Crazy About You (12 page)

He tried for a smile. “Let’s take Hershey home and get him d-i-n-n-e-r.” He spelled out the word, rewarded with a breathtaking smile. Hope blossomed. “We’ll figure it out from there.”

Chapter Thirteen

Lights blazed throughout Emma’s house, illuminating the yard and driveway. Her parents’ Chevy Blazer sat next to her rental car. Relief, excitement and nervous energy coursed through Emma in successive waves. She wasn’t ready to be alone in a dark empty house with Chase, but then again, how should she explain his presence to her parents?

She led the way around the side of the house, to the patio near the kitchen, and bent to unclip Hershey’s leash. Her father peered through the screen door and held it open while the dog bounded inside. Right away she saw the dark smudges shadowing his eyes, but his gruff voice still sounded strong. “Hey there, sweetie. Who’s your friend?”

She paused on the step, feeling awkward as she studied his face. Honestly, she couldn’t remember the last time her dad looked quite this awful. His cheeks seemed thinner, his mouth drawn into a frown. A baseball cap covered his dark blonde hair, a telltale sign he hadn’t showered in a few days. The dark stubble along his jawline confirmed he’d neglected his basic routine, probably too focused on her brother to worry about much else. He certainly didn’t need to worry about her love life.

Best to keep this introduction simple. “Dad, this is Dr. Chase Anderson. He’s the charter you left stranded on the pier. Chase, this is Scott Maguire. My dad.” The words barely left her mouth when she realized how they must have sounded. Like she was accusing Dad of neglecting his business. Stress of a different flavor, but totally not what she meant.

Before she could apologize or explain, Chase extended a hand. “Nice to finally meet you, Captain Scott. Chase Anderson from the U.S. Global Change Research Program. I wanted to thank you in person for calling in that tip on the garbage gyre. Your coordinates were spot on.”

Not waiting for Chase to finish speaking, Emma launched into more questions aimed to distract from the situation, striding through the kitchen toward the dog’s food dish. “Poor Hershey is starving. Is Mom home too? Did they release Sean from the hospital? Are you back for good? How big is Sean’s scar?”

Her dad chuckled, sounding more like his normal self. He shook Chase’s hand and ushered him into the house. “Some things never change, do they, Em? Always with the twenty questions. And Dr. Anderson, sorry about dropping the ball on your charter the other day. I gather you’ve heard the nature of the emergency by now, if you’ve spent any amount of time with my chatterbox of a daughter.”

“Call me Chase, please.”

“Glad to hear it all worked out for you. Em tells me you hooked up okay?”

Startled, Emma fumbled the can of dog food she was trying to open, dropping it to the floor. Both men turned their attention toward her. Her face burned as she hurried to pick it up, her voice several octaves higher than usual. “Dad! That’s inappropriate!”

He cocked his head to the side, a puzzled look on his face. “What’s up with you tonight, Em? I’m only making sure Dr. Anderson is happy with Captain Wilbur.”

Chase grinned and cleared his throat. “Captain Wilbur took us out today with no problems. My intern is at the Center for Coastal Studies now, securing our samples. I stopped by the jewelry store to invite your daughter to join Todd and me at the pub by the wharf, to celebrate today’s success. If you’d like to join us…”

“I don’t remember actually agreeing to go to the pub,” Emma interjected. “Now that my father’s home, I’m sure he needs my help getting ready for Mom and Sean. Who are coming home. Any time now. So I can get back to New York. I mean, after I stay to make sure Sean’s okay.”

Again, her dad gave her a funny look. “Sean’s doing fine. It’s still several more days until they remove the drainage tube, but we can discuss the arrangements in the morning before I head back to Boston.”

“Wait. You’re going back?”

“To bring fresh clothes for your mother and meet with the doctors. They may release Sean as soon as Saturday, but for now we have to wait and see.”

“What about the charters? Mom’s shop?”

“We can talk about it in the morning. Now go.” He waved a dismissive hand while stifling a yawn. “Go have fun at the pub. All I want is my recliner, the Red Sox game, and a cold beer.”

