Kim: Yes to Madelyn. But the last name was Stewart. Get this, though. She’s a reporter.
She’d actually done it. He didn’t know where she’d transferred to college, or even that she had, after she’d left UCLA. But she’d always dreamed of being a reporter. Not like the ones who chased his brother down, but one who told meaningful, real stories.
Kim: I told her you don’t see reporters. Especially ones who use their kids to get an inside scoop with you.
Chance: Good. But she’s not like that.
Or at least, he hoped she wasn’t. But what did he really know about her? He hadn’t thought she’d be the kind of person to leave him without a word, either.
Kim: So you do know her?
Chance: It was a long time ago.
Kim: She said you owe her for the Ophelia thing. Do I even want to know?
Chance laughed out loud. He hadn’t thought about playing Hamlet in forever. He’d tried so hard not to think about that time in his life at all; it had become habit to pretend that year had never existed. Chance had made Madelyn read through Ophelia’s lines while he was learning his. He’d insisted on filming it, and Madelyn had gone from mildly reserved to downright wooden in her reading, clearly self-conscious about being on camera. She’d been mortified when she learned he’d played the video for several people for feedback on his own performance and always said he owed her big-time.
Chance: No, you don’t want to know.
Kim: I’ll send you a picture of her card.
Chance: I don’t need it.
Kim: … sending attachment …
Chance: Kim! I’m not calling her.
Kim: Then delete the pic. I’m out. Just got to my dad’s house.
Chance: I’m sorry.
Kim: *shrugs* Life. Whatcha gonna do?
Chance: Punch him in the face for me, will ya?
Kim: I wish.
Kim’s dad was an A-list star who’d basically abandoned her as a child, but pulled her into the spotlight whenever the public needed reminding that he was a loving dad. As a result, Kim hated all things Hollywood, which was why she was the exact right person to be Chance’s personal assistant.
Chance knew all about dysfunctional families, and how stardom could overtake everything and anyone. That was one promise he’d kept when he started Take a Chance. It would never be the most important thing to him. People would always come first, no matter what.
He exited out of instant messenger and pulled up the video he needed to edit, but after spending ten minutes looking at the same few seconds of footage, he closed his laptop and stood. The large floor-to-ceiling windows let in the light of the setting sun, but he didn’t take the time to enjoy the moment like he usually would, even as he stared out at the city and finally let his mind drift to the place it most wanted to go.
Madelyn Long.
For so long he’d obsessed over why she’d left him. The hurt and confusion had been overwhelming. He’d ended up changing career paths from economics to video editing and graduated a semester early, mostly needing to escape the memories of Madelyn everywhere he turned. Even though Chance had sworn he’d never use his brother’s connections, he hadn’t been dumb enough to turn down the opportunity of playing Christian’s stunt double for several movies. From there, he was hired to stand in for other actors, and somehow found himself being flung off high buildings or diving into a shark tank.
Madeline’s leaving had put him in a funk he’d been unable to shake. But the first time the crew harnessed him up to scaffolding and he dropped thirty feet through the roof of a rickety building, a part of the sadness fell away. And he craved the next time he could feel that way.
All of the unanswered questions continued to prick the back of his mind, long after he’d moved on to other relationships and stopped craving the adrenaline rush so he could forget about her.
Why had she left him? Especially the way she had.
It’s been eight years. Get over it.
He went back to his laptop, opening it with a little more force than necessary. The lights of the city glowed against the night sky. This view from these windows was the entire reason he dropped a sickening amount of money on this condo.
He worked steadily for a few hours until a yawn stole over him and he checked his watch. Midnight. Maybe now he could sleep.
He picked up his phone, a light blinking to remind him that he still needed to download Kim’s attachment.
The last thing he needed was a distraction, and Madelyn would be the worst kind.
He couldn’t control the viewers or sponsors or protesters, but maybe he could finally figure out something that had bothered him for years—why Madelyn had left him.
Chapter Eight
Madelyn brushed a sweaty strand of hair back from her forehead as she wiped down the last table of the evening. It was nearly midnight before the diner was empty. It had been an unusually busy Saturday night, and it seemed like their tables had been nonstop packed all evening. Her back and legs ached with the need to take a hot shower and go straight to bed.
Garth had turned the radio up and was singing along to an old country song while he washed the dishes and finished cleaning up the kitchen. Linda was going through the cash drawer and adding everything up. “How you doing out there, hon?” Linda asked as Madelyn threw her rag into the soiled linen pile and stretched out her back.
“I’m exhausted.”
“It’s been a long time since you worked so many hours.”
And she’d done so on less than an hour of sleep. If she made it home safely, it would be a miracle.
“Thanks for letting me take an extra shift.” Without the additional income for her articles, she’d need more hours if she was going to make ends meet.
“Anything for you.” Linda gave her a too-casual glance. “Have you called him yet?”
“Yeah. On my lunch break.” She’d had a somewhat pleasant conversation with Chance’s personal assistant, until she’d mentioned she was a reporter. Then it was like a metal door had slammed down between them. Chance doesn’t see reporters. No exceptions.
