Her message was pretty much the same thing he’d just listened to only she added a little teaser. A teaser Chase couldn’t ignore.
Chapter Six
Tossing his trash in the garbage can, Chase walked away from the picnic table and did something he’d vowed to never do again. He called Hayden Barclay.
The phone rang several times before she answered.
“I got your message,” he said abruptly.
“Well, hello to you too.” Her voice was husky and velvety smooth. At one time he’d found her voice sexy. Now he knew it was all just part of the act.
“Hayden, you’ve left me two messages to call you back so I’m callin’ you back.”
Light laughter filled his ear. “Oh my, somebody’s in a grumpy mood. Maybe I should tell Daddy to find me another escort tonight.”
Chase’s fingers gripped the phone tight as he closed his eyes and mentally counted to three. The temptation to tell her to go right ahead and then hang up was too strong. “Hello, Hayden,” he said flatly. “I’m returning your phone call.”
“That’s a little better.”
Biting back a reply, Chase ground his teeth together and waited to hear what she had to say. After several seconds, she let out a dramatic big breath. “I can see you’re still upset with me.”
Upset? Is that really how she remembered their last conversation? “Let’s not rehash the past, okay?”
“Good idea.”
“Great. Now, what did you need to tell me? Something to do with TJ Music?”
She laughed again. “You’re going to have to be a lot nicer than that if you want to hear what I have to say.”
Chase couldn’t do this. Nothing she had to say—not even if it meant helping him further his music career—was worth this kind of headache. Before he could tell her goodbye, she said, “And Chase, you do want to hear what I have to say.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, Chase checked his anger. If Hayden had connections to Tate Jepson, this could be his big break. “All right.” He dropped his hand and took a deep breath. “I’d like to hear more about your connection with Mr. Jepson and how I can meet him. Please.”
Hayden’s voice was animated as she told him all about the parties she’d attended since moving to California. The names she dropped were intended to wow him, and, grudgingly, he had to admit he was impressed. It looked like Hayden had finally landed in the Hollywood limelight.
Lucky for him, the weekend long yacht party Hayden had attended just before coming home also had Dana Jepson, Tate Jepson’s only daughter, aboard. The two became friends and when Dana mentioned her boyfriend was opening for the country music sensation Phillip Jacob’s, Hayden told Dana all about her boyfriend Chase and how he’d be just as good if he could ever get noticed.
The word boyfriend immediately sent an icy chill down Chase’s spine and doused his excitement like he’d just jumped into a cold river. “I’m not your boyfriend, Hayden.”
“Goodness, Chase. Is that all you heard?”
“No, but you told her I was your boyfriend, like we’re still together.”
“So, what’s the big deal? I would’ve sounded completely pathetic if I’d told her we’d broken up.”
“Fine.” Chase decided it wasn’t worth arguing the point. “It’s not like she’s going to ever know we aren’t together.”
Hayden laughed. “Actually, she’s going to be at Daddy’s party tonight. If things go well, I know I can get Tate himself to show up at your next gig.”
“What do you mean by go well?”
“Let’s just say I’d like you to play the part of an adoring boyfriend. It shouldn’t be too hard since you were so attentive before I left.”
The muscles in Chase’s chest tightened until he felt like he could hardly breathe. Regardless of how incredible this opportunity might be, nothing could be worth getting involved with Hayden again. The power she held over him was like some kind of fatal attraction. No matter how many times she betrayed him, somehow she always could lure him back. Not this time.
“Hayden, I’ve already got a girlfriend.” The words just slipped out before he had time to think about it.
“Oh please, I know you and Lexie broke up weeks ago.”
Chase glared at the phone. What? Did she find it so hard to believe he had another girlfriend? His male ego—along with self-preservation—made him blurt out, “That’s true but it’s because I’ve met someone else. Actually, I’ve known her since I was fourteen. We liked each other then, but we were both too young.” He winced at the mild deception. At least the part about them both being too young was true. “She’s recently returned to Georgia, and when we reconnected it was like things just clicked.”
There were several seconds of silence. Well, other than the annoyed heavy breathing coming through the speaker. Finally, Hayden snorted a laugh. “You’re making this up. What’s her name?”
Chase didn’t even hesitate. “Addie. Addie Heywood.”
For a few heartbeats, more irritated breathing filled the silence. “If she loves you, she won’t mind you pretending for one night I’m your girlfriend. If Dana finds out I wasn’t telling her the truth, she’ll have a heyday telling everyone.”
“If she’s a friend, she’ll understand.”
“We’re not actually friends, Chase. She’s my competition, and she thinks my boyfriend can sing better than hers.”
“Tell her we broke up.”
“No. That’s humiliating.”
Chase rolled his eyes. Hayden must have been up to her old tricks, spinning one story after another. “You said one night, which means we’ll be breaking up as soon as the party’s over so what does it matter?”
“It just does.” Hayden sniffed and Chase wondered if she was crying or just acting like she was crying. “Dana won’t be the only one in the business at the party tonight,” Hayden continued. “There are gonna be a few cast members from my new show, as well as the producer, and Daddy wants to see if Barclay Industries can get some new clients. He won’t be happy about his little girl being made a liar.”
