“I love you, too.”
We disconnected the call, and I went into the living room, where my uncle was slouched on the couch, sipping his beer. The remote was still in his hand, and I glared at him.
“What the hell was that?”
Uncle Drew looked up at me before shrugging. “Watch how you talk to your mother, kid.”
I rolled my eyes before going outside. Max stayed with Uncle Drew, and I walked down the sidewalk, texting Andrew.
Me: Hey, how opposed are you to a trip to the beach?
Andrew: You’re kidding, right?
I laughed because he wasn’t wrong. Despite this not being a popular hotspot for young people, the beach was the beach.
Me: Mom won’t run my laptop out. I need it. Would you be able to bring it out here?
Andrew took several minutes to respond, and when he did, my heart hammered in my chest.
Andrew: Under one condition. Do I get to meet this Chase?
I stopped walking and took in where I was. I was close to the IGA store and with the direction this was all heading, maybe a trip inside to pick up some drinks was in order. There was never a lot of traffic, so when a car drove past, I didn’t bother waiting to get to the crosswalk to cross the street.
By the time I came out of the store with a six-pack and started on my way back to my uncle’s house, I realized I had left Andrew waiting for an answer for far too long. I fished my phone back out of my pocket, seeing a new message. My stomach turned as I thought of how to respond. It wasn’t like I hadn’t met Chase’s friends. He was okay with telling people that we’d re-sparked things, at least for this summer.
Andrew: Is he still mad?
I sighed and typed out my response.
Me: I don’t think he’s mad anymore, but things are complicated. I think meeting him can be arranged.
I quickly hit send and shoved my phone back in my pocket, then made my way back to Uncle Drew’s, hoping that I hadn’t just agreed to something stupid.
Chapter 14
Chase
The rattling on my door had my heart racing. Drew wouldn’t have told Nathan where I lived, would he?
Oreo’s head popped up, and she looked at me in irritation, her eyes narrowed, as I rolled out of bed. I pulled on a pair of basketball shorts as I walked to the door and pushed it open. My muscles relaxed when I saw who was standing there.
“You still haven’t told him about this, have you?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the door frame, staring down at Drew. “Is there a reason that he needs to know?”
The man rolled his eyes, then went to his truck and opened the door. “I get that you two have history, and if what I saw going down in my backyard the other night is any indication, you can’t go hiding things from him and hurting him.”
My defenses went up immediately. I stood up straight and hopped out of the camper. My bare feet stung against the gravel I had laid out. “Hurt him? Hide things from him?” A humorless laugh escaped me. “It’s no different from what he did to me four yearsago.”
Drew shook his head, closing the door to his truck and leaning against it. “This isn’t the Chase I know.”
Drew was right. This wasn’t like me at all. I wasn’t the vindictive type. Nathan didn't tell me the reason for not returning because I hadn’t let him. He could have a really good reason, or perhaps he didn't, but I couldn't take the chance of going through that heartache again.
And how did you go about telling someone that your whole family was dead? The last thing I wanted was him feeling sorry for me. I was content with the way my life was right now. The camper was enough for me and Oreo. I had a good job working for Drew and I had a decent group of friends.
Okay, maybe the friends were questionable.
“I just don’t know how to talk to him about any of it.”
