10. Ashlie
CHAPTER TEN
ASHLIE
F lying always relaxes me. Something about sitting inside the clouds makes me feel like I’m untouchable. No demands. No stress. I can simply be , and this sparse Friday morning flight gives me the perfect opportunity.
Disappointment snakes through me when the pilot announces our descent into San Francisco. I’m excited to help Kayla with wedding planning, but I’m not looking forward to the ache I’ll feel in my ankle after weaving through the throng in the terminal. The doctor said it’s not broken, but the past week at work has been a struggle on my feet. Hurrying through crowds on a still-bruised sprain is not my idea of a good time.
Chase is parked right outside the doors when I make it into the hazy sunshine. His Ivy League crew cut ripples in the breeze as he tucks his phone in his pocket and waves. “Hey, Ash!” He gives me a side hug before placing my carry-on in the trunk. “How was the flight, and why are you limping?”
“I lost a battle with some stairs. My ankle is still fighting for its life.”
His eyes widen as he tilts his head with concern. “I’ll grab you some ice at the office. I have to wrap a couple things up before taking you back to the apartment.”
“It’s really okay,” I say. “I just need to rest it.”
“I can see the bruise from here. Ice and elevation, for sure.” He chuckles at my eye roll and opens my door. None of his kind gestures surprise me anymore, so I don’t fight him too hard about the ice. He might be one of the most attentive people I’ve ever met. That charming personality is why I used to call him a Golden Retriever. He’s friendly, reliable, and self-aware. No wonder Kayla is sure she can find a better guy for me. She already found a good one for herself.
When we make it to the EdTechU building, Chase sets me up in a chair by the window. He moves a side table for me to rest my leg on and steps out to grab ice from the break room. I pull out my phone, pop in my earbuds, and settle in for a long social media scroll. Just as I get to some juicy celebrity drama, I’m interrupted by a banner across the screen.
Hunter
Put some ice on that ankle.
Me
Thanks Dad. Chase is already on it.
Hunter
Don’t forget to talk to them about Thanksgiving.
Me
OKAY DAD…
Hunter
I’ll see you Sunday.
I shake my head at the overprotective tone in his messages and toggle back to my feed. Hunter’s mom and younger brother fly in today. Based on the conversation we had at lunch on Wednesday, I know he’s stressed. In the past, I’ve been around to distract him, but this weekend he’s on his own.
Chase walks back into the office with his coworker, Trevor, in tow. Slipping a bud out of my ear, I thank him as he settles the ice on my pulsing ankle. “Hey, Trevor.” I smile at the towering, dimpled man leaning against the doorway. He folds his arms, which only accentuates the curves of his corded biceps as they stretch the short sleeves of his navy EdTechU polo.
“In San Francisco so soon?” Trevor teases with a smirk, referencing the line he tried on me at the engagement party. He’s got a great smile, and without the obstruction of a suit coat, my eyes take in the tattoo sleeve snaking its way up his left arm. I love men with tattoos.
“What can I say? I like to keep people on their toes.”
“Speaking of toes, what happened to your foot?”
“I stopped a purse snatcher with my bare hands.” I make a karate chop motion with my arms for effect.
“Really?” His eyes widen as he straightens his back, arms falling to his sides as if my imaginary attacker is in the room with us. Keeping a straight face, I nod to sell the story. Chase laughs and claps him on the shoulder before walking to his desk.
“Yep,” I say. “If you replaced all those words with ‘fell down the stairs at the club.’”
It takes him a second, but the laughter that booms out of him as he puts together what I said makes me laugh too. “You’re pretty and funny?” he asks, resuming his lean against the doorway.
Okay now, fine ass, flirty man . My eyes fall to my lap as heat creeps into my cheeks. That “new crush” tingle sparks to life, and I’m not mad about it one bit.
“Are you alright though?” His deep baritone skitters through me as I admire the ink on his sepia skin, fully appreciating his entire aesthetic.
“Pretty sure I’ll live. Chase came in clutch with the ice.”
“I hate to break up this cute little flirting session, but I’ve got to get these reports in before three…” Chase says, glancing at his watch.
Trevor nods and taps the door frame twice. “Welp, it was nice seeing you again so soon, Ashlie.” That smile is still plastered on his face as he walks away.
I squint at Chase. “You planned that, didn’t you?” I wouldn’t put it past him. It’s not the first time he’s tried to play matchmaker.
“Nope,” he says distractedly. “That was all Kayla.”
“She would try to set me up with the only single man she knows…”
“He’s a good guy, Ash.” He shrugs, glancing at me before turning back to his computer. “Might be worth it.”
Sliding my earbuds back in, I continue scrolling on my phone. Kayla was right. I gravitate toward shitty men like they’re the center of the universe, and it bites me in the ass every time. Swallowing my nerves and dating a different type could be the thing I need to break out of my rut.
Or it could be even worse for you .
That’s where the hesitation lies. I don’t know what to expect. Shaking the worry from my head before it has the chance to grow, my eyes scan the room and land on a picture of Kayla and Chase from the summer they met. I smile at the memory of him trying to win her over. He’s one of the good ones. If he says Trevor is too, I believe him. Being set up by my best friends might not be the worst thing in the world since my radar is clearly broken.