Under a Georgia Moon: Georgia Moon Romance Book 1 (33 page)

Chase knew he’d nailed every interview and felt qualified for the position. The last interview with Brett Morgan, Nashborough’s CEO, was something he’d never forget. Brett, about the same age as Mr. Barclay, ushered him into an office very similar to the ones his managers occupied. No lavish wet bar occupied the space, nor did it have a putting green like Whit’s office.

Reminding him a little bit of his father, Brett put Chase at ease, and complimented him on the quality of his previous work experience. He asked Chase how he dealt with new clients and how he would pinpoint their needs. Chase easily answered the questions, but was uneasy with the next request.

“As you know,” Brett said, suddenly turning serious. “Barclay is one of our major competitors. If the opportunity to bring some of your current clients along with you came up, how would you go about doing that?”

Chase took his time before answering. Whit Barclay had no problem with a new hire bringing over their former employers clients. In fact, he encouraged it, stating it was a tough business and you had to take every advantage you could. Did Brett Morgan feel the same way?

Swallowing, Chase knew it didn’t matter what the man wanted. He knew right from wrong, and the bottom line was if a client decided they wanted to follow Chase to his new company, he had no control over that. But since most of the time the ad campaign and web design was a team effort, Chase wouldn’t feel honest about taking other co-worker’s ideas with him.

Not sure if Mr. Morgan wanted an employee who was willing to be unethical or not, he decided to answer truthfully. Looking Brett in the eye, Chase explained his position, and ended with, “Integrity means everything to me. I won’t compromise my integrity, even if it means losing a promotion, a bonus, or even my job.”

A wide grin spread across the man’s face, and he leaned forward and held out his hand. “Son, that’s the answer I was looking for.” He gave Chase a firm handshake. “Even better, I know you meant it.”

The plane hit an air pocket, and rattled Chase’s laptop. He steadied the computer, until the bouncing stopped. The pilot came over the speaker again, apologizing for the bumpy ride and hoped a change in altitude would help avoid any more turbulent air.

Nothing could be more turbulent than what Chase felt right now. His music career, his job, and Addie.

If only it could be as easy as simply changing altitude.

After pursuing the dream of becoming a successful country music singer for so long, Chase needed to face reality. His chances of ever getting a recording contract were about as good as Hayden giving up her acting career to become a nun. It was time to grow up. Music was a part of him, and he could play and write music wherever he lived. It just wouldn’t be his career.

He was lucky, because he loved his job as a graphic artist, he just hated the corporation he worked for. It only took a few minutes of being in Nashborough’s offices to know working for them would be a fantastic opportunity. Yes, he would have to leave Mitchel Creek, but it didn’t have to be permanent. Chase wanted to work for Brett Morgan, and learn everything he could about how to run an honest, fair, and successful marketing business, and then maybe one day start his own company.

Then there was Addie. He loved her. She said she loved him. But she would never consider leaving Idaho now, not even for a few years. How could they make it work?

The plane leveled out, and the ride became noticeably smoother. A thought entered Chase’s mind, making him pause. His course, just like the pilots, wasn’t set in stone. He could make alterations with the direction, altitude and even the timing. Possibilities about the changes he could make flooded his mind.

He opened his laptop again and opened a blank document. He started typing, listing his goals and prioritizing them by importance.

Marrying Addie Heywood was number one.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Ready
or not, Addie was going back to work today. She slipped on her shoes and pushed back her shoulders, pasting on a smile. Her dad was awake and she had to keep up the front that she was happy to be home. He could never know how truly miserable she was.

That first week she’d been home, Addie had refused to talk about Chase with either her aunt or sister, and made them both promise not to say anything to her dad. Her focus had been on her father and his injury.

He’d broken a couple of ribs which resulted in the pneumothorax in the lower lobe of his right lung. Addie had quickly learned this essentially meant his lung had collapsed. Along with the respiratory problems, he’d broken his right arm, had a slight concussion, and bruised his hip. The doctor said it was a miracle he hadn’t broken his hip, and wanted to know what kind of milk her dad drank.

