Chasing Chelsea (NSFW Book 4)

by C. C. Wood

  Lucy was on her third glass of wine and shaking her head when I finally fell silent. “Holy shit. Chris is always talking about how smart Landen is but now I’m beginning to think he’s the biggest fucking idiot on the planet.”

  Also on my third glass of wine, I snorted, feeling a little tipsy and a bit better than I had earlier. “Yeah, I just don’t understand what in the hell he was thinking. I mean, we’re both direct people. He knows I prefer honesty to white lies, even if they spare my feelings.” Lucy studied me and bit her bottom lip. I could tell she wanted to say something. “Spit it out. You know I’d rather hear the truth.” Hell, I’d just said as much.

  Her voice was quiet when she asked, “Could he have been right, though? That you would have used his ex-wife as an excuse to keep him at arm’s length?”

  I stared down into my wine glass, noticing the little bubbles popping just below the surface of the liquid. “Maybe at the very beginning after he ghosted me. But after that picnic in the park? Probably not.” I lifted my gaze back to Lucy. “I probably would have been a little more cautious knowing that he was still around his ex every day. But I wouldn’t have broken things off, only slowed down a bit.”

  Lucy lifted an eyebrow at me and I refrained from rolling my eyes. I hated it when she did that. She must have picked that look up from Chris because he and Landen were the only people I knew who were able to do it and not look ridiculous.

  “And it’s not the fact that he works so closely with his ex that bothers me. It’s the lying. He knew he should tell me yet he jumped into bed with me and started asking me to move in with him without giving me the truth.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, that is pretty shitty behavior.” Her gaze sharpened. “So what are you gonna do? End things?”

  The ache returned to my chest, sharp and deep, twisting and roiling until it reached my belly. “I don’t know. I mean…it boils down to whether or not I can trust him. I don’t know if I can.”

  “Do you think he’s lied to you about anything else?” Lucy asked pointedly.

  I shook my head. I didn’t think he had, but how could I trust my own judgment now? I was falling in love with him.

  The breath caught in my chest. No, I’d already fallen. If not, I wouldn’t have been so hurt when Maris told me who she was.

  “Then you have a decision to make,” Lucy stated in a gentle voice. “Either you can forgive him or you can tell him to take a hike.” She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sure there are other options too, but it all boils down to that. He apologized, right?”

  I nodded miserably. He had apologized, but that didn’t negate my feelings in the least. Years ago, when I’d said something cruel to another kid at school and gotten in trouble, my father came to pick me up. One look at his disappointed face had made the regret already filling me double in volume. He took me home and told me to come outside with him.

  We sat on the porch swing behind our house in silence for a good long while.

  Finally, he asked, “If you knocked a glass on the floor and it broke, would an apology fix it?” I frowned at him, not entirely sure I understood the question. Instead I just shook my head. His blue eyes, the same color as my own, had peered at me with sorrow and compassion. “You already know that words have the power to hurt. They can break a person’s heart just as surely as a baseball bat can break their arm. And once something is broken, an apology won’t fix it. But it’s a start. Once you apologize, you have to follow it with actions. Harmful words, once spoken or written, can’t be taken back. They live in the other person’s memory forever. It’s the same with harmful deeds. They can’t be erased.”

  As he spoke, tears of shame filled my eyes. He was right and I knew it.

  He put an arm around me and hugged me into his side. “You can’t take back what you did or said in the past, Chelsea. But if you’re truly sorry for what you did, you can change how you behave in the future. Only you can control what you do from here on out. If you regret what you said, then you should apologize and remember this lesson in the future when someone else makes you angry or hurts your feelings. That you have to decide how you want to respond—by breaking a piece of the person who hurt you or by showing them compassion. Or at the very least walking away.”

  That lesson was one I had never forgotten. I still made mistakes, still spoke out of anger once in a while, but not as often as I had before. That was one reason why I told Landen I needed space when I was angry. I’d found it was best if I gave myself time to cool down before I continued discussing something that upset me.

  “Chelsea?” Lucy’s voice broke through the memory.

  “Apologies don’t fix everything, Lucy,” I stated sadly.

  “I didn’t say they do,” she retorted, her voice firm. “But I’ve known Landen for a couple of years now and he could probably play games with the best of them, but he doesn’t. I think he enjoys being blunt and throwing people off balance. If he said he was sorry, he probably is.”

  I leaned my head against the back of the couch. This conversation was exhausting me. Lucy was right. I had to decide if I could forgive Landen and move forward or if I wanted to end things over this. But I didn’t want to make the decision right now.

  “I know he’s sorry,” I replied, closing my eyes for a moment. “But that doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt like hell.”

  Her hand closed over mine and squeezed. “I know, sweetie.”

  I straightened and looked over at her. “I don’t know what to do.”

  She gave me a small smile. “I think you’ll figure it out soon enough.”

  “Maybe.”

  She gave my hand one more squeeze before she released me and reached for the wine bottle. “But in the meantime, let’s get drunk, order some lunch, and watch movies full of hot guys.”

  Despite the heaviness of my heart, I grinned. “That sounds like a perfect afternoon to me.”

