Page 15 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Never in the past few weeks had I felt like I was only there to serve them.

The guys, including Chase, insisted I take my lunch with them.

They loved to give Jack his fair share of attention, and they chatted about anything and everything.

And when they talked about business, I was keen to listen to learn more about what Silver Creek Farm was like now that Chase had taken over.

I finished cleaning the kitchen, then got started on dessert for tomorrow. One thing everyone had in common was a sweet tooth, and the peach pies I planned would be even better if they sat overnight. I’d just finished crimping the edge of a third pie crust when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“I just wanted to make sure you were still alive and kicking since you haven’t bothered to call me.” Mallory’s voice came through, dripping with mock indignation.

I felt immediately guilty. “It’s been a whirlwind, but you’re right. I owed you a call.”

“What are you up to? Please tell me you’re holed up in a barn hiding behind a haystack waiting for your secret lover like in a country song.”

I smothered a laugh. “Um, no. Not exactly.”

“Elaborate, my dear, before I assume you’ve been kidnapped by a farmer and forced to wear a prairie dress and bonnet while you churn butter.”

I chuckled again before briefly catching her up on my reception—or lack thereof—by my father and how a deer caused me to run off the road.

“Oh, my god! What did you do? Is Bambi okay?”

My mouth twisted. “Thanks for asking about the deer instead of me,” I joked. “The deer was fine since I ran my car into a ditch to avoid it. Ironically, I ended up just outside of my old boyfriend’s home.”

“ The boyfriend?”

“That’s the one.” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “I didn’t have a lot of options at that point. So, I knocked on his door.”

“Please tell me he took you in, fell to his knees, and swore his undying love for you.”

“Well, he took me in anyway. And now I work for him.”

There was another pause. Then, “I’m sorry. What?”

I explained how it all came about.

Mallory let out a slow whistle. “So, let me get this straight. Your father is an asshole. You crash near your true love’s house, show up at his door, and instead of a loving reunion, you get a job? That’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Have to say, I’m a little disappointed.”

I was regretting that one highly rare drunken night when I’d told her about Chase.

“And now I’m getting ready to put a meal on the table for over a dozen guys who work here.”

“Hmm. Do you at least look amazing while you serve this food? Is he sneaking glances at you across the room?”

Despite my amusement at the ridiculousness of her comment, I glanced down at my flour-dusted apron and plucked a stray piece of dough stuck from my sleeve. “Um, not exactly.”

A dramatic sigh sounded across the line. “Girl, don’t waste this opportunity.”

I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s not like that. He probably feels sorry for me.”

Mallory’s voice softened. “You know what I think? I think you subconsciously ended up exactly where you’re supposed to be. ”

I scoffed. “Ha! You mean to tell me I planned for a kamikaze deer to hurl itself in front of me just so I’d crash conveniently near Chase’s house?”

“No. But maybe deep down, he’s the reason you came back to Sterling Mill. The universe just gave you a little nudge. Or, you know, a full-on shove.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but hesitated. Because was she wrong? I hadn’t been looking forward to returning to life with my parents. Yet, I still thought of my youth with fondness and missed the people I’d once been close to. But even the universe couldn’t undo time.

“It doesn’t matter,” I murmured. “I can’t recreate the past and make things be the way they used to, no matter how much I want to. I had to let that idea go when I let Chase go years ago.”

And yet, I thought about the way I’d caught him looking at me, really looking at me, as something more than just a stray that had blown in with the storm.

But that was wishful thinking.

I’d made choices years ago, ones that hurt him. I’d known I didn’t love Mason the way I had Chase, but I’d convinced myself we could be happy. If Chase had the freedom to chase his dreams without me holding him back, I could live with my decision.

Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked out that way. Not for me.

But it didn’t seem to have happened for Chase the way I thought it would, either. With the unexpected death of his uncle, he’d returned to Silver Creek Farm. And while I’d never seen him with another woman, that didn’t mean he had lingering feelings for me.

Or did it?

But now Mallory’s words gave me pause .

Was it possible he’d never moved on either?

“Anna?” Mal’s voice pulled me back.

“Yeah?”

“Promise me you won’t waste an opportunity if it presents itself. Or if it doesn’t, create one. Today. Go clean up, put on some lipstick, and undo a button. Or two.”

I laughed. “You’re bad, Mal.” But as I turned my head toward the doorway, my breath hitched.

Chase was leaning against the frame, arms crossed, watching me. No, not just watching. He was studying me again in a way that made me feel he was searching for something.

I swallowed hard. “I should go,” I told Mallory quietly, my eyes still locked with his.

There was a beat of silence, then Mallory’s voice asked, “He’s there, isn’t he?” I could practically see her knowing smirk through the phone.

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“Anna, if he’s staring? Own it.”

My pulse hammered in my chest. I wanted to. But wanting and having the courage to do it were two very different things.