She’d even gone so far as to mention a moment in college where she’d done him a favor, asking the PA to let him know he still owed her. It was enough to make her want to go out to Limon Verde beach and bury her head in the sand for the rest of eternity.
“And you haven’t heard back yet?”
“It’ll be a miracle if I hear back from him at all.” And maybe a blessing. She didn’t know how much more mortification she could take today.
Madelyn finished her tables and mopped the floor before going into the back room for her stuff. When she came out, Garth was holding a to-go bag for her. “Just a few things for tomorrow,” he said gruffly.
Madelyn shook her head. “Thank you, but we’ll be fine.”
Linda gave her a tight hug and murmured, “Take the food, Madelyn. We’ll sleep better.”
Madelyn swallowed her pride and took the bag, thanking Garth and Linda, before heading out into the balmy evening. She pulled out her phone and saw she had four missed calls. One from a number she didn’t recognize, but who had left a voice mail. Three from her mom. Madelyn had told her mom at lunch she was working an extra shift. She sighed and sent her mom a text saying she’d drop by in the morning.
She listened to the message.
“Hey, Madelyn. This is Chance. Chance Risk.” He cleared his throat, and Madelyn’s feet came to a stop. “Call me when you get this. Any time is fine.”
She listened to it a second time, but his even, cool tone gave her no clue to his mood.
She got into her car and checked the time. Five minutes past midnight. He’d said any time, but surely he hadn’t meant this late. Adrenaline coursed through her, and suddenly she didn’t feel so tired anymore. Was there any chance at all he was going to agree to an interview?
It was more likely he was calling to tell her to leave his assistant alone.
She forced herself to drive ho
me carefully and go into her apartment before listening to his message for a third time.
She had to call him. Most people kept their phones silenced at night, right? She didn’t, but that was because she needed to hear her phone ring in case something happened to Oliver. Before she could change her mind, she pressed send.
He answered on the third ring. “Hello?” His voice sounded husky from sleep.
It had been too late. She should hang up and try again in the morning.
“Madelyn?” he said again, his voice clearer this time.
“You were sleeping,” she said.
“It’s almost one in the morning,” he said, with humor in his tone. She closed her eyes and drank in the familiar tone, her favorite one. It used to come out after she’d said something amusing to him, and his voice became lighter in a way that made her feel like they were floating on bubbles together.
But that was then. This was now.
She moved some unopened bills around on her counter and threw away a few crumbs. “I just got off work and got your message. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll call back in the morning.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m up.” She could hear him shifting around and tried not to picture him sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, his hair rumpled with sleep. “Where do you work?”
“Hm?” She blinked to clear the image from her mind. “Oh. Linda’s Diner.”
“I thought you worked for Verity News.”
“How did you know that?”
“I looked you up.”
Which meant he’d probably seen her article. She’d made the mistake of doing an internet search on herself during her dinner break, and the first several hits were from sites making fun of her article and Verity News in general. “Oh, good,” she said weakly.
“You need two jobs?” He paused. “Sorry. Don’t answer. None of my business.”
She sat on the couch, unable to handle this conversation standing up. It was surreal to be talking to Graham again. Except he went by Chance now, which she needed to remember.
The silence between them stretched, and just as she was about to fill it with something, Chance spoke, all vestiges of lightness gone. “My personal assistant said you were interested in writing an article about me.”
“Yes, very much.”
“Why?” he asked, shortly.
“I’m sorry?”
“Why the sudden interest in writing an article about me?”
She bit her lip. “You probably saw my article mistake when you looked me up.”
He didn’t say anything, which she took as a yes.
“I will lose any chance I have of working with Verity if I don’t bring in something big.”
He paused for a beat. “Like an exclusive with Chance Risk.”
She didn’t have to confirm.
“Madelyn, why should I do this?” He sounded so tired, so worn out, she couldn’t press it.
Because I need your help. The too-vulnerable words sat at the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. He had zero motivation to help her, and she didn’t need one more humiliation today.
“I’m sorry I bothered you,” she said instead. “I wish you the best, Chance. I really do.” She went to hang up, her heart heavy, when, to her surprise, she heard him say, “Wait!”
She hesitated.
“There is the Ophelia favor,” he said, his tone inscrutably distant.
Her face burned, and she was glad no one was there to see it. “I was joking.”
“Maybe, but I do owe you.”
She blinked, almost afraid to believe this was happening. “You’ll do an interview?”
“Yes. But I have three conditions.”
Nerves swirled through her stomach, but she couldn’t hold back her rising hope. “Which are?”
“First, I have to approve anything you write before you turn it in.”
“Okay.”
“And connected to that—I don’t want any mention of Christian.”
He’d always been private about his connection to his brother. Madelyn had been dating Graham almost a year before he’d told Madelyn that his older brother was the famous actor—and even then, he’d only told her because he was taking her home to meet his family and had just learned Christian would be there.
