More Than Friends by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page A

Terry, then handed her the chart and left.
    Terry joined him in the doorway of his father’s room. “Are you staying?” she asked.
    “I think I’ll go home for a while, then come back in the morning.”
    “Okay. I’ve got the number at the house.” Terry looked down. “If there’s any change, I mean.”
    “Sure.” He headed toward the double doors.
    “Chase?”
    He paused. “Yeah?”
    “Are you going to be in town long?”
    He tilted his head toward the private room. He wasn’t here for old times’ sake; he was here fulfilling his duty. “That all depends on him.”
    “I just wanted to say that Tom and I would love to see you, if you have time. Just for dinner or to talk.” Her brown eyes filled with compassion.
    He used his index finger to push up her glasses. “Tom? So you
did
marry the high school football captain.”
    “Of course,” she said and smiled. “He was the second best-looking guy in school. And by senior year, the best-looking one only had eyes for Jenny Davidson. Oh!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
    “No problem. Jenny and I have made our peace.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, wondering if she could see through the lie. “I’ll be back here tomorrow. Are you working then?”
    “The night shift. Then I’m off for a couple of days, but I’ll keep in touch.”
    “I’d like that. Bye.” Chase glanced back at his father’s room, then pushed through the double doors and out into the corridor.
    Once outside, he stood breathing in the night air. The smells of the hospital seemed to linger on his clothes and he wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a clean bed. The keys to the house were tucked in the envelope Jenny had given him. At this hour, he could make the trip in less than ten minutes.
    But it was fifteen minutes before he started the truck, and another fifteen of driving around aimlessly before he headed toward the big three-story structure at the end of Harrisville’s small but elegant upperside. The ivy-covered gates stood open, but the dark house looked as unwelcoming as a haunted mansion.
    He sat in his truck and looked around. Nothing had changed. The shrubs and hedges rose to the exact height he remembered. His father had always seen to it that an army of gardeners clipped away any signs of growth. Even the rosebushes flanking the path to the front door maintained their precise shape.
    Pulling the envelope out of his jacket pocket, he fingered the keys inside, but didn’t leave the truck. In his mind’s eye, he could see the foyer, all black-and-white tiles and crystal chandelier, bigger than most houses on the other side of town. Upstairs, three doors down, was his bedroom. If he knew his father, it would have been left undisturbed. Cleaned regularly, of course, by the staff, but not converted to a den or study. Chase laughed, the harsh bark cutting through the still night. The house already had a den and a study and a library. What did one unused bedroom matter?
    The country station on the truck’s radio eased into another song about lost love and misspent youth. Chase stared at the dark windows and swore. He could handle being alone; it was the ghosts that made him uncomfortable.
    Without considering the consequences, he shifted into reverse and backed out onto the street. Two miles later, he parked in front of Jenny’s single-story red house. Light blazed out onto the lawn. The welcoming glow warmed the ice around his soul. He had no business being here. But the pull was stronger than the anger. It was as if the emotion had been washed away, leaving behind only the memory of what should have been.
    He was courting danger. He was a fool. That was something else that hadn’t changed. He’d always been a fool for Jenny.
    Stuffing the car keys into his jeans pocket, he made his way to the door and knocked softly. Before he had a chance to lower his hand, she stood before him, staring up