Page 12 of Chasing Forever

Kelsey’s face lit up, and she replied, “Hell, yeah!”

“Me too,” Tina said, her blue eyes twinkling.

Rather than breaking the news in the crowded bar, he led them outside and waited until they were in the car.

“Do you want to come back to our place?” Kelsey asked. Always the leader, she’d snagged the front seat before Tina could.

Tina leaned in from the back seat and said, “Yeah. It’s still early.”

“Uh, well…”

“Or we could go to your place. That’s fine too,” Kelsey inserted, misreading the reason for his hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, Chase prepared his arguments and gave himself a pep talk. You’re a lawyer. You can do this.

“I appreciate the offer. I really do. But I’m kind of a one-woman man.”

Neither of them spoke, and in the silence, he imagined Eric saying, “You idiot!”

“Seriously?” Tina asked.

“Afraid so.”

“Then why did you spend the whole day with us if you didn’t…”

“You’re both beautiful, and I was flattered by the attention.”

Apparently, saying that was mistake number three.

“Flattered?” Kelsey said incredulously. “Do you mean to tell us we wasted our last full day on the island because you were flattered?”

Tina dropped her hand from his shoulder and slumped down in the back seat. At that point, he wasn’t sure if she was feeling dejected or drunk, but it didn’t matter. He just wanted to go home and forget this had ever happened, or didn’t happen in this case.

“We could have had our pick of any guy in that bar tonight. But instead, we were counting on going home with you!” Kelsey said, her nostrils flaring as her anger rose. She wasn’t nearly as pretty with a scowl, but that could be said of most people.

“I’m sorry,” he said for lack of anything better. “I thought I could do it, but it turns out I can’t.”

“What kind of man are you?” Kelsey shouted as they pulled into the resort parking lot.

He didn’t respond, but Kelsey kept ranting until he stopped in front of their building. He’d insisted on picking them up instead of the other way around, and now he was glad. He wouldn’t have wanted them to cause a scene in front of his unit, and if he were being honest, it was because of Callie.

She’d probably already formed a negative opinion of him from earlier at the pool, but he didn’t want to make it worse.

“Thanks for nothing!” Kelsey spat. She hopped out of the car and then opened the back door for Tina, who, by the looks of her, might not even remember the episode in the morning.

“Good night,” Chase said unnecessarily.

“Good riddance!” Kelsey replied.

He waited until they were safely inside before he heaved out a breath and drove away.

“What a disaster,” he muttered as he let himself into his unit. But later, when he climbed into bed, he didn’t feel guilty. He recalled Kelsey’s question about what kind of man he was and came up with an answer.

He was a man of integrity. At least, that’s what he strived for in all things. On the job, in his relationships, and especially with women.

That didn’t mean he was perfect, and in his younger days, he might have jumped at the chance to be with Kelsey and Tina. But not now.

He wanted more than a meaningless fling. When the time was right for him to “get back out there,” it wouldn’t be with the Kelseys and Tinas of the world. He wanted a woman of substance. Someone who challenged him, intrigued him, and tied him up in knots for all the right reasons.