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Ho…ly…shit!

Chase Boyer was here. In the flesh. Very warm, very muscular flesh. Aaaand…she was still holding onto him as if she never wanted to let go.

I don’t.

But she did it anyway. Scottie forced herself to pull away from Chase’s warm embrace. Stunned by how familiar it felt—how familiar he felt. Even after all this time.

“Wha…what in the world are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Oh, that voice.

Deeper. All grown-up and manly. And the way it had rumbled just then…

When Chase pulled back a bit and smiled down at her, Scottie’s heart did a sort of weird flip thing inside her chest. It took her a moment to realize she’d felt that exact same sensation before. It had been years, but she recognized it for what it was.

It was the same reaction her body had the first time Chase Boyer flashed his panty-dropping smile her way. Only now, that smile of his looked even better than before.

How is that even possible?

To make matters worse, from where she was standing, the whole package had been given a tall, rugged, sexy-as-sin upgrade. Complete with hair that was a bit too long on top, well-trimmed facial hair to match, and a fit and muscular form that was proof Chase was one hundred percent man.

“So?” That rumble of his accompanied a prodding look. “What brought you to Liberty House?” The inquisitive words had no more fallen from his lips when those incredible blue eyes of his—his whole handsome face, really—grew hard as steel. “Ah, hell, Scottie. So help me, if someone hurt you…”

They did hurt me. Just not in the way you’re thinking.

“I’m not a resident of the shelter, Chase.” She finally found her voice again. “I…work here. I’m the new head chef.”

There went that smile of his, growing even bigger than before. Scottie’s lower belly tingled, and she was pretty sure her toes just curled inside her sneakered feet.

“No kidding? Since when?”

“Um…I guess it’s been a little over two months, now.”

Time sure flies when you’re completely rebuilding your life.

“So you live here. In Seattle.”

Not a question. More like a statement of clarification.

“I do,” Scottie confirmed. “I moved to the city three months ago and started working here shortly after.”

Chase’s entire too-damn-hot-for-his-own-good face seemed to light up at the unexpected news. “I moved here a little over a year ago.”

Scottie’s heart didn’t just flip then. It soared.

You both live in the same city for the first time in fourteen years. Maybe, if you play your cards right, this could turn into more than a simple one-off chance encounter.

Scottie nearly laughed at the unsolicited thought. Running into Chase like this was great. More than great, really. But Seattle was a damn big city, so their little impromptu reunion wasn’t guaranteed to lead to anything other than this moment right here.

Sure, there was a part of her—a big, big part, if she was being perfectly honest with herself—that still fantasized about what life would have been like if she hadn’t been forced to leave him behind all those years ago. Would they have stayed together through graduation? Gotten married? Had kids?

Unfortunately for Scottie, that ship set sail when she was sixteen years old. And as far as she was concerned, it was still out there somewhere…perpetually lost at sea.

Kind of like me.

Speaking of being lost…

“You can’t be back here.” The blurted comment came out harsher than she’d intended. When Chase blinked with confusion, Scottie quickly offered a rushed explanation. “Sorry. What I meant to say was that my boss doesn’t allow men inside the shelter. Other than the guards she’s personally hired, of course.”

“Like Hank?”

It was her turn to blink. “You know Hank?”

“ Know is a subjective term.” He smirked. “We just met on my way in here. But I do know Sloane Richardson.”

“You know Sloane?” Another adorable frown. “How?”

“Through the private security company I work for. We’ve sent a few clients Sloane’s way since we first opened last year. And, in the spirit of keeping our working relationship with my firm and the shelter going strong, my team’s working tonight’s fundraising event.”

“Private security?” Scottie stared up into those seas of blues. “You left the Navy?”

“More like the Navy left me.”

The man’s muttered words left her frowning once again. “What do you mean, the Navy left?—”

“Nothing.” He brushed the comment away. “I’m just being a smartass.”

“I guess some things never change.”

