Free Can't Buy Me Love by Elizabeth Powers Page B

arms.
    Chase
noticed them too. “Are you cold?” he asked, pulling her closer in his arms.
    But
Lena wasn’t going to lie, not even about this. “No. Not even a little bit,” she
said.
    “But
you…”
    “I
know. It’s not the cold.”
    “Ah,”
the man said with some satisfaction. “Well, how about that.”
    Lena
pulled away and looked up at Chase, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What?”
    Chase
smiled down at her then, gently allowing more space between them. “It’s not
just me,” he said softly. “That’s good to know.”
    “But…”
    “Relax.
And dance with me, sweetheart. We’ll have time to talk later.”
     
     
    Oh
geez. Lena closed her eyes and counted slowly to ten. It was bad enough that
she had spent the whole damn evening fighting the strong and sudden attraction
she was feeling for Chase, but now she was going to have to do something, and
soon, to help her stepmother.
    “What’s
wrong, Lena?” Chase asked quietly, appearing back at her side with a glass of
champagne.
    She
opened her eyes again. Nope, not a dream. Sighing, she looked up at Chase and
said seriously, “I think that I should take Jeanette home.”
    Chase
looked up and caught sight of Mrs. Magill, wavering toward the open bar with a
wide smile and a look of determination on her face. Even from here, he could
tell how that she’d had more than a few drinks too many, and he immediately
shared Lena's concern. Looking down, he saw frustration and anxiety in her
eyes.
    Reaching
for his valet parking ticket, he said quietly, “Take my car.”
    But
she shook her head firmly. “Thanks. But I can’t do that. I can’t take care of
her and drive at the same time. I’ll catch a cab.”
    Chase
glanced at his watch. “There may not be any taxis outside. Let me take you.”
    Lena
looked up at him with chagrin. “I don’t want you to have to leave here. It’s
not fair to you.”
    “Lena,
you need help. You go get your stepmother while I track down your father to let
him know what’s happening, and I’ll meet you at the front door in five minutes.”
    Lena
hesitated, but in the end simply looked grateful. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
    He
shook his head and touched her gently on the shoulder, the look on his face
simply one of compassion. “We put in an appearance, Lena. Actually more than
that – we stayed for cocktails, dinner, dancing, and a good amount of
socializing. And this is not exactly my favorite event of the year. So no, I
don’t mind. Besides, you can’t deal with this on your own.”
    Nodding,
Lena simply said, “Thank you. I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”
     
     
    When
Lena’s father arrived home an hour later, Lena had just managed to get her stepmother
into bed. Chase had stayed for about half an hour, making sure that Lena was all
right and didn’t need any help with Jeanette, but he had left when it was clear
that there was very little he could do. Lena had brewed some hot tea,
encouraged her stepmother to have a cup, and was in the kitchen cleaning up
after herself when her father walked in the front door. Lena walked out to the
foyer to meet him.
    “What
happened?” he asked. “Why did you bring her home so early?”
    Lena
leveled him a look. “Even though she had plenty of food in her after that
substantial dinner, she still had way too much to drink. Dad, I haven’t seen
her this drunk in... Well, ever.”
    “She
was just having a nice time with friends, Charlene.”
    “Having
a nice time with friends involves actually being coherent enough to know who
your friends are. She was making her way back to the bar by way of most of the
men there. Or rather, their butts. Including Mr. Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson Senior,
I might add. Does that sound normal to you?”
    “I’m
sure you’re overreacting.”
    Lena
sighed. “Dad, I think she really needs help.”
    “She’s
fine.”
    But
Lena persisted. “No. She’s not. How many times in the last month have you had
to nearly carry her out