I did a quick scan of the store but didn’t see John. “I’m really not supposed to share my rentals with other people.”
“You did last time.” He rested an elbow on the counter and leaned forward. The nearness making me nervous.
“I know, but then you turned it in late.”
“Oh,” he said, straightening back up. “My bad. I didn’t think it mattered.”
“Well, it does.” I lowered my voice to a loud whisper. “I had to pay a late fee like everyone else who doesn’t return a movie on time.”
“I’m sorry. What if I promise to return on the way to school tomorrow? That way, there’s no chance of it being late.” I bit my lip. “Come on, Andrews. It’s just a movie.”
Neal was right. It was just a movie. “Go pick something out, and make sure I’m up here when you’re ready to check out.”
He disappeared but was back within a couple minutes. I typed in my employee number and proceeded to rent to movie out to myself. And then gave it to Neal. “Make sure you bring it back tomorrow. I don’t want to have to pay again, okay?”
“I promise you won’t get another late fee.”
John cleared his throat.
I hadn’t noticed him come back up to the front, and Neal hadn’t indicated that he saw him either. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, but the expression on his face made it clear he’d heard enough to know what I was doing.
He didn’t stop Neal as he grabbed the movie. Instead, he stood watching the scene unfold. It was like a bad dream you wished you could wake up from. You knew it was bad, but you couldn’t stop it.
Neal seemed completely unaware through the whole transaction, even though I told him I wasn’t supposed to do it. My job was potentially on the line, but he just took the movie and walked out as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
John didn’t speak immediately. I had expected him to start tearing into me as soon as Neal walked out the exit doors. He stood near the registers in silence, each minute making me feel worse.
It was just a movie, less than five dollars. It wasn’t like I was robbing a bank. But I knew that wasn’t the point. In this one move, I’d managed to lose my boss’ trust.
When he finally spoke, it was almost a mercy. “I knew that late fee wasn’t yours.”
“I’m sorry.” The words felt cheap on my lips.
“How long has this been going on?”
“A few times with Amy. This is the second time with Neal.”
John closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m supposed to fire you for something like this. It’s considered stealing from the company. The manual says it’s cause for immediate termination.”
The tears started falling as soon as he said termination. John was going to fire me. That was much worse than feeling embarrassed about not wanting to give Neal a free movie. What had I been thinking?
“I’m sorry,” I said again. My voice wavered, and I fought back the sobs that threatened to come out.
Not only would I not have a job. I would have to explain to my mom that I was fired for stealing. Chase would find out sooner than later, especially if he had to work more hours because I was no longer there. Would he punish me at cross country?
Would he be embarrassed by me?
I couldn’t bear the thought but knew I couldn’t argue with what John had to do.
“I’m not going to fire you.”
“What?”
John took a deep breath. “Regardless of this, you’re still one of my best employees. That said, I don’t think I can keep you on as a shift manager. I want to trust you, but we’re talking the combination to the safe and counting down registers. I’m going to have to be more cautious.”
“I understand,” I said, looking down at my feet.
“Chase has been picking everything up quickly and has expressed an interest in taking on more responsibilities. I want you to help me train him, and then step down.”
“Are you going to tell him why I’m not going to be a shift manager anymore?” John shook his head. “Do I have to tell him why?”
“No, Nicole, you don’t. But I do hope you’ll think about what happened and how it could have been prevented.”
“I will.”
“Okay,” he said with a sad smile. “Let’s finish this shift, and we can talk more about it when Chase’s training begins.”
Chapter Nineteen
I’d only made it two miles into our long run when it happened. I stepped on a pothole the wrong way and twisted my ankle. It hurt something fierce.
I stopped and tried to keep my weight off it for a few minutes as some of my teammates passed by. We had a meet in two days, and I was determined not to let anyone see just how much pain I was in.
Cassidy stopped. I waved her on. “I just stepped on it a little funny.”
Victoria didn’t stop but flashed a cruel smile as she kept running. It was almost as if I could feel the happiness coming from her. She saw me standing on the side of the road for what it was, and she delighted in it.
When Amy stopped and refused to keep running, I started getting annoyed. Not at her, of course. The situation sucked, and the pitying glances were more than I could take. “Seriously, I just need a minute.”
Amy suddenly started breathing heavily. She was a terrible actress. “I’m so out of breath. I think I’d better stay here a minute too.”
“I’m sure you are.” Over the last couple of weeks, Amy had been pushing her way up through the ranks. She’d improved so much, she was running varsity for the first time that weekend.
We both knew she wasn’t out of breath. I think she stayed wanting to make sure I was okay.
Neither one of us acknowledged what hurting myself might mean. Three more girls ran by us in that time, and this time Amy waved at them to keep moving. I caught the look of nervousness in one of their eyes. It wasn’t misplaced. The pain wasn’t lessening, and I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes.
Minutes later, the last girl on the junior varsity team ran by, accompanied by Chase. He stopped and told her to keep going and keep up the good work.
