The Bachelor Pact (34 page)

"What—" Lance's words died in his throat as he summed up the scene.

Chase fisted his hands by his sides. Shit. There'd be no denying it this time.

Maddie had missed a button on her shirt, making the ends hang askew. And he'd been caught, literally, with his pants down.

Chapter 25

Maddie was prepared to stand up to her brothers and confess everything, especially since her brothers were glaring at Chase if they planned to murder him. "Lance, Reid—"

"The tour's here!" the real-estate agent announced from downstairs. "Maddie, hurry so you can greet them."

Chase, Lance and Reid exchanged labored looks. "This isn't over," Lance snarled.

Chase leaned closer to Maddie and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. I'll take care of things. And we'll get your necklace back."

The real-estate agent rapped on the staircase. "Maddie, they're coming up the sidewalk!"

Maddie inched to the edge of the window and peered out. "Oh, my goodness. There are so many people. I have to go." She turned and saw her brothers yanking Chase toward the door. He was still trying to buckle his belt.

"We're going to have a little talk," Lance said in a growl.

"Guys, wait!" Maddie yelled.

"It's okay, Maddie," Chase said in a low voice. "I'll see you after the tour."

"Like hell you will," Reid snapped.

"Boys, don't you dare—"

"Get downstairs, Maddie." Chase jerked free of her brothers. "This is what you've been working so hard for. Go on."

Maddie glanced back and forth between her brothers and Chase, torn. "You guys have to take your places, too."

"We'll do what we have to do," Lance said.

"Maddie!" the real-estate agent chirped. "Hurry! You should be here to greet them!"

Chase nodded for her to go ahead, and she brushed down her skirt, rebuttoned the front of her blouse, patted her hair into place and raced down the stairs. She heard the men's footsteps following but didn't have time to pause as a steady stream of people came flooding through the front door.

* * *

Three and a half hours later, Maddie sank onto the Chippendale sofa and breathed a contented sigh of relief. The first phase of the tour had been a success. So successful in fact that the real-estate agents had decided they would keep it open all week. Potential buyers had seemed to jump out of the woodwork. Maddie had a pocket full of business cards from prospective clients, buyers had expressed interest in two of the houses she'd decorated, and she'd heard nothing but praise for her brothers' work and Chase's designs. Jeff and his mother had even come.

Her chest swelled with pride for all of them even as her stomach fluttered with nerves. She had to find the boys and talk to them. And Chase. It was better everything was out in the open.

But her earlier conversation with Chase nagged at her; he'd planned to tell her something important. Was it that he'd seen Jeff or had there been something else on his mind—as in a breakup?

Or had he already explained things to her brothers by now, smoothed things over?

A girl could hope, couldn't she?

Unease pressed a fiery path down her throat. What if Chase wanted to end things? He'd always been fiercely loyal to Lance and Reid, but how did he feel about
her?

"Maddie, I'm glad I caught you here alone for a minute." Jeff Oglethorpe coasted up beside her, sipping champagne from one of the flutes that had been set up at the celebratory table. He handed her a small jewelry box.

Maddie's heart raced—was it her mother's heirloom?

"Hi, Jeff." Maddie stood, feeling anxious.

"Congratulations on the success of the tour. Mother was impressed as well." Jeff's smile radiated warmth. "Go ahead, open the box."

Maddie's fingers trembled as she lifted the lid. A stunning cameo pin lay on a square of red velvet.

"I picked it out just for you," Jeff said, his voice thick with emotions.

Maddie's gaze rose to meet his. "But Jeff, I... I can't accept this."

"Sure you can. It would mean a lot to me, Maddie. I want you to have it to commemorate your new career."

Maddie blinked back tears. Jeff took the oval cameo out and pinned it to her collar. Then he brushed a kiss on her cheek. "The tour was really impressive, Maddie."

"Thank you." Maddie pulled away slightly, still uncomfortable with the gift. "I'm glad you thought so, Jeff. We all worked hard on organizing the show, but Lance and Reid have been especially diligent about checking their contractors' work."

"Their efforts obviously paid off." He gestured around the room with a wide sweep of his hand. "You definitely have a talent for decorating. A couple of Mother's friends are interested in buying one of the tour homes. Furnishings and all."

"That's wonderful," Maddie said, her smile sincere. "There was so much interest, we've decided to keep the tour running all week."

"Superb." He clasped her hand in his, pulling her nearer. "Your houses drew a lot of comments, Maddie. I'm proud of you."

Maddie patted her purse. "I did pick up a lot of contacts. Hopefully, I can pay back my loan soon and get back my mother's necklace."

Jeff nodded. "Yes, of course." He reached out and caressed her cheek with the palm of his hand. "Can we go someplace and talk?"

"Er—"

"Come on, let me buy you dinner. I want to make things up to you. You have received all my gifts, haven't you?"

"Yes, and they were all very thoughtful. But I can't go right now," Maddie said. "I have to meet Lance and Reid about the tour."

"Later, then?" He stroked her cheek again. "Maybe we could celebrate together. Go out to the river like we used to do. Maybe take a boat ride."

Maddie took a step backward, her pulse clamoring as if she were being disloyal to Chase. Silly, since he'd never said he wanted a commitment. "I'll call you later and we'll talk, but right now I really have to go."

With a quick good-bye, she turned and fled to find the boys. She hoped Chase had already explained their relationship, so she and
Chase
could go celebrate together. That is, if her brothers hadn't tied him to a tree with his own belt and lynched him.

* * *

Chase shook hands with the last guest, a physician from New York who had decided to relocate to the sunny South, and jotted a note about the meeting they'd scheduled for the following week in his calendar. He should be excited—the tour had been a bigger success than any of them could have imagined. He had retainers from two customers, five others interested in custom-designed homes and a few more calls to return.

