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never
have given him your necklace.”
    My heart
stopped.
    I sucked in
my breath, my stomach clenching. “You gave him my mom’s necklace?”
    “I’m sorry,
Laurie,” she said again. Her voice broke. Was she crying? “He said he wanted to
get you a gift and asked me about your favorite kind of jewelry. I said it was
your mother’s, and that the necklace was broken, and it was his idea to have it
repaired, so I gave it to him. I’m going to call him straight away and ask for
it.”
    “No.” I
shook my head. “Don’t contact him. Please.”
    “But, it’s
your mom’s necklace,” she protested.
    “I know.”
My whole chest hurt. I closed my eyes and took a few shaky breaths, feeling as
though there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. “I’d rather we stayed away from
him.”
    “I’ll get
it back without talking. Okay? I promise.”
    I pressed
my lips into a tight line. “I don’t want you to do anything, Jude. I don’t know
who he’s involved with, but I don’t trust him. Until I have more information,
please don’t cause me more trouble. Jude, repeat after me: I won’t talk with
Chase.”
    “Fine. I
won’t talk with Chase.” I could hear the defiance in her tone. “What’s your
plan, then?”
    “I don’t
know,” I said and shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure what to do anymore. I don’t
know what I want. This thing with Chase…it threw me back in more ways than I
could ever have imagined.”
    “You should
consult a lawyer.”
    “I know,
and I will, just not now. I couldn’t handle it.” Least of all talk about him or
pour out all the details to a stranger. My mood plummeted at the thought. Time
to change the subject. “On the bright side, I have a date today.”
    “Yeah?”
Jude said. “With whom?”
    “Some guy
who helped me with my bags. He’s staying at the same hotel.”
    “Is he
hot?”
    “Does it
matter?” I tried to recall his face and his dark hair. Was he? I couldn’t tell
for sure because his image had already become a blur of a memory. “He’s kind.
Something Chase will never be. This time I’ll do it all differently. I want to
take it as things come. I’m going out with him and see where that might lead
us. I won’t make the mistake of hoping for more. I won’t expect anything.”
    “Will you
be careful?” she asked, her worry palpable in her tone.
    “Of
course,” I said. “After Chase’s betrayal, I doubt any other man could be worse.
I doubt anything could be worse.”
    We talked
some more, then I finished the call. My own words kept circling in my head for
a while longer.
    I wished I
hadn’t said that, because as bad as Chase was, at least I knew where we were
standing and how to deal with him.

Chapter 6

 
 
 
    By the time
I was done unpacking and had taken a shower, it was already early evening. I
locked my few valuable possessions in the safe, squeezed into a black dress,
and then gave myself a critical look.
    Did I look
hot for today’s date?
    Did it
matter?
    It was just
a date—one of many I was going to have. Chase was a bad boy, so I’d turn
into a bad girl. If being a jerk was all that it took to get someone’s
attention and make them fall in love hard and fast, then it wouldn’t be so
difficult for me to do the same.
    At least
that was what I thought as I headed out in search of the restaurant.
    I found it
just around the corner. What gave away the food’s price tag were the cheap
“open” neon light in the window, the well-populated bar area in the corner and
the music playing in the background. I sat down at one of the empty tables, my
back turned to the door. After all, I didn’t want to look desperate. You know,
the kind of desperate that ended with me in Chase’s bed, moaning his name.
    At least
five minutes passed.
    Fifteen.
    My date
didn’t show up.
    From my
table, I couldn’t overlook the entrance area, so I changed to one facing the
door, my whole ‘not desperate’ resolve flying right out the