“Shit.” Knowing there was no putting it off, he opened the door and let her inside.
Before he could speak, she pulled him into her arms and held on tight. “Oh, my God, are you all right? I heard what happened at Samson’s place and I’ve been sick with worry.”
She stepped back, and sure enough, concern etched her beautiful face as she ran her hands down his arms, presumably to make sure he was in one piece.
“Gossip mill ran that fast, huh?” he asked, trying to make light of a very serious situation.
Raina might not have a real heart condition, but she was getting older and she adored her children. He didn’t want her worrying about him unnecessarily.
“Since when is anything in this town secret?” She perched a hand on her hip and wagged the other finger in front of his face, lightly chiding him, yet her eyes were filled with tears, her expression one of stark relief. “Now help me inside with these bags.” She gestured behind her with a grand sweep of her hand.
For the first time, Chase saw the large brown bags, all filled to the top. “What’s this?” he asked as he gathered the packages together.
“Why, dinner, of course. You need your energy after such a stressful day. Norman cooked your favorite, the wonderful man.” She followed him inside, chatting the entire way.
He managed to get the bags into the kitchen before one handle broke and the contents fell to the floor. He glanced down but everything seemed intact. Still, the bags had been heavy, and for a woman with a so-called weak heart, she shouldn’t be lifting them.
He was angry as hell at her for the charade, but with Sloane due to walk out of that bathroom any minute, now wasn’t the time for a confrontation. In fact, now would be an excellent time to get rid of Raina before she got an eyeful of Sloane and came up with any more harebrained, matchmaking ideas. Heaven help him if she discovered he and Sloane had a past or that he actually liked the woman.
“Did you carry these bags yourself?” he asked, putting heavy disapproval in his tone.
“No, she had her chauffeur do it for her.” From the open door, Chase recognized Dr. Eric Fallon’s voice.
“Come on in, Eric,” Chase called to the town practitioner, and his mother’s boyfriend .
What else could he call the male half of a late-in-life couple?
Chase appreciated the older man for the happiness he’d brought into his mother’s life and for the voice of reason he presented in the midst of the chaos that was Raina. Eric kept her busy, made her laugh, and took charge when her ideas seemed to get out of control.
“This is the last of the bags,” Eric said, placing them on the counter. Two bottles peeked out from the top of the bag.
“Wine?” Chase asked.
“Champagne,” Raina countered. “To celebrate life.”
So now they were having a party. He glanced toward the hallway and wondered what Sloane would think when she walked out of the bathroom to find she had an audience.
Raina lifted the expensive bottle of Dom Pérignon and eyed it longingly. She didn’t drink often, but when it came time to celebrate, she loved a glass of bubbly with her family.
Too bad Chase was about to kill her fun. It was the only solution he could think of as payback for her babymaking scheming.
He put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed lovingly. “You shouldn’t drink, Mom.
It’s not good for your heart.”
“The boy’s right, Raina.” Eric eased the champagne out of her grasp and placed the bottle on the counter.
“Killjoy,” she muttered without meeting his gaze.
Chase met his gaze and Eric winked.
Two men, with Raina as a common bond. With his salt-and-pepper hair, the doctor was distinguished-looking and a nice complement to his mother’s fairer looks. They made an attractive couple, Chase thought.
He glanced around the now-messy and chaotic-looking kitchen. Though he no longer had to worry about what to feed Sloane for dinner, he’d rather not do it with an audience.
“Thanks so much for bringing over food.” He stopped short of adding, You can go now .
“You’re welcome.” She bent down for one of the lighter bags, and after placing it on the counter, she began unpacking the contents. “I figured that a bachelor like you has nothing in the fridge to feed a houseguest, let alone a beautiful houseguest.”
So she knew about Sloane. He glanced at the overloaded shopping bags filled with food and champagne. He should have realized she had an agenda. The only upside to the situation was that hopefully, if she was matchmaking, she wouldn’t be staying for dinner.
A mother’s presence didn’t make for romantic settings, he thought wryly.
Not that Sloane would be interested in romance tonight. She’d made it clear their one night had passed. “Beauty has nothing to do with what someone eats,” he said, focusing on conversation with his mother. “Besides, who told you I had company?”
Eric chuckled. “Your mother has a direct line to Gossip Central. Not five minutes after the pretty redhead left Norman’s, Izzy was on the horn with Raina.”
Raina clucked her tongue, chiding him. “Don’t make it sound sordid, Eric. The young woman’s been through a lot today. So has my oldest boy. I just wanted to make sure they were well fed.”
“And we needed champagne because . . . ?” Chase asked.
Raina rolled her eyes. “To enhance the atmosphere, of course.”
Chase clenched his fists, hating being manipulated. “You don’t even know if Sloane and I have chemistry. You don’t even know if I’m interested, yet here you are with a gourmet dinner and a bottle of expensive champagne.”
“Norman’s is hardly gourmet,” Raina countered. “And it’s not like you to be surly.”
“When you’re meddling, it sure as hell is,” he muttered.
“Shh.” Raina placed a finger over her lips. “Maybe she doesn’t like foulmouthed men.”
She glanced around, finally looking for his guest. “Where is she, anyway?”
“Cleaning up.” He gestured toward the bathroom in the back hall. “And she’s had a rough day. I doubt she’s in the mood for company.”
Eric’s deep laugh echoed in the room. “I think he’s asking you to leave, Raina dear.” He grasped her elbow gently.
“Us,” Raina said. “He’s asking us to leave.”
“He knows I have one foot out the door already, while you’re angling to stay.”