Can't Buy Me Love (2 page)

Two

Across
town, Edward Chase Hamilton was sprawled on his best friend’s couch, nursing a
scotch. He had long ago discarded his tuxedo jacket, pulled off the cummerbund
and tie, and loosened the buttons around his neck. He looked rumpled,
disgruntled, and dangerously close to angry. His friend Jared was sitting back
in the easy chair across from him, his feet propped on the coffee table.

“I’m
tired of meeting women who are only interested in my money.”

“What
prompted this?” his friend asked in amusement, taking a sip of his own scotch.
“I thought you were with Charlene tonight.”

“I
was.”

“So
what happened?”

Chase
shrugged. “She’s sure not with me because she enjoys my company.”

“Last
I knew, you weren’t enjoying hers either,” Jared pointed out.

Chase
laughed. “OK, true. She’s absolutely beautiful, but she’s not very intelligent.
I kind of knew it from the start, but thought I’d give things a try anyway, you
know? Every time I ask her about something going on in the world, she changes
the subject. I don’t think that woman has ever read a newspaper – she’s probably
scared of getting newsprint ink on her hands. But wow. I’m tired of talking
about nothing. Do you know that she tried to talk about gardening with me
tonight? Gardening? What the hell do I know about gardening? What the hell do I
want
to know about gardening?”

“So
how did you get from vacuous to gold-digging?”

“You’ve
got a better explanation for why she stays with me?”

“Rumor
has it that you’re great in the sack,” Jared grinned.

Chase
chuckled and took another sip of his scotch. “Unless she’s listening to the
rumors and staying with me to see if they’re true, she has no way of knowing
that.”

“You
haven’t slept with her?”

“Nah.”

“Why
the hell not?”

“I
haven’t wanted to,” Chase admitted. “I don’t want her thinking that we’re
serious.”

“You’ve
dated for six months. The woman has reason to think that you’re serious.”

Chase
shrugged. “So I’ll break it off. It won’t come as a surprise to her. And she
can move on to another wealthy man.”

“I
hate to point this out, but that woman is wealthy in her own right.”

“Her
father apparently wants to add to the family coffers,” Chase said. “He’s the
one who introduced us. He said something along the lines of ‘This is my
daughter, Charlene. Charlene, this is Chase Hamilton. He’s filthy rich, so see
if you can land him.’”

“You’re
kidding.”

“Actually,
I am. It was much more subtle than that, but the implication was there.”

“And
she’s enough of a daddy’s girl that she did what he told her to?”

“Sure
seemed like it. But what the hell do I know?”

Jared
leaned back in his chair and peered over at his friend. “So you want to break
things off with the empty-headed, money-loving, but beautiful Charlene. Then
what?”

“Then
I need a new plan. Like I said, I’m tired of dating women who are more attracted
to my wealth than they are to my devastatingly charming personality.”

Jared
snorted. “Look. All kidding aside. You need to start meeting women in places
other than the latest society events and fundraisers. Believe it or not, there
are women out there who don’t give a damn about how much money you make, but
they are highly unlikely to show up at those god-awful functions that you keep
insisting on using as your own personal dating service. As long as you limit
your pool to that, you’re just going to keep meeting women whose self-esteem is
tied up in how big of a diamond they’re wearing or how many charity committees
they serve on.”

Chase
stared at the liquid in his glass, his expression contemplative. “The problem
is, I can’t tell the difference anymore. I can’t tell if a woman is into me or into
my bank account until I’m months into a relationship, and then it’s bound to
end badly. I know I’ve dated a lot of women lately, Jared. But before Charlene,
the last three women I dated seriously all seemed like they enjoyed my company.
We went to dinners, to shows, to concerts. We talked. We had fun. At least, I
thought we did. But Beth left without a backward glance when she met Mortimer
Whitfield.”

“Ah
yes. Morty. He married her a month later, and made her sign a pre-nup. Gina
tells me that he’s already fooling around on her, but she won’t leave him
because she’d get nothing in the divorce.”

“A
match made in heaven. Then there was Natalie. She seemed so kind-hearted. But
she started hinting around and asking for things. Telling me she’d be
so
happy if I’d buy her something – diamond earrings, vacation, spa package. Didn’t
take long before she’d be hinting again. And she was only interested in seeing
me if we were going someplace extravagant or exclusive. Dinner at my place was
only worthwhile if she could brag about it to her friends.”

