Chapter 9
Izzy
“It’s just you and me, boy.” Izzy scratched the sweet spot behind Thor’s ear until his big brown eyes closed. “But no worries. You and I are going to be all right, aren’t we?”
Sitting back on the couch, she pulled the crocheted blanket covering her body up to her shoulders. The weather had grown chillier now that they were nearing November, and so had the atmosphere at the inn. With only one new guest in the past few weeks since Chase left, it had been strangely quiet.
Chase. The mere thought of him made her stomach drop. His last morning here was still fresh on her mind. One line she’d overheard of his phone conversation—It’s a good thing I’m going home today—had opened a deluge of emotions. Insecurity about their age difference. Doubt over his intentions. Foolishness that she’d trusted him.
Oh, but he’d been so earnest and kind, as if he understood how fragile her heart was. He’d even used the word love in his pledge to her. So she’d gone ahead and trusted him.
They had been texting or calling whenever possible and video chatting once a day. She swiped the screen to view her text messages and opened the last ones she’d received from Chase.
Izzy baby, I miss you so much. Did you receive the gifts I sent? I hope you like them. I got two pumpkins; one for you and one for me. Every time I see it, I remember our time at the festival. That was the best weekend of my life.
Izzy glanced at the coffee table where a half-eaten box of candy from Cicely’s Caramel and Chocolates Company sat next to a shiny orange pumpkin from Blown Away, the town’s blown glass store. Both had been delivered to her door by their respective business owners. She had to hand it to him; he did know how to buy the perfect gifts.
I’ve been in the studio recording our song. Everyone loves it. We plan on making it the first single for my next album. I can’t wait to play it for you.
Memories from their time writing “Wait for Me” flooded her mind. The way his eyes had lit up when she harmonized with him. How peace had filled her heart to hear their voices blend together. And the feel of his warm lips on hers when he stole kisses in between verses.
Please text or call me anytime. Xoxo, Chase
Their regular communication—even when it was just a simple kissy face emoji—gave her hope their relationship stood a chance. She found Chase had been right; their ages didn’t matter. They had much in common, not only a passion for music, but similar upbringings as well. He hadn’t always lived in a big city; his early years were spent in a small town in Canada similar to Romance. He hadn’t attended college either, but he believed in hard work and perseverance. Most importantly, they both valued family. Gracie had given her approval already—two enthusiastic thumbs-up as she called it—and his mom and brother were eager to meet her.
Of course, there was an aspect of their relationship that proved to be challenging, namely Chase’s fame. He had taken the paparazzi with him when he left, but that hadn’t stopped the celebrity websites from speculating about his stay at the inn. The reporters loved to exaggerate details, especially when it came to his love life. Chase’s publicist had told them he was here visiting a relative, a story fabricated to protect her privacy. There had been times, however, when she wished they could tell the world about them and stop the rumors circulating the internet.
She had heeded his warning and stopped Googling him. There was no reason to when she couldn’t believe everything she heard or read in the news.
Her curiosity had gotten the better of her today though. Surprisingly, she hadn’t heard from him since yesterday morning. It had been almost an entire day without a text or a call. That’s when her insecurities had started creeping back and she’d gone straight for her laptop. Had he met someone else? Someone younger and prettier? Maybe their romance was too good to be true after all.
Ring! Izzy’s heart leapt as she spotted the incoming call on her cell phone. Instead of Chase’s name, however, her daughter’s popped up. “Hi, sweetheart,” she answered. “How are you?”
“Hi Mama, I’m good. Just taking a break from studying. What are you up to?”
Izzy blushed, thankful Gracie was too far away to see the websites open on her screen. Her search results made her look like a crazed fan of a certain blue-eyed pop singer or at the very least, a tabloid junkie. She couldn’t believe she’d sunk to this level of stalking. But how else would she find out what Chase was up to? “I’m catching up on some”—she wrinkled her nose—“news.”
“Why don’t you just call him?”
