Chapter 8
Chase
Chase shifted his position on the couch, careful not to disturb Izzy who was leaning on his shoulder. Her chest rose and fell as she slept deeply in his arms. He still couldn’t believe he’d spent the night with the woman of his dreams. Sure, all they’d done was talk, but it was as intimate as he hoped it would be. He’d learned so much about her—Izzy the mother, the songwriter, and most of all, the friend and lover he’d been looking for. Their conversation—and laughter—had flowed all through the evening and into the early hours of the morning. When they both were too tired to talk, they fell asleep to the soft sounds of his CD playing in the background.
Now it was Sunday morning, and a few hours before his flight home. He desperately wished he didn’t have to leave so soon. They’d just started their relationship and he wasn’t sure how long it’d be before they saw each other again. He’d never been in a long-term relationship before, let alone a long-distance one. But the way he felt about Izzy—how he got the same rush with her that he got making music—made him want to try.
Buzz! His phone vibrated with a series of incoming messages. He picked up his cell from the couch and scrolled through the texts.
Have you seen the tabloids?
Where are you?
Call me ASAP!
As soon as he read the final text, his cell rang. He answered it with a hushed, Hold on a sec, as he placed a cushion under Izzy’s head and stood up. The voice on the other line ignored his request as he continued talking.
“Chase, why was I the last person to find out? I’m your publicist! I’m supposed to field the questions, not ask them.”
“Hey, Shawn.” Chase made his way to the kitchen sink to get some water. The middle-aged publicist his manager had hired was a bit of a grump, but he sounded even more disgruntled than usual. “What are you talking about?”
“The girl. There are photos of you with her. I don’t recognize the place. Where are you, Chase?”
“I’m in Romance—”
“That’s what everyone’s saying! You’re having a romance that I know nothing about.”
“No, the town’s called Romance. In Oregon.”
“You took off to another state without telling me? Who is she? Are you dating her? We talked about this. You’re Chase Lockhart. You have an image to maintain. The fans want you to be single or to be dating another star. To stay in the news, you need to make the news. And the stories need to be newsworthy.”
He’d heard all this before when Shawn gave him a crash course on Pop Stardom 101. At the time, he hadn’t seriously considered how his celebrity status might affect his dating life. But now that he’d met Izzy, he needed to consider the ramifications. His top priority though: to protect her. The media could be cruel, especially to non-celebrities.
“Her name’s Izzy and yes, we’re dating.”
“Since when?”
“Since last night.” Chase tried to keep his voice down, but the adrenaline pumping through his veins made it difficult. “The details don’t matter, Shawn. What does is that I want her out of the spotlight. She doesn’t need this kind of attention.”
“Well, it’s a little late for that.”
“What are people saying?”
“Anything and everything you can imagine. That she’s after your fame and money. That she’s pregnant with your child. Those are the nice rumors. You don’t want to hear the other ones.”
He set down his mug on the counter with more force than intended, causing the water to slosh out. He could only guess the headlines making the news today. The tabloids would print anything to make money. He had to keep Izzy out of the social media firestorm. “Shawn, you need to do damage control. Tell the press she’s a cousin or some other relative I was visiting. Just keep her name out of it. Please do that for me.”
“I’ll do what I can, kid,” the older man sighed. “The two of you looked pretty cozy though in those photos.”
“Photos? What photos?”
“They were taken outdoors. It looked like a flea market. A fan posted them on her Instagram, and it went viral.”
It must’ve been the group of teens watching them at the festival. “Great. At least this confirms I have fans in Oregon.”
“Get used to it, Chase. You have fans everywhere. And after you drop your next album, you’ll be even hotter than ever. Be careful what you do and who you do it with. There are eyes watching you all the time.”
“I got it, Shawn, thanks for the heads-up.” He needed a better game plan if he was going to keep Izzy’s identity a secret. “I appreciate you watching out for me.”
“Of course. We’ll talk more when you get back. The sooner we nip this in the bud, the better.”
“Yeah, I agree. It’s a good thing I’m going home today.”
“Have a safe flight. Text me when you land.”
“Will do,” he agreed before he hung up.
Chase gripped the edge of the counter and stared out through the window above the sink. The street was void of any traffic, the only movement coming from the colorful fall leaves lining the trees on the sidewalk. The scene before him was peaceful and quiet, so unlike the busyness and noise of Hollywood. It was how a small town should be. There were no paparazzi in sight, and he wanted to keep it that way for Izzy. He realized the sooner he got out of Romance, the better it would be for her.
