Without Chase Read Online Free PDF Page A

young woman dressed in black, carrying a clipboard and wearing a headset. “Chase Reston, basketball player, formerly with the Orange County Waves,” before she could finish, the Headset girl was already speaking into her mouthpiece, telegraphing the information up ahead. Chase watched as the next Headset girl up the chain moved a celebrity along, then announced the name of the next one to the awaiting photographers.
    Helene fussed with her shawl. “Ahh, crap, Jennifer Burke is in front of us,” she said. “Her movie was number one in the box office this weekend, we have a long wait ahead of us.” Apparently a long wait was two minutes, because it didn’t take long before Chase found himself facing the bank of photographers, Helene discreetly off to the side, making sure the various people holding clipboards were getting his name right.
    Somewhere in the crowd a female screamed, and a voice yelled out, “Chase I love you!” After hearing that, he allowed himself to relax. Someone here knew who he was. He waved and smiled sincerely in their direction, eliciting more screams.
    Inside the museum, decorated to look like an ancient Egyptian temple, the scene was of controlled, but frenetic activity. Chase felt out of place. The people were much older than even his mother and looked none too pleased at having his hulking frame standing next to them. He looked with interest at the few young women standing there until he realized they were the bored trophy wives and not the daughters of these men, as he had first thought. Helene gently led him up the stairs. “Those are the fuddy-duddies,” she explained, “The board members and the Old Guard. All the money goes to them and their causes but they act as if they’re doing us a favor by letting us be here. Let’s go upstairs and meet some fun people.”
    Helene was right. On the upper floors were the celebrities he had expected. There were several sports figures there, but they were superstars, and at a much higher level than he was. In their eyes, he wouldn’t be their equal; he would be a fan. And Chase had too much pride to subject himself to that. When Helene gestured towards them, he shook his head slightly, and they moved on.
    Which didn’t mean he wasn’t recognized. Chase began to feel relaxed as more and more people; women, mostly, began talking to him. He was amazed to discover that he didn’t even have to move; that they came to him. He was used to this, in a way, but from strangers---not from people who had TV shows or movies he recognized. He was soon deep in conversation with a reality show actress; ironically, the one Matty thought he should go out with. Larissa’s entire face looked as if it had been painted on. On TV she just looked like someone who wore too much makeup, but up close it almost looked like a mask. Still, she wasn’t as aggressive or fake as the other girls, and seemed more like someone from his high school. Chase thought it wouldn’t be so bad to hang out with Larissa for the rest of the event.
    This compatibility wasn’t missed on Helene. She disappeared for a few minutes and returned with Amy Weatherby in tow. “Excuse us for a minute,” she said and not-so-subtly elbowed Larissa out of the way. Chase smiled apologetically. “Hey, nice talking to you,” he told Larissa before turning his attention to Amy.
    “Chase, have you met one of my clients, Amy?”
    Chase turned and looked into the gray cool eyes of the object of his 9th grade infatuation. She was prettier in person, but the fine lines around her eyes reminded him that she wasn’t the high school cheerleader he remembered.
    She smiled at him confidently, a smile which said that she had always had her looks, and now she was famous and rich to boot. Her cocky expression said that a disgraced athlete, no matter how young and virile, was not someone who would be able to resist her. “Hello. Chase. Nice to meet you.” Amy’s voice was still light and girlish.
    “Hey.”