Page 30 of Her Rock Star's Dark Secret

“Nice place,” Aaron said. “This is where you had prom?”

The historic mansion was impressive, full of Southern charm and grace. Seeing the house took him back to that warm spring night when they’d had their prom here.

“Yep.”

“I can just see it now. Awkward Chase, trying to impress some date. Who’d you take?”

“Some girl I’d casually dated my senior year. She’s married with a bunch of kids now. Do you know that was the most serious relationship I’ve ever had?”

“I do know that. I’ve been around awhile. I have no idea why that’s been your most serious relationship. You’re a great guy.”

“My life on the road really isn’t good for a relationship.”

“I thought you were getting tired of being on the road.”

“I am. I’m ready to settle down, but that doesn’t mean marriage to me. It just means staying in one place.”

“What’s your hang-up with marriage? It’s worked out pretty great for me.”

“The press is too wrapped up in my life. I don’t want to bring a woman into that mess.”

He walked up the steps of the old mansion and crossed the expansive veranda, passing couches and rocking chairs on his way to the front door. He pushed it open to the large foyer. A beautiful chandelier hung overhead, and every surface gleamed.

A pair of high heels clicked across the marble floor, and Aubrey Wheaton appeared in the foyer. Her eyes lit up when she recognized Chase.

“Mr. Remington! It’s fantastic to see you here. How are you this evening?”

“Hey there, Aubrey. I’m doing great. This is my manager, Aaron. He’s going to be overseeing the ins and outs of the event with you. We’re still waiting on Lauren to show up. She should be here soon.”

“Wonderful. Well, while we’re waiting, I’d like to tell you what a huge fan I am of your music. I’ve been listening since I was in high school. I love every song you’ve ever written. It’s such an honor to meet you. I can’t believe you’re actually here and that you want to book an event at the Whitmore House. We’re extremely excited. Natasha, the owner, has expressed how much she cares about this event as well, and I want to let you know that she plans to attend with her husband, Senator Larson. From what I understand, she was close to Maisy as well. She thinks what you’re doing for Maisy and suicide prevention is just fantastic.”

“That’s great to hear. Natasha and Adam were good friends. They’re good people.”

“Yes, they are.”

The front door opened, and Lauren walked inside.

“Hey, Lauren,” Chase said, waving her over. “This is my manager, Aaron.”

“Aaron, it’s great to meet you.” Lauren shook hands with him.

“Lauren!” Aubrey said. “It’s good to see you. We at the Whitmore House just want to welcome you and thank you for choosing us for your event. We want to let you know that we’re here to handle every detail you may need, whether that need is food or an open bar or sound equipment. Chase, I understand that you plan to perform. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I will have all my own sound equipment brought in, so there’s no need to worry about that. Is there a way we can sell the drinks and have the proceeds donated to the charity? Maybe provide water for free and everything else paid?”

“We can definitely provide that for you. You plan to have this event outside, correct?” Aubrey asked.

“Correct,” Aaron said.

“Great. Would you like to see the space we have available out back?” Aubrey asked.

“Sure,” Chase said.

Aubrey led them through the large house, down a hallway, into a ballroom, and out a set of several double doors that lined the back of the house. They stepped out onto the back veranda, which was lined with more couches and rocking chairs.

“You can set your stage up on the far side of the outdoor space, and you can have guests seated on the porch area here.” She waved a hand over the veranda.

“In this backyard area, we can set up tables around the perimeter with more seating for your guests. We can leave the center and paved area around the stage open for your guests to dance.”

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