“I’m not going to even think about that possibility. Meeting your brothers is enough family for a while.”
He squeezed my hand. “All right, let’s meet these roommates of yours.”
Juliet and Mallory were thankfully the only two sitting on the porch when we walked up. They both jumped off the swing as soon as we reached the top step.
“So, this is Chase.” Juliet sized him up before winking at me.
I rolled my eyes. “This is Juliet, and yes she’s always like this.”
Chase shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. You’re the sarcastic one I hear?”
Juliet smiled. “Glad my reputation precedes me.”
“And you must be Mallory.” Chase shook Mallory’s hand before I could introduce them.
Mallory accepted the handshake. “And how did she describe me?”
“As the runner.”
“Great. I’m sarcastic and she’s an athlete.” Juliet feigned annoyance.
“Okay, time for the million dollar question. How did Cara describe me to you guys?” Chase grinned.
“As the sexy musician that she likes to have sex with and talk to.” Juliet stepped away from me before I could respond non-verbally.
Chase laughed. “So, nothing about my witty sense of humor and sparkling personality? I guess I’ll accept sexy.”
“Don’t you mean weird sexy?” Mallory grinned.
“Did she ever explain to you what that meant?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t think she knows.”
He put an arm around my waist. “I bet you’re right.”
“Of course I know.” I pulled away enough that I could look at him.
Mallory laughed. “At least we know Cara’s showed you her real personality.”
“Yeah, Cara’s been pretty open with me.”
I nudged him. “Okay, moving on.”
“What’s the rule here? Are guys allowed inside your house?” Chase nodded toward the door.
“Yes, but only downstairs. You can’t go upstairs.”
“So, no full tour?” He made an exaggerated sigh. “Such a disappointment.”
I pushed his arm playfully. “You’ll have to live your fantasy in other ways.”
“Yeah, the only fantasy I’m worried about right now is getting you alone.”
Juliet coughed. “Okay, Cara, why don’t you go pack real quick.”
“Be right back. Please don’t run away screaming.” I kissed Chase’s cheek.
He smiled. “I’ll be here.”
By the time I made it back downstairs, Chase and my roommates seemed to be best buddies. I’m not sure if they’d ever made it inside, because they were out on the porch when I got back down. “What have I missed?”
“We just told him lots of embarrassing stories about you.” Juliet stuffed a hand in the pocket of her jeans. “Be impressed that he’s still here.”
“I guess that means he passed the test.”
“So far he’s a keeper.” Mallory leaned in to me. “And he’s hot, so have a good time tonight.”
Chase tried to hide a grin, but he wasn’t successful. He’d heard every word she said. He took my hand and led me back down the steps to his car. He opened the door, waiting for me to buckle before closing it.
He slipped into the driver’s seat. “All right. You’re finally mine again.”
“Oh? Yours?”
“Yup. Unless you have other roommates for me to meet.”
“No. Just those two.”
“Good. We have a little bit of a drive.”
“Uh, where are we going?”
“I wanted something quiet for tonight.”
“Meaning…” I felt a shiver of anticipation. Quiet with Chase sounded perfect.
“I thought you liked surprises.”
“When did I tell you that?”
“I guess you haven’t…I just assumed it by your personality.”
“Yeah… not exactly. I like to be prepared.”
“You’re prepared.”
We drove in near silence for a while. It’s funny, for a musician, Chase didn’t seem to listen to music much. Or maybe it was just around me. “Does the radio work?”