Conquering the Heart of the Bad Boy

by Nomi Summers

  Squealing his tires as he peeled out of the driveway, he took Main Street to Pine Ridge Way and headed south of town, ready to leave Arbor Shores once and for all.

  But first, he had one last stop to make.

  Chapter 15

  Chase paused in front of Hunter’s front door. Should he knock? He wondered if his brother would even believe his side of the story. Had his father already gotten to him and told Hunter that Chase was a lying thief? It was possible, but still, he wanted to say goodbye in person, at least to one of his brothers, and he didn’t know where Shane lived. Surely, Hunter would be home at 10 p.m. on a Sunday, and he was driving by on his way out of town anyway.

  Chase rang the bell and waited. After a long pause, he saw an interior light flip on through the window and heard Hunter call out from beyond the door, “Coming.”

  The large front door swung open and a look of confusion spread across his brother’s face. “Chase, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Hunter moved to the side and allowed Chase to enter. That was a good sign. Apparently, news of Chase’s past hadn’t started to spread just yet.

  “I wanted to stop and say goodbye in person,” Chase said, taking a look around, relieved that Hunter appeared to be alone.

  “Goodbye? What are you talking about?” Hunter half laughed, as if in disbelief.

  “Haven’t you heard?”

  “Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good. Let me grab us a beer. I’ll meet you on the back patio.”

  Chase made his way out through the wall of glass that made up the backside of Hunter’s home, to be welcomed by a cool, freshwater breeze coming off the lake. It was dark now, so he couldn’t see the water. He could only hear the gentle sound of waves lapping the shore, soothing him as he took a seat on a lounge chair and waited for Hunter to join him.

  “What’s going on?” Hunter asked, appearing from behind him and handing him a beer.

  “So much, Hunter. I don’t even know where to begin.” Chase looked over at his brother and took a long pull off his beer before setting it down next to him. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands.

  “The beginning,” Hunter told him, setting his own beer down and shifting his body to face Chase.

  “Okay,” Chase agreed. After a long pause to find his words, he started, “Before I came back to Arbor Shores, I wasn’t actually out of the country.”

  “Okay.” Hunter didn’t sound pleased at Chase’s admission, but at least he was giving him space to explain, and Chase could appreciate that.

  “I was in New York City, and I was working as a bodyguard for a high-profile teenage actor.”

  “Why would you have to lie about that?”

  He sat back in the chair and looked over at his brother. “You said to start at the beginning. I’m getting there.”

  “Ah, okay then. Go on.”

  “I don’t want to say who he was, but he had a major film release last year, and the paparazzi were following him everywhere. This was the film that was supposed to put him on the map. The kid had a lot going for him, but he had been in and out of trouble in the past, so his parents hired me not only to protect him, but to keep him in line.”

  “Keep going.”

  “Well, he had a bit of a shoplifting problem, one that I didn’t know about until he got caught. He was so good at it that I never even noticed, and I was the one watching over him.” Chase paused and took a drink. “Until we were shopping one Sunday. I was driving, and we were involved in an accident due to the paparazzi chasing us. The retailers had managed to keep the photogs out of the store so we could shop, but as soon as we got in the car, they were relentless in trying to snap photos of him. I was watching them in my rearview mirror when I plowed into the car in front of us.”

  “So, you somehow got blamed for the stolen goods, I take it?”

  “Exactly. As soon as the accident happened, he started pulling stuff off his body and shoving it under my driver’s seat. He was sitting in the back seat, behind me.” Chase got up and began to pace the deck. “When the police arrived, they were examining the vehicles and conducting an investigation. They saw something sticking out from under my seat and that’s how they found all of it. They immediately thought it was mine.”

  “Why didn’t you tell on the kid?”

  “I don’t know, man. Looking back, because I took my job very seriously. I was hired to protect him, and to me that meant at all costs. Plus, I had grown close to him—I saw a lot of myself in him, ya know? I didn’t want him to ruin his life over a stupid mistake.”

  “Sounds like you also made a stupid mistake by not telling the police. What’d you get charged with?”

  “I ended up charged with grand theft because he had taken jewelry. Lots of it.”

  “Are you out on parole then? How were you able to leave the state?”

  “No parole. The judge only sentenced me to six months because I didn’t have any priors. I served my time.”

  “So, that’s why we couldn’t get ahold of you when Dad had his heart attack,” Hunter said.

  “I came as soon as I was released and found out about Dad. But you have to understand, I was ashamed, and I wasn’t prepared to come home and tell everyone I was fresh out of the pen.”

  “So, you made up a story about Costa Rica?”

  “Well, yes and no. The story about Costa Rica is true. Except that happened three years ago. I fibbed about the timeline.”

  A long pause from his brother was causing Chase’s brow to moisten.

  “I understand,” Hunter finally said quietly, looking straight ahead out into the dark abyss before them.

