“Ping, Chase is an adult, I’m not her keeper.” Frankie pushed her auburn hair back behind her ear and out of her face. “She’s fine. I seriously doubt Chase will ever mess with her again.”
Just then the song was over and Chase peeled herself away from Yelena and walked back over to her friends.
“What the fuck Chase?” Ping looked pissed. Chase laughed.
“Calm down Ping Pong. I’m glad to see you’re joining the group though.” Chase finished the drink that she left on the bar. Gayle leaned over to her.
“She’s still here.”
“Does it look like I care? I told you it’s over.”
“I don’t think it is.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s coming this way,” Gayle backed up to let Remy get close to Chase. Remy grabbed Chase’s hand and their eyes locked. Chase followed the taller woman to the dance floor and completely ignored the questions coming from her friends. When they stopped in the center Remy thread her arms around Chase’s waist and under the back of her shirt, resting her hands against her bare skin. Chase ran her fingers through Remy’s short hair. Their bodies fused perfectly together as they swayed to the slow song. Chase’s eyes never left the chocolate brown one’s staring back at her. Remy ran her hands up and down caressing Chase’s back. Their lips were inches apart, gradually moving closer until they finally met softly. They kissed each other tenderly, never faltering from the dance they shared. They looked like two lovers gently making love on the dance floor.
When the song was over Chase walked all the way out of the bar and never turned back when she hit the thick humid air outside. Remy ran after her.
15
“Remy. Remy Sheridan!” Ronnie said quizzically. It finally hit her, that’s the Remy Chase was referring to. “Her! I never would’ve guessed.”
“What are you talking about?” Gayle asked.
“Poor Chase. That bitch has a lot of nerve. She better never run into me alone, I’ll kick her ass.” Ping was about to head outside to rescue her friend.
“Calm down guys, Chase is an adult, she can handle herself.”
“Chase is in love with her.” Ronnie tossed back the last of her drink and set the glass on the bar.
“They’re in love with each other.” Frankie stated. “Honestly, I hope they work it out one day.”
“Yeah me too. Chase looks so sad all the time, except when she’s with her. I’ve never seen chemistry like that. Did you see them dancing?” Gayle shook her head.
“I’ve never seen two people more in love. How long has this been going on?” Ronnie asked Frankie.
“Um…god probably six or eight months.”
“Holy shit. Wait, isn’t Remy…I mean she has…”
“A boyfriend…we know, so does Chase.”
Ronnie shrugged. “Talk about cluster fuck.”
“Yeah no kidding.” Gayle added.
***
Remy caught up with Chase a few blocks away. She grabbed her shirt and spun the smaller woman around. Both women had tears in their eyes.
“What are you doing to me?” Remy’s voice was just above a whisper.
“Me!” Chase yelled as she glared into Remy’s eyes. “What the fuck are you doing to me Remy? Why were you there?”
Remy broke the intense gaze. “I…Brian’s out of town at a business meeting and I guess I wanted to get out of the house. I didn’t think you’d be there…I mean…I know a lot of different people go there…”
“What do you want from me Remy?” Chase sighed.
“You. I‘m…” Remy looked into her eyes once more. Chase cut her off.
“We’ve been down this road. I’m not…this WONT happen again. Please stay away from me Remy. I…I can’t do this.” Chase let the tears fall when she turned her back to Remy and walked towards her car.
Minutes later, Remy watched the silver Mercedes sports car drive off. She stood on the sidewalk and cried until there were no tears left to cry.
***
Chase made herself a glass of Jack Daniels on the rocks and walked out onto her balcony. The night was clear and the sky was full of stars. The ocean waves crashed against the shore over and over in one perfect rhythm. Chase didn’t feel the cool chill on her skin from wearing only shorts and a small tank top, nor did she feel the wet tears rolling down her cheeks. She grabbed her cell phone a hundred times. She even punched the number in a few times, but never hit send.
