Page 34 of Her Rock Star's Dark Secret

Chase chuckled. “I’m glad to hear it. She did a better job than I expected, and I knew she was going to do great.”

“Well, I’ll say. I can’t wait to see what she can do for me!” Mrs. Wheaton smiled, showing a mouth full of crooked teeth.

Chase stood up. “It’s time for the after picture.” He held up his phone and snapped a selfie. “No filters here,” he said. “Because I want to show off the perfection of this haircut as it is.”

“You’re embarrassing me, Chase.” Lauren warmed inside. It meant a lot to her that Chase liked the job she’d done on his hair.

“I told you I was going to post about getting my hair done on social media.”

“Isn’t that just going to make the paparazzi bother you more?” Lauren asked.

“They already know I’m here. But you deserve to be helped. You did a great job on my hair. I’d do the same for any stylist who gave me such a great haircut.”

Lauren caught a glimpse of Rita. She was raising her eyebrows in a knowing way to Lauren. What was that look supposed to mean?

Chase said goodbye, and Mrs. Wheaton took his place. Lauren enjoyed her chatter as Mrs. Wheaton filled her in on the goings-on of her fellow Maple Creek citizens. She learned about how she hoped Senator Larson and Natasha were expecting soon. She’d thought she’d seen a baby bump on Natasha, but it would be much too soon for that. She chatted on as Lauren worked her magic on her hair. Her hands moved, but her mind kept drifting to think about Chase and how it had been to run her fingers through his hair. She’d never experienced anything like it before. She felt more connected to him than she had to anyone else before. Something was changing within her, and she didn’t know what to do about it.

She had to get herself under control soon, or she would lose her heart to him. And she couldn’t let that happen. Because he was going to leave soon, and she would be left behind with the crumbling pieces of her heart.

Chapter 12

Chase left Lauren’s salon, and cameras flashed in his eyes, blinding him. He shielded his eyes and then put on his sunglasses. He should have put them on before he walked out, but he was so distracted from Lauren putting her hands all through his hair that he hadn’t thought about the paparazzi being outside the salon. But he had just posted on his social media account, so it was no wonder they had swarmed the spot.

“Chase! Is Maple Creek your hometown?”

“Do you like your new haircut?”

“Yes,” he said. “Lauren did a fantastic job on it.”

“Is something going on between you and Lauren Parker?”

“No more questions, please.” He pushed their microphones away and headed toward his car.

This was exactly why he didn’t want it to get out that he was from Maple Creek. He wanted it hidden from the world, protected from the corruption out there. He’d seen way too much of it, the last of respect for privacy.

He didn’t want them near Lauren. Because whether he liked it or not, she was beginning to be part of his personal life. She was changing from a girl he’d gone to high school with to something more. He didn’t want to define it as anything just yet, but he couldn’t deny that he felt drawn to her.

He got into the Camaro and drove off, hoping to throw the paparazzi off his scent. He wove into traffic and sped away, cursing himself for choosing such a recognizable car.

He went to a local restaurant and grabbed some authentic tacos. He’d remembered going there as a kid, and they were just as good as he’d remembered. Then he swung by the grocery store and filled a cart with food for Alexis’s fridge. He pulled into the parking lot behind the bakery and salon and went up the back staircase, groceries in hand. Gratitude swept through him at the privacy of the entrance. He unlocked the apartment, and Alexis was already home.

“All done with work?” he asked, lugging the groceries through the doorway.

“You went grocery shopping?” Alexis asked. “That’s so nice of you.”

“I noticed the cupboards were getting bare.”

“I know. I kept meaning to go, but I just haven’t gotten to it,” Alexis said.

Chase took the groceries over to the kitchen table and began unpacking the bags. He put the eggs in the fridge.

“I bought some salmon and vegetables for dinner tonight. I was thinking about having Lauren and Penny over for a nice dinner with us. How does that sound?” Chase asked.

“That sounds fun. Speaking of dinner, when are you going to ask Lauren out again?”

“I’m not sure she wants me to.”

“That’s a bunch of nonsense. She totally wants you to.”

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