“Everything okay?” He ran his hand through his short blond hair, pushing back the stands that were stuck to his forehead.
“Yep,” I answered at the same time Amy said, “Nicole hurt her ankle.”
I shot her a look before facing Chase.
“What happened?” His eyes were full of concern as they raked over my body. Even though I was very much in pain, I could feel my face flush from his innocent perusal. I was careful to keep my arms at my sides to hide my sweaty armpits, feeling self-conscience under his gaze.
“She twisted her ankle in a pothole,” Amy answered.
Chase kept his eyes trained on me. “Hmm, can you put any weight on it?”
I didn’t respond, and Amy was happy to answer for me. “She’s tried a couple times but hasn’t had any luck.
“And did it make her lose her ability to speak as well?” Chase turned his head toward Amy and raised his brows. His expression was serious, and yet there was an underlying playfulness in his voice.
“It’s not funny,” I cried. “It really hurts.”
“She does speak.” A small smirk touched his lips. He stared at me for a couple seconds before turning to Amy. “Why don’t you go on ahead. Let Coach know what happened. I’ll stay here with Nicole and see if we can get her up and walking.”
I gave Amy a small nod when she looked at me for assurance. “If he murders me and hides the body, you can make sure he gets locked away for a long time.”
She held her hands up and made a square shape with her fingers. She directed it toward Chase like she was taking his picture. “Yep. Got it. Middle-aged, overweight, balding.”
I rolled my eyes but caught a look passing between Chase and Amy before she ran off toward the school. I watched her jog off in the distance. With her going to the school, and every other runner off in the other direction, Chase and
I were truly alone.
“Here, sit down on the curb and let me get a look at it.” Chase stuck out his arm for me to use as a brace as I got into a seated position.
“Moonlighting as a doctor now?” My tone came out more biting than I intended.
Chase didn’t look upset though. The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. “When I’m not busy defending the city from bad guys.”
“And a secret superhero?”
He leaned forward, and even though he’d just been running and should smell awful, all I could smell was a pleasing male aroma, a scent uniquely Chase. “Don’t tell.”
I resisted the urge to lean into him. Instead, I pinched my thumb and forefinger together before running them over my closed lips. I then tossed the imaginary key over my shoulder.
“It’s good to know my secret is safe.” When he looked back down at my foot, the smile that had been on his face fell. “Can I look at your ankle?”
My breathing picked up, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I sounded as horrible as Amy had when she pretended to be out of breath. I struggled to keep my breaths steady but was failing miserably.
When Chase touched my ankle and moved my foot slightly, I was done for. “Ow!” I cried and swatted at his head. “That hurt!”
His hands were off quickly like he’d touched fire. And just as quickly, he was sitting next to me on the curb. “I think it’s sprained.”
“Is that good or bad?” I’d heard people talk about twists and sprains and torn ligaments, but I’d never had an injury, so I had no clue what it all meant.
“It’s not broken, so that’s good.”
“Like, I’ll be running again tomorrow good?”
Chase slowly shook his head. “I think it’ll be a couple weeks before you can run again. At least.”
“But there’s a meet this Saturday. I’m supposed to be first in the line-up.”
This couldn’t be happening. I’d been working so hard. And one stupid hole in the road was going to mess everything up. A couple weeks off my ankle meant a couple of weeks spent sitting around doing nothing. My race time was going to slip, and I might even lose my spot on the varsity team.
I’d be writing a very angry letter to the government employees of Marlowe Junction when I got home. I planned to find every pothole near Rosemark and make a map clearly outlining where they all were. I’d convince them to patch them up right away, so this never happened again.
“It’s not so bad, Nic.” There was that nickname again. “You can sit on the sidelines and keep me company.”
“And would you like me to keep you company?”
He pouted and shook his head. “It gets so lonely on the sideline all by myself.”
“You have Coach.” I managed a wink.
“Yeah, but you’re much prettier than he is.”
I bumped his shoulder with mine and looked up at him. It was meant to be playful, but I could already see the change in Chase’s expression.
“Can I ask you something serious?”
Noting the change of mood, I nodded and waited for his question.
“Are you going to Homecoming with Neal?”
It seemed completely random and unrelated to what was happening out here, but I answered anyway. “He asked me.”
“And that’s enough reason to say yes?”
I straightened my back careful not to move my foot. “I’ve never been asked out before. Not on a date, not to a dance.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Chase interrupted before I could say any more, and it only made me feel more indignant.
“You didn’t even know I went to the same school as you. Not until we started working together. I’m a nobody.”
“You’re not, Nicole. You’re amazing, and you deserve to go with someone better than that guy.”
“That guy is the one who asked me. And it feels nice to be wanted. So, yeah, I’ll probably go with him.”
“Maybe there’s someone else who wishes he could ask you to Homecoming.”
“Who, like you?” The words were out before my brain could process what I was saying. Eyes wide, I pushed my lips together and waited to see how Chase would respond. I half expected him to laugh and leave me stuck on the side of the road.
