easily. Too many years knowing that whenever the most important person in his life looked at him, he didn't like what he saw.
Chase was ready to start seeing women again. Hell, his reaction to Regina—just one glimpse of a knee was enough to send him into fits of adolescent longing—was proof of that. But he was going to choose carefully. He'd find a woman as suited to a quiet life as he was, someone whose idea of a good time was taking the dog for a walk or watching Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns with a bowl of popcorn. Which, come to think of it, was the best time he'd had in weeks before Regina showed up, even though it had been with Jimmy.
Damn it. That kiss with Regina had put all thoughts of couch-surfing with Jimmy right out of his mind. Never mind that he knew it was a mistake—his body didn't seem to have gotten the message.
"You have it wrong," she repeated, less certainly. "Your song... the one you sang for me... it was..."
Her voice trailed off. If this conversation was going to go anywhere, evidently he would have to be the one to steer.
"Yeah. You liked my song. You think you can make money off me. So you used all your tricks to lasso me."
"No!" Her nostrils flared. She had a temper, but it dissipated as quickly as it flared, like dry lighting on a hot night. "I mean yes, I wanted to sign you. But when I—when I kissed you—"
"I'm listening." His voice sounded hard even to him—but the subject left him feeling about as soft as a brick wall.
"Look. I date men like Carl. Men I can't... hurt."
"Can't hurt?" he finally repeated incredulously. "You're afraid of hurting me?"
"Like I hurt Mason," she whispered miserably.
CHAPTER TEN
"Okay, you're going to have to help me out here." Chase didn't sound any happier, but he didn't step away, either. Regina snuck a quick glance at him. It was hard to see much in the dark, but she could tell he was frowning. "Is Mason another old boyfriend? Before Carl?"
"No. Mason was... a client."
"You dated a client?"
"No! I would never... He was only twenty. He was one of my first clients. I was so sure... I saw so much potential for him. Meredith warned me to go slow, but I promised..." Her voice hitched, a little sob escaping the way it often did when she thought about Mason. "I promised him big things. He was helping his dad take care of their hardware store, see. It was just the two of them, and his dad had heart problems, and they were in financial trouble. Mason was going to use his signing bonus to fend off the creditors and get his dad to a specialist. Only... the deal fell through."
She didn't dare look at him now. She hadn't told this story to anyone—anyone except Meredith, who'd stayed up all night with her after it happened, telling her that things would be all right, that life would go on. And it had. Sort of. For Regina, at least. But not for Mason—at least, not the way she had promised it would.
"Mason lived in this little town in Wyoming called Alden Springs. He came down to Nashville to sign the deal, but after it fell through he went back to Wyoming and told his dad, who had a massive heart attack that night. Died the next morning. The creditors took it all—the store, his father's house... everything. Mason had to go to work for the man who bought the store for pennies on the dollar."
And the worst part, the part she couldn't bring herself to tell Chase, was that Mason emailed her every month or two to see how she was doing. She couldn't bear to open the emails any more, not since she'd formally broken their contract and sent him a list of agents who, she was sure, could get him the deal he deserved. As far as she knew, he'd never called a single one of them. After his father's passing, there were affairs to settle, a lifetime of memories and possessions to sort through. He’d had his hands full.
Regina had been a beginner back then, and she'd made beginner mistakes. She'd worked her ass off for every client since then and
Chase was ready to start seeing women again. Hell, his reaction to Regina—just one glimpse of a knee was enough to send him into fits of adolescent longing—was proof of that. But he was going to choose carefully. He'd find a woman as suited to a quiet life as he was, someone whose idea of a good time was taking the dog for a walk or watching Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns with a bowl of popcorn. Which, come to think of it, was the best time he'd had in weeks before Regina showed up, even though it had been with Jimmy.
Damn it. That kiss with Regina had put all thoughts of couch-surfing with Jimmy right out of his mind. Never mind that he knew it was a mistake—his body didn't seem to have gotten the message.
"You have it wrong," she repeated, less certainly. "Your song... the one you sang for me... it was..."
Her voice trailed off. If this conversation was going to go anywhere, evidently he would have to be the one to steer.
"Yeah. You liked my song. You think you can make money off me. So you used all your tricks to lasso me."
"No!" Her nostrils flared. She had a temper, but it dissipated as quickly as it flared, like dry lighting on a hot night. "I mean yes, I wanted to sign you. But when I—when I kissed you—"
"I'm listening." His voice sounded hard even to him—but the subject left him feeling about as soft as a brick wall.
"Look. I date men like Carl. Men I can't... hurt."
"Can't hurt?" he finally repeated incredulously. "You're afraid of hurting me?"
"Like I hurt Mason," she whispered miserably.
CHAPTER TEN
"Okay, you're going to have to help me out here." Chase didn't sound any happier, but he didn't step away, either. Regina snuck a quick glance at him. It was hard to see much in the dark, but she could tell he was frowning. "Is Mason another old boyfriend? Before Carl?"
"No. Mason was... a client."
"You dated a client?"
"No! I would never... He was only twenty. He was one of my first clients. I was so sure... I saw so much potential for him. Meredith warned me to go slow, but I promised..." Her voice hitched, a little sob escaping the way it often did when she thought about Mason. "I promised him big things. He was helping his dad take care of their hardware store, see. It was just the two of them, and his dad had heart problems, and they were in financial trouble. Mason was going to use his signing bonus to fend off the creditors and get his dad to a specialist. Only... the deal fell through."
She didn't dare look at him now. She hadn't told this story to anyone—anyone except Meredith, who'd stayed up all night with her after it happened, telling her that things would be all right, that life would go on. And it had. Sort of. For Regina, at least. But not for Mason—at least, not the way she had promised it would.
"Mason lived in this little town in Wyoming called Alden Springs. He came down to Nashville to sign the deal, but after it fell through he went back to Wyoming and told his dad, who had a massive heart attack that night. Died the next morning. The creditors took it all—the store, his father's house... everything. Mason had to go to work for the man who bought the store for pennies on the dollar."
And the worst part, the part she couldn't bring herself to tell Chase, was that Mason emailed her every month or two to see how she was doing. She couldn't bear to open the emails any more, not since she'd formally broken their contract and sent him a list of agents who, she was sure, could get him the deal he deserved. As far as she knew, he'd never called a single one of them. After his father's passing, there were affairs to settle, a lifetime of memories and possessions to sort through. He’d had his hands full.
Regina had been a beginner back then, and she'd made beginner mistakes. She'd worked her ass off for every client since then and
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