  “Anyway, Emma and I were having dinner with Dad and Valerie tonight when Aaron Reynolds decided to take it upon himself to reveal my past to the entire yacht club. Long story short, Emma wants nothing to do with me, and we can’t open the B&B now since I have a felony conviction.”

  “Well, let’s just think about this for the moment.” Hunter rose to his feet and started pacing himself. After a minute or two, he finally said, “You didn’t actually do it, so therefore, you were wrongfully accused.”

  “Yes.”

  “So, you were convicted of a crime you didn’t actually commit.”

  “Technically, yes.”

  “Did you plead guilty?”

  “No, I pled not guilty. I said it wasn’t mine, because that was the truth. I just never ratted on the kid.”

  “Ah-ha!” Hunter’s face lit up.

  “What are you so excited about?” Chase asked.

  “You never pled guilty. So, you did time for a crime you never committed. We can get you recovered of these charges, Chase. We just have to prove your innocence.”

  “No, that kid is never gonna fess up. He’s a famous actor now. He’s not going to ruin his career for me. I could never get him to admit to it at this point.”

  “You wouldn’t have to. That’s what lawyers are for, and I happen to have the best lawyers money can buy.”

  “What are you saying?” Chase had a glimmer of hope for the first time since Aaron had crushed his world.

  “I’m saying that if you would've had decent attorneys at the time, you may not have been convicted at all. Likely, you couldn’t afford them at the time, but I can, and I’m willing to do that to clear your name. I’ll call my attorneys first thing in the morning. We are going to reopen the case.”

  “No way. I’m not going back to trial.”

  “It may never go to trial. It could be settled outside of court.”

  “How are we going to prove he did it?”

  “Again, that’s the lawyer’s job. You have to trust me on this, Chase. You deserve to clear your name, and if you’re telling me the truth, which I believe you are, then we can get this resolved and clear your record.”

  “You’d do that for me, bro?”

  “Of course I would. You’re my brother. Now, go make yourself at home. You can stay with me until this is resolved. You�
��re not going anywhere.”

  After three hours in the ER, Emma was released with a boot on her foot and a diagnosis of a bad sprain. The entire time she was there, she had tried to get ahold of Chase, but his phone was powered off and it was going straight to voicemail.

  She hadn’t said more than two words to Aaron in the past three hours; she was still upset that he would do something so careless that could damage not only Chase’s reputation but her own as well. As soon as she got out of his car, it would be the last time—she would be done with Aaron Reynolds once and for all.

  Pulling into the driveway, her heart dropped to her stomach. The first thing she noticed was that Chase’s motorcycle was gone, and no lights appeared to be on inside the guesthouse. She hoped that just meant he was at Ripples blowing off some steam. Surely, he hadn’t left her. He’d made her a promise that he’d never leave her again. She wasn’t pleased about this lie or his conviction, but she was willing to hear him out. She wanted to know his side of the story, and she wanted an explanation for why he had hid this from her.

  “Look, Emma,” Aaron started as he pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. “I’m sorry about the way—”

  “Don’t you dare,” she cut him off through gritted teeth and opened her door to get out before turning to face him. “You could’ve come to me with this information. Instead, you decided to publicly humiliate not only Chase but myself as well. Now, not only can I not open my B&B, but this might have an impact on NovelTea as well. You singlehandedly set out to ruin my business and my reputation, so there is nothing you could say to me to ever make me trust you again.” She managed to pull herself out of the car and slammed the door. She made her way around the car and toward the front door of Hemlock House as fast as she could on one good foot and a crutch.

  “I’m not going to tell the committee about this, Emma,” he called out the car window to her. “I never intended to.”

  She turned around to give him one final piece of her mind. “What difference does it make? Don’t you think the entire town already knows by the scene you caused tonight?”

  She made her way inside and slammed the front door before making her way to the parlor to collapse onto the couch in a fit of tears, Zeke loyally by her side trying to lick away the sadness.

  Emma must have cried herself to sleep, because the next morning she awoke to find herself still on the couch. The first thing she did was make her way over to the side window to see if Chase’s motorcycle had returned.

  Her heart plummeted.

  No sign of Chase. That meant he didn’t come home last night. A series of terrible thoughts began racing through her mind. She had to get out to the guesthouse and see if he was back there. Maybe he’d had too much to drink and left his bike at Ripples.

  She grabbed her crutch and made her way out the back door and across the lawn to the guesthouse. Taking a deep breath before twisting the knob, she gave the door a hard push with her hip.

  When it swung open, nothing could have prepared her for what greeted her.

  The guesthouse was empty. Lonely hangers hung in the closet. A ball of sheets in the middle of the bed. No duffel bag, no toiletries—no sign of Chase anywhere.

  Emma sat down on the bed and clutched his pillow. His scent still lingering on it caused the tears to flow all over again. How could he leave her? Sure, she was upset, but that’s only because he had lied to her. She never thought he would really leave. He had made her a promise that he’d never leave her again. He’d said he loved her, and she believed him. Had he lied about that, too?

