Making Chase Read Online Free PDF Page A

would laugh.
    He knew his mother would pick up the story so he ate the cake and waited.
    “Anyway, Tate and her sisters own the salon where I get my hair done. Liv goes there regularly and Maggie from time to time too. Anne, the sister, she does my hair but Tate does all that newfangled razor cut stuff and the color jobby with the aluminum foil strips.” Polly shrugged.
    “She’s a nice girl. All those kids turned out so well. Especially considering what they came from.”
    Edward sighed and patted his wife’s hand.
    “What do you mean?”
    “The father, um, Bill, yeah that’s right, total drunkard. Lazy fool.
    Those kids went hungry a lot, I think. We tried to think on ways to get 26
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    Making Chase
    them food but the father…” She shook her head. “Refused any so-called charity. We did manage to get the kids free lunch at school. That Tate, she’s something else.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    Her very perceptive eyes narrowed, honing in on him. “Why are you asking?”
    “She sent me cookies today for helping her after the accident. I met her when I went to thank her. She seemed nice but I realized I didn’t know much about her. Kyle suggested I ask you.” She harrumphed. “Tate Murphy is a nice girl, Matthew Sebastian Chase. She and her older brother are the ones who raised the rest of those children. Eight in all. The mother, she’s worse than the father.
    Kept having ‘em and running off again with some new man who blew through town. I saw Tate with babies on her hip when she was in kindergarten. They didn’t have the same kind of child welfare services then. But from what I’ve seen and heard over the years, every single one of those kids went to college if they wanted to or some kind of trade school and they all pooled together to pay for it. Tate and Tim being the oldest have done the lion’s share.”
    “How come I never saw any of this?” Matt felt shame that all this happened to people his age and he never knew.
    “Oh, they lived over in the trailer park on Ash. Not like you had much call to get out that way. You were lucky children to have your lives free of that sort of thing.” Polly clucked.
    The other side of the metaphorical tracks. That part of town was ramshackle and dark. Not the tree-lined stately homes of his neighborhood or even the nice residential flavor of the majority of Petal.
    That side of town had more burnt out cars and trucks up on blocks than oak trees.
    He stayed and visited with his parents for a while longer and went home. But Tate’s wide, friendly smile stayed with him even after he’d turned off the lights.

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    Lauren Dane

Chapter Four
    Matt saw her everywhere once he’d actually noticed her the first time.
    That bright shock of white-blonde hair was a beacon along with the vivid, colorful clothes she always wore.
    Somehow, it fit and he loved the retro vibe it lent her. Quite often, she wore dresses that made him think of the fifties. Flared skirts and tight bodices in bright red or blue. Always shoes to match. The woman could probably give Cassie a run for her money in the shoe department.
    Two weeks after he’d gone into her shop that first time, he saw her sitting on a bench at city hall. It was early May and the day was clear and warm. Her hair gleamed in the sunshine.
    He plopped down on the bench next to her and began to unpack his lunch. “Hey there. This seat taken?”
    Her surprised jump made him glad she wasn’t eating or drinking anything after the first choking incident. “Hi. No. No, sit down. I was just having my lunch.”
    Looking between his sandwich and whatever the heaven-in-a-bowl she was eating, made his stomach growl. “What is that? Looks way better than a turkey sandwich.”
    She held out a forkful to him and without thinking he took it.
    Instantly, his taste buds lit as the flavor rushed into his mouth.
    “It’s green curry with tofu.”
    “That’s tofu? No way. Tofu