“What?” I reel back. “Your boss lied to me?”
“No. Cass would never lie. About anything.”
I shake my head, bewildered. “OK, tell me what it is then.”
“It’s not—” He flinches, dipping his chin, and now he won’t look me in the eye. Like he’s ashamed.
“Chase?”
This is the first time I’ve seen him look uncomfortable. Now I’m worried.
He clears his throat. “I spent some time in the industry, that’s all.”
“Oh. Doing security for celebrities?” That makes sense.
He squints at me for a moment. “Yeah, something like that.” He looks out over the water for a moment, then he adds, “Plus my dad’s in the business.”
“Really? Who’s your dad?”
There’s a long pause before he finally says, “John Corbett.”
I stumble back a step. “Your dad’s John Corbett?” The man is a legend. He’s like royalty in the music business. Chasedoesunderstand my world. At least a little. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why keep it a secret?”
He presses his lips together. “We’re estranged.”
“Oh.” I bring my tone down. “How long has it been since you’ve seen him?”
“Seventeen years, not that anyone’s counting.”
I nod slowly. “That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.” I can’t imagine going so long without talking to my mom. “Do you miss him?”
He scoffs. “Nope.”
“Really?”
“Really. He’s—” He pauses, eyeing me for a minute. “Off the record?”
My eyes widen at the fact that he’s sharing such deep secrets with me. “Of course.”
“He’s a fucking asshole.”
I laugh.
“No. You have no idea.”
I chuckle. “His reputation precedes him. One of the guys on my security detail used to travel with The Riot. He said the man’s an absolute nightmare.”
Chase laughs, running his palm across the back of his neck. “Yup, he’s something else.”
“Are you close with your mom, at least?”
His lips shift to one side. “I was. But she died when I was twelve.”
I gasp, covering my heart with my hand. “Oh, no. Chase…” I’m touched he’s confiding in me like this.
He nods, but his jaw tenses, and there’s a deep sadness in his eyes. “It was a long time ago.”
He turns to lean against the railing, looking out over the water, and I step in next to him. We stay like this for a while, watching the rapids down below, and it feels good, being here with him. Like we’re getting to know each other better. I’m starting to wonder if we don’t have more in common than I thought.
