33. Chase
“This one’s on me,” Tess says as she passes me a bottle of Corona.
“Giving away free drinks already, Tess? I’ll take one of those.” Levi drops his duffle bag and takes a seat beside me.
“Only to the cute ones. That’s eight bucks for you.”
Levi jerks. “It’s only six.”
“Chances are low that you’ll tip me, so I added one.”
He hands her a ten. “Don’t sell yourself short.”
She takes the bill and replaces it with a cold bottle before moving on to other patrons.
“You know he put her up to it, don’t you?”
It’s been two days since Pepper broke up with me on national television—not to mention the fans that actually heard the exchange in the front row—feeding the media bits and pieces of what they heard.
But all they needed to see is the ring she placed back in my hand.
He wasn’t with her. She walked back up the stairs and was escorted by two bodyguards. Cameras followed her until she was placed in the back seat of a limousine.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Then you wouldn’t have come here.”
“For your information, I’m meeting Charlie here soon.”
“Charlie? Here? Girl’s come a long way since Pepper came into her life.”
“She just lost her best friend. Noah’s the least of her concerns.”
Levi looks around. “Look, you can talk to me. I’ve been through this with Jackson’s mother. All joking aside. You think this is for real?”
I slide my phone to him with the breaking news screen open. “There’s a wedding next Sunday. And whether it’s three years or forever, it’s none of my concern,” I lie.
It’s not that I don’t trust my brother with how I’m really feeling; I don’t trust anyone in Hideaway Springs. There’s been enough eavesdropping around here to convince me to keep my thoughts to myself.
Pepper was turned in by someone she once trusted with her life. And he sold her out.
The bell chimes and one angry blonde marches in and b-lines for the seat on the other side of me.
“Hey, Charlie,” Tessa chirps.
“Nothing for me, thanks,” she snaps.
Tessa jerks and turns on her heel. “Ya’ll are just a barrel of good cheer, aren’t you?” she mutters.
Charlie winces. “Ooof, was that mean?”
“Only a little,” I comment, taking another swig of my beer. “What’s your deal?”
“The library called and offered me my job back, apologizing for the misunderstanding,” she huffs.
“Charlie, I realize you’re short one girlfriend—as am I—but please tell me you didn’t call me here just to vent about your job.”
“No.” She swings a familiar backpack from her shoulder. “Pepper left this at Lonnie’s. I thought you could take it back to the cottage for when she’s—”
“When she’s what?” I snap, unintentionally.
She looks at me with sincerity. “She’s not marrying him, Chase.”
I take another swig, finished with this conversation.
“I heard the rumor Beau’s been spreading. About her taking the money. It can’t be true… unless…did she say something to you about it at the game?”
I shake my head. “Just that she’s fixing this. On her terms.”
“What does that mean?”
“Charlotte Whitley?” We both turn to a deep voice at the door. A man in a black suit—someone clearly not from town—strolls in, peering around.
Charlie’s eyes widen and she slides off her stool.
Levi steps in front of her. “I might know her. Who’s asking?”
The man withdraws a light blue envelope from his jacket. “We went to her address and were told she might be here or the town library.” The tall man starts to turn. “We’ll check there.”
“What do you want with Charlotte?” I ask, stepping forward.
The man sighs. “I have a delivery for her from Penelope Walker.”
“I’m Charlotte,” Charlie calls quickly.
The man turns. “I’ll need to see identification and obtain a signature on delivery.”
Charlie digs into her wallet and hands him her ID before I can do anything to stop her.
My brother and I watch as she tears into it. The glimmer of hope and a grin instantly fading when she finds what’s inside.
“What is it?” Levi asks.
Charlie glares at a piece of paper in front of her. “T—Tess can I borrow a red marker?”
Tess shrugs and looks near the register, finding a red Sharpie and handing it over.
I cross to her. “Charlie, what is it?”
“Beau was right. Pepper took the money,” she starts, angrily. “But she didn’t do it for herself.” She holds up a check made out to her for the sum of a third of a million dollars. “She did it for me. It’s my fault, Chase. I told her something that was never her problem to fix, and we’ve lost her because of it.”
My brows knit in confusion.
Slamming the check on the bar, she covers the entire piece of paper in red ink to read Come Home. Then tears it in half and places it back in the envelope.
Swiping her tears, she stalks back up to the messenger and smiles. “A thank you note. Will you please ensure she gets it?”
He nods curtly and asks her to sign his tablet.
After they leave, I twist her around to face me. “Charlie, are you in trouble?”
She yanks her arm away. “No. I’ve got everything figured out.” She shakes her head and mutters something about us all having a funny way of trying to help her and storms off.
“What exactly am I supposed to do with this information?” Noah asks.
“You’re the brains here.”
“I told you to marry her weeks ago. You thought your plan was better. You thought Mayfield wouldn’t compete with the great Chase Reeves. Jokes on you buddy; Mr. Politics outsmarted you and made her break it off in public so it looks like it’s her choice.”
“It was her choice,” I grit. “And this isn’t about Pepper.”
“Then why am I looking into this?” he asks, but his voice wavers a bit because I know he wants to.
I glare at him.
Pulling his chair up to his desk, he hovers over his laptop. “Half the shit I’m about to do isn’t even legal,” he mutters as he starts his search.
My brother’s hacking ability isn’t something any of us discuss often. Since he could lose his license. And it doesn’t come in handy for his line of work since he can’t prove how he got information in the first place.
A few moments later, he shakes his head. “Nothing. There’s nothing here for credit card debt, no liens. There’s an unemployment application...which won’t do her any good, since the library will be offering her job back.” A few more clicks. “And it looks like her lease is in good standing.”
“What about her mother?” Levi asks, reading my thoughts.
Noah’s eyes flash, and he starts a new search. Then another. More clicking as his eyes narrow. Then he sinks back into his chair with a heavy breath. “Shit.”
Later, I step into Elliot’s cottage, shutting the door behind me. The place is completely transformed. It has life now. No evidence of my brother’s hidden depression before he died. No trace of abandonment. Pepper wouldn’t let that happen. It’s not only livable, it’s…a home.
And to me—that only means one thing.
Perfect time to sell.
I pick up my phone and dial the woman I’ve been ignoring since his death. “Bonnie, it’s Chase. About the cottage. I’m ready to sell.”
“That’s great to hear. I’ll send my team over for photos and measurements. How much?”
“A third of a million, exactly. Plus your fee.”
“That’s an odd number but okay. I understand from the last time we spoke the sale is going to be split between you and your brothers?”
“That’s right, and we’ll cover the tax, but the sale price will be donated to Sara and Charlotte Whitley.”
“That’s…generous. I’ll draw it up.”
“Thanks.”
Removing my jacket, I tape the bottom of a new box and flip it. I start with her tan leather backpack, placing it inside. I hesitate for about thirty seconds before I open the flap and pull on the veil she never got rid of. Somehow, my runaway bride raced into town with no gown, but a full-sized veil.
I turn the tiara. A pearly, vintage-looking piece. It’s perfect for Pepper. The veil is attached tightly and seems difficult to remove even with a gentle tug. There appears to be an engraving on the inside. I cock my head, holding it up to the light. The inscription clear as day.
Emma Woods