Chase smiled. “Should’ve guessed you to be a Sox fan. Aren’t they playing the Yankees tonight?”

The older man nodded, a smile lighting his tired features. “First game of the series between the two teams. The Sox may not be having the best year, but they can still kick some pinstriped butt.”

Emma listened to them banter good-naturedly about baseball. Looking at her exhausted father, she doubted he’d make it through the first inning before nodding off. Being in Boston probably brought back bad memories for him, of when Emma had been hospitalized after her car accident. She pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the evening ahead. A beer sounded really good right about now. So did spending more time with Chase. Maybe even kissing him again. Her face heated at the thought. She grabbed a cardigan from one of the wall hooks next to the door and ushered Chase back out into the night air.

“We’ll talk in the morning,” her father promised, unable to hold back the next yawn. “And I’m glad things are working out for you, Dr. Anderson. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Chapter Fourteen

With Captain Scott’s words still echoing in his ears, Chase glanced at Emma’s profile. Had he found what he was looking for?

They walked the quiet street back to the waterfront. She licked her lips, looking lost in her own thoughts. She’d been a whirlwind of nervous energy in her father’s kitchen. In the dark, her blonde hair shimmered, reflecting the moonlight and catching the shine of each passing streetlight.

“So where are we meeting your intern?”

“At the Lobster Pot, on the corner near MacMillan Wharf. I thought it might be smart to put food into Todd tonight before he starts drinking. He was pretty green around the gills this morning. Something about a girl and too much tequila?”

She nodded, licking her lips again. “The Lobster Pot makes the best lobster raviolis you’ve ever tasted. So much better than anything in the city. Oh, and the sauce is simply awesome!”

He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You seem to think a lot of things in Provincetown are better than their New York counterparts. I feel like I ought to defend my hometown.”

“How can anyone consider New York City their hometown?” She shook her head in mock-disgust. “It’s so big and impersonal. Don’t get me wrong, I love New York. It can be a ton of fun, with so many options for arts and entertainment that it makes your head spin! Great museums, fabulous art exhibits, and every musician in the world comes to play gigs in the city!”

Chase listened as she rattled off the myriad reasons making New York the greatest city in the country, maybe the world. Intellectually, he agreed with every point she made, while at the same time realizing he never took advantage of any of those things the city offered. He rarely stayed in town long enough to see a Broadway show or his beloved Yankees. Or even visit one of the galleries his mother, and sometimes his father, frequented.

Actually, he rarely saw his parents, either. Their schedules never seemed to mesh, with the exception of the occasional dinner out with his mother. Christmas and Easter were the two mandatory weekends he spent with them at their house in the Hamptons. Other than that, he barely interacted with them.

He envied the easy rapport Emma shared with her father, and the closeness she obviously felt for her brother. He even envied the argument he’d walked in on at the start of the week between Emma and her mother, even though he didn’t realize it at the time. It showed caring and emotion. His own familial relationships were dry and devoid of life by comparison.

He squeezed her hand again. “If New York has so much going for it, why do you look so sad about living there?”

A long sigh escaped her lips. “At the end of the day, home is about being with people you love and respect. Spending seven years in New York makes me appreciate P-town in a way I couldn’t when I lived here. I guess I didn’t realize that until this week.”

He chuckled. “Still, listening to you talk about New York makes me want to see it all through your eyes. You have so much enthusiasm, like every day should be an adventure.”

Emma stopped short and turned to stare into his eyes, blinking slowly. “Shouldn’t it be? Life is short enough. We should enjoy every minute we have, right?”

Her question twisted at his gut in an inexplicable way. It felt like ages since he’d considered life enjoyable. His focus narrowed to only her lips, her tongue slowly licking its way across the bottom one leaving a wet trail of sweetness in its wake. He wanted to taste that sweetness, her words barely registering until his mouth was inches from claiming hers.

“We’re here.”

Startled, he looked up at the giant neon sign proclaiming the name of the restaurant in a blaze of red and white. “So quickly?”

She flashed a brilliant smile. “Time flies when you don’t have a stubborn chocolate lab pulling you every which way. Are we meeting your intern inside?”