“Ah
yes. The status symbol of dating Chase Hamilton.”

“You
scoff. But…”

“I
know. Believe me, I know. You’re a legend,” Jared grinned.

“And
then we come to Sarah. She was great. Beautiful, poised, intelligent. Had a
career. Enjoyed the same things I did, or at least I thought she did. Everything
was great until she mistakenly sent me an e-mail meant for her friend.”

Jared
looked sharply over at his friend. “You never told me this.”

Chase
grimaced. “The e-mail started out sounding good. She talked a lot about how
great the sex was. It was a complete betrayal of privacy, but at least it was flattering.
But then she went on to talk about how cold I was outside of the bedroom, and
how I never made time for her. She was apparently putting up with it because I
was a great catch. I guess ‘wealthy’ and ‘hot’ makes up for personality defects
these days.”

Jared
gave a low whistle. “Wow. No wonder you moved on to short-term serial dating. None
of these women really knew you at all, did they?”

Chase
gave a half- smile, then said softly, “Just once, I’d like to meet someone who
has no idea who I am, what I do, and how much I’m worth.”

But
Jared snorted. “Good luck with that. You own one of the largest financial firms
in the city. You employ thousands of people. And if that weren’t enough, your
last name gives you away. Especially in this town.”

“I
know. That’s why it won't matter if I meet women at charity galas or the grocery
store. Pretty soon, they’re going to see my photo in the newspaper and figure
out who I am. Maybe I need to introduce myself by a different name. And maybe
use some sort of disguise.”

Jared
laughed. “Well now you’re headed straight into bone-headed territory. Because
really, Chase. That won’t work. The only way it would have any chance of
success is if you go away. Meet someone on vacation.”

But
Chase shook his head. “I can’t. I’m in the middle of about three different
deals. If I leave town, it will affect each one of them.”

“So
wait until the deals are done,” Jared suggested reasonably.

Chase
sighed and leaned back into the couch cushions, looking across at his best
friend. “There will always be another deal. Look, doesn’t Gina have any friends
she can introduce me to? She’s the most down-to-earth woman I know. Surely her
friends are like her.”

“Nope.
She was the last one in her crowd to get married. Thank God she waited for me. And
unfortunately, her job takes her among the kind of women you meet every day, so
that’s no help to you either. So what
are
you looking for in a woman?”

Chase
sat up and leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs and his hands holding
the glass of scotch in front of him. He took the question seriously. Maybe if
he defined what he was looking for, he could figure out where to find it.

“OK.
I want someone who is intelligent – someone who can think for themselves and
not just repeat what they’ve heard around the dinner table from their friends
or their parents. She should be unafraid to stand up for what she believes in,
even when everyone else around her disagrees.” He took a sip of his scotch and
continued. “I’d like someone who actually likes
me
– not my money or my education
or my family name or my inheritance, but actually likes
me
. And likes
talking to me. Someone with a sense of humor. Someone who makes me lose track
of time – someone I
want
to be with, and not just someone that I call
when I need a date to some event.”

Jared
nodded. “And physically?”

Chase
shrugged. “Oh hell. I’m not sure I care anymore. Yeah, I want someone I’m
attracted to, but that means someone who eats like a normal person and has a
few pounds on her body, and I’m not sure any woman does that anymore. Charlene
actually hits the mark on that – she doesn’t seem to worry about what she eats.
She must have a good metabolism. That, or a good personal trainer.”

“Is
that it?” Jared asked dryly.

Chase
shook his head, then drained his glass. “No. One more thing. I want someone who
can get along with my grandfather. And stand up to him, now and again.”

“Oh.”

Chase
grinned as he placed his now-empty glass on the coffee table. “You had someone
in mind until that last requirement?”

Shrugging,
Jared shook his head. “No, not really, but that last one would have tossed out
anyone I know, regardless of everything else. I don’t know anyone who can stand
up to him other than his secretary, and she’s got to be 60 if she's a day. Geez,
Chase. That requirement might even disqualify Gina, and she meets most of the
rest of them.”

