Read If I Loved You (Hollywood Hearts 1) for Free Online Page B

doing? He’s not my friend. He’s a business associate.
    A small smile raised the corners of Chaz’s mouth.
    The waiter delivered more drinks.
    “Now you understand how I feel…about revealing my past.”
    God, he’s right.
    Chaz leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ll take your secret to the grave.”
    “Thank you,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling.
    Megan took a big gulp of her drink as a tiny shudder reverberated through her body. A second gulp of the Caipirinha brought warmth rushing through her veins, calming her emotions. She let out a breath.
    Chaz leaned back when the waiter arrived with their food. The clatter of plates broke the somber mood.
    “This looks great,” she said, eyeing her plate piled high with steak, rice, beans and farofa.
    When dinner was over, Chaz flipped open his cell phone. Megan put her hand over the speaker. “It’s nice out. Let’s walk. It’s almost dark enough most people won’t recognize you.”
    He dialed the phone. “Walking home, Bobby. Catch you later.”
    They strolled up Sixth Avenue until they came to Central Park at Fifty-Ninth Street.
    “Through the park?”
    “It’s late…kind of dangerous.”
    “Not until after midnight. Come on. Be adventurous.” He offered his hand. His brilliant smile warmed her. He laced his fingers with hers, leading her into the park and onto the path winding north.

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    The breeze picked up, making Megan wrap her arms around her torso for warmth. Chaz took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The rustling of the trees, green with new spring leaves, made pleasant music as they moseyed along the path—in no hurry to reach their destination.
    “It must have been horrible for you…when your dad disappeared.”
    “For a long time I expected him to come walking in the door. So many years have gone by with no contact at all. I can’t believe he’d leave us without a word.”
    Chaz draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her close to him. She sighed and fell into step with him.
    “My life was no bed of roses either.”
    Megan looked at him.
    “If this hits the papers, I’ll know where it came from,” he warned.
    Megan crossed her heart with her finger. “I promise.”
    “My mother was a crack addict. I was born in the South Bronx without a dad. When I was nine, Mom died from an overdose. I went to live in foster homes. I escaped into fantasy…the only way I could deal with my life. One day, I became a brilliant scientist…the next, a superhero incognito…anyone except who I really was. Make-believe kept me sane, though my teachers didn’t appreciate it. Foster parents thought I was nuts. I got shuffled from one foster home to another.”
    Megan gasped, unable to stop herself.
    “One middle school teacher, Emily Gold, took pity on me. She encouraged my fantasies, which she referred to as ‘acting.’ Mrs. Gold made me the star of the school play. Once I heard applause, I was hooked.”
    She snaked her arm around his waist and gave a little squeeze.
    “Before long, Emily and her husband Max took me in as a foster child. With their help, my grades soared. I got into LaGuardia High School’s acting program. From there, Yale School of Drama…the rest is pretty boring.”
    “I had it all wrong.”
    “Most people do. Especially when they hear Yale. I was on full scholarship there.”
    “How terrible for you —to go through all that. Full scholarship…wow! Not easy. So amazing where you ended up.”
    “Tough times made me self-sufficient.”
    “What happened to Emily and Max?”
    “They were in their sixties when I went to live with them. I’m thirty-two now. Do the math. They’ve both passed on.”
    “I’m so sorry, Chaz.” She squeezed his arm.
    By the time Chaz finished his story, they had reached the park exit leading to her building. “It’s not a pretty story. I don’t want it public. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me.” Chaz