A Hope and a Chance(39)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I could see appreciation in the way he held his grin. He was thankful that for the first time since that terrifying ordeal he had someone on his side one-hundred percent. I wasn’t going to be that person who questioned the possibility. I knew without a doubt that this man in front of me was innocent. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Yes, I think I do. You’re not alone, Chance, not anymore. I believe you.”

He hugged me so tightly, sniffling against my shoulder. This was a side of Chance that I never knew existed. His emotional side didn’t mean he was a sissy. Instead it showed me that he was capable of feeling pain. It showed me that what I was feeling inside of my gut was the real deal, and not some kind of infatuation.

He pulled away holding my shoulders. “There’s something else you need to know, Hope. Remember that night that we were at the bar? Our first night together?”

I nodded my head.

“Someone disappeared from the bar that night. The police got a hit on the video surveillance from the nationwide mug shots. They came asking me questions about it. The video shows me leaving with a female and people gave my description. When they saw my criminal history they hunted me down and told me not to leave town.”

“You left with me, Chance.” I confirmed. I already knew about the disappearance, courtesy of my best friend.

“You don’t understand, Hope. You’re underage, and your father didn’t even know we’d met. I couldn’t say that I was with you even if I wanted to.”

“I don’t care about what happens to me. You have to tell them we were together. I’m your alibi, Chance.” This guy had the worse luck on the planet. He was now being pegged for a second crime.

He shook his head. “No way! I won’t get you involved.”

We both turned our heads toward the window when we heard a car pulling up out front.

“They’re home.” I said in a panic.

Chance kissed me. “I’m going in the kitchen. Run upstairs and don’t come down until you hear us talking,” he urged.

Without even thinking about everything he’d told me, I rushed up the stairs toward my room.

22

Telling Hope the truth was easier than I’d originally thought. Once I started the whole story came pouring out. She believed me and it meant everything. I hated to send her upstairs after confessing so much about myself, but we couldn’t risk being found out, especially now. I made my way to the kitchen and started to make coffee. By the time the front door opened it was already brewing and I was leaning against the counter.

I heard Buffy first as she called out. “Hello, we’re home!”

I headed out of the kitchen and into the foyer. Buffy was beaming ear to ear. She dropped her suit case and held out her arms for me to hug her. I gave her a big squeeze and finally let her go as Mark walked into the house. I reached my hand out and shook his, the whole time wondering if he suspected that I’d slept with his only daughter.

“Where’s Hope?” Was the first thing out of his mouth.

“I have no idea. I came in to make coffee, and then heard you guys coming in the door,” I lied.

“HOPE,” Buffy called up the stairs.

Perfection came walking down the stairs in a pair of pajama pants and hoodie. She had pulled her hair up, but it looked like she’d just gotten out of bed. “Hey, I didn’t hear you come in.”

She never looked in my direction and it was a good thing, because if my eyes found hers they would know the truth immediately. This was a dangerous game that we were playing.

“We have some news and it involves the both of you. How about we leave everything here. I want to make a big family breakfast and tell you all what’s going on.” Buffy was all smiles, making me wonder what she had up her sleeve. All I could think about was going on some kind of family vacation together, and sneaking around trying to catch alone moments with my girlfriend.

“Can I get a shower while you cook?” Hope asked.

“I can help you cook, sis,” I offered.

Buffy snatched my arm and pulled me into the kitchen, while Mark started carrying the luggage into the laundry room.

“So, how was your weekend, little brother?” She asked as she started pulling out things from cabinets and the refrigerator.

“It was fine. I just hung around here and worked on the roof for a while. What about you? How was your trip?”

She smiled cheek to cheek again. “It was fabulous, but we can talk about it when we’re all together.”

“Okay, should I be nervous?” I leaned across the counter. “Are you kicking me out, or hiring a new carpenter? Am I working too slow?” I asked.

“Chance, get a grip!” She laughed. “It has nothing to do with you, it just affects you indirectly. Stop assuming.”

I shrugged and made a cup of coffee while she began cooking. I noticed she was making French toast. It was something that my mother showed her how to do when we were kids. They made this vanilla cinnamon butter to go with it that made it taste even better. The smell filled my nostrils, but it wasn’t breakfast that filled my mind. It was Hope.

I found myself watching the kitchen doorway, just waiting for her to come into the room. I heard the phone ring and Mark getting into a conversation with one of his clients about a new property. I started juggling, or attempting to juggle some oranges while I waited.

My sister rolled her eyes and motioned to a stack of plates and silverware. I dropped the fruit back in the basket. Once I took the plates, she told me to set the outside table, so I headed onto the patio.

When I started to set the table I got a whiff of Hope’s shampoo, and it took everything I had in me not to turn around and pull her into my arms. She smelled delightful and I found myself missing her already even though we were standing just feet apart.

I twisted my head to glance at her, but when I noticed she was doing the same, I turned away. “Get yourself together,” I mumbled to myself.

Hope and I needed to be careful. We couldn’t act like we were involved, but it was obviously impossible to avoid each other. We had to be cordial without revealing our desire to be together. It was harder than we thought. When I looked at her, I wanted to melt into her eyes. She was breathtaking, and her running shorts with that tight shirt did more for me than it should have been doing.

“Good morning, Chance.” Hope said loud enough that Buffy could hear.

“Hey, Hope. What’s new? What’d you do last night?” I asked, praying she went along with the ruse.