“I’ll leave him out of it.”
“Thank you,” he said, all business. “Second, for every question you ask me, I get to ask you one as well.”
She balked. What in the world? Her mind raced through all the things he might ask her; the reason he might want this condition.
“Yes or no, Madelyn?”
“It seems excessive. I promise I won’t ask anything too invasive.”
“I’m not negotiating.”
“I’m not really comfortable with this.” She closed her eyes. Was this really going to be worth it? “What’s your last condition?”
“I’m filming three new episodes over the next couple of weeks. I want you to travel with us to each destination.”
“Excuse me?” Her heart hammered.
“If you’re going to write about me, you need to understand the essence of what I do. It’s so much more than what you see on the screen, and if it’s going to be authentic, you have to see that. Plus, you can talk to my team, who know me better than anyone. Each trip usually lasts two to three days.”
“But you can just tell me about it. Over the phone. I figured I’d email some questions to your assistant and chat with you one day to go over all the answers.” Panic made her voice rise. “I can’t go out of town three times in the next two weeks!”
“Why not?” he challenged.
“My son, Oliver, for one.”
“Is your ex in the picture?”
“Yes, but he works, too. I’d have to talk to him.”
“Great, it’s settled.”
She let out an irked breath. “I can’t miss that much work.”
“I’ll hire a temp for the diner.”
It wasn’t the diner she was worried about. It was the money she’d lose from missing those hours.
Two weeks with Chance Risk. With Graham. Asking her questions. Digging into her life. Wanting answers.
But this was her one chance. Even now, the pungent scent of the diner wafted off her clothes, while her back and feet ached. Was this what she wanted every night to be like for the rest of her life? Was she willing to give up her dream because she was worried about being uncomfortable?
“Madelyn? Are you still there?”
“Yes.” If she didn’t jump in right away, she’d lose her nerve. “I’m in.”
“Okay!” Did he sound surprised? “I’ll have my PA deliver your plane ticket tomorrow.”
“Plane ticket?”
“Yep. We leave for Arizona Monday.”
Chapter Nine
Chance drummed his fingers on the rough-hewn wooden table in the foyer of the Grand Canyon Lodge. Madelyn had arrived over an hour ago, but he’d yet to see her. He’d flown in yesterday so he could get a feel for the area and chat with a few locals about what he should expect. Until Madelyn had actually arrived, he’d questioned if she’d really come.
And once she’d arrived, he realized how disappointed he would have been if she hadn’t.
“What’s your deal?” Kim glanced up from her book. She sat in a leather chair next to the table, her feet tucked under her.
“What?” Chance forced his fingers to be still.
“You’re more fidgety than usual.”
“I always have nervous energy before a new show.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like right before we start filming. Not the entire day before.”
He pulled his fingers from the table and cracked them, an immature move since he knew the sound of cracking bones bugged Kim. She wrinkled her nose at him and returned to her book.
“Am I late?” Madelyn rushed into the lobby, her cheeks flushed. “I fell asleep.” She wore a pair of worn, formfitting jeans and a pink collared shir
t he swore he remembered from college. It was clear Madelyn had fallen on hard times. Or never crawled up out of the hard times. He recalled how threadbare most of her belongings had been even when they’d first met. She’d been self-conscious about it then, and based on the way she tugged at her shirt and hurriedly sat at the table, she was probably still self-conscious about it now.
“Nope. We’re still waiting for Rog and Hannah,” he replied.
“I’m here!” Rog called out from several feet away. Madelyn’s eyes widened when he came up to the table and slid into the chair beside Chance. Rog was the kind of person who seemed larger than life—both in personality and in physical size. He towered over most people at six foot six.
He gave Madelyn a nod, then turned to Kim. “Living vicariously through your characters again?”
“Shut it,” she said, tucking her book into her purse and sitting up. “Maybe if you picked up a book for once in your life, you’d understand why I love them so much. Wait. You do know how to read, right?”
He threw her a toothy smile. “Why do I need books when I have real life?”
Chance had listened to the same argument between them for the two years they’d been working together. Sometimes working with them was like working with teenagers, but at the same time, they had become his family—bickering and all. No matter what, they had his back, and he had theirs.
“Sorry I’m late.” Hannah arrived, in a rush as usual. She pushed Rog out of the way so she could sit beside Chance, most likely to act as a human barrier between Madelyn and him. The last time Hannah and Chance had spoken, it had been to fight about inviting Madelyn to come. Hannah, his cousin and the only family member Chance really liked, remembered how bad things had been for Chance after Madelyn left him in college.
“Did Kim bring the maps?”
“Yes,” Kim said, breaking free from her argument with Rog. “They’re all there on the table.”
“Before we start, this is Madelyn.”
All three turned to look at Madelyn, who gave everyone a nervous smile.
“Madelyn, this is Rog and Hannah, who do my filming, and Kim, my personal assistant.”
Take a Chance on Me_A My Heart Channel Romance Page 5