Chase
leaned back into the couch again. “I’m pretty much screwed, aren’t I?”

“Yeah.
Pretty much. But Charlene has had some staying power, compared to the other
women you’ve dated lately.”

“Yeah,
and as pathetic as I feel to say this, I’ve really just stayed with her because
it’s been easy. No emotional attachment, no expectations, and no drama. But I’m
finding that I really want a connection.”

“And
you don’t think you could find that with Charlene if you gave her a chance – a
real chance?”

Chase’s
expression was glum. “I asked her opinion tonight about the congressional
battle over the budget. She told me that she didn’t really feel like talking
politics, and then asked my opinion on the color of Margaret Franklin’s dress.”

Jared’s
laughter exploded out of him.

“Come
on. She
must
have been yanking your chain, Chase.”

“I
don’t think she has a sense of humor, Jared,” Chase said with disgust. “She never
laughs at any of my jokes.”

“That’s
a point in her favor, bro. Your jokes are not funny.”

Chase
sighed again. “You sure Gina doesn’t have a twin?”

Three

On
Monday morning, Lena found herself buried in paperwork. It was the middle of
the summer, and giving to charitable organizations tended to decrease during this
time of year, and then pick up again when the Thanksgiving and Christmas
holidays approached. December donations normally made up about half of their
annual charitable intake, as people tried to maximize their tax deductions before
the end of the year.

Reviewing
the budget always made Lena grumpy. It didn’t take much for the homeless
shelter she ran to edge its way financially into the red. One leaky roof or one
broken-down dishwasher was enough to cause expenses that were hard to
incorporate into the monthly budget. She needed to do better at fund-raising,
Lena knew. But that was her weakness. She hated asking for money, particularly
since the people she would ask were people she’d known since she was a kid. And
most of them were very uncomfortable around her now, since she had taken her
life in such a different direction than they were used to.

Despite
his annoyance with her for running the shelter, Lena’s father was still a
fairly consistent benefactor, mostly because he felt that it gave him some
leverage over her. And truthfully, it was the one reason she felt sort of obligated
to go along with some of his matchmaking schemes – it made him happy, and it
wasn’t like she was meeting a lot of Prince Charmings in
her
world. But her
father’s money alone couldn’t, and shouldn’t, run this shelter. Helping Hands
received some state money, some church donations, and enough private donations
from caring supporters and from some nearby businesses. And they got plenty of
non-financial assistance from restaurants, grocery stores, and discount stores,
but the needs were always so much greater than the intake. What she
really
needed was a staff member or volunteer who was good at raising money. Someone
who had no qualms about asking wealthy people to share their fortune with
others. And wow, that wasn’t her.

Fortunately,
the budget was still in the black, and there were no huge catastrophes waiting
around the bend. As long as the summer didn’t get too hot, requiring more
electricity than usual to keep fans and some air conditioning units running,
they might be looking at a decent year. Perhaps decent enough that they could
look at some of their wish-list items that they always seemed to dream about,
but never seemed to be able to afford.

Sighing,
Lena pulled up her financial spreadsheet on her computer and began entering
data from the vouchers on her desk. Bills still needed to be paid, even if more
money was going out than coming in this month.

“Hi
Lena.”

“Hey
Janie!” Lena said with a smile, quickly saving her file and then turning her
attention to her colleague. “What's up?”

“I’m
taking a break. Sandra just showed up.”

Lena
laughed. Janie was one of the long-term, full-time employees who kept the place
going – she ran the kitchen and kept the food flowing, even when donations were
only trickling in. Sandra was Janie’s right-hand woman, and the only time Janie
left the kitchen during the day was when Sandra was around.

“So
come on in and put your feet up for a few minutes. You’ve been running around
all morning, and you’re still getting over the flu. How’s Howard?”

“He’s
good. Working double shifts this week. They’re short-staffed at work.”

“Do
you need any extra hours while he’s doing that? I can find the time, if you
do.”

“Nah,
but thanks, Lena. I’ll take advantage of him being gone and work on cleaning
the house. That way, I can throw out half the stuff he thinks he needs, but
really doesn’t and won’t miss.”

Lena
snorted a laugh. “One of these days, you’re going to toss something he’s going
to look for.”

