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Shelby sat at the table, disheartened that the hope she’d seen in his eyes at the ranch when she arrived had dipped back into the sadness he couldn’t seem to keep at bay.
He needed something to help him put what happened with Juliana in perspective and find a way to move forward and out of the darkness that came over him.
Maybe not something. But someone.
She eyed the cell phone he’d left on the table. She didn’t want to go behind his back, but something had to be done to help him.
She picked up his phone and quietly walked out of the house and onto the porch. She slid her finger across the screen, tapped on his contacts, found the number she needed, and made the call before she thought better of interfering.
Chase might see the call later, but if she called from her phone, more than likely his friend wouldn’t pick up, and she didn’t have enough time to leave a message and wait for him to call her back.
“Hey, Chase, I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you, but things have been difficult here.”
“Um, I’m really sorry to hear that.” Shelby meant it. “But that’s why I’m calling. Chase needs your help.”
“Who is this?” Drake asked.
“Sorry. My name is Shelby. I’m...” She didn’t know how to end that sentence and went with how she felt and what she and Chase had said they wanted to be to each other. “I’m Chase’s girlfriend.” She didn’t exactly know how Chase would feel about her saying that, but she hoped it would make him happy to know she’d embraced this next step in their relationship and that it showed him she really wanted to move forward. With him.
“Hey. Yeah. He told me about you. You’re Eliza’s mom.”
“Yes. I’m so sorry to call you out of the blue like this, but Chase... He’s really having a hard time. He feels responsible for Juliana’s death and that he should have done more to save her. I know you’re grieving her loss, too, but I was hoping that maybe you could talk to him.”
Drake let out a heavy sigh. “Juliana’s death hit us all hard. We got the bastard who killed her.”
“Chase will be very happy to hear that, but I think it would go a long way if he heard it from you. He’s having nightmares about her death. His flashbacks of the war have come back. I don’t want to speak for him, but I think he feels like all the hard work he’s done means nothing when he lost another life. Does that make sense?”
“Yes.” Drake sighed again. “It makes a lot of sense. I should have called him before now. I know Adria wants to thank him for trying to save her sister.”
“I understand. It’s been hard on everyone. All I want is for Chase to finally have the life he wants, but I’m worried.”
“I hear you. I’ve been where Chase is at, wallowingin the past and taking all the blame for everything that went to shit.”
“He could definitely use a friend who understands. I’m trying, but I know I’m not enough.”
“If you’re reaching out to him, to others for him, then you’re doing everything you can. Hang on a sec.”
Shelby heard a muffled conversation between Drake and someone in the background. She glanced through the front window, hoping Chase was still occupied with Eliza.
“Shelby.”
“Yeah?”
“Adria and I talked. She and I agree that the best thing for Chase is for us to come and see him. I work with another friend and fellow soldier who I think can provide some additional help, too. We can be there tomorrow afternoon.”
She hoped Drake could talk to Chase and ease his mind, but seeing him and Adria in person might help even more. “I think he’d love to see you. Thank you. I appreciate anything you can do for him.”
“Is he there? I’d like to check in with him, but we’ll keep the visit a surprise. I don’t want him getting anxious and overthinking why we’re coming to see him.”
She hadn’t really considered that and appreciated that Drake understood Chase in a way she didn’t. It made her feel better about calling Drake without telling Chase first. “He’s inside. He doesn’t know I called you.”
“No worries. Hang up with me. I’ll call his cell right back, and you can give him the phone.”
“Perfect. And thank you, Drake. I really didn’t know what to do. I hoped you and Adria could help, but I wasn’t sure...”
“Chase and I have been to hell and back. If he’s down, I’m here to pull him back up. I want him to know that. I want him to count on it.”
“That’s exactly how I feel. I just want to help him.”
