Page 2 of Tormented Bastard
I leaned my head back and sighed, turning my chair toward the window. It wasn’t a big window, but the view was really worth every penny of the exorbitant rent I paid. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I blinked hard against them.No time for tears, Eden, my mother always said.
I cleared my throat and turned back to Katie. “Okay, we need a name that’s going to draw a big crowd. These guys want donations, so we need to bring someone in that will lighten the deep pockets of those coming to the event.”
I rubbed my forehead, wracking my brain, which seemed to have gone on vacation since the phone call. I sipped from my cup and almost gagged, forgetting it was chai tea. “I need coffee. I ended up with someone’s chai tea.”
“I got it.”
When she came back with my coffee, she rattled off a couple of movie stars we’d worked with in the past, a well-known motivational speaker, a female billionaire known for her success in women’s undergarments, and a retired basketball player that would still draw in the high rollers.
“Yeah, we’re not getting any of those,” I said. My nerves sparked under my skin, and I needed to move. I paced my office, my brain drawing complete blanks.
“I know you aren’t going to like this suggestion,” Katie said, “but he’s actually perfect for this if available.”
I raised my head, frowning. “Who?”
“The Hollywood Golden Boy.”
My eyes bulged. “Chase Hanover? My ex, Chase Hanover?”
Katie picked imaginary lint off her white and pink polka-dotted skirt, her eyes averted. “I was thinking more along the lines of Hollywood Hanover, former major league baseball superstar. The elusive Hollywood Hanover that everyone isstilltrying to get an interview with.”
I rolled my eyes. I hated the ridiculous nickname the media had given him. “Hard pass,” I said. “Besides, even if we could find him, he wouldn’t do it anyway.”
“Why not?”
I sat with a thump in my chair, tightness spreading across my chest. “The last time I saw Chase was four years ago at the memorial service.” I shrugged, wanting to forget that night, but the invisible knife twisted in my chest. “We haven’t spoken since.”
Katie leaned forward. “Do you know where he is now?”
“Last I knew he had moved to Florida. Where? I don’t know.” I’d made it clear I didn’t want to know since I never returned his calls, but I had my guesses.
Katie rose and went to shut the door. She came back and sat on the edge of my desk. “Look, I don’t know what went on between you and Chase, but this is business. We need this job, Eden. We all know this. It can’t hurt to try. If he says no…” She bobbed her head from side to side. “We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”
My assistant was right—this was business. Feelings had no place here. I couldn’t let a little thing like him being the one that got away interfere with my livelihood. I could do this. Ihadto do this.
Regret already set up shop in my gut, but time was running out and so were my choices.
I turned to Katie. “Okay, fine. I’ll go talk to Chase.”
Her head tilted. “I thought you didn’t know where he was?”
“I don’t, but I have a hunch.” The more I thought about the idea, the more I warmed up to it and adrenaline coursed through my veins. I rattled off instructions for her including travel arrangements for first thing tomorrow and to rearrange my schedule. “Call an emergency staff meeting. I’ll talk with the team about the proposal and what’s going on.”
“Will do.” Katie chewed her lip, then rubbed her nose.
Aw, shit. Her bad news tell. “What is it?”
“You know there’s a tropical storm headed to the Florida panhandle?”
I typed out an email, half listening. “Yeah, but it’s still a couple of days away, and they’re predicting it will move farther east anyway. I’ll be back before it gets close. It’ll be fine. As long as the Tallahassee airport is open, I’m going and it will be fine. Okay?”
“If you’re sure…”
I looked up from the email, focused on her. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Nothing was fine.
Less than five minutes with my heels on the ground in the Sunshine State and I was rethinking my strategy. What if he wasn’t where I thought he was? I didn’t have time to waste and yet here I was, waiting in line to pick up a rental car in the Tallahassee airport. I was following my gut, although I wasn’t sure I could trust it where Chase Hanover was concerned.
