cart. Two weeks was a long time and he had blue balls.
The bottles mocked him so he put three of the bottles back on the shelf. The last thing he needed was to get stinkin’ drunk and embarrass himself in front of Jolene. Which he would if he threw back this much whiskey. He’d have to keep his wits about him to come out of this trip alive, with his head still intact on his shoulders, and that required sobriety.
“Hey, aren’t you Jolene Hart’s boyfriend?”
“What?” Chance lifted his head from his buggy and glanced to his right. There was a woman in her fifties, gripping her own shopping cart with white knuckles. Her eyes were wide. She had tortilla chips, salsa, and a giant jug of sweet tea in her cart. There was a gossip magazine in her hand.
“You’re Chance Rivers. I know you are. Don’t even deny it. Is Jolene with you?” She darted her gaze around frantically before prying open her jumbo-sized purse. “I need my phone. Can I get my picture made with y’all? Please? I promise I won’t post it anywhere.”
“Jolene isn’t here, ma’am, though I’m sure if she were, she’d be happy to take a picture with you.”
“Really?” Her face fell. “She’s not here?”
“No.”
“I heard y’all are back together, but I hope you’ll be more careful this time. You can’t be letting young women cuddle up on you like that or people will talk. No woman wants to read that nonsense about her man.”
Chance added one of the bottles of whiskey back to his cart. “It’s a fine line to walk, ma’am, but thank you for your concern for Jolene.” Everyone was always worried about Jolene. It was sweet the effect she had on fans.
She gave him a funny look, like she thought he wasn’t being sincere. “Just because a woman is famous doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the same fears as us regular folks.”
For some reason, that took Chance aback. Jolene couldn’t have actually been jealous or nervous over that idiotic picture. That wasn’t what their fight was about. It had been about image, public perception of them. Nothing personal between them. Right? Suddenly he wasn’t sure.
Maybe that’s what Jolene had been trying to tell him all along. That random strangers had her back in a way he hadn’t. Damn it all to hell.
“I’m sure you’re right,” he told the woman, because what the hell else was he supposed to say? “Have a nice night.”
As he pushed his cart away, he saw her eyeing his two bottles of booze with no small amount of judgment. Just to be defiant he snagged another as he rolled away. He didn’t need to feel guilty. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He wasn’t a drunk, despite what Ginny said, and he hadn’t cheated on Jolene. Hell, he’d never considered it. He’d been so wrapped up in her that he never even so much as realized other women existed during those months they were together.
But he’d never told Jolene that. He’d never admitted his feelings. He’d hinted. Danced around it. Wrote songs about falling in love. That was it. Because he hadn’t been sure what he was feeling and he hadn’t known what he wanted.
Then or now. Huh. It occurred to him that maybe he didn’t know a damn thing about anything.
His phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was Jolene.
Are you coming back soon?
That was an odd message. He quickly typed a response, wondering if something was wrong.
Why, do you miss me?
I think there is someone in the woods. Dolly keeps barking at the window and I thought I saw something.
Great. That made him more than a little nervous. He called Jolene, not content with texting.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Did you check and make sure the door is locked? And draw the blinds so no one can see you’re alone or creep on you.” He was instantly worried about her safety. People could be crazy stalkers when it came to stars.
Jolene laughed lightly. “I wasn’t nervous and worried or anything. I just thought that maybe once you get back, we can just go out on the porch and say hello to them together if it’s photographers. Let them get a few pictures, then ask for some privacy.”
Chance rubbed his forehead. He should have known. Jolene didn’t run from the attention the way he did. He’d been in the business his whole life and yet somehow, he wasn’t nearly as media