Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ashley
I stared at the phone for a moment before I picked it up.
"I guess I should take this."
Chase waved me away. "Go. Talk to him." Something about his expression made me hesitate for a moment longer, but I pressed the screen to answer.
"Hello." I moved away from Chase, toward my office. There wasn't usually much privacy there, but many would have gone home by now.
"Hey, Ash. It's, um, Kris." He sounded nervous.
"Hi, um Kris," I said, automatically falling into teasing mode. What can I say? I was comfortable with him for a long time. Or I thought I was. Now, I wasn't so sure. Spending time with Chase seemed so much more effortless than it ever was with Kris.
I licked my lips and reminded myself what he did. I could still see him naked in our bed with her. Ugh.
"How are you?" he asked.
Small talk, okay, I could roll with that.
"I'm okay," I replied. "You?"
"I'm fine." His voice was tight now. "You seem to be doing pretty well."
I wasn't sure how to take that. Was he accusing me of moving on too quickly, or was he jealous? Or both?
"Oh, I do?" I said, as if I had no idea what he was talking about. "Are you stalking me?" Now I was back to teasing.
"I don't need to stalk you," he replied, still blunt. "It's all over the internet."
"Ohhh, you mean today's fashion parade. It went really well. Thanks for showing an interest." I couldn't resist the dig. He hadn't shown an interest in it yet, why start now?
"That's not what I'm talking about," Kris said. "I'm talking about Chase and his hand on your ass."
I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. Of all the things to pick up on, or see, he'd found the photo Harvey Danbury took.
"Wow, Kris. It's almost like you care," I said sarcastically.
He exhaled into the phone. I pictured the frustration on his face.
"I do care, Ash," he said finally. "I'm worried about you. I know I screwed up."
You think? I thought.
"If there was anything I could do to make it up to you, I would," he went on. "I wish I could take back that night. It was stupid."
"Yes, it was," I agreed.
Then he had to throw in the classic line. "She didn't mean anything."
"I'm sure she'd love to hear that," I said coolly. I was no fan of Brandi, but brushing her off like she was nothing wasn't cool.
"She won't hear it from me," he said. "Or anything else. I wouldn't even know how to contact her if I wanted to."
"I'm sure Chase could give you her number," I said. "Remember him? He's supposed to be a friend of yours. Did you know Brandi was his girlfriend?"
"I— Kinda," Kris admitted.
I reached a window and leaned against it to look out at the city lights. If it could open, I might throw my phone out right now. That would only ruin a perfectly good phone, and it was Kris I was mad at.
"It just happened, okay," he went on. "It won't happen again." He breathed into the phone again. "I didn't call to talk about this."
"I'll bet you didn't."
"I wanted to warn you about Chase. He's a player, Ash. I know what I did was stupid, but he'll do the same ten times over."
"You know this for a fact?" I asked. For a guy who cheated, he was quick to throw Chase under the bus.
"He's with a different woman every time I see him," Kris replied. "He's never with anyone for long. If you don't believe me, look it up. Or ask him. He talks about it enough."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous of his lifestyle," I said coldly. "Luckily you don't have to worry about being tied down now. You can do whatever and whoever you like." I felt as if he'd torn my heart out a little more.
"I don't want that," he insisted. "I want you. I messed up, and I'm sorry, okay? Please, can you give me another chance? I'll prove to you I can be faithful. I won't so much as look at another woman. If I do, you can… You can poke my eyes out."
"As tempting as that is," and it was, but I was pissed at him, "I don't want to poke out anyone's eyes."
"Of course not. You're nice," he said graciously. "Nice enough to give me another chance, because you know we belong together."
"All of that is quite a stretch," I said. Did I know that? I thought I did, but now I wasn't sure. I thought forever stretched out in front us. Marriage, kids, a house in the suburbs someday. The whole package.
Because of his package, put in the wrong place, I didn't know what I saw for us anymore. If anything.
Until now, I assumed hearing his voice would feel like home. When I closed my eyes, all I saw was him with her.
"Will you at least give us a chance?" Kris pleaded. "Have dinner with me. Let's talk about everything. We were always good at talking things out, weren't we?"
"I was," I said. "You were usually distracted by a comic book."
"I'll do better," he said quickly. "Please, just one dinner, that's all I ask. One chance to win you back. I promise you won't regret it."
I hesitated. Everything Chase and I did was for this, so Kris would see what he missed and try to get me back. Now he had… I wasn't sure I could trust him enough to give him a second chance.
"I'll think about it," I said finally.
"Ash—"
I cut him off. "Kris, I said I'll think about it. I will. Just give me some time, okay? I don't want to rush into anything."
"So you and Chase aren't dating?" he asked.
"We're good friends," I said. "We both needed one after you and Brandi."