If Daddy knew how deviant his little girl was, lying would be the least of his worries. “Look, I’m in a relationship with a girl I don’t want to hurt. Pretending we’re back together isn’t going to go over very well.”
“One night,” Hayden said tightly. Now she sounded ticked off. “I’ll break up with you and we’ll never have to speak again.”
“What about your dad? I’m not sure he’s going to be too happy to find out we’re suddenly back together and then we break up again.”
“Well, actually, I’ve been telling Mama and Daddy that we’ve been secretly seeing each other for a few weeks.”
“What?!” Chase exploded. Why would Hayden lie about that? Didn’t she have enough men in California? He barley refrained from swearing at her and hurling the phone across the grass. “Why would you tell them something like that?”
“I didn’t tell them on purpose. A couple of weeks ago Mama had come out to see me for the weekend. This guy I’d dated a few times didn’t take our break up very well. While Mama was in the ladies room, he came over and begged me to take him back. I told him no and that I’d gotten back together with my old boyfriend. Mama overheard me.”
“Hayden, this is ridiculous. I’m not doing it.”
“I thought you were smarter than that. It’s not a big deal, and this could be your ticket to Nashville. Think about it, Tate Jepson could show up at your next gig.” She sniffed. “Daddy doesn’t like it when I’m unhappy. I’d hate to have you end up without a job or any references.”
Chase wanted to bang his head up against a brick wall. He knew better than to talk to Hayden, yet the lure of a chance at achieving his dream in music had made him stupid and greedy. “If we go through with this charade and then you break up with me, how do I know Tate will even show up?”
“Because, before you leave tonight, I’ll make sure Dana calls her fathe
r and he sets something up with your agent.”
This was crazy. Even crazier, Chase needed to convince Addie to be his girlfriend. At least until they could come up with a reason to break up too.
“Fine. One night.”
“I know I’m the actress, but you’d better hope you’re acting is convincing. I have a reputation, you know.”
Yeah, he knew all about her reputation. “Whatever. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Chase ended the call before she made another request. He stalked over to his bike and unlocked it, then he snapped on his helmet. As he took off for the Caldwell house, he hoped Addie Heywood was as nice as she seemed yesterday and would agree to help him out.
The ride back seemed to take forever, but finally he cycled down the long driveway. Parking his bike next to the porch, he took off his helmet, and grabbed his water bottle, draining the final few ounces.
Wondering how this would all play out, he slowly climbed the steps. He had no idea how to broach the subject with Addie. The whole scheme sounded insane, and he had no idea if he had the courage to actually go through with it.
Crossing the porch, Chase rapped his knuckles loudly against the door. He leaned his shoulder against the house and waited for Addie to come to the door. An underlying tension tightened his stomach as the seconds ticked by.
He waited a little longer before pressing his finger on the doorbell. He listened to the chime but didn’t hear any movement from inside. There was a chance she hadn’t heard the knocking or the doorbell.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he considered sending her a text, letting her know he was here for a visit. He slid his finger across the screen to unlock the screen, and noticed he had a new message from Miss Janie. Maybe she was going to tell him Addie wasn’t here after all.
Chase, in case Addie doesn’t answer the door, try checking out back. She said something about exploring the yard today.
Either Janie was clairvoyant or providence was on Chase’s side. Pocketing his phone, he made his way around the house and ducked through the lattice archway to the back yard. His mother would love to have a yard like this, but they didn’t have as much property as the Caldwell’s and most of their land was for his sisters’ horses.
Following the brick pathway, Chase squinted against the sun and slowly scanned the lawn. He spotted Addie lying on her stomach with a camera pointed up at the trees. What is she doing?
Uncertain of what she was taking a picture of, Chase quietly drew a little closer. He tipped his head back to see what her target was. Leaves fluttered in the soft wind but he couldn’t see anything else she might want to capture.
After she took several shots, she angled the camera to the right and stared through the lens. Chase continued to watch her, knowing she was completely oblivious to his presence. There was a good chance she would swing the lens around and catch him staring at her. Not quite sure how to let her know he was there, he finally just cleared his throat and said, “Hey.”
Addie emitted a startled scream and sat upright. “Oh, my heck.” She flattened her palm against her chest. “You scared me to death.”
“Sorry,” Chase said with a chuckle. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.”
Addie narrowed her eyes. “Uh-huh.”
He hoped she wasn’t really mad at him. “I guess I should’ve made a little more noise.”
“Uh-huh,” she said again as a teasing smile slipped across her face.
Man, she was cute. Braids and all. “What’re you doing, anyway?” he asked, taking a seat next to her on the grass.
“Just messing around with different lighting and angles.”
“You must be pretty good. I don’t believe I’ve ever considered takin’ a picture from that angle,” he teased.
“Well,” she said, nudging him in the shoulder, “if you decide to try it, just make sure nobody sneaks up on you.”
He laughed. “Duly noted.”
“So, uh, what brings you over here?”
“I rode my bike over to say hey.”
