on her behalf. Halfway to the door, I stopped. Wasn’t this exactly what I had been warned about? I wasn’t supposed to try and decide what was best for her.
I mulled it over and decided this was different. I knew Oliver. She didn’t. I was doing this for her. In fact, I wanted to let her know just how I felt about her jumping right back into dating so soon after shattering my heart.
I didn’t appreciate it. I deserved better. She up and left me without even giving me a proper resignation. I might have been a shitty boyfriend, but I was a damn good boss. She could have at least thanked me for the job before walking out on me. I never treated her badly at work.
I knew she was expecting a good referral from me. I was tempted to hold it back until she apologized for walking out on me. That was a dick move. I couldn’t do that but I sure as hell could tell her it was a dick move to leave me high and dry.
I walked out of the suite and headed downstairs. I didn’t need Dwayne to drive me. This was something I was going to do on my own. I drove downtown to the mall. It was my first time seeing the place. I heard about it, but I wasn’t a big shopper. My stuff came from a personal shopper who knew what I liked and what size to buy. I sat in my SUV for a while trying to think about what I wanted to say. I didn’t want to sound like a crazy jealous ex. I wasn’t. I was doing this for her.
I got out of the SUV and crossed the parking lot. I was pissed. The closer I got to the mall, the more I began to rethink my decision to come here and interrupt their date. It wasn’t the most rational thing to do. Did I really want to make an ass out of myself in front of Oliver and whoever else was in there?
I was a business owner. This could be a very small town. I didn’t want to ruin my reputation by losing my shit in front of the upper crust that ran this town. I stopped walking and stared at the front doors. I couldn’t do it. I needed to find another way to tell her I was crazy about her and crushed that she broke my heart.
I was about to turn around and walk back to my SUV when she came out of the mall. Alone. My first reaction was to run. Then I chose to freeze and hope she didn’t see me. It was too late. She was staring at me with shock and surprise.
This was not what I had planned at all. Instead of feeling vindicated and self-righteous, I felt like an idiot.
Chapter 63
Harper
Chase? What the hell? I kept walking until I was standing a few feet in front of him. At first, I assumed he was there to see me. Then I remembered he was one of the who’s who in Vail and was probably invited to the soft opening of the restaurant. He wasn’t there to see me.
“Hi,” I said, forcing a smile.
“Hi.” His eyes roamed over me, making me shudder. He had a way of looking at me and making me feel things without ever touching me. He made me feel sexy and powerful with his lustful looks. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you. What are you doing here?”
He looked confused. “I don’t remember why I’m here. I saw you and everything left my head. You take my breath away. And my thoughts.”
Just like that, the guard I put up against him was gone. He sounded sincere. He looked sincere. I believed him, but the man was dangerous to my heart. For one brief moment, he made me forget everything—until a cold wind brushed over me and reminded me I was standing outside a restaurant I just fled under the guise of a family emergency. I did not want Oliver to come out and find me standing outside. I would be busted. I didn’t want to piss the guy off. I felt like my lie to escape him was better than the truth, which was that he was making me ill with his long-winded complaints about everything under the sun.