Without Chase (6 page)

“So we look exactly the way we are.” Adam sounded disappointed.

Jamie, who knew all about using images to tell a story told him, “of course. We could change our clothes, or we could not touch when we walked down the street. But that wouldn’t fool too many people. It’s harder to hide emotions.”

“I’d disagree,” he said a little too quickly.

“Ahh, that’s because you’re thinking about hiding them from a person you know. I’m talking about when you have your guard down, and you’re being watched, like people in that restaurant watching us. Strangers. Then it’s harder.”

They stopped in front of a cupcake store. Adam placed his hand on the door. “And you know this how?”

“I’m a model,” she said archly. “I spend hours pretending to look at someone like they’re my lover, or boyfriend, or best friends. It’s hard.”

“You have a future in politics, I think.” He held the door open for her. “Dessert?”

Jamie thought it ironic that they talked about feeling awkward, because by the time they got back to his house, whatever shyness she may have felt was gone. It didn’t mean she was ready for more, so the chaste goodnight kiss he gave her before turning into his room was a big relief. He respects me, Jamie told herself happily, but something felt a little off. Still, all the magazine articles she had read would agree: a man who didn’t want to sleep with you on the first date was a man who was already thinking about a future with you. That was good enough for her.

The next morning, she awoke to the sound of the front door quietly closing. Adam must have left while she was asleep and was just now coming back. She woke up leisurely and padded downstairs to find him in the basement, in front of an open pipe. “Old house, old pipes,” he said by way of explanation. “I’m replacing one of the joints.”

Jamie sat down next to him. “Did you go somewhere this morning?” she asked. “I thought I heard the door.”

Adam leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss. “Yeah, I went out earlier.” Changing the subject, he asked, “can you make coffee for us? I’ll be up in a minute.”

Heading into the kitchen, Jamie thought, this is all so… normal. No one stares at us when we’re out, I don’t turn on the TV to watch highlights of him, and I can actually see trees from his backyard. Not sand, not skyscrapers. I feel like my parents, except my parents first house wasn’t a seven figure townhouse from the 18th century. She quickly found the coffee and started breakfast for them. Soon enough she heard Adam coming up the staircase. “What do you want to do today?” she asked.

“Let’s go see where my mom works,” he suggested.

They spent the day in Washington D.C., playing tourists. Except most tourists had to wait in long lines and couldn’t get into restricted areas. With a special pass Adam picked up from his mother’s office, they could go to the front of any line. They ended the day at a formal restaurant where the maitre d’ greeted Adam warmly.

“I take it you’re a regular here,” Jamie said as she looked around discreetly at all the other patrons. She recognized a Sunday talk show host and a politician from California.

“I like it. It’s my favorite French restaurant.” Adam nodded to someone behind her. “I hope this is OK.”

Jamie took a sip of water. “You are such a grown-up,” she told him.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Yes.” She took in the people around her and asked the obvious. “Do you want to go into politics too?”

“Truth?”

“Please.”

“Ever since I was a boy. I think it runs in the family. My great grandfather was Governor.”

Jamie nodded. “That’s why you bought the house, isn’t it? As a way of telling yourself this would be your future.”

“Am I that obvious?” Adam looked pleased that she understood that about him. “Didn’t you believe the bit about wanting to buy a part of history?”

“Of course I believe you,” she said teasingly.

He smiled back before growing serious again. “Do you like it, Jamie? The house, I mean?” There was something important in what he was asking, and she knew it.

“Yes. I can see why you bought it even though it must have looked so different back then than now. I can’t explain it myself, but I really like it too.”

Jamie thought the conversation would turn more personal, but then Adam turned back to being a charming, if somewhat guarded, date.

Later, they went back to his house, and at the third floor landing, Adam took Jamie’s hand and led her into his bedroom. “I’d like to sleep next to you,” he said. Jamie nodded and understood he wanted the closeness, but not the sex. In a way, it was exactly what she wanted too.

Slipping into Adam’s bed was like slipping into a warm cocoon of the softest, most fragrant, pool of cotton imaginable. Adam wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Jamie breathed in the smell of him. Like a plant that had been kept in the dark, she felt herself coming alive at the feel of his skin against hers. Adam made a sound of pleasure as he drew her into him. “Tell me what you’re thinking about, Jamie” he whispered.

