on a perfume shoot in Paris this week,” Chase lied. “But I’m headed home to good old Parker Falls, Ohio. You just get me an offer before I’m toast, okay? My fate’s in your hands, bud.”
“Ok, pal. I’m on your side, remember?” Spencer’s tone was reassuring. “And, fingers crossed, I’ll have good news soon. There’s still time.”
As he tapped a button on his steering wheel to hang up the call, Chase caught the reflection of police lights flashing in his rearview mirror.
“Great. Welcome home,” Chase groaned, throwing on his blinker to pull off to the side of the road. He put the Mercedes in park and waited as a police officer slowed to a stop behind him, exited his patrol car, and strolled up to the convertible.
When the officer reached the side of the car, Chase explained, “Sorry, officer, I was on a call. Hands-free, of course.”
The police officer, all business as he flipped open his ticket pad, said, “License, please.”
Chase handed over his license, and the guy eyed it for the briefest second before looking up and breaking into a wide smile. “Chase Taynor?” he said, chuckling.
Chase prepared for another fan run-in. He’d been hoping to avoid those by coming back home.
“Jake!” the police officer said. “Jake Miller. I was a freshman when you were a senior, remember?”
Chase had no clue, but he played along, relieved to not have to rehash the game-seven debacle with yet another fan. “Right. Yeah, Jake!”
Jake said, “Man, I haven’t seen you in, what, fifteen years now? Well, except on TV.” The officer lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Sorry about that one pitch.”
Chase nodded. So much for escaping the replay in Parker Falls.
Jake looked at Chase, a puzzled expression on his face. “Figured you’d be in spring training by now.”
“Yeah, well. I just wanted to come back home and relax a little bit, you know?” Chase was starting to get uncomfortable. If this was a prelude to a ticket, it was just the extra kick in the teeth he didn’t want to happen right now.
“Well, good timing,” the officer said. “Spring Fling kicks off in a few days.”
“Oh? Lucky me.”
Jake seemed to hesitate but then forged ahead with the question that nearly everyone Chase had crossed paths with had asked since the night of the flubbed pitch. “Say, Chase, I gotta ask…” Jake paused a moment. “In game seven—”
Chase interrupted as politely as he could. He really wasn’t in the mood, but he didn’t want to be rude to Jake.
“Jake, weren’t you gonna write me a ticket or something?”
“Oh, nah, nah,” Jake said. “I’m going to let you off with a warning—for old time’s sake. See you around.”
Jake handed Chase his license and reverted to law mode, his voice serious. “And keep that speed down.” With a wink, the officer started to walk back to his car.
Old time’s sake. Spring Fling. Chase couldn’t shake the nostalgia. He glanced at the clock, glowing from his dashboard. It was still lunch, more or less.
Chase leaned out the window and shouted back at Jake, “You bet. And thanks. Hey, is there still that old diner in town? Still a good place to get a bite?”
Jake paused at the door to his cruiser. He seemed to know where Chase’s thoughts were going. “Yeah, Wesley’s. And Jess Parker is running it.” With a knowing look, Jake climbed into his patrol car and pulled back out onto the highway. Chase, relieved that he’d escaped a ticket, was definitely feeling hungry.
Ten minutes later, Chase had made it into town and parked outside of Wesley’s. It looked exactly as he remembered, down to the tiniest detail: burgundy trim, whitewashed stucco, canvas awnings over the entrance emblazoned with the namesake. What was he hoping for—a hometown reunion to soothe his bruised sense of confidence? With a girl who’d probably forgotten him? That an old high school girlfriend would even still care about him enough to give him that boost? Sad, Taynor.
He wouldn’t be so insecure if Heather really was on a photo shoot in Paris—instead of dodging his calls like his agent had been. His stomach growled. He’d been on the road for a while, and he knew that his parents wouldn’t be back from their bridge club for an hour or two, so, feeling a little apprehensive, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got the courage up to get out.
Chapter 4
Jess was feeling a little less anxious. Inside, the restaurant was anything but full, with only a sprinkling of early dinner customers, but the jukebox was playing, and it made for a lively atmosphere all the same.
Nina, weaving her way out of the kitchen with what appeared to be the wrong order again, stopped Jess as she cruised by with a coffeepot.
“Jess, since it’s so slow, do you mind if I take the afternoon off?” Nina asked.
Jessica couldn’t resist ribbing the other woman. “Sure. Just tell me you’re not sneaking off to Charlie’s to apply for a job.”
Nina’s expression was horrified. “No, no! I need to get these glasses adjusted. They really are driving me nuts.”
“I can imagine.” Based on the number of order mix-ups they’d had over the past few days, Jess thought that the diner would probably benefit from Nina’s afternoon off, too.
Jess shooed at Nina with her coffeepot. “Go, go. I can cover. Wes will be here in a bit, and he can do his homework and eat dinner here.”
Nina started off and then stopped, suddenly remembering the plate in her hand. “Do you mind also giving this omelet to the guy at table nine?” she asked, apologetically, nodding toward the customer. Jess didn’t have the heart to tell Nina that she was nodding toward the wrong table. It was a good thing that the local optometrist was only a block or so away and Nina could walk. Jess would be nervous if her friend had planned on driving.
Nina squinted. “He’s the—yep, the blurry one?”
Jessica laughed. “I got it, hon.”
As Nina headed out, muttering about her useless glasses, Jessica hoisted the Denver omelet in one hand, the coffeepot in the other, and made her way over to deliver the food. She didn’t recognize the man sitting there from the back of his bowed head, and as she slowed beside the table, she couldn’t see his face. It was blocked by a dessert menu.
“Okay,” she said brightly, “here is your omelet.”
He lowered the menu. Jessica looked down to see Chase.
She almost dropped the plate.
“Chase?” She stood, stunned, and gaped at him for what seemed like an eternity. There was no explanation for how fast her heart started beating—well, except