The clicking sound of dog nails crossing the hardwood floor drew his attention. He turned around and spotted Thor and Izzy in the doorway to the kitchen. The sight of Izzy standing there with her tousled hair and bare feet made his heart clench. He was going to miss seeing her in the mornings. “Hey, you’re awake.”
“I couldn’t sleep anymore. Have you been up long?”
“Just a little while. I had a call to take.” He stuffed his phone in his pants pocket and walked over to her. He tipped her chin up and placed his mouth on hers, taking time to enjoy the softness of her full lips. Before he had a chance to deepen the kiss, however, she stiffened and pulled away. He watched as she strode to the coffee maker and turned it on. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just tired,” she answered over her shoulder. Arms crossed, she turned around with a tight-lipped smile. “Do you want coffee or something to eat? I don’t know how much time you have before your flight. If you need to go, I can pack you some of yesterday’s bread to take with you.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was trying to get rid of him. Maybe distancing herself was her way of dealing with their inevitable separation. But this was not how he wanted to leave things. “I have an idea. How about you come with me to the airport and we’ll have breakfast there—my treat. That’ll give us an extra hour together.”
“I don’t think so. I’m exhausted. I wouldn’t be good company right now.”
“You wouldn’t have to talk. Just sit with me and listen. That way I can stare at your beautiful face while I eat. Or not,” he added, noticing with disappointment that his attempt to lighten the mood had failed.
“Thanks for the offer, but let’s say our goodbyes now. I’m sure you can’t wait to get back home.”
“What’s going on, Izzy?” He approached her, but got stopped mid-way by Thor. He tried bypassing him, but the dog stood between them like a roadblock of black fur, his tail alert. “Did you put him up to this? He won’t let me get by.”
Izzy smiled for the first time that morning as she petted Thor’s head. “He’s just watching out for me. Good boy, Thor.”
Good boy?! How did a dog have more game than him? “Why are you acting like this? I thought we were finally on the same page. We both wanted this last night. Why are you pushing me away?”
A pained look crossed her face. “It’s better this way. You’re young; you can afford to play around. I don’t have time for games.”
“Games? The only one playing games here is you. Don’t tell me the time we spent together meant nothing to you. The way you kissed me—that meant something.”
She shrugged. “I got caught up in the moment. Any woman would have if you’d kissed her the way you kissed me.”
“I told you before, Izzy, I don’t kiss just anyone.” He softened his tone at the sight of Thor’s bared teeth. “You need to trust me when I say I’m one hundred percent in this. I would never do anything to hurt you. It kills me to have to leave you today, but I promise you, I’ll come back as soon as possible. I’m only a plane ride away. A phone call and a text away. I’m going to do whatever I can to make this work. Please trust me.”
Biting her lower lip, she fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt. When she finally met his gaze, her eyes shone with tears. “I want to trust you, Chase, but I don’t know if I can. Trust has to be earned.”
Of course. After what she’d been through with her daughter’s father, she had every right to question a man’s intention. “I understand. But you should know I’m not giving up. Give me a chance to prove my love to you.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, revealing a hopefulness in them. His words seemed to have broken through whatever wall she had set up. She walked over and tip-toed to kiss his cheek. “Take care of yourself. Please let me know when you land,” she murmured before leaving the kitchen with Thor at her heels.
Chase closed his eyes, relishing the warmth on his skin from where her lips had been. Inhaling deeply, he savored the sweet, tropical scent of her shampoo that still lingered in the air. His pounding heart told him to run after Izzy, to pull her into his arms for a proper goodbye, but he resisted. She needed time to trust him, and he would give that to her.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the elderly woman waving to him from next door. Good ’ole Mrs. Cooper. He waved back and offered her a smile. She continued to motion with her hands, using her index fingers and thumbs to form the outline of a rectangle. She held the shape up close to her eyes and moved one of her fingers up and down. Her last gesture was a simple point of the finger towards the sidewalk.
What was she trying to tell him? Before he could ask her to repeat her motions, he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. One flash became two, then three, until there was a continuous succession of them. That’s when he got Mrs. Cooper’s message, bright and clear. A swarm of photographers had gathered at his window, each person holding a camera in one hand and calling for his attention with the other. Chase ducked his head and escaped to the next room.
Great. They’d found him—and Izzy. It was time for him to leave, and he was taking the paparazzi with him.