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“Despite what I said yesterday, Chase, I was having second thoughts,” she said, tears in her eyes Instinctively, Chase gave her back the diary then went over to the tissue box and handed her some tissues to dab her eyes She took soh the teardrops iped away, nothing could wipe away the shame and pain she felt

Abbi really screwed up this whole thing She messed up the relationship with the one man she truly loved and the one ood to her these past feeeks How could she have doubted his feelings for her? So he lied about who he was But so did she, didn’t she?

“What do you hts?” he asked

“I want you, Chase I always have I was hurt and pissed off yesterday because I really thought you were the real deal Just a regular guy with a decent regular job Not a rich snob or power-hungry egotisticala double life, like my father had, or my ex”

“Yeah, I guess it didn’t help much when you found out I wasn’t a worker, but the boss”

She grinned “I just don’t have any luck around rich, egotistical types”

“You think all guys with otistical maniacs?”

“No Just soot up from the bed and went to her suitcase to pack “I’ll be out of your way”

Chase grinned

“What’s so funny?” she said

“You and me”

“I thought you were angry with ht of me”

“I could never be angry with you, Abbi Not for long, anyway,” he said, running his fingers over his sexy stubble God, she loved a man with a shadow on his handso than ever, even when he wasn’t in a good htly

“So what’s funny then?”

“The fact that both of us lied about ere”

She had to admit it was funny in an ironic way Abbi chuckled despite herself “I guess you have a point, Chad I ht aboutyou another chance She told ood man”

“What else did she tell you?” he asked, curiously

“Well, nothing I feel sorry for her She said that she’d met this really nice sailor but her parents never liked hi of all these excuses not to be with hiot lad she told me her story to re,” she said

Chase couldn’t believe his ears The look on his face said it all

“What?” Abbi asked

“Nothing Between you and randkids, all back south”

Abbi’s jaw fell open “Is anyone honest around here about who they are?”

Chase tilted his head back and laughed “Yes, darling Mrs Martin is harreat storyteller but she’s also a proverbist She tells stories or fables that will help people For instance, Mrs K never believed in getting her travel vaccines and Mrs Martin spun a convenient story of horror about what happened to her when she went to a certain country on holiday Of course, that never really happened” Chase grinned

Abbi smiled warmly “Well, I think it’s sweet that she…um…tells stories to help people I never would have had the courage to go for what I wanted with you if I hadn’t kept thinking of her wonderfully sad story aboutout on true love and a life of happiness”

Chase grinned, then his expression turned a bitwhat he had to take care of next

He drew in a deep breath and pulled out his cell phone “I’et Eduardo I think Brandon’s got soet hies and as for Jake Jackson”

“Why does this Jake Jackson want to destroy your family’s business?”

“It’s a long story A faoes way back, back a few generations to be exact”

“Really? That sounds crazy, almost unreal”

“Oh, trust ht It’s too damn crazy”

“How did it get started?”