, yet powerful and completely confident, much like Chase himself.

“So, you had some questions?” Chase’s eyes sparkled, the sunlight from the expansive windows catching them. His eyes were a deep, deep blue and she felt herself drawn into them, and then remembered why she had decided to track him down in the first place.

“Yes. I thought it would be easier to talk face-to-face instead of going through lawyers.”

“Quite right,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Well, I’m fine with just about everything but this part.” She handed him over a copy of the contract with the section highlighted.

He glanced it over and then looked over at her, amusement on his lips. “You’re saying that we can use your name, but not Savannah’s? Is there a problem with her?”

Phoebe shook her head, wiping her hands on her shorts. This was where she could have used some of Savannah’s acting skill. A scene played out, Savannah done up as a gangster moll, staring down some scary mob boss as she negotiated for the life of her lover. Or maybe it had been for her brother. There had been so many movies, it was hard to keep them all straight.

“No problem with her. But I would just prefer to make a go of it on my name alone. I have no problem with the catalog or press releases talking about me, but I would prefer not to have my relationship with her mentioned.”

“I thought you were close to her.”

Phoebe swallowed. “I was. And that’s why it would be nice to know people liked my work on its own merit. Not because of some old screen legend.”

“So no trading on famous relatives.” Chase took out a pen, crossed out a few lines of text, and put his initials next to it.

“Anything else?” he asked. There was a buzz on his phone. His eyes held her and the buzz was insistent. He pressed a button and his assistant’s voice filtered through. “Your next appointment is here.”

“That’s all,” Phoebe said. She knew she should go. They both had things to