  The hollowness in Emma’s heart caused a pain that took her back to the summer she was eighteen when he’d left her the first time. Only this time, it hurt far worse; because this time, she had fallen head over heels in love with him.

  Emma sat on his bed, crying for what seemed like an eternity, until she realized she was late getting to NovelTea.

  She went inside and took a hot shower in an attempt to wash away the pain. By the time the shower had ended, she’d made a pact with herself that she would put Chase out of her mind and get back to her everyday life. He was likely already out of the state by now, and there was no use mourning the loss of a relationship with someone who didn’t truly love her.

  Because if he loved her, he never would have left her. He would have at least said goodbye, and he hadn’t even done that.

  Chapter 16

  “What in the world happened?” Rose asked, rushing out from around the counter to hold the door to NovelTea open for Emma, staring at the boot on Emma’s foot with concern on her face.

  “Long story,” Emma said somberly. She looked around and noticed there wasn’t a single person inside NovelTea besides Rose, and for once, she was grateful for it. She didn’t know if she could put on a happy face for customers today.

  “Uh-oh. What’s going on?” Rose asked, a look of confusion in her eyes.

  “So much has happened that I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t want to talk about it, actually.” Emma made her way behind the counter before Rose came up and wrapped her in a hug. At the feeling of Rose’s embrace, Emma started crying. It was times like those that she really missed her mother, and Rose always had a way of comforting her.

  “Is it Chase?” Rose asked softly next to Emma’s ear, still holding her tightly.

  “Chase is gone, Rose,” she finally said.

  Rose pulled back and looked at her. “What do you mean?”

  “There was a big to-do at the yacht club last night. Aaron came in and made quite a scene. He revealed details of Chase’s past—things he had kept from me and lied about. Anyway, Chase ran out, I assumed because he was humiliated. His father had said some pretty harsh things to him.”

  “What did he have to say for himself?”

  “That’s the thing. I haven’t talked to him. I hurt my ankle going after him and ended up in the ER for three hours. By the time I got home, he was gone. No note, no nothing.”

  “Have you tried calling him?”

  “Straight to voicemail. He has his phone powered off.”

  “I’m sure he hasn’t gone far. You two are set to open the B&B. I’m sure he will come to his senses. He’s probably just embarrassed.”

  “No, you don’t understand. There’s no B&B after what Aaron did. As a matter of fact, I’m calling Arbor Shores Realty this morning. I’m listing Hemlock House; I’m putting it up for sale.”

  “What? Emma, don’t make any rash decisions. Take some time and let your emotions settle.”

  “No, it’s time. I don’t need that big ole house for just me and Zeke. Plus, everywhere I turn is a constant reminder of the B&B and my future with Chase that is never going to happen. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go sit in the office and call the realtor.”

  “If that’s what you want to do. But I’d at least wait until you talk to him first.”

  “No, Rose. He’s gone. Trust me, he left me once before and I didn’t hear from him for eight years. Why would this time be any different?”

  Emma hobbled back to the office on her crutch and shut the door behind her. She pulled the small business directory out of her desk drawer and called the town’s best realtor. She set a listing appointment for that afternoon.

  There was no turning back now. She would get Hemlock House on the market and get herself a smaller house or an apartment. She just wanted out of the house and away from all the lost dreams that went with it as quickly as possible.

  Emma made her way back up front to find there was only one regular at the counter having his morning coffee.

  “Why don’t you go on home, Emma. I can handle this myself today,” Rose told her. Emma never missed a day of work, but something about Rose’s offer sounded enticing. Her foot was throbbing and so was her heart. She could use a day on the couch feeling sorry for herself before the realtor showed up in a few hours.

  “Thanks, Rose. I think I’ll take you up on that.”

  The sun shining throu
gh the floor-to-ceiling window in Hunter’s guest room was blinding. Chase woke up with no sense of purpose or anything to do with himself. He put a pillow over his head to block the invasive light. No reason to get out of bed today.

  “Are you going to sleep all day?” he heard Hunter ask through a crack in the door.

  Chase pulled the pillow off his head and looked at his brother. “What’s the point of getting up?”

  “Get a shower, and meet me downstairs. I have news,” Hunter told him before closing the door.

  Chase made his way to the en suite bathroom and turned on the shower. He wasn’t moving quickly, and the ache behind his eyes dulled in comparison to the stabbing pain inside his chest every time he thought about Emma or replayed the events of the night before in his mind.

  Twenty minutes later, he made his way downstairs to find his brother drinking a cup of coffee, reading the newspaper. “There you are, finally,” Hunter said as Chase entered the kitchen. Hunter poured a cup of coffee and slid it to him across the white marble counter.

  “What’s the news?” Chase asked dryly. “He couldn’t imagine anything his brother could say would lighten his mood.

  “I spoke with my attorneys this morning. Conference call. They feel confident they can get this resolved for you. They are going to file a motion to reopen the case. They just need all the details from you, so you’ll need to call them. Here’s the number.” Chase slid a business card across the counter.

  “Seriously?” Chase picked up the card and inspected it.