“Sierra?” Lisa calls, standing a few yards back. Her arms are crossed tightly over her chest. “Can I talk to you?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Alone?”
“Yeah.” I get to my feet and walk up the diving board. It wobbles under my feet and I consider jumping in the pool to avoid this awkward conversation. Lisa turns when I’m a foot behind her and walks to the end of the patio, away from everyone.
“Chase was pretty charming at dinner,” she starts.
“I guess so.”
She starts down a cobblestone path and sits on the ground, pulling at the grass. “Still, I hope you reconsider.”
“Reconsider?” I ask, sitting next to her. “Reconsider what?”
“Being with Chase.” She breaks off several pieces of grass and twists them in her fingers. “He has a criminal record, Sierra.”
“That doesn’t make him a bad person.”
Lisa’s eyes widen. “Yes, it does. Criminals are bad people. Chase has a criminal record. I don’t see how you can’t follow this.”
“Because I know Chase.”
“Not as well as you think. Why was he arrested? What did he do? And why did the same judge from Indianapolis get all the charges dropped?”
My heart drops. Jax said something about Indianapolis. He came from there…I think. “I don’t know.”
“You should. If anything, Sierra, just ask him. Maybe there is a good reason—though I sure as shit can’t think of one. And don’t even get me started on that friend who’s staying with him.”
“You mean Jax? What about him?”
“Have you seen him?”
“A few times now,” I say, working hard to keep the snark out of my voice.
“He looks like a thug.”
“Oh my God, Lisa. Listen to yourself! He’s a nice guy and is actually a really big nerd. You’d like him if you gave him the time of day before slapping ridiculous labels on him.”
“It’s not a label. He really is a thug. And Jax isn’t his real name.”
I throw my hands up. “How in the world do you know that?”
“Rob ran his fingerprints through the system.”
I stand up, nostrils flaring. My mouth opens but no sound comes out. There have been few times in my life that have left me speechless, and this is one of them. “I…I can’t, Lisa. You don’t like me being with Chase. I know that. But I can’t—and I won’t—deal with you acting like this. It’s beyond ridiculous at this point.”
Lisa gets to her feet as well, following me when I take a step back.
“His name is Nelson Cole and he’s been arrested more times than Chase. And he has served jail time.”
I blink, slowly shaking my head. I don’t know what to say, and I’m battling off throwing up, crying, or screaming.
“I’d go by Jax if my name was Nelson too.”
Lisa lets out an exasperated sigh. “Sierra, I don’t want to make you mad.”
“That’s surprising. You’re doing an awfully good job at it.”
“I have a bad feeling about them.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is? It’s not too weird seeing me with Chase?”
“I already told you I was sorry for saying that. And yes, that’s what it is. Chase has a shady past, and now this guy shows up out of nowhere with a creepily similar past. It doesn’t make sense. You’ve been through so much, I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“Chase isn’t the one hurting me. Like you just said, I’ve been through so much and I’m finally happy again. Chase is everything I could want. He’s funny and sensitive and likes to sit in bed with me and read. He’s patient and kind and has made sure I’m okay with moving on every step of the way. He understands what I’ve been through.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“No shit. Instead of talk to me, you go play Scooby Gang and run Jax’s fingerprints.” I shake my head. “I’m not even going to ask how you got them, but I’m pretty sure stealing his prints like that with no reason is illegal.” I put my hands to my head, rubbing my temples. “I have a headache now. I’m going home.”
“What’s going on?” Chase asks when I come back. “Neither of you looked happy.”
“It’s nothing. Lisa gets in moods like this from time to time. She’ll get over it.”
“Can I do anything to help? I know I’m the source of her mood.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m pretty good at reading people,” he tells me. “It was obvious the moment she got out of the car and saw me.”
I push my hair back. “Right. Don’t worry about it though. She’ll get over it.”
“If you say so.” Chase doesn’t sound convinced. We gather our plates and cups and say goodbye to my family. On the way out to the car, I go over Lisa’s words. She is right. Something is off, and all it will take to get to the bottom of it is asking Chase what’s going on.
Chase opens the car door for me. All I have to do is ask him. He’ll answer with no hesitation. I’m sure of it.
“Fuck,” he says under his breath when he sits down. His hand flies to his stomach and his eyes close tight.
“Chase? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he assures me, straightening up. “Another cramp. I must have eaten something that doesn’t agree with me. Good thing we have a mile drive to your place.”
I put the back of my hand to his forehead. “You still feel feverish.”
“I’m fine.”
“We’ll see about that when we get to my house.” I rest one hand on his thigh and adjust the air with the other. We park in front of my house just moments later, and I take Chase’s temperature as soon as we’re inside.
“One-oh-one.” I show him the thermometer. “Your temp is going up.”
Chase sighs and runs his hand over the back of his head. “I’ll take more meds and crash. After I fuck you senseless, that is.”
I raise an eyebrow. “As much as I want to have sex with you, I think we should skip tonight. You’re sick, babe. You need to rest.”
Chase grumbles but doesn’t protest, and that’s all I need to know he’s feeling worse than he’s letting on. We change into pajamas and get ready for bed. I bring Chase medicine and a glass of water. He takes it and lies down, falling asleep within minutes.
I’ll ask him about his past another time.
Chase was still in bed when I left for work Monday morning. Tylenol did nothing to bring down his fever, and he was in more pain than he was letting on. Around noon, he texted to say he was going to his place to get new clothes and would come back and be at my house when I got off work. He said he was feeling worn out and wanted to go back to sleep.
I didn’t hear from him after that, and the assumption that he was in my bed passed out kept me from worrying. But when I got home around four o’clock and Chase was nowhere to be found, panic set in. I called him three times with no answer. I can’t help my mind going to the worst place, and I get a vision of Chase cold, stiff, and dead on the living room floor of his apartment.