Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Kinsley
I could hear parts of the heated argument between Chase and his father.
I was still angry with him for what he said to me last night, and the instant change I saw in him was unreal.
It was like he was a totally different person.
If I didn’t need this damn job so bad, I would quit, so I didn’t have to see him again.
The night of the party, I felt something.
I didn’t want to, and I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t.
Then when I woke up and he was in my apartment, I felt it again.
He hurt me with his words, especially by calling me a coward.
He hadn’t a clue, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
It was the end of the workday, and everyone had left.
I stayed behind to finish typing up a proposal Mr. Calloway gave me at the last minute.
When I was finished, I set it on his desk, grabbed my purse, and headed to the parking garage.
When I climbed inside my car and turned the key, the car wouldn’t start.
“Oh, come on. Don’t do this to me,” I spoke in frustration.
I popped the hood, got out of the car, and looked underneath it.
“What are you doing?” Chase asked as he pulled up.
“My car won’t start.”
He shut his car off, got out, and stood beside me.
“What exactly are you looking for?” he asked.
“I think it’s the starter that’s bad. I’m just checking for any loose connections.”
“And you know a thing or two about cars?”
“Yes. A little bit. Don’t you?” I glanced over at him.
“No. I know nothing about them.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just go. I’m going to have to call a tow truck,” I spoke with irritation as I pulled my phone from my purse.
“I know a guy. Let me make a call, and then I’ll drive you home.”
“I can call an Uber.”
“You’re not calling an Uber.” He sighed.
“I’m sure you have plans tonight.” I stared at the hickey on his neck. “Maybe round two from last night.”
“Don’t worry about my plans. I’m not leaving you here alone.”
He walked away and made a call. A few moments later, he walked over to me.
“Carl is on his way. He’ll be here in about twenty minutes and tow it to his shop, which isn’t too far from here.”
“Thanks.” I looked down.
“Why are you here this late anyway?” he asked.
“Your dad gave me a proposal at the last minute, and it needed to be typed up for his meeting tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds like him.” He rolled his eyes.
We both leaned up against my car. I was looking down at the ground, and he stood there with his hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. It was awkward, to say the least, yet somehow, I felt the strong need to tell him about Henry.
“Henry and I were together for a little over a year. It was his birthday, and I wanted to surprise him. So, I took the day off work, stopped at his favorite bakery in the morning, went to his apartment, and found him in bed with my best friend, Krista. They claimed they had only slept together twice, but I knew it was more than that.”
“I’m sorry,” Chase softly spoke. “That must have been quite a shock.”
“I left his apartment, went home, packed what I could, and hopped on a plane here. I only stayed in Indiana because of him. I wasted a year of my life when I could have already been here and established.”
The tow truck pulled up, and I told Carl it was most likely the starter. He looked at me with a smile and spoke, “A girl who knows about cars. I like that.” He hooked my car up and drove away.
“Climb in,” Chase spoke as he opened the passenger door for me.
“Thanks.”
He sped out of the parking garage, and I held on for dear life. But watching him drive his sports car was quite a turn-on—something I needed to get out of my head.
“This isn’t the way to my apartment,” I spoke.
“I know. We’re making a stop first.” He glanced over at me.
“Where?”
“You’ll see.” He smirked.
He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant called Water Grill Downtown.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“I’m starving, and I’m sure you are too. So, before I take you home, we’re going to eat.”
He climbed out of the car and opened my door.
“You don’t have to open the door for me,” I spoke with irritation as I climbed out. The last thing I wanted to do was have dinner with him.
“I am a gentleman.”
“No, you’re not.” I rolled my eyes as I walked ahead of him.
“How dare you,” he spoke.
Once we entered the restaurant with a two-hour wait, we were seated immediately because L.A.’s sexiest and most eligible bachelor had arrived.
“Impressed?” He smirked.
“Not really.” I picked up my menu.
I heard the sharp intake of his breath as I held the menu up to my face.
“Chase Calloway.” A pretty blonde-haired waitress smiled.
“Kara, darling. How are you?”
“I’m good. It’s been a while.” She winked.
I sat there with a narrowed eye as I watched the nauseating interaction between the two of them.
“It has. Maybe we should catch up over a drink sometime.” Chase grinned.
“I’d love that. Call me.” She stood there swooning over him as she bit down on her bottom lip.
“Excuse me,” I spoke. “I totally hate to interrupt this special moment between the two of you, but can we order?”
“Oh, sure.” She turned to me, holding her notepad in her hand. “What can I get you, sweetie?”
“I’ll have the sea scallops and the butternut squash,” I replied.
“And for you, handsome?” She turned to Chase.
“I’ll have the Chilean sea bass and mashed potatoes. Also, bring us a bottle of Prosecco.”
“You got it.” She grinned as she took our menus and walked away.
I was blown away by his behavior with other women when he was with a woman. Not only was it rude but insulting as well.
“Why did you tell me about your ex earlier?” he asked.
“I don’t know. You wanted to know why I left California in such a hurry.”
“Was he the only reason? Because I find it a little strange that you’d skip town and move to a place where you don’t know anyone at all or have a place to live or a job over a guy. I find that being a little unstable.”
“He was the only reason why I stayed. And aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black.”
Kara, our waitress, brought the bottle of Prosecco and poured some into each of our glasses.
“Thank you, darling.” Chase winked, and I wanted to vomit. “What do you mean by that?” he asked as he narrowed his eye at me.
“You’ve slept with just about every woman in Los Angeles, and god knows where else. Talk about being unstable.”
“No, sweetheart. That’s not being unstable. I happen to enjoy sex with beautiful women. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s called life. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
“You’re right, Chase. It’s not about being unstable. It’s about being insecure.” I cocked my head.
He let out a chuckle. “Me,” he pointed to himself, “insecure? You’re delusional, darling. I’m the most secure person there is.”
“Keep telling yourself that. Because deep down, you use sex as a coping mechanism.”
“Okay. First of all, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. I asked you the question, remember? Plus, you don’t know a damn thing about me to be making judgments like that.” He threw back his drink.
“And you don’t know a damn thing about me either,” I growled.