Chapter Twenty-Three
Chase
The next morning, I went into the courthouse to talk to one of my old high school friends who worked there. Clara smiled at me as I came into the county clerk’s office. “Morning, stranger. Long time, no see, Chase Duran.”
“Hi, Clara. I’ve been working my a*s off, and that’s why you haven’t seen me around. My brothers and I are burning the midnight oil more than ever before.”
“Yeah, I heard about your exciting endeavor. How’s it going?” she asked.
“It’s going. I mean, we’re working on a prototype right now, and we’ve had some success with it.” I held up my crossed fingers. “Keep your fingers crossed for us.”
She held up her crossed fingers too. “Will do. Now, tell me what has you here today.”
“I have questions.” Leaning on the counter, I knew she’d have som
