Maybe the jet lag had gotten to him, but she seemed like the type of woman he wouldn’t mind coming home to. Soft eyes not jaded by Hollywood. An innocence the women he went out with only pretended to have. Totally wrong for him, and he was totally wrong for her.

Even if the spark of awareness hadn’t been so intense, he still would have found himself captivated by the upturned corner of her pink lips. He’d been down that path before. A path he had no intention of going down again.

A sharp rap on the door brought him out of his brooding thoughts.

“Come in.”

Robert came through the door first with his trademark easy smile and loose gait. Chase stood and gripped the hand he offered.

“Good to have you back.” Robert’s hand tightened on his.

“It’s good to be back. I missed the sun.”

Robert stepped back and Chase noticed Martin lingering in the doorway.

“Martin. How’s our company doing?” Chase gestured for the man to come in.

“How was your flight, sir?” Martin came forward and sat in the chair, shuffling his papers. He never met Chase’s eyes. Robert had assured Chase it was just him. When Chase was gone, the CFO didn’t act like a mouse in front of a cat. Star envy or some such bull.

“A hassle, but it’s over.” Chase sank into his chair as Robert sat next to Martin.

“How was filming?” Robert sprawled back in the chair. “Another Oscar award-winning performance?”

“I don’t think Assassin’s Target is Oscar-caliber, but it was great to get back out there. I forgot how much I missed it. The money was nice, unlike Night Blooming.” Their production couldn’t seem to find its way out of the red into the black.

Martin cleared his throat and shuffled through his papers again.

“Do you have the numbers, Martin?” Chase glanced at the stack on the man’s lap.

Martin riffled through and pulled out two sheets. His hand shook as he handed one to Robert and passed one across the desk. “These are the preliminary numbers. There are still a few receipts outstanding and a couple of expense reports we are waiting on.”