“Why? Why her? Why me? Why all of this? God damn it I don’t understand.” She yelled into the moonlight. I love her so much. “Please just help me let her go. Help me forget.” She sloshed the gold liquid around in her glass and took a long sip. “I…god I don’t understand why I love her so much…I can’t have her. Why did you do this to me? Why!” She hesitated, waiting to hear an answer. Maybe a bum passing by in the sand or a nosey neighbor would say something. Anything, anyone with some kind of rational explanation for the fucked up situation she was bound and determined to be stuck in for what seemed like forever.
Chase went back through the French doors and set her glass down. She didn’t bother changing clothes or even putting flip flops on. She took off through the front door, into the elevator, then out the back entrance of the condo building towards the ocean. She ran right into the saltwater and dove in head first.
She yelped when she popped up fifteen or twenty feet away soaked to the bone treading water. For March, the water was still rather cold; she figured probably around sixty five degrees. She swam for a few more minutes before going back to the eighth floor.
Chase was definitely sober by the time she walked into her condo. She hadn’t even bothered to lock the door, much less take her key with her. She quickly stripped her cold wet clothes off and tossed them in the laundry basket. She was freezing and sticky from the saltwater. She took a hot shower and let the dual stream massage the tense muscles in her back and shoulders.
***
Frankie stood at Chase’s door banging profusely. The sleeping blond finally answered the door.
“You look like shit.” Frankie said as she pushed past her with two steaming cups of coffee from Rainer's.
“Gee thanks. I was going for the hung over, brokenhearted, everyone rain on my fucking parade look. I’m glad you like it because it’s becoming a permanent fixture in my wardrobe.” Chase said sarcastically as she snatched the coffee and shut the door. She walked right past her auburn-haired best friend and sat on the couch with her feet up on the table. She was thankful she wasn’t scheduled for a shift at the hospital today, although she was always on call for emergencies. It was nice to have a Saturday off, and since she’d worked the past ten days with no day off she was planning on sleeping the entire day until her best friend practically beat the door down at nine a.m.
“What happened when you two left last night? Neither of you came back inside.”
“I don’t feel like talking about it,” Chase turned on the TV and stared at a rerun of ‘The Golden Girls’. “I told her to stay away from me.” She finally said with a long sigh, her head pounded and her heart ached. I think I’d rather have a heart attack, I bet it hurts less.
Frankie wanted to kick Remy’s ass for the pain in her friends eyes, but to be truthful they both had a part in it. Still, she felt bad for Chase and hated to see her so sad. When things went sour with Yelena she never saw the same hurt in Chase’s normally vibrant green eyes. Now, they were dark epitomes of her soul, open and vulnerable.
Ironically, Chase wished it was already night out so she could go get drunk in the corner of some rundown hole-in-the-wall bar. At that rate she’d become a drunk quicker than she could blink her eyes. Drinking wasn’t the answer to everything, but damn it she wanted a drink and she just woke up. This was not a good sign.
“Vacation…” That was all she heard of the one sided conversation Frankie was having.
“Huh?” Chase questioned with a sideways glance.
“My god woman, did you not hear
anything I just said?” Frankie shook her head. “I said you’re stressed out and I think it would do you some good to take a small vacation.”
“Nah, running from life doesn’t do anything but make it worse when it catches up to you. I made this mess and now I need to clean it up.”
“Somehow I don’t think it’ll be that simple honey.” Frankie’s heart broke for Chase and everything she was going through. She wished deep down that Remy would wake up and leave her boyfriend to make a life with Chase. If one thing was for sure, Remy would be loved unconditionally for the rest of her life. Chase adored her to the depths of her soul. Frankie couldn’t even think of a time where she loved someone that much in her entire life.
Chase let the warm tears fall. “It has to be Frankie. This is killing me and if I don’t stop the bleeding I’ll die.” Frank put her arm around Chase’s shoulders and Chase leaned into the curve of her shoulder.
