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When we entered my office, I closed the door, folding my arms over my chest. Frowning at him, I waited for an explanation for tonight’s random visit. He mimicked my posture with a laugh, his olive-toned muscles bursting from the sleeves of his shirt.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I held my hands out, clearing my throat, trying to rid my voice of the huskiness in my tone.
“Every time we talk or hang, you're so fucking depressed about your ex,” he scoffed. “You put this big, brave façade on at work, but I’ve seen you leaving set.” Dropping his hands to his side, he exhaled, waving lazily. “You’re a wreck, Chance.”
I knew he cared about me, but what I did in my personal time was no one’s business. I didn’t care about any opinions. Dean brought Amber into conversations sometimes at work, and it drove me insane. Feeling myself slipping into another miserable night, I dismissed the feeling since there were guests in my house. Shaking my head, I scowled at nothing, stewing over his words, whether it was true or not.
“See!” He snapped, throwing his hands up, huffing. “That’s exactly what I'm talking about!”
Flickering my angered stare at him, I forced myself away from the reflections of recent history.
“You just spaced out for a minute!”
“You know I’ve changed.” I sneered. “Amber is,” my voice trailed off, “different.” I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“What happened to the Chance I knew, huh?” He slid his hands deep into his pockets. “Where did that Chance go?”
Shrugging, I averted my gaze to the black leather chair in front of me. Running my fingertips along the threading, I traced from one side to the other, doing my best to avoid the topic.
“Yeah, you don’t even know.” He roamed the room. “What you need is to get over this—” he pointed to a photo on my desk, “Amber chick.”
“That’s not her.” Snorting, I shook my head. “That’s the photo that came with the frame. Do you not watch the news?”
Rolling his eyes, he tilted his head at the picture, taking a swig of his liquor. “I have, and this chick looks like her.” Shrugging, he cocked his head, challenging my gaze. “Okay, so what now, then?”
“First of all, that girl looks nothing like Amber.” I lifted the corner of my upper lip at the audacity of his poor observation. “What do you mean,what now?”
“Get out, man! Live a little! Live a lot, I don’t care.” Holding his glass up, he wiggled his brows, his dark brown eyes narrowing at me. “Have some sex with either one of those hot ass ladies out there!” He pointed enthusiastically to the door, with a wicked laugh.
“Have some sex?” Turmoil edged onto my face before it was swapped with sarcasm. “Really?”
“Shit, have them both. I don’t care! I don’t mind finding someone else. It’s not like I can’t.”
Shaking my head, I stared at the ceiling. My thoughts settled on Amber again as I stepped over to him, snatching the glass from his hand and chugging the rest of his liquor.
“Let’s get you out of this house. You’re Chance Mother Fucking Hardwin. You can have anyone you want!” He slapped me on the back as he ambled to the middle of the room.
I tried for the billionth time to erase her from my mind, even if for one night. I realized that staying in this house alone wasn’t doing any good. There was nothing wrong with going out and having an innocent night. I nodded slowly, agreeing with his suggestion, minus the sex. “Fine, let’s do it.” Relieved, I was thankful the conversation was finally over. “Where did you have in mind?”
The corner of his mouth curled up, unwise antics brewing in his mind. “So glad you asked.”
AMBER
I’d never fully recovered from the Christmas break up. Aimlessly, I went through the routine motions of daily life. Chance was gone. Gone from his family. Gone from his friends. And gone from me, his ex-girlfriend. He didn’t want to be in Boston any longer. While I understood him wanting to relocate, he didn’t even give me the choice of moving with him. He decided for us both. As far as I knew, we were still friends…I think. His note said he’d always love me, but his actions said otherwise.
The love I had for him never died when the relationship did. If I was honest with myself, I loved him more with each passing day. Many nights had been sleepless over the months that he’d been in California. When I could finally sleep again, nightmares filled the void.
After months of battling heartbreak, Ian insisted I take some nights off. Focusing on myself, I spent the time trying to come back from the excruciating normal my life had become. I was thankful for both Jenna and Ian. Recently, I’d also grown closer to both Luke and Jade as well. Having a sense of extended family around me forced the sad moments to shine slightly brighter.
Tonight was my first night back at work after several weeks. I felt refreshed in some ways but was still terrified to be out and about once again. As I parked my car, I glanced around at the other vehicles, exhaling. Reaching up, I pulled the visor down, flipping up the lighted mirror. It was then I felt my eyes watering. Hurriedly, I touched up my makeup, swallowing my sadness before exiting the car.
Now running late, I scurried through the parking lot to the front door. As I made my way through the lobby and down the corridor to the dressing room, I waved at the few staff members, displaying a fake smile. Finding my normal place against the back wall, I changed into my waitressing attire while two other girls chatted quietly in a corner.
“Miss Wilson?”
Startled, I swiveled around to see Ian in the doorway. I continued to fasten my shiny blue corset against my back. He jerked his head toward the hallway. Promptly, I sped out of the room. At work, I didn’t keep him waiting. He leaned a shoulder against the wall, lighting a cigarette. Ice Man, his bodyguard, stood several steps back, arms folded as he concentrated on whatever was being said in his earpiece.
Ian slipped the lighter back in his pocket, then held his hand out. “You dropped something.”
