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"Good night, Chase."
"I’ll wait for you to go inside."
I pushed the door open and stepped in, waving at him before closing the door.
I listened intently, and for a few seconds, there was no sound.Maybe the door is more soundproof than I realized.
But then I heard footsteps going down the stairs, and I leaned against the door, smiling in the dark.
Chapter Fourteen
Chase
My lawyers hit the ground running the next morning. They sent everything to Elijah, who replied fast, saying he didn’t even need until the end of the week. He signed the next day, after double-checking with his lawyer.
I still couldn't believe how fast things moved at the restaurant. I’d gone in there gearing myself up for a tough negotiation, but Hannah had charmed him. I didn't blame the old man. After all, she’d charmed me too. The way people effortlessly opened up to her amazed me. I barely held back from kissing her in her stairwell.
For the rest of the week, I buried myself in work. I was usually oblivious to anything happening outside the office, but on Friday, even I couldn’t ignore the storm rolling over San Diego.
At first, I figured it would just pass, but as the day went by, it became clear it wouldn't. The rain intensified, and I worried about how some of our employees would get home, primarily the ones who took public transportation. Some came by car, but not all.
Does Hannah drive?
Fucking hell. I can't obsess over this woman all day long.
I tried to work but only managed one more hour. At five o’clock, I walked out of my office without any plan and went down one floor, straight to Magda's office. I was running out of excuses to see her, but I got lucky because the office was empty and her computer was turned off. She’d already left, probably because of the weather.
I glanced at the open space, zeroing in on Hannah. Even from this distance, she seemed stressed out. I'd watched her so oftenover the past few weeks that I'd memorized the way her body language changed according to what mood she was in. When she was happy, she sat back, relaxed, typing at her keyboard. When she was focused, she leaned slightly forward. Right now, she was on her feet, holding the back of her chair with one hand. Most of her coworkers had already left. She was talking on the phone and seemed visibly upset.
Chase: What's wrong?
I figured she’d see the text after finishing the conversation.
A few minutes later, she lowered the phone from her ear, sitting down. My phone beeped right after.
Hannah: How do you know I’m upset?
Chase: I’m in Magda’s office.
When she glanced up, I sucked in a sharp breath. Something was off. I needed to know what happened and fix it.
Chase: Join me in the break room behind her office. It’s gonna be empty at this time of day.
Hannah: Okay.
Something must have happened if she agreed so fast. I headed to the break room and leaned against the counter, gripping the edge. When she stepped in, I straightened up.
"What's wrong?"
Her eyes were a bit glassy. "Um, my neighbor called me from the inn. Apparently the storm's even worse over there. I left the shutters open."
"Can she close them for you?"
"No, she's a thousand years old. She offered, and I had to actually talk her out of it. She'd hurt herself. Anyway, I'm trying to find a way to get there."
“You didn't come with your car," I concluded.
She shook her head. "No. Can you believe it? Anyway, I spoke to quite a few taxi companies in the past half hour, and no onewants to drive out to Point Loma in this weather. Ubers keep turning me down too."