“God I could smack that woman! I’m sorry you’re hurting honey. I’d tell you it’ll get better, and trust me it will, eventually, but I know that’s not what you want to hear right now. I honestly don’t know what to say to you. Straight woman are the worst women to get involved with, they will break your heart and their own and keep on going like it was nothing.”
Chase sniffled. “Their bite is much larger than their bark. How could I be so stupid Frankie?”
“You’re not stupid Chase, a little gullible when it comes to women maybe, but not stupid.” Frankie gave her a hearty grin and a light squeeze.
“I wish I could go to sleep and wake up when this is all over. Unfortunately, I have to suck it up and act like an adult.”
“Are you off today?”
“Yeah, I’m on call as usual, but I’m not on rotation this weekend.”
“It’s about fucking time, you damn sure put in enough hours at that hospital.”
“Yeah, I’m actually going to San Diego Monday for a National Heart Surgery Convention. Oh what fun.” She said sarcastically.
“Goodie!” Frankie laughed. “It’ll be good for you to get away though. How long will you be gone?”
“A week,”
“Hmm…Hey you wanna go with me to West Palm? I want to check out the new artist in Jon Paul’s Gallery.” Frankie said.
“I guess a road trip isn’t out of the question,” Chase sat up and turned back to face Frankie. “I need to shower really quickly. What time do you want to leave?”
“As soon as you’re ready, I’ll wait for you.”
16
“I’m glad I decided to come with you.” Chase said as she stared at the Atlantic Ocean from the window of Frankie’s Lexus. “I needed a break, that woman wears me out.” She sighed. They were barely ten minutes into their hour and a half drive.
“The CD case is behind your seat. Pick us out something good. I’m tired of seeing you in this depressed miserable state of I-don’t-give-a-shit. Honestly, it’s starting to rub off.” Frankie said through a smile. Chase ignored the comment she knew she wasn’t good company lately, but what was she suppose to do? Act like everything was peachy keen? She reached behind the seat and flipped through the hard case. She giggled at some of the old CD titles and gasped at others. Frankie had a small collection ranging from rock bands of the 80’s to classical, including various hip hop and country selections as well. Truthfully, Chase would rather ride in silence, but all that did was let her mind wonder over thoughts of Remy and she did not want her weekend once again ruined by that woman, so she chose a CD titled Various Hair Bands of the 80’s.
Frankie raised her eyebrows and looked at Chase with surprise when she heard Sweet Cherry Pie start playing on the radio.
“What? Maybe I wanted a pick-me-up.” Chase wiggled her eyebrows as she sang along loudly. “God, I haven’t heard this in years!” She smiled. Frankie couldn’t believe she actually remembered the words to the song. She couldn’t help joining in the singing.
Minutes later Once Bitten Twice Shy began playing and Chase turned the radio even louder. “Holy shit, do you remember me singing this at karaoke in Bahama Mama’s in the Keys?”
Frankie’s face lit up. “Oh my god! That was forever ago.” Both women sang along to the song, surprisingly on key. Frankie played air drums on the steering wheel and Chase played air guitar and air piano on the dash. Passersby looked at them like they were nuts, but neither woman took notice as they cruised down the interstate.
“We should definitely plan a trip back to the Keys.” Frankie said when the song ended.
“That would great, but I’m so busy with the hospital right now I don’t know when I could go.” Chase felt the tension creep back into her face.
“We’ll figure something out, that damn place owes you some much needed vacation time.” Frankie grabbed her best friends hand and squeezed it. Chase slowly smiled once again. The last thing Frankie wanted was to see those sad puppy dog eyes again. She brought her friend along to cheer her up and she had been doing a good job until Chase was reminded of home. Before either of them could change the song, I Hate Myself for Loving You began playing. Chase couldn’t react fast enough, her entire body stiffened up and she blinked back the tears. Frankie finally managed to change the song but it was too late. She wanted to slap the hell out of Remy Sheridan for being so cowardice towards Chase’s feelings and her own personal actions. Why couldn’t she leave her alone? Why couldn’t they leave each other alone for that matter? Chase had always been one of the strongest and most down-to-Earth people that Frankie had ever met. That’s probably why they were such good friends.
