The Replacement Girlfriend

Chapter 29

And that was when Pete grabbed one of the condiments on the center of the table and whacked him on the back of the head with it. “Who’s asking who questions here?!” He had screamed before his face grew gentler and his eyebrows creased together in deep thought. “It all depends I guess. I mean, it’s a little different for everybody I suppose. I guess love is when you skip out on a night of Football at the pub with your boys for a night in with your girl to watch a chick flick. Or when you shave that sexy beard you’ve been growing out for ages that it feels like you’re practically cutting off your own foot just because it makes her itchy when you guys kiss.”

“It’s when you’ve been working from six in the morning till six at night and though you’ve been busy filming all day and haven’t had a single thing to eat, the first thing you want to do when you get off work is go see her. I don’t know Chase. I guess love is when you finally clear out that stash of porno in your room because suddenly, seeing a picture of her face is so much more fulfilling.” He turned to him then. “So? Do you feel that way for LaCienega? For Krislynn? For anyone?”

Chase had looked back at him blankly. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m too drunk to think.”

Pete’s eyes widened and his chest puffed forward as he let out a furious scream. “So you made me say all that stupid shit for nothing?!”

“I guess I did,” Chase had replied indifferently. “Never knew you were such a romantic at heart.” He took another quick swig of whiskey before adding, “Anyways, new topic. This love shit is such pussy talk—makes for a bad aftertaste.”

Grumbling quietly to himself, Pete had swiped the bottle out of Chase’s hand. “I wasn’t asking all that shit to piss you off man,” he defended. “I was just wondering how much you liked LaCienega. If you like her that bad and want her that bad; I’ve got an idea you know.”   

“You think I can’t get a girl by myself. It’s not that–”

“One that,” Pete added, “won’t harm Jace at all.”

As soon as the idea had been proposed, Chase had been bitten with temptation. He didn’t doubt his years of womanizing to fail on LaCienega no matter how much she seemed to restrain from his advances, but he had never truly gone after her in the fear of ruining his friendship with Jace. Even beyond their own relationship, Jace’s mother was his mother’s best friend. Their families were closely intertwined and Chase couldn’t even imagine how much shit he’d be in if he did steal LaCienega.

But if it didn’t hurt Jace and he was fine with it... that was another story altogether.

Chase remembered being suspicious of Pete even in that half drunken state at the park. “What kind of idea?” He had asked cautiously. “A good idea or a bad one?”

Pete had replied to his wariness with a laugh. “When do I ever come up with good ideas?” He had snickered. “Of course it’s a bad one. But you’ll get the girl. And Jace will be happy. That makes it okay, doesn’t it?”

“I’m listening.”

“Well, first off, the reason you can’t steal LaCienega away is because if she leaves Jace, he’ll get hurt right? But what if Jace leaves LaCienega? Then it’s a free man’s game, isn’t it? He can’t get mad at you for picking up what he doesn’t want and especially if he’s got a new girl.”