He looked pained as he spoke. “I can’t.”
It wasn’t the response I expected, so I kept pushing. “I’m not good enough for you?”
“I didn’t say that, and you know that. You’re looking for an excuse to argue.”
“You’re right. I’m just so frustrated,” I admitted with a sigh. “This year started off so great, and everything is falling apart. I don’t know what to do.”
“You don’t have to figure it all out right now. Just take it one step at a time, okay.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious. You’re amazing, Nicole. Whatever happens, I know it’ll all work out.”
I laughed. “Something like that.”
Chase played with some dying grass on the curb, his eyes staring intently on the blades. “Let’s wait to see what’s going on with your ankle before jumping to conclusions. Once you know, we can come up with a game plan.”
The words couldn’t be less romantic, and yet I’d never felt this kind of connection with a guy. He kept saying “we” with every statement he made. It was almost as if he was promising that he would be there no matter what happened.
It might not be over the top romance, but it was a first. My brain was practically screaming at Chase.
Kiss me. Kiss me now!
His hand gently brushed a stray strand of hair off my face, and when I looked at him, his eyes were hooded. Wait… had I said that last part out loud? Because even as my thoughts were going a mile a minute, I couldn’t help but notice Chase was getting closer. His face was so near to mine, I could feel his breath on my cheeks.
“You’re beautiful, Nicole.” His voice was soft. “I hate that I didn’t see you before.”
I held my breath.
Chase continued. “And I see the way Neal looks at you. It drives me crazy.”
Was Chase saying he was jealous? Of Neal?
“Tell me you won’t go to Homecoming with him.”
“I won’t go with him.”
He let out a deep breath and smiled. Next thing I knew, his lips brushed mine. My entire body stilled. The kiss was tentative at first. His soft lips barely pressing against my mouth.
But when his hand cupped my face, it was all over. He started kissing me in earnest, and I kissed him back.
It was my first kiss, and Chase gently guided me until I found a comfortable rhythm. Before I knew it, my hands were going to his hair and pulling him closer.
I wasn’t sure how long we made out on the side of the road, but it ended long before I was ready for it too. When Chase broke away, he rested his forehead against mine.
“Wow,” he breathed. His mouth that had just been pressed against mine now had a goofy grin on it. I managed to get an mmm-hmm out, which caused him to chuckle.
I couldn’t keep the smile from my own face when Chase eventually straightened up. We didn’t say anything but just stared at each other.
“You really are amazing, Nicole. I—”
The sound of a car stopped Chase from saying whatever else he was going to say. His gaze snapped up at the approaching vehicle, and his smile fell. When I turned to look, I realized why. It was Coach’s car. Amy must have made it back to the school and told him about what happened.
Whatever spell Chase had been under was suddenly broken. He was back to being all business.
Chase stood up and put his hand out for me as the car parked. “We should get you up and inside,” he said, avoiding eye contact with me. His voice was empty, and I worried he was upset about getting caught.
“I don’t think Coach would really care,” I said as I stood upright, careful to keep weight off the offending foot.
His eyes widened for a split second before he started speaking in a hurri
ed whisper. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”
“What?” I thought we were embarrassed about getting caught kissing, but it was more than that.
He looked back toward the car as Coach got out of the driver’s seat, and quickly faced me again. “I’m serious, Nicole. Not even Amy.”
I should have known better. My first kiss was too perfect, too much like something out of the movies I watched over and over again. Things like that didn’t happen in real life. I shook my head.
“You’re a real jerk, Chase.”
“I…” He paused and shook his head. “I’m sorry Nicole.”
Again, a pained look crossed his face, but he quickly schooled his features as Coach Smith walked up.
“What happened, Andrews?”
“I stepped into a pothole while I was running. Chase thinks I sprained it.”
Coach’s face scrunched up, and he let out a curse that probably wasn’t appropriate for him to say in my company. Not that I didn’t hear worse on a daily basis at school. “You were supposed to lead the pack on Saturday.”
“I know,” I answered. My voice small, and not only because of the prospect of missing the cross country meet.
Chase opened his mouth to say something, but Coach started before he could get it out. “You go to an urgent care office tonight. The hospital if you have to. I want to know exactly what’s wrong with your foot and when you can be up and running again.”
This was the kind of reaction I could deal with. He wanted a diagnosis and a plan. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, let’s get back to school and figure out how to get you home tonight.”
Chapter Twenty
It turned out, Chase was right. My ankle was sprained.
The good news was it was only a first-degree sprain. It would heal on its own with what the doctor called the RICE treatment: rest, ice, compression, elevation.
The bad news was I was supposed to do that for two to four weeks. That meant no running, and that I would even have to use crutches until I could walk without pain.
It was tempting to rush through the recovery. I’d even asked the doctor if I could take a couple slow jogs around the Drive. He told me that was fine, as long as I was okay with the possibility of making the injury worse.
Chasing Love (Mountain Creek Drive Book 3) Page 11