“Hasn’t
happened yet,” Janie said dryly. “But you’re probably right. I did not come in
here to talk about Howard, though. I came in here for the latest society
gossip,” she grinned. “How was the hospital event on Saturday?”

Lena
rolled her eyes. “The usual.”

“And
the tall, dark, and handsome escort?”

Shaking
her head, Lena sighed quietly. “Oh, he was fine. Polite. Definitely handsome. But
seriously, Janie... there’s nothing more to this one than there has been with
any of the other guys my father pushes on me.”

“This
one has lasted a bit longer than anyone else,” Janie pointed out.

“Yeah,
that’s because I’m sick of my matchmaking father. I figure if I can hold on to Chase
for a bit longer, I can pretend to be heartbroken when he leaves me, and that should
be able to buy a few months of freedom from dating.”

“You’re
terrible.”

“I
know. I really do. But you know my father.”

“Yeah,”
Janie said dryly. “We’ve met. So how much longer are you going to keep this thing
with Chase going?”

Lena
sighed. “I don’t think I can keep it going for a lot longer, to be honest. It’s
starting to get to me. One evening, I was feeling a little more benevolent than
usual, and asked him about his work. He totally shut me down. So I don’t even
try anymore. I just show up when he asks, dance with him, make light
conversation with the rest of the guests at whatever event we go to, and then
try like hell to get a taxi home so he doesn’t have to drive me. And it works,
nine times out of ten.”

“What
about sex?”

“What
about it?”

“He
hasn’t tried anything?”

“No.
He’s kissed me once or twice, but there was nothing there. His mind was on
something else, and I just wanted it to be over so I could get a good night’s
sleep and get back to my real life the next day.”

“But
he’s so good looking!”

Lena
shrugged. “He is. He really is. But when there’s nothing else there beyond
money and good looks...” She laughed. “I know that’s enough for some people,
but not for me. I need so much more than that. Or maybe not
more
, but
instead
of
that, you know? I want someone who cares about me, about other people,
about...”

“Something
other than making more money?”

Nodding
emphatically, Lena gave her friend a slight smile. “Yeah. Exactly.”

Janie
smiled as she pushed back her chair and stood up to head back to the kitchen. Looking
down at Lena, she said gently, “You’ll find it. In time. And, to be honest, I’m
really glad that you’re looking for something more than money and appearance. I
like our Saturday night pizza and beer nights. And I can’t quite see someone
like that fitting in.”

Lena
snorted. “Oh God no. Can you imagine? Chase would wear a suit.”

“Oh
he would. And a tie. And wingtips.”

The
two women dissolved into laughter, and Janie waved as she walked out of Lena’s
office. Lena went back to her financial software, but with a smile on her face.
Chase Hamilton eating pizza. Lena honestly couldn’t imagine it.

“So
how do I look?” Chase asked when he opened his front door to let Jared inside.

Jared
looked him up and down, then pinned him with a stern gaze. “Like a doofus.”

“Thanks
a lot!” Chase retorted as his friend moved past him into the foyer.

“I
thought that was the look you were going for.”

Closing
the front door, Chase turned to look at his friend. “I just want to look like a
normal guy,” he said defensively. “All of the clothes in my closet had designer
labels.”

Jared
continued eyeing him skeptically. “So what, you raided the garbage bin outside
of a homeless shelter?”

“What’s
wrong with this?” Chase asked, peering down at his poorly fitting clothes.

Jared
rolled his eyes. “Chase, just because you’re not wearing designer labels doesn’t
mean that the clothes shouldn’t fit. Go get out of that mess and put on some of
those labels and let’s go shopping. Seriously. You look like an idiot. And what
the hell is that on your head?”

“I
told you, I want to look different than I usually do.”

“Wearing
a clown hat is going to make you stand out, not fit in.”

“It’s
not a clown hat,” Chase protested.

“Looks
like one to me. Look. I think this is a monumentally stupid idea. You know
that, right?”

“I
do.”

“But
I’ll still help you. Because I don’t want you beaten up and left in an alley
somewhere because the local tough guys are going after the nerd.”

“I
don’t need to look good,” Chase warned. “The point of this is to get away from
myself.”