She placed a palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. After thinking about it, she simply said, “I feel like I’ve been running from something and now I can stop and rest.” Jamie hadn’t realized how much she had been hurting until now. The thought of it triggered a memory---she remembered being hurt by Chase another time before, when his pride let her walk away from him. She sighed. Chase had loved and hurt her more than she thought possible. And now she just wanted off the rollercoaster onto something… normal.

“What about you?” she asked Adam. “What are you thinking about?”

Adam considered his words. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said, then turned to give her a long kiss goodnight. Jamie stayed awake after Adam had fallen asleep. Her thoughts were of Chase, and a certain sadness filled her as she recognized that she was moving on. After all the promises they had made to each other, there was no happily ever after all.

Chapter Nine

Chase

What Jamie couldn’t have known was that Chase had been a lot closer during that trip than she realized and that she had set in motion a chain of events that would lead Chase even further away from her. The same morning she and Adam were in New York together, Chase had gone to his agent’s office. He complained about the hassle of getting to Midtown during business hours, but the truth was, going to Steve Green’s office reminded him too much of the weeks when his career, and possibly his freedom, was on the line. So anytime Steve wanted to meet in person, they would often do it at a restaurant, or even at Steve’s private club.

This time, though, when Steve firmly suggested they meet in his office to discuss offers that had come in, Chase agreed. He found himself entering the familiar high-rise, location to many of Manhattan’s most expensive attorneys, and going through the metal detectors.

“Hey, Mr. Reston, how are you?” Gio, the old-timer security guard was watching him empty his phone, keys and change into a dirty plastic container.

“Doing great, Mr. Gio, how about yourself?” Chase still felt uncomfortable with being addressed so formally. He knew that it was a sign of respect from people who didn’t know him; only knew OF him. But he especially didn’t like it when people old enough to be his grandparents used it, so he began adding “Mr.” or “Ms.” to their first names.

Gio leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “Say, are you here to meet your girlfriend?”

Chase smiled bitterly. I don’t have a girlfriend, he wanted to say. That’s just something the media cooked up. But now he was curious. Was Amy up in Steve’s office too?

“Umm, no… why?”

“Well, that real pretty blonde of yours came in here with Mr. Bixby. Guess his mama’s people got business here.”

Blonde. Chase’s heart stopped. “Jamie? The one you saw---she was a tall blonde?” he heard himself asking.

Gio winked. “You got another girlfriend?” Gio was either smarter than he gave him credit for, or he didn’t read celebrity rags. Chase was going with the first.

“She’s here? With who?” His things rolled through the x-ray machine while an indifferent Indian woman watched it go through.

“Oh, I saw her come in earlier this morning. Now, come to think of it, I think she already left, so I guess you’re not meeting her---” Gio pretended to be confused.

“Who was she with?” he hated to ask again, but he had to know.

“That Bixby kid---you know; his mama’s in politics?” Gio handed Chase his things back. “Just thought you’d wanna know,” he added sympathetically. “Have a nice day, Mr. Reston.”

Chase leaned heavily against the elevator wall on the ride up. He knew Jamie, he knew her family. It was one thing for her to have dated Sean Foley, the lead singer for Isle during the brief time they were broken up. She may have been in danger of being hurt, or having her heart broken, but a guy like that would never have lasted. But someone as suitable as a politician’s son? Chase didn’t know who this Bixby guy was, and had never heard of his mother, but he sounded pretty damn perfect for Jamie. She would be engaged within six months.

“Hey Chase, what’s up?” Maddy looked up when he entered Steve’s inner offices. She frowned when she saw his expression. “Is something wrong?”

Knowing how close she was to Helene, and therefore Amy, Chase had no interest in telling her what happened. “No. Why?”

Maddy gave him a strange look before waving him towards Steve’s office. “Go on in. He’s waiting for you.”

As he entered the office, Chase could see why Steve wanted him to come in. On his conference table were several proposals, some of them with network logos on them. “Hey, there he is!” Steve was in a great mood. “It’s like fuckin’ Christmas in here,” he said, gesturing to the proposals. He grabbed three of them as Chase sat down. “Man, I never thought this would turn out the way it did. I’ve got more heat on you than my clients who have a ring!”

