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“Candid Interview with Former Hockey Star’s Latest Lover,” I say, reading the title of the article. “She’s making it sound like I sat down with her and told her all this stuff rather than her recording a private conversation.”
“She’s for sure a horrible person,” Adalynn says. “Maybe you should head to the hardware store and let him know what happened.”
I glare at my friend, seconds away from asking her whose side she’s on.
Adalynn holds her hands up. “I think that what you had with him is worth trying to save.”
“Save?” I shake my head. This is what I get for not telling her the bad when I told her all the good. I didn’t want to tarnish his name. Maybe at that point, I was holding out hope and I didn’t want her to hate him if we did happen to work things out.
“There’s nothing to save,” I tell her, but something stops me once again.
Iwon’t trash talk the man. I won’t repeat his hateful words from last night. I won’t give him any more power than he already has.
“He needs to know you wouldn’t do this,” she says, her voice softer, telling me she sees the way my chin has started to wobble.
“If he knew me at all, he’d know I’d never do this.”
“Did you let him get to know you?” she asks, always the devil’s advocate. Chase isn’t here to defend himself, so she feels the need to do it for him. Adalynn might possibly be the most wholesome person I’ve ever met, but I don’t need kind and hopeful Adalynn right now. I need a friend who offers to help dig the hole when I track down the vlogger.
“I’ll call you later,” I tell her as I stand and head toward the exit.
“Madison!” she calls after me, but I just can’t face anyone right now.
I turn long enough to blow her a kiss before sliding out the door and making my way back to my car. I don’t want her thinking I’m mad at her, but having a public meltdown would for sure give the town even more to gossip about.
I want to keep driving and never stop as I pull away from the store, but my mental bank account balance reminds me that I wouldn’t make it very far at all.
I take the long way around town, driving slowly through residential streets to avoid driving past the hardware store. Adalynn urged me to talk to him, but I’d probably claw his eyes out for getting me involved in his mess in the first place. Chase Woodson was trouble in high school, but dragging his stardom here and putting others in the path to be torn to shreds in the media is thoughtless and coldhearted.
I never should’ve come back home, but more importantly I never should’ve accepted his offer to take care of the boys.
Hell, by the time I make it back to my parents’ house, I’ve decided that I feel the same way he does.
I wish I’d never met the man.
This may be exactly what I needed, another hard lesson in life to finally get my shit together and live for myself for once. I’m tired of making life decisions based on what others think or what they feel I should do.
Chapter 33
Chase
My hands ache with how hard I’m holding my phone as I stare down at the damn invoice.
Madison Kelly had the damn nerve to sell our story to a vlogger and then turn around and fucking bill me for decorating the damn house.
Maybe I wouldn’t be so mad if Cale hadn’t thrown a fit this morning when I told him that Madison wouldn’t be accompanying us to Detroit this morning. Dad came along, which the boys were happy about, but as much as they love their papaw, they’re not at all happy that Madison hasn’t been around.
The pain in Cole’s eyes when I told him that she wasn’t able to stay with them during the day while I worked gutted me. It hasn’t stopped them from asking about her in the last three days since I woke up on the front porch.
“Those boys deserve more from you than what they’re getting,” Dad says as he steps up to the sink and washes his hands.
I don’t have to ask him what he’s referring to. I know I haven’t been myself lately. I know the shit that went down with Madison has affected me more than the breakup with Emily did.
“I know,” I tell him with a sigh, closing out of the email.
It’s something I’ll eventually have to deal with, but there’s nothing I can do right now at the airport in Detroit.
Neither Cale nor Cole make eye contact with me as they step up to the sinks. They’ve been grumpy for days, and I know it has everything to do with Madison.