“I’d
say you’re doing a fine job. Probably too fine of a job, if you want to know
the truth. Geez, Chase. You’re going to scare the entire population of Denver
away.”

Chase
sighed. “OK, OK. Let me go change and get my wallet. Where are we going?”

“They
have these amazing inventions in this world called shopping malls. I’m driving.
Make sure you take off that amazingly ugly thing on your head. I’m not being
seen in public with you if you wear that.” He paused, then added, “Look, Chase.
If you just show up in jeans and a sweater somewhere, people will not recognize
you. Chase Hamilton never goes anywhere if he’s not in a suit and tie.”

Chase
gave a half smile. “All right. You win. Can we at least stop for burgers and
beer when we’re done?”

Jared
came through as he’d promised. At the mall, he headed straight to a well-known
sports outfitter, sent Chase into a dressing room, and delivered him clothing
for the next 20 minutes, with the help of one of the saleswomen. Within half an
hour, Chase had a pile of clothes next to him that he discovered he not only
looked pretty good in, but he actually liked. Three pairs of jeans, two pairs
of shorts, two pairs of cargo pants, a bunch of t-shirts, several button down
shirts, and an assortment of lightweight pullover sweaters. As he was paying
for his purchases, he looked over at Jared, who was grinning.

“What?”

“Gina
is gonna laugh when I tell her how we spent the day. I hate shopping.”

“So
why did you come with me?”

“Because
on your own, you would have headed straight to the men’s department in one of
the high-end department stores and come out with a new work wardrobe. And
because I figured I could get you to spring for the beer.”

As
Chase thanked the saleswoman, he picked up his shopping bags, thrusting one of
them at Jared.

“Let’s
go. I’m thirsty. And the game starts in twenty minutes.”

“I’m
glad you’re a speedy shopper. There’s a sports bar five minutes away. Why you’re
not wearing one of your new pairs of jeans is beyond me,” he added, rolling his
eyes. “Of all the guys I could drink and watch a game with, I end up with the
one in designer clothes.”

“I’ve
got to ease into this,” Chase grinned. “Stop talking and start walking. I want a
beer in front of me by the time they’re done singing the national anthem.”

“So
what’s the plan?” Jared asked during a commercial break. They were working on a
couple of beers, as well as a plate of nachos and another plate of chicken
wings, and they were waiting for the kitchen to send out their burgers.

“Find
a church. Go to local coffee shops. Maybe volunteer somewhere. I just want to get
out into the world more, and see who’s out there. If I don’t meet anyone, I
don’t meet anyone, but maybe I’ll find some new charity to support,” he grinned
as he shoved a cheese and veggie-laden tortilla chip into his mouth.

“And
if you do meet someone?”

“Then
I’ll know that she likes me for me, and not anything I can do for her. I need
this. I’m starting to think that I’m an absolute dickhead these days. My self
esteem is in the toilet. Honestly. If all the women I date are after my bank
account, what does that say about my personality?”

Jared
nearly snorted out his beer. “Uh huh. That’s
exactly
what I would have said
the problem was – a lack of self-esteem.”

Pointing
his beer bottle at Jared, Chase looked at him seriously. “You laugh, but after
dating a half-dozen women and having all of them more interested in your money
than in you, see what happens to
your
self-esteem.”

Downing
another swallow of beer, Jared said, “I get it. I think. But what happens if
you fall for someone? And she falls for you?”

“Then
that’s a good thing, right?”

“And
when she finds out who you really are?”

Chase
grinned. “Come on. If she’s interested in me when I look like a doofus, she’ll
be interested in me when I look like a million bucks. And actually
have
a million bucks.”

But
Jared shook his head. “Not necessarily. Look. This is why I think your plan is
flawed. You want to meet a woman who doesn’t care about money, but then you
just assume that any woman you meet will like you more
with
money. You’ve
got your own self-fulfilling prophecy here.” Setting his beer back down on the
table, he continued. “The life you live isn’t for everyone. Not all women want
to put on fancy dresses and high heels and walk among other women in fancy
dresses and high heels who judge them based on their body mass index and the
amount of money their man makes. Not to mention that if she has a career of her
own, unless it’s in law or home decorating, she’s toast. And have you
considered that she might actually get a
little
mad at you for lying to
her in the first place?”