“Hold that thought.” Chase looked at his brother. “Len, could you help me out for a second?”
Len gave me a once over. “Sure.”
“Would you describe me as the kind of guy that has so many hook-ups I don’t remember the girls?”
Len laughed. “Not quite. He’s the celibate of the group. Even Jessa gets more ass than him.”
“Thank you. Now one more question. How would you describe my behavior after meeting Cara?”
“Meeting? Is that what you’re calling it these days?” He wriggled an eyebrow. “But either way, he was half flying high and half freaking out.”
“Thanks, Len. You can go back to bragging about how great you are to that poor girl.”
Jade laughed. Clearly she wasn’t bored with whatever he was saying.
Chase leaned in close again. “So, what were you saying? Why do I remember you?”
“I want you.” Those were not the three words I meant to say.
“Blunt. I like it.”
I wanted to disappear. “Sorry. I can’t believe I just said that.”
“And you said it while sober, am I right?”
“Completely.” A drink would have been great to cut my nerves, but there was something nice about not having anything clouding my judgment this time. Chase was hard enough to resist as it was.
Our pancakes were delivered, and I bought myself some time, taking a bite.
“I want you too, and I’m sober.”
I set down my fork. “Are you always this honest with girls?” I was used to forward guys, but they still usually beat around the bush more.
“Are you always this honest with guys?”
“I asked first.” I took a long sip of water.
“I don’t know. Sometimes.”
Len laughed. I guess he was listening in. “In other words, he hasn’t asked a girl to hook up with him in a while.”
“Unlike Len, who’s the expert on getting shot down.”
I chuckled. “Wow, you guys are brothers.”
“And bandmates. The combination leads to some interesting arguments.” Len leaned back in the booth, slinging his arm around Jade.
I was curious what he was eluding to, but I let it go. “So, where in Charleston does your brother live?”
Len laughed. “Already thinking about how you’re going to get Chase alone, huh?”
I could feel the blood rushing to my face. “No. Of course not.”
“Of course not?” Chase leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Weren’t you just telling me that you wanted me?”
“That doesn’t mean that’s the reason I was asking,” I whispered back.
Len smiled. I sensed he heard every word we were exchanging. “He’s downtown near the battery. He’s got a place with his fiancé.”
“Nice. So, I gathered from what you said earlier, he’s not a musician.”
“No, he’s a lawyer.” Len polished off his pie and pushed the empty plate away. “At least one of us is making Mom proud.”
I smiled. “I’m sure you all make her proud.”
“Do you have any siblings?” Chase asked. It was the kind of question you’d ask when you first meet someone and not after you’d had sex, but better late than never.
“Nope, it’s just me.”
“An only child. Interesting.” Len studied me.
“Why is that interesting?” I leaned back into Chase’s arm. He squeezed my shoulder lightly so I looked up at him and caught a smile.
“I just think the number and gender of siblings in a family can say a lot about someone.”
“What does having one sister say?” Jade asked.
Len smiled at her. “It says you know how to share, and you’re probably competitive.”
“Know how to share?” She gave him a skeptical look. “You better not be referring to what I think you are.”
Len held up his hands in defense. “I just meant that you share toys well.”
Jade shook her head. “Likely story.”
“Hey, would you girls like to hear some of the new stuff Chase has been working on?” Len was asking us, but he was looking at Chase.
“That sounds great.” Jade looked at me. “That is if Cara’s up for it.”
Chase looked hesitant until Len nodded toward me and Chase’s expression changed. “I guess I could play something. What do you say?” His gaze was penetrating and impossible to avoid.
“Sure, why not.”
“Awesome.” Chase put down a few bills on the table to cover the meal, and we got up and headed out. I wasn’t sure if heading back to some unknown apartment was the best idea, so I fell back on an old trick. I texted Mallory and Juliet. Hanging out with Chase, turns out he’s the lead singer of Chance of a Lifetime. Jade’s with me.
Of course, my phone immediately went off with reply texts from my roommates. At a party or not, they were worried about me and had their cells close.
I laughed at the What??? they both replied with.
I could feel Chase looking at my screen but didn’t try to hide it. I’ll call you later. I pocketed my phone.
“You think my name’s enough that they’d be able to find you?” Chase’s arm brushed mine as we walked down the dark street.
“It’s a start.” The truth was I trusted Chase. Maybe that would end up being a huge mistake, but at the moment I decided to follow my gut, and it was telling me that he wasn’t going to do anything I didn’t already want. I also sensed Jade knew what she was doing. If she ended up messing around with Len, it would be by choice. For the second time that night, I reflected on how glad I was that we hadn’t been drinking.
Riley lived on the top floor of a renovated old house near Rutledge Street. I swallowed down some nerves as Chase pushed open the door. Would his brother think we were groupies? The thought made me sick. But then again, was I any better?
I glanced around the mostly open space. A small hallway shot off along the side.
“Hey, guys.” A girl, probably in her early to mid-twenties, walked into the room. She was wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt, but somehow she wore them in a way that made them look like more.
“Hey, Rachel. This is Cara and her friend Jade.” He specifically separated Jade’s name from mine. Was he trying to get something across?
Rachel’s face brightened. “Cara? As in the Cara?”
I assumed Rachel was Riley’s fiancé, and there was just no way Chase had told her about me. It had only been a few weeks.