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knowing where to turn next.
“That’s why I came here, Daddy. I need some time away to think, to
decide what to do.”
    Young reached out to his daughter
bringing her close to him and giving her a hug. “You take whatever
time you need, honey.”

Chapter 15
    Katie Cannon’s Apartment
7:35 AM
    ANDREW CHASE let the hot spray of
water wash over him. The tingle of the hot shower felt good. It
relaxed his tense muscles.
    He thought about last night and the
tenderness and passion that passed between him and
Katie.
    The relationship was great, but Chase
had a difficult time playing the charade that Katie insisted upon.
Keeping their relationship on the quiet was difficult for him. He
wanted to shout from the nearest rooftops that this beautiful woman
loved him and was all his.
    He wanted to go out in public with her
to show her off. After all, while he was still a good-looking man,
he was almost 20 years older. Age was a state of mind and Chase did
not feel any age gap between them. They went together like bread
and peanut butter, smooth and homogenous.
    He understood her reasons for keeping
their relationship quiet, but felt that professionally Katie had
proven herself. She no longer needed to fear the stigma in the
workplace that came from dating the boss, he believed.
    If this relationship was going to the
next level, she needed to understand that it was time to come “out
of the closet”. They needed to discuss this and soon, Chase
felt.
    His other concern was the ongoing
financial problems of the newspaper. He needed to secure a new
infusion of cash or seriously consider Rupert White’s buy-out
offer. He had not breathed a word of this to Katie.
    He knew that she would be dead set
against him selling the paper to White. She would consider it a
journalistic sell-out. But Katie was an idealist, not a financial
pragmatist.
    Would she be opposed enough to end
their relationship over it? It may be a chance he would have to
take to salvage his financial resources and reputation.
    Would she still stay with him if he
were broke?
    He took a towel and dried off. Chase
quickly shaved and dressed in a white polo shirt and flannel pants,
then grabbed his car keys.
    He locked the door of Katie’s
apartment as he slipped out into the hallway. He needed to stop at
his apartment before heading back into the paper.
    ***
    Chase had a luxury condo apartment on
Lakeshore Drive overlooking Lake Ontario. It was a prime
residential address where condos started at $850,000 on the bottom
floor for a one-bedroom box. Chase’s $2.5 million apartment was a
penthouse suite on the top 18th floor.
    The large bay window in the living
room offered a stunning vista of the lake and the many yachts and
boats dotting the waterscape.
    He stood in front of the window and
took in the view for a few moments, allowing his thoughts to
filter.
    Such a nice place, but Katie refused
to move in with him. Instead they had to grab what time they could
find together at her cramped apartment. Chase was tiring of this
secretive game.
    He needed to air his feelings with
Katie. It was time she came to a decision about the future of their
relationship. It was time for hard choices for both of
them.
    Chase checked his Rolex. It was 8:30
a.m. Time for him to get into the office. First he checked the
messages on his home phone.
    There were three. The first two
related to newspaper business. The voice on the third totally
caught him by surprise.
    “ Andrew, honey,” said a
silky feminine voice. “I know this must come as a bit of a shock
since we haven’t seen each other in about eight months now. I miss
you so much, darling. I’m afraid my life is just an empty shell
without you. I hope you feel the same way. I need to see you today
on an urgent matter, my sweet. It is most urgent and could affect
your future. How about lunch at Antonio’s at 12? Please call me on
my cell at (905) 858-1105. Hope you can make it.”
    Chase stood stunned for several
seconds.
    It was Ashley