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I wearily get ready for bed and crawl in between the cool sheets. I grab my pillow and wrap my arms around it. I hear the shower turn off in the bathroom and close my eyes like I’m asleep.
I want to enjoy the sex with Chase as long as I can, but tonight, I just can’t. I feel like my fragile heart is in danger of breaking, and this is the first crack. If it feels this bad now, just from thinking I could be losing Chase, imagine once our year is up. I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive losing my lover and my closest friend.
Twenty-Three
Chase
I frown as I drive to the office. Something is off with Val, and I don’t know what it is.
She’s been acting differently for the last week. I think it started around the time of the cookout. Did someone say something to her that upset her?
When I try to ask her what’s wrong, she just shrugs and says nothing.
Bullshit. Something is wrong. Why won’t she confide in me? She always has before.
Unless— unless I’m the problem? I mean, she really couldn’t turn me down when I offered to marry her. She would have been crazy to turn down a cool five million and the stock shares. Let’s not forget about the fucking stock shares. Suddenly, I’m feeling frustrated.
Things were going so great. I mean, the sex is off the charts. But lately, when I take her, she’s been closing her eyes. Does that mean anything?
Hell, if I know. I slam my hand against the steering wheel. Who knows what’s on a woman’s mind? I sure as shit don’t. Women!
Then, I stop short. This is Val. And well, she’s different. She doesn’t play games. She’s too nice. If something is bothering her, then it’s my job as her husband and friend to figure out what it is.
It would be a hell of a lot easier if she just told me. But still. We never had a problem telling each other stuff in the past.
The thought enters my mind that I could lose Val, lose her as my wife and as my friend. Nope, not acceptable. I will figure out what the problem is and fix it.
When I get to the office, I decide to take the stairs down to my office. I’ve been eating too much of Val’s good cooking. Damn, that girl can cook.
“Morning, Chase. It’s too early to be smiling like that.”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about Val’s cooking. I better start taking the stairs more often.”
Charlie just nods.
“Have you seen the latest shipment we got in for protection gear?”
“No, why do you ask?”
“I’m not sure. The bulletproof vests just don’t seem the same quality as what we’ve been getting.”
“Really? Let me take a look. Maybe the vendor made a mistake on their end. We have a contract with them, so they can’t really change the stock we’ve already agreed on.”
I follow Charlie over to a box that’s been opened. He hands me one of the vests.
I hold the new vest in one hand and then grab an older vest off a hanger.
“The new one seems lighter. This is Carter’s forte. He did say they’ve been making some breakthroughs in lighter body armor that still have the same ballistic stats as heavier vests.”
I take both vests with me as I enter my office. “Let me put a call into the vendor and see if I can find out what’s going on with these new vests.”
An hour later, I’m frustrated at the run around I’ve been getting. I give my brother Carter a call.
“Yeah, that’s our only course of action right now. I’m not distributing these to the guards until I get some answers. I’ll have Charlie put them in his office until we hear back from the vendor. Thanks, Carter. Listen, let us know when you’re planning on coming home. Okay?... Alright, Bye.”
I need to let Carson know about this. It’s probably just a misunderstanding or mistake, but still, he’s the boss.
When I enter Carson’s outer office, I see his admin. “Hi, Suzanne. Is Carson available?”