“Guess not.” His broad shoulders shook with a low chuckle that took her back to the best time of her life. “But seriously, working for Eagle’s Nest Securities…” A soft huff escaped past his lips. “It’s so much better than being under Uncle Sam’s thumb. Plus, I still get to work side by side with the same group of guys as when we were still SEALs, so at least there’s that.”

“Oh, wow. Sloane told me the Eagle’s Nest guys were former SEALs. She never mentioned you all served together, too. That’s pretty cool, you and your friends still being able to work alongside each other.”

Just like the man himself, Chase’s smile was one hundred percent genuine. “It is.” He nodded. “Almost as cool as running into you again after all this time.”

Scottie held his gaze as it darkened with an unmistakable blaze. It was the same way he used to look at her back when they were dating. A look that revealed exactly what the man wanted.

It’s me. He wants…me.

Wrong. He’d wanted her. Past tense.

Very, very past tense.

It had been…what? Fourteen years since they’d seen each other? The man was probably married with five kids by now.

In a subconscious move, Scottie’s gaze was pulled to Chase’s left hand. Hope she had no business feeling seeped into her soul when she found his ring finger void of any jewelry.

No ring doesn’t necessarily mean no wife.

It also didn’t mean Chase wasn’t seeing someone on the regular. Not that it should matter to her one way or the other. Because it didn’t.

Not anymore.

They’d been kids when she’d left him standing in the rain with nothing more than a final kiss and a heartbreaking goodbye. It had been a different time. A different life. And now…

“So…private security, huh?” She began the conversation again. “Sloane talks about you guys a lot.”

“Sure hope what she’s shared was positive.”

“And if it’s not?” She played along with his little game because…God, she’d missed him.

“Then I’d say, your boss was either referring to a different team, or she’s been grossly misled.”

“Misled about what?”

Scottie and Chase both turned as the woman in question entered the spacious kitchen. Sloane Richardson was forty-five, though, she could easily pass for forty.

Tall. Blonde. Intelligent blue eyes that had seen far too much violence in her lifetime. Horrible, inexcusable treatment against those she strived daily to help. And unless Scottie’s instincts were way off kilter, she had a strong suspicion her boss had felt more than her fair share of that same type of violence herself.

“There’s the woman in charge.” Chase smiled Sloane’s way. “Good to see you again, Sloane.”

Scottie felt the tips of her short, clean nails digging into her palms as her hands hung at her sides.

Uh…jealous much?

She nearly choked at the thought. Of course, she wasn’t jealous. Why on earth would she be? It wasn’t like she had some sort of unending claim on Chase just because they were boyfriend and girlfriend back in high school.

They’d both lived an entire lifetime since then, for crying out loud.

They were different people now. Or at least, she was. Hell, they didn’t even know each other anymore. A fact that was proven just now when she learned that he was no longer serving as a Navy SEAL.

The Navy left me.

Her heart had inexplicably hurt for Chase when he’d uttered those four words. There was a story there, and it was one Scottie longed to hear. Not that she had the right to that or any other story regarding Chase’s life without her.

After all, she was the one to leave him.

The truth was, between losing her mom and having to leave everyone and everything she’d ever known and loved behind, she hadn’t felt as if there’d been any other choice. A clean break was what had been best for them both, or so she’d thought. Unfortunately for Scottie, her heartbroken teenage brain hadn’t considered a scenario where moving on without Chase would be impossible.

Even now, her personal life still left, well, everything to be desired. As for her professional life, her dream of becoming a famed professional chef had gone up in smoke faster than a forgotten souffle. But as her mom had always used to say…

Have patience, Scottie girl. Everything happens for a reason.

So far, she had yet to understand the reason behind any of the awful, heartbreaking things that had happened in her life. But whatever it was, it had led her here, where she prepared the best, most delicious food she could for women who’d experienced things far worse than her.

Speaking of food…

“Excuse me for a minute. I need to check on what I still have cooking.”

Scottie didn’t wait for a response from either one before spinning on her heels and heading back over to the stove. After a few stirs and lifted lids, she found everything almost ready. She set about transferring the dishes she’d been preparing into several disposable foil pans for transport.