But he still had to deal with Lance and Reid and explain about his relationship with Maddie.

They'd temporarily called a truce when the tour had begun, all three of them turning to business, acting the professionals he'd thought none of them would ever be. But with each passing second, his anxiety grew. Reid and Lance had avoided looking at him at all—a testament to how much they hated him. He'd helped them intimidate Oglethorpe after that TV debacle. And now, he'd acted far worse than the wuss. He'd seduced their baby sister—they'd probably kill him.

Just at the time his business was finally panning out, his dreams for making something of himself and showing Savannah he wasn't a nobody, the rest of his world was falling apart. Crumbling in his hands so fast he wasn't sure he could save it.

"Looks like everything was a success," Lance said as the door closed behind the last visitor. The three of them converged around the round oak table in the breakfast nook, sipping on coffee.

"Yep. I'd say we're in good shape," Reid added with a grin. "And I heard several people raving over Maddie's decorating. Sounds like our little sister's found her calling."

Chase squared his shoulders and faced them. Might as well act like a man. "I told you she had things under control."

Both his friends' faces twisted with emotions—anger, hurt, disbelief.

"Yeah, and we thought
you
had things under control with her," Lance said.

"We trusted you," Reid said in a gravelly voice.

And therein lay the crux of the problem, Chase thought. He'd betrayed his best buddies' trust, the guys who'd helped him all his life. And the only way he knew to fix the problem was to let go of Maddie.

* * *

Maddie slipped into the model-home office, pausing when she heard voices. Her brothers' voices, Chase's. Hesitating by the kitchen doorway, she twisted her hands together and leaned next to the doorjamb beside the built-in bookshelves.

"We asked you to do a simple favor," Lance said. "To watch out for Maddie and make sure she didn't go wild with this decorating gig of hers, and look what happens."

Chase was supposed to be watching out for her?

"All we wanted was a baby-sitter so we could get our work done," Reid added.

Maddie clutched her stomach in misery.
A babysitter?

"And, you agreed," Lance snapped. "You didn't think she'd succeed or even stick with this design idea any more than we did. And what did you do—you tried to seduce her!"

They didn't think she'd succeed?

"How far has it gone?" Reid asked. "How long have you been—?"

"Shut up," Chase growled. "I... I mean... it was just today."

A tear rolled down Maddie's cheek.
What? Just today?

"Look, guys, I take full responsibility. Maddie was excited about the tour, we've gotten to be good friends—"

Good friends?

"That's all. I let the situation get out of hand today, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Maddie bit back a sob.
It wouldn't?

"I should never have touched Maddie; I was a—"

"Jerk," Lance supplied.

"SOB," Reid said.

Scumbag coward.

"You're right," Chase said in a low voice. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"Think about Maddie," Lance said. "She's not the screw-around type, Chase. And you're not the marrying kind. You go through women like some men go through cars."

"Yeah, remember that bachelor pact," Reid added.

"I know," Chase said harshly. Maddie heard the chair scrape across the hardwood floor, heard Chase's boots clicking on the surface as he paced. "Don't worry, I'll explain things to Maddie and apologize. I won't... I won't touch her again. You have my word."

Maddie pressed her hand over cheek, wiping at the tears. What a fool she'd been—she'd secretly hoped he might confess his love, even talk about a commitment.

The sound of chairs moving startled her, and she realized they were all leaving, coming toward her. Her heart breaking, she tiptoed in the opposite direction and let herself out of the French doors, then hurried around the front to meet them on the doorstep.

Chase had broken her heart, but she'd be damned if she'd let him mangle her pride. She'd bid him good-bye before he had a chance to tell her their relationship was over.

* * *

Chase's feet felt heavy as he walked to the front door, but his heart was aching so much he couldn't seem to find the energy to make his body move any faster. Telling Maddie wasn't going to be easy, but he had to face her. He'd broken his promise once and look where it had gotten him. He'd lost the respect of his two best friends—no, his
only
friends. Now, he'd given the guys his word, and he had to keep it, no matter how much it hurt.

He had never hurt over a woman before, not since his mother.

Lance and Reid stepped outside, and he followed on their heels, shocked when he saw Maddie flying up the steps. "Hey, you guys," she sang cheerfully. "How'd the show go on your part?"

Lance and Reid exchanged confused looks.

"The tour?" Maddie said, shrugging as if none of them had any sense. "Everyone seemed pleased, didn't they?"

"Oh, yeah," Lance said. "We made a lot of good contacts."

"Me, too," Maddie said, barely looking at Chase. "I have a folder full of business cards. I'm probably going to be so busy the next few months I won't have time to breathe."

And so would he. But he would still miss her.

Chase fisted his hands by his side at the realization. Maddie was like a burst of fresh summer sunshine in a world that had been dark to him for ages. Now that he'd seen the light, had felt how incredible it was to be warm and... and loved, even if only physically, for a little while, how was he going to walk back through that tunnel of darkness?

He jerked when Maddie touched his arm, and realized Lance and Reid were leaving.

"See you later," Lance said, giving Maddie a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're proud of you, sis."

"Yeah, you surprised everyone," Reid said.

Maddie frowned at her brother. "You didn't think I'd succeed?"

Reid looked sheepish. "Sorry, Maddie. I admit we were a little nervous, just because you used to jump around a lot." He hugged her. "I guess we underestimated you. I'm glad we were wrong."

Maddie's smile seemed a little tight, but then Chase was having a hard time forcing one on his own face, so he figured his perception was completely distorted. Lance and Reid gave him a pointed look as they left. He nodded, gesturing that he understood.