  Lucy topped off my glass and her own before lifting it in a toast. “To the men in our lives. If we can’t live without ’em, at least we can make their lives hell.”

  I laughed and tapped her glass with mine. “Cheers.”

  Chris had to pick Lucy up after our afternoon of wine, Thai food, and Netflix. We ended up watching The Kissing Booth. Surprisingly, the romantic comedy made me laugh and eased the heaviness in my heart.

  When he arrived at my door, his eyes flicked over me, taking in my tipsy appearance and he’d nodded. Just once.

  Lucy decided she needed to use the bathroom before she left, leaving me alone with Chris in the living room.

  I looked up at him. “Thank you,” I said.

  The corner of his mouth tipped up. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’ll be in tomorrow morning,” I stated firmly.

  “Of course.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced at the carpet before he spoke again. “I told myself I was going to stay out of this, but I am going to say one thing before I leave here and hopefully never speak of this again.”

  The uncomfortable expression on his face made me smile. “Okay.”

  “Landen told me what happened and I don’t blame you for being angry. I couldn’t even blame you if you told him to go fuck himself.” He sucked in a deep breath and released it. “But I hope you don’t. You are his match in every way that matters. When a man finds a woman like that, he will do anything to keep her because she makes him better than he would be without her.”

  I cocked my head to the side and realized that Chris wasn’t just talking about Landen. He was talking about himself. Lucy was his match in all the ways that mattered too.

  “Whatever you decide is your choice and it won’t affect what happens in the office.”

  I smiled at him again and repeated, “Thank you.”

  Lucy came back into the living room and Chris’ eyes moved to her. My heart skipped a beat at the way he looked at her. Like she was the sun, the center of his universe.

  But that look was familiar and I knew why.
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br />   It was the way that Landen looked at me.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  After Chris and Lucy left, I decided I was tired of thinking. So, I finished the second bottle of wine that Lucy bought and took a long, hot bath.

  Then I settled on the couch in my pajamas to watch something mindless and entertaining on the TV. When that couldn’t hold my attention, I picked up my Kindle and found a sweeping fantasy novel in my library that I’d yet to start.

  The author managed to capture my frayed attention by the second chapter and I lost myself in the pages.

  When my phone rang, I glanced at the screen and froze.

  It was Landen. It was also nearly ten o’clock at night, which meant it was 8 p.m. on the West Coast.

  My finger hovered over the screen to connect the call but in the end, I let it go to voicemail. I didn’t like doing it but I wasn’t ready to talk to Landen yet. I still didn’t have my head on straight and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to remain calm if we talked.

  I didn’t intend to avoid him indefinitely but I also didn’t know what to say.

  Lucy was right. I needed to decide if I could let this go and move forward. I didn’t want to banish Landen from my life. I truly didn’t. But this wasn’t a white lie or a forgotten birthday. This was big.

  I was still staring at my phone when it dinged again, this time with a voicemail.

  Hesitantly, I picked it up and clicked through the apps until I reached my voicemail. I pressed play and lifted it to my ear.

  There was a long pause at the beginning of the message and I nearly stopped it then, thinking that Landen had decided not to leave one.

  Then he spoke.

  “Chelsea.”

  There was a wealth of information in the way he said my name. How two syllables could convey regret, frustration, and a myriad of other feelings, I didn’t know. But it did.

  Landen sighed on the other end of the line. “Obviously, you’re still upset and I can’t blame you. I don’t often put myself in someone else’s shoes, but if I were in yours…” He trailed off and then cleared his throat before continuing. “I only wanted to tell you again that I’m sorry for keeping this from you. You were right. You’re not insecure enough to be threatened by Maris. I can only say that I didn’t want to lose my chance to have you. It was stupid and selfish, but that’s what it was. You weren’t the insecure one in this scenario, I was. I’ll be in Oregon for the rest of the week and—” He stopped speaking again for a moment. “I’m going to give you some space. I hope when I get back that we can talk. I love you, Chelsea.”

  There was a click and I knew he disconnected. My heart beat, quick and light, against my sternum and my hands felt stiff as I lowered the phone from my ear.

  God, this was the first time I’d ever heard Landen sound vulnerable. Even when we were arguing this morning, he’d been sincere but his voice hadn’t held the same edge of unguarded honesty.

  He admitted that he screwed up and why. He’d laid himself bare with just a few sentences.

  I knew that I would forgive him after that message. But I also wasn’t going to let him off easily. A man like Landen needed to know exactly where he stood. He lived for a challenge, thrived on it, and he enjoyed testing my boundaries. I liked that about him, even when it made life difficult.

  With my decision made, I put my Kindle away and carried my phone into the bedroom. It was getting late and I had to work tomorrow.

  True to his word, Landen gave me space. I didn’t hear from him again for the rest of the week. But I took those days to formulate a plan.

  Well, in my spare time, I formulated a plan.

  Work was hectic. Chris and I were interviewing potential executive assistants and things were not going well. I was beginning to understand why Lucy wanted to get away from the man.

  Chris’ schedule was demanding, though it would lessen greatly when I took over my new position. But I liked the fast pace and dealing with the minute details of my job. Most of the applicants looked qualified on paper, but it became readily apparent that a few of them had exaggerated their skills when they arrived at the office for an interview.