She scoffed. How was her daughter so smart? “Call who?”
“Mama,” Gracie drawled with obvious humor in her tone. “You know who. Just call Chase and see if he’s all right. What if something happened to him and that’s why he hasn’t called?”
Izzy gasped. Gracie was right. She was being so self-centered, so focused on protecting herself that she hadn’t considered Chase’s side of the story. What if he was sick, or worse, hurt? “You’re right, baby. I’m glad I taught you well. I’m going to call him.”
“You do that, Mama. Tell him how much you miss him. Because you do.”
“I’ve got it, Gracie. You take care of yourself. I’ll let you know how things go.” They said their goodbyes and Izzy hung up.
Why had she let her fears cloud her judgment? Chase was such a sweetheart, and she knew him well enough by now to know his feelings were real. Why had she thought the worst of him? Because she’d been let down before. But this time was different; Chase was different.
Dialing his number, she held her breath and waited.
The phone rang several times before a young female voice answered. “Hello?”
“Um, is Chase there?”
There was a gasp, followed by a giggle. “OMG, who is this?”
Did she have the wrong number? Izzy checked her screen. No, it was the one Chase had inputted into her phone himself. “I’m looking for Chase. Is he there?”
“Chase who?”
“Chase Lockhart.”
More giggling ensued. “Sorry, he’s not here right now. Who are you? His mom?”
“His mom? I am most definitely not his mom. I’m his girlfriend.” Izzy was done playing guessing games. “Who in the world are you?”
“His girlfriend? But I’m his girlfriend!” The voice grew pouty and indignant. “I’m the one with his phone, so obviously, it’s me, not you.”
What was going on? Was she telling the truth? Chase’s comment on his last day in Romance, how he wanted to go home, came back to mind. Was this woman the reason he’d been so eager to return to California? And why he’d stopped contacting her?
Izzy wasn’t hanging up without more answers. “How did you meet Chase?”
“At the store. He was trying to hide behind his shades and baseball cap, but I recognized him as soon as he started talking. I mean, who wouldn’t, right? He has the dreamiest voice. He was buying some apple cider and I overheard him asking the store clerk if they had any cinnamon sticks. Isn’t that the cutest thing? He wanted real cinnamon sticks to stir the cider with.”
This girl’s description of Chase, right down to his love of cinnamon sticks, sounded legitimate. “Yeah, real cute.”
“He’s meeting me today, and I’m so excited,” she squealed. “I got my hair and nails done. I hope he likes it. Does he like the color pink?”
“I-I have no idea and frankly, I don’t care,” she lied, trying hard to control her wavering voice. “You two have a nice time.”
“Thanks! Oh, did you want to leave a message for him?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Izzy had heard enough, but there was one thing she was still curious about. “By the way, how old are you?”
“Me? I’m nineteen. Why?”
“No reason.” Choking back a sob, she ended the call.
Izzy looked down to find Thor’s paw on her lap and his big brown eyes staring into hers. Great, even her dog pitied her. “I know, boy, I should’ve known better. It’s bad enough there’s another woman, but he had to pick such a young one. All that talk about age not mattering—what a bunch of crock!”
Woof!
“Right? I bet he said those things just to get close to me. He saw me as a lonely woman he could manipulate. It was all a ploy to get me to write him a song. He buttered me up, made me fall for him, then took what he came for. And now that he got it, he doesn’t want me anymore.” Hearing her own words out loud seemed to solidify the truth for her. Izzy gave in to her tears and broke down crying.
Thor’s high-pitched whines accompanied her cries, giving her comfort and drowning out any other sound in the house. She hadn’t realized her phone had rung and beeped several times with incoming calls and texts until she wiped her tears away an hour later.
Twelve missed calls? As many unread messages flashed across the phone screen, all from Chase. Not wanting to deal with him, she hit the power button on her cell and turned it off. It was time to move on. She’d given him a piece of her heart with that song she’d written, but thankfully nothing more.