Chase felt relieved. Maybe there was hope of him getting his old life back after all.

“Let’s look at the reality shows first. Do you want to be on ‘Bachelor House?’ You and sixteen women locked up with the cameras rolling 24/7 until you pick one you want to be with.”

“Urgh. I’ve seen that show. Those women are nasty. Or flat out crazy.”

“Yeah, my dick itches just thinking about them.” Steve had run interference on behalf of his clients for dozens of these type of women already. He began to throw the contract away, but not before regretfully looked at the last page. “They’re offering you six figures to do it, though.”

“Next.” Chase said firmly.

“OK, here’s something interesting. One of the networks wants to do a reality show on you called, ,”The Comeback”. They’re going to follow you for the next six months, basically documenting your life, you know, while you train and everything to get ready for the next season. Big money for this one, too.”

Chase saw the network logo. It was the one that specialized in the trashiest, crudest shows. “That’s not going to be about sports, they want my personal life,” he assessed correctly.

Steve cleared his throat. “Um yeah, they’re already talking to Amy’s people; they kinda want the juxtaposition of her high profile, luxurious life with you fighting to come back in the League. Kinda like a love-conquers-all angle.”

Something about what Steve said didn’t sound right. They were also talking to Amy’s people? Already? All of a sudden, everything clicked. This was what Amy had been priming him for. All the crap she had told him about wanting a younger boyfriend for her image had been a lie. She had specifically chosen
him
because it would make great TV to see her rescuing and rehabilitating a disgraced athlete. It was a great hook.

It would have been too convenient for his team to know nothing about this deal before they presented it to him. Steve, Maddy, Helene: had they all been a part of this? But before he could say anything, the door opened and Maddy joined them. “So what do you think?”

Chase glared at Steve. “I’m wondering whose interests you’re promoting, that’s what I think.”

There was a confused silence in the room. Steve exchanged a look with Maddy. “Hey, man, you don’t like it, we’ll turn it down. There’s no reason---”

“Did you know about this before?”

Steve looked confused. “Before what? Nothing on this table is over a week old.”

“Did you talk about a reality show before?” Chase turned to Maddy. “Is this why you and Helene set me up with her?”

Steve understood the implication, and he reacted to the accusation that he would conspire against his client. “Get over yourself, Chase!” He turned to face him directly. “No one knew who the fuck you were two months ago, let alone cared enough to whisper in my god damn ear about some fucking reality show----”

“Steve.” Maddy cut Steve off. She was usually pretty high strung herself, but never at the same time as Steve. This was probably why she had lasted as his assistant for so long.

“Chase… dude… you’re letting all this stuff go to your head,” she continued while Steve calmed himself.

“Then how are Amy’s people already in negotiations?” he demanded. “I didn’t start going out with her that long ago.”

“Who you were two months ago---who you were
as a commodity
,” Steve corrected himself, “is not who you are today. Just think about it. You’re saying someone came to us two months ago saying, ‘hey, I want to make a reality TV show about Amy Weatherby going out with Chase Reston’ and that’s why we set you up with her? I’m sorry to burst your bubble, man, but we couldn’t get anyone interested in watching you on YouTube two months ago, let alone being part of a TV series.” He paused to let this sink in. “She’s the star, Chase, not you.”

Chase saw the anger and concern in Steve’s face and knew he was telling him the truth. He felt embarrassed. What was happening to him? Weeks of cameras documenting his every move with Amy was changing him. It should have been the scandal that changed him, but it didn’t. Instead, a few months with an actress was turning him into a conceited jerk with an over-inflated sense of his own importance. And the fact that Jamie was now going out with someone who sounded perfect for her didn’t help.

It was all so clear now. Chase rubbed his temples; a gesture he used to think belonged only to coaches exasperated with him. Suddenly, he didn’t want to be a part of Amy or her world anymore. He felt like he was losing more and more of himself every day and he knew he had to get out before it was too late. The room was silent for several minutes. Steve checked his phone and answered a few texts. Maddy just sat and watched him.

“Any word on the Feds case?” he asked Steve when he trusted himself enough to talk..

Steve looked up from his phone and his eyes swept over Chase as if checking him for anything dangerous. Seeing nothing, he continued as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened. “Yeah, good news. It looks like they’ll probably have everything wrapped up by the end of the year.”