Chase cleared his throat awkwardly, checking the area around the entrance. “I thought we’d agreed to meet on the sidewalk Let me see if he texted something different.” He pulled out his new phone. “Huh. He says to go ahead and eat without him. Something came up.”

“Everything okay?”

“Judging from the Snapchat I just opened, things are good, except that Todd’s already well on his way to tomorrow’s hangover.” He turned his screen to face Emma, and she grinned. The selfie showed his intern toasting with a bikini-clad redhead, the sun still setting in the background.

“They must be over at the Boat Dock Bar,” she told him. “Looks like their outdoor deck, but sunset is long over.”

Chase grimaced. “Sorry I dragged you down here for nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing? I’ve got my heart set on lobster ravioli!” She tugged him by the elbow. “C’mon. I’ll introduce you to the owners.”

The hours passed quickly, talking about everything and nothing while drinking beer and eating some of the best seafood he’d ever tasted. She introduced him to the owners and half the wait staff, who all stopped at their table to say hi and ask after her brother. She told stories about growing up in a tourist town and he in turn shared tales from boarding school that he’d never revealed previously, not even to his own mother.

They skirted certain issues neither seemed keen to discuss, all related to her non-boyfriend. Likewise, any time the conversation turned to his current mapping mission, he changed the subject. First because he wasn’t at liberty to discuss the avian flu they’d been pursuing. But also because he didn’t want to think about what came next. Leaving Cape Cod. Leaving Emma. It seemed way too soon. Especially since he’d only just found her.

Luckily, Emma no longer lived in Provincetown, at least not full time, but was only here visiting her family. Since he planned to remain at the university’s lab until September’s climate summit, they’d have time in the city to get together and share more nights like this one. Not that he usually had time for nights like this. But he could make time. He meant it when he said he wanted to see New York through her eyes.

The only problem was her roommate situation. Even if she and Tony were only friends, the thought of them living together, sharing intimate space, bothered him to no end. Could he possibly convince her to change her mind or help look for another apartment? Or ask her to move into his condo? He blinked with surprise and quickly brushed that thought aside. Too soon to be thinking along those lines, no matter how expedient.
Way too soon.

After dinner, they descended the stairs next to the wharf and walked along the sandy stretch of low-tide beach running parallel to the commercial strip. The full moon reflected off the Atlantic, sending rhythmic ripples of silver and gold washing onto the shore. The dark pilings of the wharf loomed behind them, the low sounds of laughter and voices drifting from the shadows.

“I hope you don’t mind if we skip going to the club to meet your assistant. So many people crammed into too small a space. This is nicer.” She smiled up at him and his heart skipped a beat.

“Totally fine with me.” He managed to control his voice, sounding normal even if his erratic heartbeat wouldn’t listen to him. “I’m not much for the club scene anyway. Makes me feel old.”

She snorted. “You’re not old, Dr. Anderson. Merely intense.” Emma reached for his hand, twining her fingers through his, giving them a squeeze. “I love to walk on the beach after dinner, don’t you? Especially at low tide, like this, when the beach stretches on and on and the sky is filled with a multitude of stars shining down, little pinpricks in the blackness where the gods and angels can watch over us. Or spy on us. Whichever. The possibilities seem endless on nights like tonight.”

Several of those possibilities raced through his mind, each scenario steamier than the last. He clamped his mouth shut, stifling a groan. This wasn’t like him. He was usually calm, cool, and collected. Since when did his daydreams all turn pornographic?

Since you met Emma
, the voice in his head reminded him.

She tugged on his hand to get his attention. “What did you think of the Lobster Pot?” He told her the raviolis surpassed the best seafood he’d been served anywhere, better than anything he’d eaten in a long, long time. Definitely superior to anything in New York City.

“Good. I’m glad you’re able to admit it.” Her smile reflected the moonlight. “Some New Yorkers won’t say anything is better outside of the city.”

He shrugged easily. “I may be from New York, but I like to think I make up my own mind.” He pulled her to a stop near a rowboat flipped over on the sand, keel pointed toward the stars. He ran his thumb across her knuckles, feeling the tremor run through her arm. “Tell me something about you. Something no one else knows.”