Page 9 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

A knot tightened in my stomach. I knew Chase had every right to move on, but with Trinity? My teeth clenched so hard my jaw hurt. He knew how she’d treated me in high school—or anyone she deemed beneath her. She was a bully.

His look was dismissive. “Can’t say I remember,” he said flatly.

The knot loosened.

Trinity’s smile faltered for a split second. Then she recovered. “Well, sure. We were both?—”

“Sorry. Don’t recall.” He turned his back to her and faced me. “Ready?” He extended his arm with a wink.

Wordlessly, I slipped my hand through his arm, brushing against the muscles that flexed beneath my fingers. Strong. Steady.

We turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving Trinity and Sophie in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at us with their mouths hanging open.

“Thank you.” Once again, I owed Chase for a rescue.

“No problem. While the rest of us have grown up, Trinity is still the pouty, mean girl she’s always been.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Trinity and the other girl had disappeared. With a twinge of regret, I withdrew my hand from Chase’s arm and slowed to a stop. “I actually need to go the other way. I’m staying at The Dogtrot for one more night.”

His mouth tightened slightly. “And then where do you go?”

“That’s why I’m headed back. To make some phone calls and figure it out.”

He exhaled loudly, shaking his head. “Anna, you can’t just pretend nothing is wrong.”

I wanted to throw my arms in the air and shout, I don’t have a choice. But I smiled softly instead. “I’ll find my way, Chase. It’s not your problem to figure out.”

“Can’t you work here? In Sterling Mill?”

I shook my head. “No one is hiring. Not me, anyway.”

That made him go still. “You mean because of your ex?”

Ex. Not husband . That’s how I needed to think of him.

Not because I missed Mason, but to keep myself separate from what he’d turned me into.

“I guess old feelings are still fresh. He wasn’t kind to people.

He acted like he was better than them. They think I’m part of that.

That I didn’t do enough to stand up to him, so I must be like him. ”

“But you’re not.”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. People tend to remember the worst of others. Mason and I…we were a package deal, I guess. ”

“Tell me who wouldn’t hire you because of him,” he said, his voice tight.

I laid my hand on his arm. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t.” His brows pulled together. “You’ve been dragged through enough. I can make sure not to do business with anyone who treats you like you did something wrong.”

“I’m afraid you wouldn’t have a lot of places to shop,” I quipped dryly.

He muttered a curse under his breath. After a beat, he looked at me. “Work for me.”

I blinked several times, certain I must have misheard him. “What?”

“It’s perfect. I need to replace Marta, and I can’t find anyone. Someone to help as we take on our summer temp employees. It comes with a cabin. It’s small, but you can make it your own.”

“Chase, I can’t accept that.”

“Why not? It’s not charity, Anna. It’s an opportunity for both of us. I need help, and you need a place to live. And you’re already familiar with the farm and how it runs. It’s perfect.”

I was weakening. “But I have Jack?—”

“Who you know already loves it at the farm. His long legs need the space.”

I swallowed hard, torn. It was perfect in theory. But it was Chase . We had a past. A history I wasn’t sure we’d fully moved on from. At least, not me. And after what Bristol said, was this a good idea?

“People will talk, Chase,” I answered quietly. “They already resent me. And that will transfer to you, especially with our…history. Bristol already warned me to stay away from you. ”

His expression darkened. “She what ?”

I held up a hand as if I could prevent the storm I saw building in his eyes. “She just meant she doesn’t want me to hurt you again. And believe me, that’s the last thing I want to do, but it’s exactly what might happen if you hire me. My presence might hurt your reputation.”

“That’s not going to happen.” His voice was firm. “And I’ll be sure to let Bristol know she can mind her own damn business. She knows better than most what it’s like to come back home where people have stubborn memories.”

“It’s different for her.”

“It’s not. But this isn’t about Bristol. This is about you. You need a job. I have one. End of discussion.”

“No, it’s not . This is my life. I get the final word, not you,” I snapped.

He smirked.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, feeling irritated.

“Nothing. It’s just the first time I’ve seen a glimpse of the girl I used to know. The one who didn’t back down from an argument.”

His amusement hit me hard.

The girl he used to know .

But that girl had learned what happened when she pushed back too hard. Memories surfaced of Mason’s cold, cutting words, chipping away at my confidence. The way I learned to yield rather than to fight.

Intuitively, I retreated. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my pulse pounding. “You offered something nice, and I took my frustration out on you.”

Now it was his turn to tense. I could almost see the thought forming in his head, an unspoken question, wondering what happened that made me back down so quickly .

Instead of pressing, his voice softened. “I wasn’t complaining, Blossom.”

The use of his old nickname caught me off guard. I hadn’t heard it in years. He called me that because I loved plants, especially the herbs I used to make soaps and lotions. I hadn’t done that in years, either.

I didn’t know how to respond. Instead, I focused on Chase as he leaned in slightly. “Come on, Anna. At least take it on a trial basis. Nothing is stopping you from making other plans. If either of us feels uncomfortable, we agree to part, no hard feelings.”

My mind whirled in thought. It was logical. Practical. At the very least, I wouldn’t be homeless and could stop hemorrhaging money at a hotel. It would give me the peace of mind to figure out my life.

“Okay,” I breathed. “I’ll give it a try.”

His lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Good. Problem solved for both of us.”

Right. I just hoped it didn’t create new ones.