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He closed his eyes as the night of their prom night replayed in his mind. Their kiss at their country road only fueled his passion for her. By the time prom night arrived, they found themselves alone.
His hormones raged. She was stunning in her gown. Her smile was bright. Her touch to his face was warm. One night. That’s all it took. He poured out his heart that night. He didn’t care how young they were. A decision at that moment led to an unplanned pregnancy.
Then the door creaked open. He straightened in his seat as she walked back to hers next to him.
“Sorry about that. That was Cameron checking on me.”
His chest tightened for a moment. Chantelle involved with someone else? The thought crossed his mind, but he wouldn’t say it. His opinion didn’t matter. Her personal life was her business. “Oh, really?”
Chantelle bobbed her head. “She’s a fellow writer at The Wedding Report. We’ve gotten close as friends over the last few years.”
The pain eased inside. Why did it show up? Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. He had a history with Chantelle. He’d always care about her. It didn’t mean more than that.
“Did she come back yet?” Chantelle asked.
He shook his head. “Not yet. So tell me more about your friend. Is she the only one you have in Chicago?”
“No, but Cameron is the one I’m closest to. We’ve been through a lot together. She quit her job because of me.”
“How was that helpful?” He raised an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”
She blew out her cheeks. “I was… um…” She brushed her hair back again with her fingers. “There was a… scandal two years ago.”
“Scandal?”
She bobbed her head. “I haven’t always been at The Wedding Report.” She turned in her seat to face him. “Promise you won’t repeat what I’m about to say. Only my immediate family knows this.”
“I promise,” he said, hoping June didn’t return anytime soon.
“I used to work at a newspaper before I moved to the magazine. I had a boss who was tough, but he seemed fair. He was friendly, so I thought nothing of it until he called me to his office one day. I wanted to talk to him anyway about a story I was interested in writing, but he blew off my idea. He said I was too pretty to worry about writing on serious matters in the world.”
Lance’s skin crawled at the thought of someone insulting Chantelle. She graduated in their high school class in the top five percent. Chantelle wasn’t just a beauty. She was brilliant.
She continued. “He kept saying if I wanted to move up the corporate ladder, I needed him in my corner. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know what he meant. I refused and reported him.”
“I’m sorry, Chantelle,” Lance said.
“A few days later, he was accused of laundering money. He thought I had something to do with it, and that I reported him out of spite. I didn’t know about the money, but since it was around the same time as his investigation, he assumed.
I quit. I couldn’t stay there, especially after I testified against him. It was never the same at work. Some believed me while others thought I ruined him and the paper’s reputation. Cameron worked there too, and since they overlooked her for a promotion, she left with me.”
Lance leaned back in his cushioned chair. “Wow.”
“Sometimes I don’t think about it, but it still grates on me.”
He draped an arm around her shoulder. His body felt feverish. Lance didn’t know why, but he wanted to protect her.
“I’m okay, Lance,” she said.
“I’m here if you need me.” He meant it. No matter what happened between them, he wanted her to know she could count on him.
Chantelle gave half a smile. “Not for long. You’re getting married and I’m going back to Chicago.”
“I’ll still see you around when you visit.” Lance licked his lips. It wouldn’t be right to see her once he married. Delta Heights was a small town, and word would travel faster than him blinking his eyes. What were they saying now with her following him around? It was all innocent, but would that hinder the town gossip?
His muscles tensed. “I mean, if that’s what you would like, to keep in touch this time.”
She smiled. “I’d like that, Lance.”
