The Last Thing (10 page)

“Hope you enjoyed your dinner!” she called out, a little too
sweetly.

My mouth went dry as Chase entered the main room with that
blonde bimbo on his arm. I reminded myself they were only working on a movie
together and I had no right to be jealous.  Before he walked out the door, he
turned his head slightly and gave me a quick wink. So not romantic when he has
another girl all over him. Nonetheless, his one wink made my whole body burn in
excitement.

“Oh my god. Did he just wink at you?” Ashley put her hands on
her hip, her mouth gapping open.

“He must have had something in his eye.”

“You’re blushing.”

“I’m pregnant. I’m always flushed.”

“Do you know each other?”

I doodled on the corner of my notebook on the podium. The
dinner rush was over and we likely wouldn’t have any more customers before we
closed.

“Why would I know an actor? I just moved here.”

“Isn’t Ginger Teague your cousin? They’re both on the same TV
show.”

I shrugged. There was no way I would tell her anything. The
whole city might know my affairs before the end of the week.

“I’ve seen him around, but we’re not friends.”

“So I guess you aren’t open to introducing me?” she pleaded.

I rolled my eyes.  “I’ll make you work for it.”

I had no intention of introducing them right now, but
eventually everyone would know he was the father.

My shift ended at midnight, and I was about ready to pass out.
I groaned when I pulled into the driveway next to Ginger’s Range Rover. I’d
hoped that she’d be out. Nonetheless, the house was big, and maybe I would have
some time to talk to Chase alone without Ginger snooping.

I went upstairs and took a long hot shower before throwing on
my cutest pajamas. I wasn’t trying to impress Chase, but I didn’t want to
appear too shabby either. I blew my hair dry and let it fall down around my
shoulders. I decided to forgo the makeup. I didn’t want to look like I tried too
much.

My stomach growled in anger.  This was the only time of the day
when I wasn’t sick I hurried downstairs to make myself something to eat. On my
way to the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

Crap, he’s here!

 I nervously smoothed my hair down and took a deep breath.

“You can do this. Tell him. Together you can both work this
out,” I whispered. I opened the door slowly.  There in the doorway stood Chase,
his hands stuffed inside of a hoodie. He was dressed casual with a pair of
track pants and a backwards hat on his head. He winked at me and smirked. That mesmerizing
grin that made my heart stop for just a brief moment. Every time we were
together, the physical attraction grew even more.

“Hi,” I said, stepping back to allow him more room. He took a
few steps inside then glanced around as if he were searching for someone in
particular.

“Is Ginger asleep?”  he asked.

Looking up at the dark hallway, and not hearing a sound, I
nodded. “I believe so.”

I motioned for him to follow me through the hallway and into
the kitchen.  He reached out and grabbed my hand as we walked. As much as
I wanted to pull my hand from his grip, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. No
matter how hard I wanted to push him away, the simple fact remained. There was
something there, something that I wanted to explore further. I just wasn’t sure
my heart could take any more pain right now. No, it was better to play it safe
rather than sorry. He pulled me into his arms and ran his hands down my face.

 “I’ve been waiting for you to come around,” he whispered.

He didn’t want to talk. He was here for something else
entirely.  Sex, it was all he wanted from me. His lips moved down my neck in a
slow and antagonizing manner. Though I needed to stop him, my body begged me to
shut up.

“Chase, I don’t think this is a good idea.” I put my hands on
his chest and pushed him off me. He stumbled back as confusion washed over his
face.

“Then why did you ask me to come over?”

“I said that I wanted to talk. You’re the one who automatically
assumed I meant sex.”

He furrowed his brow and tilted his head just slightly. It
was so adorably cute; that tiny expression, I wanted to see more of it.

“Well? Talk then…” he said, clearly irritated by the fact
that he wasn’t getting his way. It was enough to remove any positive feelings
that had arose between us in the past few hours.  I took a deep breath to
build up some courage.

“That night at the party,” I began.

“Was amazing,” he tried to put his arms around me again, but
I firmly pushed him away.

“It was a mistake.”

He opened his mouth to protest. “Hey, now that hurts.”

“Never been turned down before?”

“Not recently, no,” He stared at me intensely, making me
squirm under the pressure of his gaze.

I placed my hands behind my back so that I wouldn’t fidget.
How was it possible that Chase thought he could get any girl he laid eyes
on?  Even if he had his eyes on me right now, I wasn’t about to play his
little game. 

 “I’m pregnant,” I blurted out. Oh yes, it felt good to just
say it, but my stomach churned with anxiety as I awaited his answer.  It
never came. He just stood there with a blank expression on his face. Finally,
he said,

“How much money do you want?”

“What? I don’t want anything.” I wasn’t sure what to say. I
was prepared for every answer possible, but I never expected him to try to pay
me off.

“Listen. I’m not stupid. So let me ask you again. I’m sure
this is some plot to get money from me. Better yet, I bet Ginger's agency had
cooked all this up for publicity. ‘Chase Crowley has Baby with Ginger Teague’s
Poor Innocent Cousin’. You really have some nerve. I bet you really weren’t on
birth control either. You tricked me.” The entire time he spoke; he threw his
hands in the air. His voice became louder and louder. I didn’t really know what
to say. If he believed this was all about money, he was sadly mistaken. I
didn’t need him or his money.

“You’re right. This is all some ploy. Get out!” I pointed to
the front door. He made no move to leave. Instead, he paced back and forth for
a moment then turned back to me.

“You’re infuriating,” he said with his hands in the air. By
now, a few tears were beginning to slide down my cheeks. Telling him was the
worst idea ever. When I bawled louder, his face softened.

“Come on now. Do you have to cry?” he asked.

“You’re being a jackass, again.”

