Page 98 of Hearts of Fairlake

"Sure."

"Do you think my own tactics being used against me will somehow work? C'mon Chase, you have to try harder than that to get results."

Which, of course, prompted him to turn and look me over with obvious concern. “I'm serious about my question, though. I might have been the one who got hurt, but you were dealing with that, trying to get me out of there, worrying about me, and then everything with Amber and Isabelle. I seriously want to know how you're doing mentally."

It wasn't like Chase didn't know how to be sweet or show his concern. It was just that, usually, it came in the form ofbitching, growling, snapping, and the occasional threat. When he showed it openly, you knew he was genuinely concerned. It was also the fastest way to make me relent to anything he wanted out of me. He knew that but only used the tactic when he was truly worried.

"Bastard," I said with a fond smile. "I'm...better now. Knowing everyone is relatively okay and that you're out of the worst of it is enough for me to take a step back and a deep breath. Once we get you home, I'll really be okay."

He searched my face for a long minute and was apparently content with whatever he found there before giving a nod. “Well, if you're going to be here for the night, then you'll need more than coffee."

On cue, my stomach protested, and I snorted. “I'll grab something from the cafeteria. But don't think I didn't notice that you haven't eaten yet."

"Now the pain meds aren't flooding my brain along with everything else, I'm feeling a little hungry," he admitted but then frowned. "But then there's the diet they have me on."

I snorted. “One of your kidneys and your bowels were injured. Did you think you were going to get to eat whatever you wanted?"

"A guy can dream," he said, pointing toward the closet Ayla had glanced at nervously earlier. "Go ahead and grab what's in there."

Raising a brow, I let go of his hand and walked to the closet. For a moment, I couldn't understand what I was looking at until it clicked, and I laughed. “A picnic basket?"

"Eh, I had it ready to go, save for the cold stuff, and stowed away with Ayla because I knew you’d find it, and Bennett would have given me too much shit if I asked him to hide it. Plus, he's shit at hiding things, and the kids would have gotten into it," he said in annoyance. "Might as well bring it over here."

I took it by the handle, leaving it closed because, despite my burning curiosity, this washisgesture, and I was going to let him have the pleasure of the grand reveal. I set it on the bed on the other side of where he sat. "What? Decided if we couldn't have the picnic the way you wanted to, you were going to do it anyway?"

"Yeah, well, if the universe didn't want me to have a halfway decent picnic with you, it should have killed me instead of just pain and a restricted diet," he grumbled. "And yes, I already talked to a nurse to see what I could have. You'll have to enjoy what I can't in my place."

"I'll do my best," I said with a laugh. "Is that why Ayla was really here? I mean, outside of being genuinely concerned for your well-being, that is."

"She needed an excuse to get away from Kyle for a bit," Chase said, opening the basket and glancing at me, but I was content to wait to see what he brought out. "He's still freaked out and all but I also know she needs some space to breathe. Isabelle is back in jail and going to prison, but Ayla still needed to clear her head. Having an excuse to get away and do something normal was something she jumped at."

"I bet," I said, grinning when he brought out a tray with cheeses, a few fruits, and some meats. "A charcuterie board?"

"Yeah, well, it seemed like good picnic food. Believe it or not, I spent ages trying to decide what to throw in there," he said, bringing out a bottle of wine and setting it down on the bedside table. "You'll have to drink that, though. I'm not allowed."

"Rest in peace your evening beers after a rough night at work," I said with a chuckle, letting him pour me a glass of wine while trying a few cheeses. He surprised me by immediately suggesting a combination of items to try with a sip of the wine. I did as he asked, pleased to find the cheese and the fruit paired nicely despite their strong tastes. Then, the wineworked wonders at mellowing everything and washing it away so there was only the taste of the wine.

That continued as he showed me a few more combinations and then a couple of his own. Obviously, the picnic idea hadn't been a whim or with only a few things in mind. He’d clearly been doing his homework. I could hear the clink of a couple more bottles and wondered what else he had in mind.

"I'll be honest, I had to pick these up from a store down in Denver," he said sheepishly. "They were going to be as fresh as possible since I had to get them early and keep them out of sight...but they're going to be even less fresh now."

"Stop," I told him with a chuckle and examined the sandwiches, delighted when I saw what they were. "Bahn Mi? Nice. Wait?—"

"They're from that little place you always went to, the one that translates to 'Hole in the Wall' if I remember right."

"You do."

"They were nice enough to send it all over in different containers, so the bread won't be soggy or anything like that, but nothing's going to be?—"

"As fresh," I finished for him, taking a bite, and my eyelids fluttered at the familiar taste. "God, this is exactly the way I remember it. And no, before you say anything, it's not because it's not fresh. It's because I'm stone-cold sober and not coming down from something while eating one of these. God, this is good."

He drew out another bottle and poured something, handing it over. "I'm not sure how to pronounce it. But the woman at the store said this rice wine is supposed to go really well with these."

I did my due diligence and took a sip, surprised by the sudden crispness that managed to tone down the strong flavors of the sandwich while adding something new that changed the entire thing. Needless to say, it didn't take melong to work my way through my half of the sandwich and drink the glass of wine. I also got my hands on the bottle to look it over, knowing I was going to save it for future reference.

Next came a container that made my eyes widen. “Is this some cake from...Crumble?"

"You talked about that bakery almost as much as you talked about the sandwich place," he said with a chuckle, pulling out a dark wine and opening it. "I promise I won't tell Grant you were a big fan of another bakery."

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