He’d wanted to find out the truth before he hurt his mom, but he was going crazy. He needed answers. He tried her cell, but the call went to voice mail. He didn’t leave one. That was strange. Unless she was rafting a river or scuba diving or some other crazy adventure, she always answered his calls.
Exiting his room, he walked toward the elevator. The stairwell door burst open and a blonde woman rushed out. She met his gaze and stopped in her tracks.
“Ashley?”
She was in a fitted white button-down shirt and blue pencil skirt. Her face was tear-stained and her blue eyes weren’t done crying yet. She met his gaze for one heart-stopping moment, and he thought there might be a chance he could help her with whatever was wrong.
She stifled back a sob, mumbled, “Excuse me,” and hurried around him.
Chase should just let her go, but apparently he was anxious for more punishment at her lovely hands. He was also very concerned about her.
She stopped outside a suite door at the very end of the hall and fumbled to pull her key card out. Chase approached her, stopped next to her, and gently touched her hand. “Are you okay?”
She turned to him and shocked him completely when her face crumpled, she cried out, “No,” and then she fell against him.
Chase had no problem holding her close. Her tears fell unchecked for half a minute. At first, he was simply grateful she’d let him hold her, but then he started to grow concerned.
“Did someone hurt you?” he asked against her hair.
She looked up at him, her lovely blue eyes so bright and beautiful. “No.”
“Oh, good.” Relief rushed through him. “I didn’t want to have to kill some man at Christmastime.”
Her eyes widened in shock and she sputtered out a laugh. He chuckled too and then they were laughing together and he liked it, a lot. This was much better than her storming away from him at the pool, but not nearly as good as her kissing him.
A tense feeling rose between them as if she was thinking about that kiss too. She glanced up and her lips were soft and appealing. He found himself leaning down.
She pulled back, away from his touch. “Could you kill someone?” she asked, staring at him with a mixture of awe and wariness.
His eyes widened and he admitted, “My mom didn’t believe in handouts. Nobody had given her any. So I went the Army route and became a dermatologist that way. So yeah, I’ve been trained how to kill somebody who dares to hurt a beautiful woman.”
She gave him a flash of a smile. “I didn’t realize the Army needed dermatologists.”
“Even the toughest men can get a skin rash.” He winked. The truth was he’d seen every condition in his years with the military. He’d almost lost two men to melanoma. A healthy twenty-two- and twenty-four-year-old respectively. Neither of them had even thought they were at risk because of their age, but luckily had been referred to him by a family practitioner concerned about a mole growing.
She stared at her door instead of at him and much more calmly pulled out her key. “I’m sorry about the bawling session.” She waved her hand. “I didn’t mean to break down on you.”
“I’m glad I was here.” He smiled, hoping she’d open up to him, but she studied the door. She apparently didn’t want him here. He wondered again what he could have done to upset her so much this morning.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” He wanted to stop her before she went in that door and left him again.
She shook her head but at least she turned to face him again. “Unless you can stop the snow and the wind.” She gave him a weak smile.
“Is it messing with your weddings?”
She nodded. “I think we’re going to have to postpone at least Iris and Devon’s, if not Cruz and Meredith’s.” Her shoulders sagged. “They have many friends out of the valley. Even the people in the valley, the brides and grooms and most of their family will have a near-impossible time getting here unless the storm lets up. They might make it on snowmobiles, but it would be a nightmare. I’m not willing to risk somebody getting lost or hurt, or ruining a wedding dress.” She glanced away. “I’m sorry. You probably think I’m such a wimp. It’s not just me I’m upset about. I mean, I am upset because everything was planned to a T and it was going to be incredible, but I’ll be fine. It’s Iris, Meredith, and Hope that I’m sad for.”
“That’s tough for a bride to plan her dream wedding and have it taken away.”
Her eyes widened and something flashed in them. “Yeah, it is.”
“Did that happen to you?” he asked.
She scanned her card across the door and it beeped and lit green. Pushing on the handle, she shoved it open. “Thanks,” she muttered, hurrying through and then slamming it closed.
“Thanks for what?” he wondered aloud. He headed toward the elevator again. He couldn’t seem to win with her. It was a mystery why he cared so much, but he couldn’t stop himself. He cared. He wanted to get to know her. Most of all, he wanted to hold and kiss her again.
He went down the elevator, stewing on the weird conversation. At the front desk, there was a dark-haired girl popping her gum. “Hi,” he said. “I’m wondering if any of the Chadwick family is here?”
“Nope,” she said. “They’re all warm and cozy in their beautiful houses during this vicious snowstorm. It’s just the peons like me that are stuck here running this huge resort and having to sleep in a cot in the breakroom because all the suites are full. Luckily, the extra chefs and staff they brought in for the wedding stayed the night and have their own suites, but Raoul, the funny maître d’ who is working into assistant manager too, also told me he hopes I’ll work extra hours as a busser at the restaurants or a housekeeper. What a nightmare! I don’t want to scrub poop off toilets!”
“Oh.” He had no clue how to respond to her.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Her lower lip trembled. “Cat and Iris are the best bosses and I just love Grams and Chelsea. She used to work front desk with me, but she married that hot Aster and her little boy Dax is like my favorite. It’s not like any of us knew the storm would get this bad last night and we’d all be stuck here. I’m super sad and totally freaked out that I might not get home for Christmas. It’s my last Christmas, ever …” She sniffled and Chase wondered what he was doing to make women cry today. “Cause, like, I’m going to college next year and this is it and my little sister is going to cry if I miss Christmas morning.”
Chase gave her his reassuring doctor look, something he’d actually practiced for when he had to share bad news. “I’m sure you’ll get home for Christmas. It’s only the twenty-first.”
She nodded and wiped at her face. “Sorry. Please don’t tell anybody I got all unprofessional and stuff.”
Chase lifted a hand. “It’s between us.”
Her pale blue eyes lit up and she slowly looked him over. “You’re super hot for an old guy. I’m Daisy. I have a break at five if you want to, you know, like eat dinner together and … other stuff.”
Chase backed up. “No. No, thank you.” He tried to soften his tone when her eyes got full of tears again. “I’m definitely too old for you.”