“What do you expect me to do? Girls have tried to trap me
before. I’ve dealt with fake pregnancies and rumors for years.”

I didn’t know how to answer that. Obviously, I hadn’t thought
this out. My eyes searched his face before I took a few steps closer. Behind
his dark orbs were emotions that I couldn’t put my finger on.  I grabbed a
piece of paper off the counter. It was from the doctor and had my due date,
conception date, and pregnancy confirmation on it. He read it over for a long
time.

“What do you expect me to marry you or something?” he asked.

“No, that was never the plan. None of this was the plan.”

“Then what do you want from me?”

“Nothing. I just assumed you’d want to know…”

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” Ginger said as she
hurried into the kitchen to throw herself between me and Chase. Her red hair
stuck up all over her head and she wrapped a robe tightly around her chest.

“Not now, Ginger,” Chase said with an annoyed tone.

“I can’t sit up there and listen to you both yell any longer.”

“Then don’t listen!” Chase and I both yelled at the same
time.  We glanced at each other both taken aback by the sound of our
voices. As we gazed into each other’s eyes, I could swear that we were both
laughing silently. The tension in the room lessened.

“Wow, I can’t do this right now,” Chase repeated from
earlier.  He sat down on one of the barstools and leaned forward on his
elbows.

Ginger didn’t let an opportunity to throw in a witty comment
pass her by. “Well you should have thought of that before….”

“He knows. I know. We
both
know,” I snapped. Ginger
needed to shut-up. This wasn’t any of her business, but I didn’t feel
comfortable trying to kick her out of her own kitchen.

Screw that.

“Can I speak to you for a moment?” I hissed into Ginger’s
ear, grabbing her by the arm. I dragged her out of the kitchen and through the
hallway to the bottom of the staircase.

“Ow,” Ginger cried out as she stumbled behind me.

“Listen, I know you’re trying to protect me, but I’m a big
girl. I need to handle this all by myself.”

“I just don’t want this to put you back to….”

“I have problems. I know this, but losing Chase will not do
to me what losing Bash did. I loved Bash.”

My eyes closed slightly as I said his name, and before I
could picture his face in my mind, they snapped back open. I wasn’t going to go
there. Not tonight. I never had Chase, therefore, he was never mine to
lose. 

“I don’t care about Chase,” I lied.

“I just feel responsible. I was the one who pushed you
towards him. I should have never dragged you to that party,” Ginger complained.

“Like I said, I’m a big girl.
I
went there of my own
accord.
I
was the one who had sex, and
I
was the one who ignored
Chase’s calls afterward.
I
didn’t want the relationship.
I
put
myself in this situation.
I
can figure this out alone.”

Leaving Ginger by the staircase, I wandered back into the
kitchen to find Chase in a much calmer state. He leaned against the counter
with his head bent down.

“Hey,” I said. I wasn’t sure exactly where we went from
here.  Were we supposed to talk things out? Should I offer him something
to drink? It was so strange since he was almost a complete stranger to me.  I
walked over and stood beside him.

“Chase…” I started but he held a finger out, placing it over
my mouth to stop me from talking. His fingers were soft, and I stopped myself
from reaching out with my teeth to gently bite them. The sight of him
intoxicated me.

“Shhh…. Just get me a drink, please.”

I stepped back so that we were no longer touching. There
wasn’t any way I could deal with feelings right now. It was bad enough that my
body ached whenever he was around. I walked over to one of the cabinets where
Ginger kept the liquor. Believe me; she kept a lot of liquor in the house. Filling
the glass with brown liquid, my nose wrinkled in distaste at the pungent
smell.  Everything smelled horrible these days. I hadn’t even touched a
drink since the night at the party. I didn’t like the way it made me feel. But
right now, Oh, what I wouldn’t kill for a drink.

I silently observed as he swallowed the drink in one
gulp. He sat it back down for me to refill.

“What are your plans?” he asked.

“Move out eventually; get a better job and house. I don’t
know. Things are so expensive in this town compared to back home. Going home is
the last thing I want to do, but my parents are there and they can help
out,” My mom’s home was my last choice, but it was cheaper. And would my
parents really help out? Who knows? I liked to believe that they would have.

“Where is home again?”

“Tennessee.”

“That’s really far away.”

“Yeah I know, but this place was supposed to be a fresh start,
to get away, and I screwed everything up.”

“Why did you need a fresh start?” The interest in his face
appeased me, but I didn’t want to tell him.

“That’s none of your business.”

“I think this,” he pointed between the two of us, “makes it
my business. I have a right to know if you’re some sort of wanted fugitive.”

“I didn’t plan this,” I told him shaking my head.

He laughed to try to lighten the mood. “You could have done
worse. I’m handsome, rich, and the whole world loves me. Any child of mine
would be so lucky.”

I snorted. The whole world didn’t love him. Ginger had told
me enough. He didn’t date; he had a different girl on his arm every night. His
world revolved around parties and movie sets.

“And the birth control?” he asked.

“With the move, I missed a few days here or there. I screwed
up.”

He has to think I did this on purpose.

“I see….I’ll want a paternity test of course.”

“Of course.” 

We sat there for a few awkward seconds before he said, “What
now?”

“I need to consider all my options.”

Before now, I hadn’t even considered going home, but I wanted
to see his reaction. For some reason, I wanted to know what he’d say if he believed
 I was moving to the other side of the states. The plan sounded so solid coming
out of my mouth, but I only touched on the subject. There was no way in hell I
would actually return home. There was no telling how the town would regard me.
They already hated me enough as it was.  Bash had been dead for nearly a
year now. Coming home, pregnant and alone would only make them think worse of
me. These were people I’d grown up with, people who were supposed to be my
friends, and the moment they could, they had turned their backs on me.