"No. How can you focus on school and your life when you're constantly worrying about me and where your next meal is coming from? I can't help you like this."
"Forgive him, Chase," she said. "He shouldn't have asked you to come here. The medicine makes him a little crazy. You're welcome to visit with him but he doesn't know what he's saying."
"Chase, I know perfectly well what I'm saying. We can't pay our rent. Tessa has managed to keep us going the last two months, probably borrowing from street thugs. I don't think she's eaten a full meal in weeks."
"Stop it!" She didn't need this stranger knowing all of their problems. The pity she found in his eyes was bad enough even before he knew their full story.
"I will not," her father said. "She's supposed to start school next month. I can't give her money for books or transportation. She hasn't had new clothes in almost a year. I couldn't even get her a birthday present." He moved as best as he could in the bed, but his grimace expressed his pain coupled with his agitation. "Do you know how much I've failed her?"
"Pat, you were in an accident. I'm sure Tessa understands the circumstances." Chase shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with her dad's confession. He probably couldn't wait to bolt.
"I failed her long before this accident and I want to make it right," he said. "I may never gain full use of my legs. I'll never be able to work the way I did before this. Next month we'll be homeless. At least I have a bed and three meals a day. My daughter doesn't."
She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her emotions. Never one to show her feelings, especially in front of strangers, she held back the tears. She hated hearing her father sound so defeated. It wasn't necessary. She didn't blame him for their circumstances. Life was a bitch sometimes. She'd learned to roll with the punches early on.
"I'll get a full-time job. School can wait." She stood from the bed. "I'm sorry about this. We're not your problem. It was nice meeting you, but this is pointless."
"Tessa, I won't let this go," her dad said. "Chase can help you. The way I helped him."
"Dad, you have to stop this rambling. You sound like a lunatic."
"No," Chase said. "He's right. I can help you. And I will."
"I knew you would," her dad said as he settled back on his pillow. "I knew you would."
"This is ridiculous." Tess put her fist on her hip. "You don't even know us. Just because my dad let you hang out at his fishing cabin seventeen years ago makes you think you owe us something?"
"Tessa, your dad was there for me for three years when I really needed a father figure. My father had passed away and I was giving my mother more problems than she needed. I'd gotten in with the wrong crowd. Your dad offered to take me that first summer. If he hadn't, things would have gone very differently for me, I'm sure."
"I'm glad you worked it out. You look like you've done well for yourself but I'm no charity case."
"When was the last time you ate?" Chase asked.
She could feel the heat coming up in her cheeks. "Why does that matter?"
She'd found some change in a kitchen drawer that morning. Enough to get a soda and a granola bar out of the vending machine down the hall, and the deli would have her last paycheck ready tomorrow. She could eat then. Her father usually sweet talked the nurse into something for her – extra crackers and an apple juice, half of his salad. She'd make do.
"I could take you down to the cafeteria and get you dinner," he offered. "We could talk."
"No thank you."
"Tessa, why not?" her dad asked. "It would be good for you to get to know Chase."
"Listen to yourself," she said. "This isn't the eighteenth century. You can't give me to some stranger."
"That's not what he's doing," Chase said. "I see where he's coming from. He's worried about you."
"This really is none of your business. I appreciate that you want to return some favor to my dad, but I'm just fine without you."
"It doesn't look that way from where I'm standing," Chase said. "Perhaps I could talk to your landlord. I could cover your expenses for the next few months until you figure out what you'd like to do."
"No," her dad said. "I don't want her there alone any longer."
"Oh my God!" Tess couldn't take any more of this nonsense.
"I don't like you being there without me," he said. "The neighborhood isn't good. She takes two buses to get here and refuses to leave me until visiting hours are over. I worry about her going home in the dark. She's still five blocks walking from the bus stop."
"Dad, I'm okay." The late night bus rides and walks through the neighborhood weren't her favorite but what choice did she have?
"We're not fine and Chase can help us." He stared at the man who probably wished he'd never shown up there. "Please say that you'll help my daughter."
"What do you want me to do, Pat?" Chase asked gently.
"I think it would be best if she moved in with you. I know it's a lot to ask, but if she's with you I can focus on getting better. I'll know she's safe and she'll have everything she needs."
Her poor dad was delusional. It had to be the pain meds. When Mr. Hot, Rich, and Sexy turned him down, she could get him settled in and maybe catch a little nap herself. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. Not only did she have to find a job but she had to figure out where she was going to store all of their stuff and find a place to crash.
"Tessa can stay with me for as long as she needs to," Chase said. "It would be my pleasure."
Ahh, fuck!
***
Once Chase got up from the bench and headed toward the porch, Tess plopped down on the fluffy white comforter. Everything was crisp and clean in his house. The pillows were soft. The oversized towels absorbed the water unlike the ratty beach towels she and her dad used at their old place. Her bathroom was triple the size of the one in their apartment. The closet was bigger than her old bedroom. Not that she had anything much to put in there, but it was cool to walk into the rich cedar smell of the space. He had an adorable housekeeper named Miss May who catered to her every whim. Not that Tess asked her for anything, but she was a sweet and thoughtful lady. Tess had gotten used to their afternoon talks.
She'd been in his home for a month. Some nights she lay awake trying to figure out how she ended up there. Maybe she was too tired to fight that night at the hospital. Or too hungry to focus. She'd been defeated, losing her job and their apartment in less than a few hours. It could have been a combination of all those things. Perhaps the only reason she'd agreed to live with a stranger was the look of desperation and worry in her father's eyes. Hearing him say he had failed her had broken her heart. If living with Chase would help her dad concentrate on getting better, she would do it.
Being here wasn't that bad.
Chapter Two
Chase came in through the kitchen and paused to pour himself a cup of steaming coffee that he'd programmed to finish about the time he got back from his run. Over the past month, his morning runs had gotten longer. The pot used to be just finished dripping and gurgling when he got back; but jogging along the stream helped calm him. His nights had been restless ever since his new house guest had come to stay with him. It wasn't that she was an intrusion. He'd been living alone for so long that her company was pleasant. He'd gotten used to her moving around upstairs while he worked late into the night. It was when he tried to find sleep that her presence was a nuisance. She stayed out of his way but when they did cross paths he was always left with a disconcerted longing. One that was dangerous.
He avoided her as much as possible. At first he hadn't realized that was what he was doing, going into the office earlier and staying past dinner. When he came home at night he'd often take his plate into the study and work well into the evening. He'd quietly walk past her door always tempted to look in, but he didn't dare.
The stunning beauty had consumed his every thought since he'd met her that night at the hospital. Her long red hair, crystal blue eyes and full pink lips had invaded his mind and now he couldn't get her out of his head.
"Hey." Tessa strolled into the kitchen wearing nothing but a tight white tank and very short red cotton shorts.