  Except for one. A young man with a brand-new college degree. He was twenty-two, eager, and intelligent. He was also extremely good-looking and built like a brick shithouse.

  It was clear that Chris didn’t take him seriously by the way he spoke to him. And it was also clear that the young man didn’t appreciate it by the way his mouth tightened and his eyes flashed.

  Having been on the receiving end of that sort of treatment before, I decided to speak up.

  “It says on your resume that you graduated cum laude with a degree in business. You’ve also interned at two large corporations in Dallas and Houston over the last two years. May I ask why you chose to apply for a position that you’re probably overqualified for?”

  Declan, that was his name, looked to me, his bright hazel eyes flashing. “Two reasons. First, Barden Business Solutions is one of the best consulting firms in the southern U.S.”

  “And the second?” I prompted when he paused.

  His eyes moved from me to Chris then back. “You’re filling the position because you, Ms. Archer, are being promoted. That means the company is expanding. Since Mr. Barden seems willing to promote from within, I believe this would be a good opportunity for me to learn the ins and outs of the company and perhaps someday, when the company expands again, I would be considered for a promotion as well.”

  I glanced at Chris out of the corner of my eyes and saw the way his mouth quirked. Declan Smythe had his attention now.

  The interview continued for another fifteen minutes, with Chris asking him question after question and practically glaring at him. Declan handled it all with ease.

  Finally, I’d had enough. I interrupted the steady flow of the interrogation.

  “Declan, would you mind giving me a few moments to confer with Mr. Barden?”

  The young man nodded and got to his feet, walking out of the office and shutting the door gently behind him.

  I turned toward Chris and nudged him with my elbow. “Jesus, Chris. You want some steak sauce since you’re grilling him so hard?”

  Chris smirked. “Just putting on a little pressure to see how the pretty boy handled it.”

  With that, I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. “I never want to hear those words come out of your mouth again. I’ve been exactly where he is. Well, not completely, I worked full time while I got my degree, but I know what it feels like when potential employers and supervisors don’t take you seriously because of the way you look. How do you think I ended up working for you?”

  His eyebrows lifted. “I wasn’t—”

  I didn’t wait for him to complete that sentence, choosing to cut him off rather than listen to him deny doing exactly what he had done. “You took one look at Declan and decided that he was too pretty to possibly be intelligent. Now, I’m not a supermodel, but I’m well aware of the fact that with my petite frame, curly hair, and sweet-looking face no one took me seriously either. They all thought I looked helpless and assumed that I must be worthless intellectually as well.”

  Chris blinked at me but didn’t reply, so I continued.

  “Declan Smythe knew exactly what you were doing and it pissed him off. He’s smart, qualified, and he didn’t lose his temper when you patronized him. Considering how often you can be annoying, that’s definitely a bonus. Plus, he’s good-looking enough that your female clients will enjoy coming here just for the eye candy.”

  His brows lifted, but he ignored my comment about his ability to annoy. “Are you going to enjoy coming to work just for the eye candy?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m in a relationship and not interested in starting something up with a man who’s nearly eight years younger than me. My point is that while I don’t want to be valued for my looks alone, I can’t say I haven’t used them to my advantage in business dealings before. I’m sure Declan would
be the same. I say we give him ninety days to show us what he’s capable of. If it isn’t working out, then we can call some of the applicants we already have on file to see if they’re still interested.”

  “You’re in a relationship?” Chris asked.

  I sighed. “I thought you weren’t going to talk to me about Landen again?”

  He lifted a hand and shrugged. “You’re right, I said I wouldn’t.”

  I grinned when he still studied me with obvious curiosity. “I haven’t spoken to Landen yet this week, but we will have a conversation when he gets back from Oregon. If he agrees to my terms, then yes, I’ll still be in a relationship.”

  Chris returned my grin, a rare wide smile flashing across his face. “Is it wrong that I’m glad Landen’s around for you to give him hell? It’s a nice reprieve for the rest of us.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Now that we’ve discussed my personal life to your satisfaction, can we get back to the business at hand?”

  Chris nodded, his gaze sharpening as it ventured back toward the door to his office. “You were right. I dismissed him because he was young and good-looking. I assumed that he would be arrogant and useless. If you honestly think he could do a good job, then I’m willing to give him thirty days, not ninety.”

  Judging by Declan’s resume and the confidence with which he held himself, I doubted we would need the full ninety days to determine if he was a good fit. “Fine. I’ll call him back in.”

  Chris rose from his seat. “No, I’ll do it.”

  He moved to the door, opened it, and stuck his head out to call Declan back in. When the young man stopped at the door, Chris held out his hand.

  “Thank you for coming in today, Declan.” When they shook hands, Chris continued, “We’ve discussed it and we would like to offer you the position.”

  Declan’s eyes widened and he grinned. Suddenly, he looked very young and extremely cute. He also looked happy. “Really?”

  Chris released his hand and gestured for him to sit in the chair he’d occupied earlier. “Yes. You’ll have a thirty-day probationary period and if everything goes well during that time, you’ll have the position permanently.”