Sloane and Chase continued their conversation while Scottie did what she did best. She also may have done a bit of eavesdropping at the same time.

“I heard you were looking for me,” her boss told Chase.

“I was.” he confirmed. “I dropped off the last of the donated items for the auction, but I know you probably still have a lot to get done before tonight, so I thought I’d offer a couple of extra hands.”

Okay, so that was a really sweet gesture. It was also one more bit of proof that at least some of the old Chase was still in there.

“I won’t say no.” Sloane chuckled. “Since you’re already in here…and you’ve met our amazing chef, Scottie?—”

“Oh, Scottie and I…” Chase glanced her way. “We already knew each other.”

“Really?” Sloane’s surprise was obvious.

“Grew up together back in Texas,” he continued sharing. “Same class and everything. Until?—”

“Until I moved to Ohio to live with my grandparents,” Scottie finished for him.

She wasn’t trying to be rude but rather prevent him from dredging up the painful reason behind her sudden move.

Sloane shook her head with a smile. “Wow. It truly is a small world, isn’t it? Oh, Chase. I started to say, since you’re here…and you offered…I really could use your help.”

“Name it.”

“The volunteer who was supposed to transport the food from here to the event center just called. His van broke down halfway here, and while road service is on its way, he said it could be another hour before he makes it here.”

“Say no more.” Chase didn’t so much as hesitate. “Just point me in the right direction, and I’ll load up whatever you need.”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. That’s why I’m here.”

“In that case, as soon as Scottie finishes with what she’s doing over there, she can show you what’s ready to go. I’m not sure where you parked, but there’s a door right back there.” She pointed to a steel door near the room’s far back corner. “You should be able to back right up to it. When you’re ready to head out, just exit the parking lot the same way you came in.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“That’s a huge load off my mind, so thank you.”

“Wait.” Scottie looked up from what she was doing to look directly at Sloane. “Does your guy knows how to set up the food warmers at the center?” Her gaze bounced from her boss to Chase and then back to her boss. “If they’re not set at the proper temps, the food could ruin before the fundraiser even starts.”

“Crap.” Sloane blew out a breath. “I didn’t think about that.”

“What if you went with me?” Chase turned his gaze directly to Scottie’s. “I can drive, we both unload and then you can make sure the warmers are set up how you want them. Easy peasy.”

Easy peasy?

Easy for you to say.

Riding alone in a van with the only man she’d ever loved—the same man who still starred in all her very best dreams—would be anything but easy. But she could suck it up and do this. For the shelter and Sloane.

For the women who have had no other choice but to come here.

“Uh…sure.” Scottie nodded. “Of course. Just give me like…five more minutes to finish this up.”

“See?” Chase looked back at Sloane. “Crisis averted.”

“Thank you so much.” The woman in charge slid her gaze in Scottie’s direction. “Both of you. Just make sure to leave yourselves plenty of time to get ready, as well. Tonight’s gala may be on the smaller side, but it’s the most important night of the year for the shelter. The donors who will be in attendance are well-known and highly respected throughout the community.”

Scottie snorted a little. “Not to mention, they have more money than any of us would know what to do with.”

“That, too.” Sloane grinned. After a quick glimpse of her watch, the other woman clapped her hands together and nodded. “Okay, then. If you two have the food covered, I’m going to go make a call and check on the decorations. If everything on the center’s end has gone according to plan, they should be finished by now.”

“Go,” Scottie ordered her boss with a smile. “We’ve got this.”

“Thanks again, guys.” The shelter’s director turned to leave. With a blind wave as she walked, Sloane offered a parting, “If I don’t see you before, I’ll see you tonight!”

“See ya!” Scottie hollered back.

A second later, she found herself alone in the kitchen with Chase once more.

“Well,” she said, securing a large foil lid on the last remaining pan. “This stuff’s ready if you want to go grab the van.”

Chase gave her a friendly salute. “On it, boss.”

Scottie couldn’t help but reward him with a smile.