AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh my God, really?” For a second, she grinned at him so brightly that even the darkness couldn’t compete with her natural wattage. Then her shoulders sagged. “I can’t be there. I can’t come.”
He jerked a shoulder. “No biggie. It’s an outpatient thing. In and out practically. The time-intensive part is the rehab, but hey, like you said, it’s not like I’m pitching anyway. Might as well amuse myself somehow, right?” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Maybe I’ll get buff.”
“You’re already buff, you ass. I never should’ve said something so cruel. And I wouldn’t have if…”
“If what?” he prodded as she rubbed her forehead.
After a moment, she dropped her hand and stared directly into his eyes. “I’m leaving.”
“Okay.” He shrugged. “Your call. If you want to split, we can talk later.”
“No, Chase.” She reached out and grasped his good hand. It didn’t make sense that even that one felt numb in her grip. “I’ve signed with someone to manage my career and he’s really excited about the possibilities. I am too.” She sucked in a breath. “The week after next I’m going on my first tour, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
Chapter Ten
Chase sat in his usual booth at Slocum’s Diner and stared at the picture of Elvis near his shoulder. Even the King was smirking at him.
Somehow his life had turned into a joke. One big fucking ha-ha moment with accompanying laugh track. How else could he explain how he’d ended up in a stationary position for the foreseeable future while the woman he lo—had strong feelings for, traveled around the country like a wandering minstrel? Without him. That was the salient point. Even if he’d wanted to go too—if she’d even been inclined to allow him to, as her bodyguard or as that undefinable other—he couldn’t. Not right away. He had some pretty serious rehab time ahead of him, and if he was going through with this surgery, he wasn’t going to screw things up by not doing everything he could to improve.
He’d spent years on the road. Too many, truthfully. Sometimes he thought he might be ready to settle down in one place. And when he thought about where that one place might be, he saw Yardley with its picturesque streets and manicured lawns. Kids’ bikes littered the sidewalk, not dime bags. People kept their places tidy and locked doors never kept the neighbors out. Once up a time, his hometown had seemed cloying and intrusive. Now it just seemed like…home.
Summer was part of that. He was pretty sure she’d had a crush on him as a kid. Now the roles were reversed, except he didn’t have a crush. He had a boulder on his throat, cutting off his airflow. Chains around his heart. And he had a tattered show poster tacked up on his refrigerator, like a teenage boy’s shrine to the woman he’d never have.
By the time Jax arrived, Chase was working on a full head of steam. It all dissipated in a rush when Jax opened his mouth.
“Look, I know what this is about. You want me to go with her. It’s all taken care of.”
“I’m assuming we’re talking about Summer.” At Jax’s nod, Chase pushed aside his menu. He’d already dug into the sad looking banana and whole wheat toast on his plate, and he didn’t have the stomach for much else, though he’d planned to order a real breakfast when Jax arrived. “What do you mean it’s all taken care of? I thought you were taking some wonder job at the high school after winter break.”
“Wonder job’s not starting until next summer. Coach Collins decided he could tough it out until the end of the year.” Jax filched a piece of his toast and tore off a corner of the crust, popping it in his mouth. “And I have someone in mind to fill in for me at the agency. Assuming, you know, you ever get actual clients and stuff. Yardley’s not exactly a hotbed for people needing security, but if we expand our operations into—”
“I have clients, thank you very much.”
“Oh yeah? Who? Last I knew you had Summer and Ana. Summer doesn’t pay you. And Ana’s cuckoo.”
“She is not cuckoo.”
“Since when? You’re the one who described her as ‘the cray-cray rich broad’.”
Chase broke off the tip of his banana. Damn thing was mushy. “I forgot how you remember everything. It’s really fricking annoying.”
Jax grinned and ate more toast. “So do you want to hear about my replacement while I’m off with Summer?”
Off with Summer sounded way too cozy for his liking. “Who says I need to replace you? We only have two clients. I don’t even need your obnoxious ass.”
“Then why’d you make me a partner?”
“I didn’t make you a partner yet. Not officially,” he muttered.
“Maybe not, but I snatched one of these from your mailbox.” Jax opened up his wallet and pushed a business card across the table. It was one of the set Chase had gotten printed last week. “Deuces Wild? Really? Kind of lame, don’t you think? Bodyguard agencies should have a badass name. Like Mad Dog Security or something.”
Chase choked out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s real badass, Mr. T.” He shook his head and thumbed the card back at Jax. “Dude, mail tampering is a federal crime. You’re lucky I don’t make you wear orange for the next five to ten.”
“Anything for you. You kinky bastard.” Jax batted his lashes. “Wanna go for a ride on my new Harley? I bought it last week just for you.”
“Jesus, I hate you.” But Chase was still laughing when their waitress, the same one who had waited on them during their initial agency meeting over a month ago, bustled up to the table and took their orders. She flirted with him and Jax—more with Jax, naturally—then left them with a wink and a smile that bordered on lascivious.
“You are a total tease. Thought you were on the pussy wagon?” Chase asked.