The next song quickly began. As soon as Frankie recognized the words to Edge of a Broken Heart she snatched the CD out of the radio and tossed it out the window. Chase looked over at her in amazement with large eyes and raised eyebrows. They starred at each other for a second, and then both women busted out laughing hysterically. Chase was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face. She was crying from the laughter but also about the feelings that both songs drug to the surface. Frankie was practically swerving on the road because she was hysterical. Neither woman could speak, they laughed close to ten minutes non-stop.
***
Chase sat in a small beachside bar sipping a Margarita and watching the young women walk by in bikini’s. She and Frankie spent two hours cruising through the gallery examining different pieces, mostly of the new artist Jon Paul contracted a few months back. He had an abstract style of various colors and brush strokes, Chase found it interesting, but it didn’t compare to the Abstract Artist’s that Frankie had in her gallery.
“You know he came to me first,” Frankie said as she sipped her Mai Tai. “I turned him down. I didn’t really have the room at the time anyway. It’s not that he’s bad I just didn’t think I could get his work to move. Jon says he’s had a handful of sales, but nothing to shake a stick at. Personally, I wouldn’t mind owning a piece or two, some of them had unbelievable color contrasts.”
“I like his work better than those damn Monet’s.” Chase rolled her eyes. In the back of her mind she thought about the painting hanging in her living room, the first painting of Remy Sheridan’s to ever be sold out of the Deluca Gallery.
“Have you seen the value of those paintings that you hate so much?” Frankie asked.
“Nope, I let that stupid bimbo spend a little over a million dollars on each one though,” Chase shook her head and finished her drink, signaling the waiter to bring her another. “My parents would freak if they knew I spent that kind of money on two things that hang on a god damn wall.”
“She got a helluva deal on them though. One thing that woman could do was shop.”
“I second that.” They both laughed.
“Seriously, what are you going to do with them?” Frankie asked.
“Considering French Bitch spent over seventy-five-percent of my savings on those damn things that I don’t care for, I should probably sell them.”
“Maybe she heard of your parents hitting the Lotter
y ten years ago, hell, that’s probably how she found you, her grave diggin’ ass.” Frankie squawked. Chase’s parents had won the Fifteen Million Dollar Lottery ten years before and decided on a lump settlement. They took half of it for themselves and put the other half in a trust fund for Chase, which she took enough out to buy her condo and pay for med-school, but other than that she never spent any of it. Her car and other various luxuries were purchased from her work paychecks.
“You’re probably right, who knows.” Chase thanked the waiter and took a long swallow of the sour drink. “Let’s put them in your gallery.”
“Are you nuts?” Frankie almost fell out of her chair.
“What?” Frankie shot her a sideways glance.
“I am not putting those on display anywhere near my gallery. Do you know how many people will pay money just to come see the damn things? Hell no. Ugh uh!” Frankie was shaking her head no as she spoke.
“Okay, what’s the best thing to do?”
“I’ll broker them out for you at an internet private auction. We’ll show your original documents, but keep the paintings on your wall until they sell.”
“That’s fine. I don’t care as long as they’re gone. They make me feel snooty when people find out about them. I don’t like flaunting my money.” Chase sipped her drink and took the time to observe the tall blond walking by in a red string bikini. “Personally, not to bring her up, but I’d rather see Remy’s work on my walls.”
Frankie saw the smile tug at Chase’s lips at the mention of Remy’s name, it disappeared just as quickly. “Her work is definitely incredible, full of passion.”
“Everything about her is full of passion.” Chase’s voice was barely above a whisper. Frankie took that as a cue to change the subject.
Secluded Heart Page 10