"Right," Kris said. "Shoulders to cry on. I get it." He sounded relieved. "As long as that's all it is."
It was none of his business, but I didn't want to pick a fight with him, not now. I had too much to mull over as it was.
"Yeah. I'll, um, talk to you later, okay?"
"I'll keep my phone next to me night and day until you do," Kris assured me.
"Bye." I ended the call and exhaled through pursed lips.
My mind was doing gymnastics. One thing was certain; I wasn't ready to think about it all right now.
I tucked my phone in my pocket and headed back to where Chase still sat, sipping his coffee.
"So, that was Kris." I slipped back into my seat. At the last moment I remembered my phone. I pulled it back out and set it, screen down, on the table.
Chase nodded. "I figured."
"Yeah." When he didn't ask for details, I said, "He wants me back."
"Right." Chase covered his expression with his cup. "I thought that might be it. Congratulations."
"He wants me to have dinner with him, but I'm going to think about it," I said slowly. "I just…"
"You don't have to explain," Chase said. "I get it." His gaze went toward the nearest window.
"He also warned me about you," I said.
His eyes flicked back and he frowned, then snorted.
"Kris warned you about me?" he echoed. "That's a bit rich, considering."
"That's what I thought. He said you're with a different woman every time he sees you."
Honestly, I didn't know why I was saying any of this. I guess because a part of me wanted to hear it from his side. Why did it matter? I don't know why, it just did.
Chase shrugged. "I'm unlucky in love. Besides, you saw today how people are. Most see the football guy, not the real guy. Once they have their social media moment, and realise I'm just a regular guy, they don't want to know anymore."
I reached out, put my hand lightly on his arm and locked my gaze on his deep, chocolate brown eyes. A girl could drown in there. Brandi didn't know how lucky she was.
"You're a great guy," I said firmly. "Lots of women aren't shallow, like-chasers." I wasn't sure where Brandi fit into that. I wasn't going to say anything bad about the woman he cared about anyway.
"You deserve to be happy," I added sincerely.
"So do you," he replied. "So, are you going to see him?"
I blinked. I was so intent on Chase's face, I'd forgotten about Kris.
"I don't know. I suppose so," I said slowly and with less enthusiasm than I probably should have had. "That is what we did all of this for." I realised my hand was still on his arm and pulled it back.
He watched it all the way until I placed it in my lap.
"Yeah, it is," he agreed. "You should call him back. Make a date for tonight or tomorrow. He could be back living with you by the weekend."
I should want that. I should. But when he said the words, I wanted to go and hide amongst the racks of mint green apparel in the store.
"That sounds a bit too quick to me." I grimaced. "After what he did, I want to take it slowly. It'll take time to trust him again." If I ever did.
I sighed. When had everything become so bloody complicated? I knew the answer to that—when I arrived home early from that work trip. What would have happened if I'd come home when I planned to? Or if I hadn't gone at all? Maybe if my job kept me at home more, it wouldn't have happened.
"It's not your fault," Chase said, as if he could read my mind. "What they did is all on them. We didn't push them together. They had an opportunity and they took it. They can blame being caught up in the moment, but they made their choice. Now you have to decide if it's something you can forgive."
"I think you missed your calling," I said. "You should have been a therapist."
He laughed. "I don't know. My advice is usually pretty crappy. My love life isn't a model anyone should try to copy."
"Mine either." I picked up my coffee and sipped. It was half cold, but still this side of drinkable.
"Hawk," Chase said suddenly.
I glanced behind me, but there was no one there. "What?"
"Hawk," Chase said again. "Him and Bec. They're a better model."
"Oh." I gave a short laugh. "Yes, I guess they are. Maybe we should copy them."
Chase gave me a funny look. "Yeah, I guess we should. Do you know any cute journalists?"
I can't explain why that question stung, but it did. "I can't say I do." I swallowed down the pang of emotion with the rest of my coffee. "There's a nice, single woman in the publicity department, but I don't think Grace is your type."
He glanced toward his phone and frowned.
"She'll call," I said. I wasn't certain about that, but if that was what he wanted, then I wanted it for him.
"Yeah, she might," he said. "At least Kris did." Chase looked up at me and we locked eyes again.
"He did," I said.
After all we'd done to get Kris and Brandi's attention, I wasn't sure I would have felt bad if Kris hadn't reached out.
Right now, I felt bad for Chase. He deserved so much better than someone who didn't adore him as a person.
He was a good, decent guy. He should have a good, loyal woman.
Someone like me. Not me, of course. We were friends and that was all.
That was all it could ever be. It's not like he'd ever really go for an ordinary girl like me anyway.
I should introduce him to one of the models. They were more his type.
I might set him up with one, if Brandi didn't call.
Why did I hurt myself with that thought?