Now, three weeks after her return from Georgia, Dad was finally home. Aside from being stiff and sore, her eighty-year-old father was healing.

If only Addie’s heart could heal as easily.

Aunt Janie had called Chase after they’d landed in Boise, and Derek gave them the update on her father. Addie still refused to speak to him, knowing she wasn’t strong enough to make him stay away. She’d felt horrible, but hadn’t wanted it to be any harder than it already was for either of them.

Chase honored her wishes and didn’t call. He did, however, send her a text every morning. They were pretty much the same thing. Short and sweet, basically telling her to have a good day. He never said anything about missing her and he never mentioned love again.

But why should he? She’d pretty much slammed that door closed when she’d left for home. Her stomach tightened with pain and she forced herself not to think about the colossal mistake she’d made. Once again she’d forged ahead without thinking to pray about what she was supposed to do. First getting engaged to Brandon, and now driving Chase away.

By the time she realized it, too much time had passed and she lost her nerve to call and tell him. She figured the text messages were just the southern gentlemen in him. Eventually he would grow bored with her and stop texting.

As much as it hurt to think, Addie was probably just another girl to him. How could she be anything else? They’d had a whirlwind romance. Sometimes it didn’t even seem real. Besides, was it even possible to fall in love with someone in less than two weeks? She told herself no. But she knew she had.

Letting out a deep breath of disappointment, she flipped off the light and stepped out of her room, making her way to the family room to say goodbye to her dad. The sight of him in his recliner watching the morning news was comforting. He looked more alert now that he wasn’t taking the pain medicine on a regular basis. He glanced over and grinned, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “Don’t you look pretty this morning.”

She forced her smile to brighten with the compliment. The truth was she looked terrible. There were dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. And her clothing hung loosely on her due to her nonexistent appetite. And that included anything with sugar. “Thanks.” She leaned down and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. “You sure you’re gonna be okay today?”

She worried about leaving him home alone, especially since Aunt Janie had returned back home to Georgia.

His wrinkled hand patted her face. “I’ll be okay. Chellie is coming over to check on me, and the church ladies have someone coming over with lunch.”

Trying to ignore the knot of anxiety coiling in her stomach, Addie straightened up. “I don’t have to go back to work, Dad.”

Her father gazed at her with a worried expression. “Addison, I’m doing so much better. What happened before was an accident. I got tangled up in the sheets and fell. Had you been home, it still would’ve happened.”

They’d had this conversation several times, but Addie couldn’t help feeling guilty. If she’d been home he wouldn’t have lain there for hours waiting for help to arrive. It was something they agreed to disagree about.

“I know, Dad. I just worry about you.”

She started to pull away, but her father caught her by the hand. His grip was surprisingly strong. “I’m worried about
you
. And I don’t think you’re telling me everything about the young man you spent time with in Georgia.”

Addie felt her lower lip start quiver.
Oh, no
. She couldn’t fall apart now. “Daddy, I told you. Chase is a really good friend. We had a lot of fun together, but things just…didn’t work out.”

He kept his eyes focused on her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ve been praying and have made a decision about the house. I’d like to put it on the market and move into that new assisted living center near Chellie’s. I took a tour while you were in Mitchel Creek, and it’d be like living in a five-star hotel.”

She stared at him in disbelief. Her dad had talked about this long before his accident. A couple of Mom’s friends had moved into the elegant assisted living place. They had their own apartment with a kitchen and small living room and claimed they had so many fun activities they were never bored.

“Dad, you don’t have to move. I’m not going anywhere.”

His mouth turned down into a frown and he let out a long sigh. “That’s what I’m worried about. You’re not going anywhere.”

He was kicking her out? Tears welled in her eyes. “Where am I supposed to go?”

A tender look crossed his features. “I think we both know where you
want
to go.”

What she wanted might not matter anymore. How could she fix things with Chase? “Even if you do move,” she said, wiping at the wetness on her face. “I blew it with Chase.”

“Baby girl, I don’t think it’s as hopeless as that. You have a phone. Give him a call and just talk, see where things lead.”