Her lips slanted upward. “Well, you did say hey.” Then a look of concern flashed across her face. “Did my aunt call you to come over here?”
“No. She just texted me to say you were home alone. I was out riding my bike and decided to stop by to see you.” Oh, and I need you to be my pretend girlfriend. Even in his head it sounded crazy. She would probably slap him and run for the house.
“I can’t believe her. She better not send anymore unsuspecting men over here. She mentioned she had other guys she’d like me to meet, including some bachelor youth pastor.”
“Pastor Dave?”
“She didn’t give me any names.”
“Hmm, he is single and my little sisters think he’s hot.”
Addie gave him an exaggerated eye roll. “I do not want to spend my entire vacation dodging my aunt’s matchmaking schemes.”
And there was the opening he’d been looking for. “So, what if I came up with a plan that would keep Miss Janie off your case?”
“I’d say sign me up. What’s your idea?”
Chapter Seven
Nervous energy buzzed through Chase, making his mouth a little dry. He wished he had a bottle of water, or at least some gum. “Just hear me out before you say no.”
“Okaaayyy.” She drew out the word as a wariness flickered in her eyes.
Chase did his best to explain about Hayden, their previous rocky relationship which hadn’t ended very friendly, and how Hayden’s father was his overbearing boss who’d ordered him to be his daughter’s escort at the party tonight.
Addie seemed to understand or at least appeared to be compassionate to his plight, especially when he told her about Hayden’s demands.
“So, let me get this straight, she’s threatened to tell Daddy to fire you if you don’t act the part of the doting boyfriend?”
Chase almost told her about the other part of the deal that might get him an audience with Tate Jepson, but decided to keep that part to himself.
“Yeah, but I was stupid and told her I had a girlfriend and I wouldn’t do it.”
“You have a girlfriend?”
“No, but I panicked and said I do.” Chase looked up and gave Addie a half smile. “I kind of told her you were my girlfriend.”
“Oh.”
“So,” Chase said, deciding to hurry up and make the deal before she took off running. “I was thinking that if you and I pretended to be dating then I can avoid Hayden and you can avoid being set up with all the guys Janie has in mind.”
Addie didn’t say anything for several heartbeats. Chase finally dared to look her in the eyes and was surprised to see her smiling at him. “Hmm, so tonight you’ll have to pretend to be Hayden’s boyfriend while pretending to be my boyfriend?”
Heat crept up his neck. When she put it that way it sounded so ridiculous. “You know what. Just forget it. I’ll man up and let the consequences fall where they may.”
“Hold on, there. Let’s not make any rash decisions.” She nudged him in the shoulder. “We both know Aunt Janie isn’t going to back off until I go out on at least one date whether it’s with you or Pastor Daniel.”
“Dave.”
“Whatever. The point is she won’t stop trying to set me up. She even mentioned another guy I might like to meet that works at the assisted living place her friend Hazel lives in. So, since you and I are friends, and if you really don’t mind faking our undying love for each other, let’s go for it. It will make both of our lives much easier.”
He studied her for a few seconds. It wasn’t going to be hard pretending to be into her. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She stuck out her hand and Chase felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.
He placed his hand in hers, and the second their palms met he could feel heat travel the length of his arm. “Thank you for doing this.”
Her eyes flickered down at their clasped hands and Chase realized the tricky part about pretending to f
all for Addie would be to not let it really happen.
“No, thank you,” she said, pulling her hand back to her lap. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”
“Do you think Miss Janie will be too disappointed when we decide to only be friends at the end of your stay?”
“Maybe, but she’ll get over it.” Addie lifted one shoulder. “Besides, she couldn’t possibly expect anything more to happen in two weeks.”
Her words eased Chase’s conscience. “Okay, should we plan our first date?”
“Sure, what do you want to do?”
“Do you like to ride?” Chase asked
She tilted her head to the side. “Ride as in a bike or a horse?”
“Both, really.”
“Bicycles. Yes.” Her eyebrows drew together and she shook her head. “But I’m not very fond of horses.”
“That’s too bad,” Chase said, hoping he might be able to persuade her later on. “There are some really beautiful places to go horseback riding.”
Addie shivered and shook her head. “I’ll have to take your word for it. Unless it’s attached to a merry-go-round, I try to avoid horses. Bad experience as a child.”
“What happened with horses?”
“Something I don’t ever care to repeat.”
“Now you have to tell me the story.”
Addie glanced his way and squinted. “Fine, if you insist.”
“No.” Chase shrugged. “But I’m very intrigued.”
Her face relaxed and she gave him a sweet smile. “Okay, so my sister took me and my nephew to a place near my dad’s house. It’s a small farm that gives children the opportunity to get to know and ride horses. Since I was older I got to go first. My nephew was mad he had to wait and pulled a fit, startling the horse. It took off with me barely hanging on and then bucked me off.”
Ouch. No wonder she was scared. “Were you hurt?”
“Yeah, I broke my wrist in two places. My sister loves riding and still feels bad about my fear of horses.” She held out her left arm and pointed to a scar. “They had to surgically repair my wrist.”
Under a Georgia Moon: Georgia Moon Romance Book 1 Page 7
