Page 13 of Chasin’s Surrender

Suddenly it felt like we were the only two in the room.

And just like when we were sitting on my couch, his eyes locked to mine. Only then, I’d been stupid. I’d allowed myself to have fanciful thoughts. Delusions of grandeur. I’d desperately wanted Chasin to see me. He had no idea who I was. He didn’t know Vivi. There was no recognition when he saw me. No hint of acknowledgment when he heard me talk.

Chasin hadn’t the first clue who I was, and it’d felt so damn good, I’d let myself get swept up in it. At the time I was dizzy with it, captivated by it, riveted to him and him to me.

Now it felt cold.

Now he knew me and I knew him and everything was ruined. My life was like a bad country song. You know, the one where the girl loses her man, her dog, and her pickup all in one night. Maybe that’s why I’d never owned a dog, I was too afraid of losing it. And I didn’t drive a pickup. I drove an El Camino I’d found at a junkyard and had restored. I loved that thing.

And I’d never had a man to lose—Chasin and the weekend I’d spent with him was the closest I’d allowed myself. Now I knew I never wanted to take that chance again. I also remembered why I’d never taken one in the past.

But it’s not me.

Those words staining my skin would remind me if I ever got another wild hair and decided to try again.

The conversation went on around me while I’d gotten lost in my head. I wasn’t listening until Nixon called my name.

“Sorry, what?”

“Since you’ve been here, have you received any packages, calls, visitors, anything like that?”

“No.”

“No one?” Nixon pushed.

“Chasin—”

“Besides him?”

“Well, the cleaning service came. And I heard the gardener. But I haven’t had visitors. And no calls. And groceries were delivered.”

“Those are visitors, Genevieve,” Chasin fumed, and my gaze sliced back to him.

I knew I was glaring. It was rude, but I didn’t give a shit. I was tired of him snapping at me.

“Well, excuse me, Chasin. I thought he meant personal visitors. Someone coming to see me.”

“Did any of these people talk to you?” Nixon inquired.

“A woman named Lori poked her head into the room I was in, introduced herself, and told me she was there to clean and they’d be out of the house in a few hours.”

“They?” Alec cut in.

“I guess her cleaning crew. I didn’t actually see them. And she didn’t say goodbye when she left.”

“And the groceries?”

“I didn’t see who delivered them.”

Alec frowned and stared at me disbelievingly. “Where were you when all of this was going on?”

“On the second floor. I was writing.”

“This happens,” Bobby sighed. “When Vivi gets lost in her music she’s totally out of it. Life goes on around her and she’s oblivious. I bet she didn’t even hear the vacuum running and that could’ve been happening right next to her.”

All of that was true but Bobby made it sound like I was a total nitwit.

“I had the door closed.” I tried to lamely defend myself.