“What if he doesn’t want me anymore?”

Her dad let out a deep chuckle. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. According to Janie he was smitten from the very first time he saw you.”

Addie knew her aunt couldn’t keep quiet about Chase. She just bet Chellie had talked as well. Still, for the first time in weeks, hope flared in her chest. “But if I move, I won’t get to see you or Chellie that often. Maybe once a year if I’m lucky.”

He smiled and raised both of his eyebrows. “But you’ll have your young man. And even if y’all end up moving to Nashville, you’ll still be close to Janie, as well as your new in-laws.”

“Wow, Janie and Chellie have been telling you everything, haven’t they?”

“Yep.”

She let out a shaky breath. “I’m scared, Dad. But I think I might really love him.” She wiped away another stray tear. “I must. I can’t eat and we both know nothing has ever affected my appetite. Not even Brandon calling off the wedding and marrying someone else.”

Her dad’s bushy brows drew together. “I really wanted to ring that kid’s neck.” He grinned and gave her a playful wink. “Now I might have to give him a hug the next time I see him. The entire time you dated him, you never once lit up the way you did just now.”

“Oh.” She smiled and blinked away the last tear.

“Addie, I want you to be happy. I believe you can be if you’ll let yourself. I’m a big boy and I’m okay with another man taking care of my little girl.”

She leaned down and hugged her father, careful of his broken ribs and arm. “I love you, Daddy.” She drew in a deep breath, finding comfort in his familiar musky aftershave.

“I know you do, sweetie.” He patted her back. “I know you do.”

Tonight she would call Chase and tell him how she felt. As much as she’d miss her dad and sister, life without Chase would be miserable.

* * *

Addie sat at her desk and read over the email she’d just opened. Her hopes of winning the contest were dashed by the news she’d taken second place. She couldn’t feel too sorry for herself. Her photograph of Mr. Hanks would be featured on the website, and a check for fifteen hundred dollars had been mailed out to her. It wasn’t enough to buy the expensive camera she wanted to start her own photography business with, but it would give her the option to buy a few more accessories.

Before leaving her desk to head home, a new email from her Aunt Janie popped up in the inbox. It was entitled: Infamous or Famous?

Curious, she immediately opened the message. A link for the Hollywood gossip website
Celebrity Weekly
was attached with a simple sentence from her aunt. “I always knew that girl would wind up on the cover of some tabloid.”

Addie’s eyes widened as a picture of Hayden Barclay appeared on her screen. Beautiful, and wearing a revealing red dress that left nothing to the imagination, Hayden smiled for the camera, clutching the arm of a man who looked to be at least twice her age. The headline read: Former Georgia Beauty Queen Reveals the Name of the Father of Her Unborn Child.

What? Hayden was pregnant?
Unable to stop herself, Addie read the article about Hayden’s affair with a married man who was the director and producer of the new television series she was starring in. A quote from Hayden made Addie snort a disbelieving laugh. “I knew he was the one from the first moment we met. We’re so in love and couldn’t be happier about the baby.”

Right. Just a few weeks earlier, Hayden, already pregnant, had been after Chase!

Wanting to talk to him more than ever, Addie dug her phone out of her purse and checked to see if Chase had texted her. The inbox was still empty. A knot of dread formed in her stomach as she left work and made her way to her car.

Why would he pick today not to text her? Here she’d made the decision to call him and confess her feelings. Now she wasn’t sure what to do.

After starting her car, she placed the phone on the passenger seat, staring at it, willing it to do something. Her eyes started to burn and she rapidly blinked, determined not to cry. Again. That’s all she’d been doing since coming home.

“Please, let him call me,” she prayed. “Or should I call him?” She waited, hoping for a definitive answer.

Letting out a deep breath, she reached out and picked up her phone. Her finger hovered over the preset button programmed with Chase’s number. Call him now? Or maybe wait until tomorrow? If Chase texted her in the morning it would be a sign she was supposed to call him. Stupid, she knew, but right now even plucking petals from a flower and playing the he-loves-me-he-loves-me-not game sounded reasonable.