Six months away. Six months until he could talk to Jamie without compromising her. Briefly he considered calling her anyway.
That would take care of that Bixby prick
, he thought idly.
She’d never hear from him again.
But he remembered how his mother had dragged him into this, and how it had destroyed his life. He would never do the same to Jamie. No matter how much he needed her, and no matter how scared he was to lose her for good.

He realized Steve was talking to him, and focused back to hear, “---guest appearance on a cop show. You’d be playing an enforcer.”

Chase smiled. That sounded like fun, but he realized what he needed was to get away from the whole celebrity thing. Clearly, he was in over his head. “What about basketball?” he found himself saying.

“Yeah, you’ve got to work out, and train like hell, but no one will touch you until the one year suspension is lifted. You know this.” Steve looked at him.

“What about playing somewhere else?” Like pieces in a puzzle, his next steps were suddenly coming into view. He didn’t trust himself to stay away from Jamie, and New York wasn’t far enough. Chase also felt a yearning to be somewhere far, far away from people like Amy Weatherby and anyone else who wanted to use him. One thing he learned about being an athlete was recognizing weakness---in your opponent, and in yourself. And right now he knew he was too injured, in an emotional sense, to go against someone like Amy. She would own him if he didn’t get out soon.

Steve cut into his thoughts. “You mean like overseas? We discussed this before. You wouldn’t make much money and I mean---come on, you can’t wait out a year?”

Chase shrugged, but his mind was made up. “Nah. This sitting around is making me crazy. I wanna play ball.”

Steve hesitated a split second, seeming to consider whether or not to discourage Chase. In the end, his own adage won out:
give the client what he wants.
“Hey, that’s no problem,” he told Chase. “Any team would love to have a first round draft pick playing for them.” Another pause. “Do you have an area of the world you want to, um, visit? Europe, Asia, South America---?”

“I want to go someplace warm, and I want to play for a team that’s good; that’s one of the best in their league. I want to challenge myself.” As Chase spoke, he began to feel as if a weight were lifting from his shoulders: this was how he knew this was the right thing to do, and he suddenly couldn’t wait to leave New York.

Steve reached for his pen and his legal pad---he took notes on everything. “You ever been outside of the country?” he asked.

“No. Oh wait, does Mexico count? I’ve been to Cabo San Lucas.” He willed himself not to think about a weekend he’d spent with Jamie at a sexy, sun dappled resort there.

“Mexico is another country, yes.” It was hard to tell when Steve was being sarcastic, or simply applying his legal training. “So you have a passport.”

“A U.S. passport?”

Steve’s head jerked up. “What the fuck do you mean, a U.S. passport? Do you have another kind?”

Chase suppressed a smile. “Well we were talking about Mexico---”

“Please tell me you’re fucking with me and that you really aren’t this stupid. Because you’re supposed to be my smart client.”

“Relax. Yeah, the Waves made us all get passports. But if I’m the smart client---”

“You have no idea. Some of my clients, your fellow athletes, spell coach with a K.”

Chase whooped. “Who---never mind, I bet I know.”

Steve’s ignored the question. “Do you speak any other languages?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. Jesus, Chase! Just focus for five minutes more and you can go back to your video games.”

Joking around with Steve had Chase feeling more and more like his old self, which was a good sign that he was doing the right thing. “I took four years of Spanish in high school and I guess I used it when I lived in Florida and LA; but like, why? Don’t most places speak English?”

“Most countries have people who speak English, but you’re still going to be surrounded by a different language twenty four seven. So, it’s good if you at least have some understanding because you’ll pick up the language that much faster.”

Chase grinned. “Am I gonna play ball or going to the UN?”

“That’s fucking hilarious.” Steve said sarcastically. Then, “OK, how about this, it will add to your popularity tre-men-dously, if you can throw in a couple of phrases in the native language during the post game interview. And a popular American player in a foreign country is one step closer to being a global brand.”

“You’re always thinking, Steve. I like that.”

“Yeah, now get out of here. I’m gonna send some feelers out, see who’s willing to pay what, and I’ll get back to you.”

Chase walked out of his agent’s office relaxed and happy. He knew this was yet another step in the rehabilitation of his brand, and he liked the idea that he was moving in a positive direction.