What Matters Most

Chapter 32

Just as Jackson is about to leave they hear a knock at the door. With his hand already on the doorknob, Jackson opens the door.

With a confused look on his face, Chase looks around to make sure he is at the right apartment. He's about a second away from asking who the hell this guy is, and why he is in Leigh's apartment when Leigh walks around Jackson and into the doorway.

"Oh hey Chase, I'm ready to go if you are," she says.

Chase looks from Leigh to Jackson, and holds out his hand to Jackson, saying "Chase Camden, and you are?"

"Jackson Cole," he replies shaking Chase's hand.

"Jackson was just leaving Chase, he knows we have dinner plans," Leigh says.

"Yes, but I look forward to seeing you tomorrow for lunch Leigh," Jackson says.

"Sorry, but your name sounds familiar Chase have we met before?" he asks.

"No we haven't, but I hear that we are going to be working together starting Monday," Chase replies.

"Oh yeah. That's where I have seen your name, your one of the co-stars of the film I am here to work on."

"Yeah, welcome to Atlanta. Everyone on the crew and at the studio is really great. I think you will really like it here," he says.

"Sounds great, I think your right. I think I will really like it here," Jackson says turning to look at Leigh.

"Well we need to get going so that we aren't late," Chase says.

He can't take much more of this guy flirting with Leigh right in front of him. Once Jackson is gone Chase turns to look at Leigh, and gives her a look of what the hell just happened here.

"Don't start," Leigh says. "He just showed up here. I opened the door thinking it was you," she says.

"Obviously not," Chase says sarcastically. "Why was he here Leigh?" he asks.

"He said my mom gave him my address. She asked him to come by and check on me when he got here."

"Damn this guy is smooth," Chase says.

"Look I believe what he says, but yeah he used my mom wanting to check up on me as an excuse to come by and see me."

"Don't forget the fact that he has also secured a date with you tomorrow as well," Chase says angrily.

"It's not a date. Honestly, I only agreed to go thinking it would get him to leave before you got here," she says.

"So you were scared of what I might do to him if I found him here?" Chase asks.

"No, I just wanted you two to be able to meet at work and have a good work relationship, instead of here in my apartment with all of this awkwardness."

"I see what you're saying and thanks for thinking of me," Chase says. "However, I am not going to give up spending time with my new best friend just because my new boss is still in love with her," he says smiling at her.

"Can we just start this night over?"  Leigh asks.

"Sounds great, be right back," Chase says walking out and shutting the door.

Leigh looks at the closed door wondering what just happened. "What the hell, why did he leave?"

Then she hears a knock on the door. She opens the door and sees Chase leaning against the door frame grinning at her. "Well hello there gorgeous, you look fantastic as always," Chase says.

"Well you are looking very handsome tonight yourself," Leigh says smiling.

Grabbing her purse and phone they head out the door. "Wait," Leigh says stopping Chase in the hall.

"What did you forget something," Chase asks.

"No, but I want to take a picture of us again all dressed up."

"We do look good don't we," Chase says smirking.

They take the photo, and Chase grabs Leigh's phone on the way downstairs.

"Give me back my phone Chase", Leigh says.

"Hold on I want to send a copy of that picture to my phone," Chase says as he is pushing buttons on Leigh's phone.

Just as they are walking out the front door of the building Chase stops dead in his tracks, and mutters "Sweet Jesus!"

Leigh runs into Chase from behind, and says "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She comes around in front of him and sees him holding her phone, and staring at it. That is when she realizes that he has just seen the picture of her in her underwear that she took for Christopher earlier today.

"Oh my god give me my phone. You weren't supposed to see that," Leigh says embarrassed.

"Well, I definitely can't unsee that!" Chase says. "Please tell me that you have some more of those in there that I can see," Chase says trying to grab her phone.

"No I don't, and I am deleting this one right now," Leigh says.

"What, why," Chase groans.

"I took that earlier and sent it to Christopher," she says. "He has been sending me pictures all day from his photo shoots, and let's just say some of the shots were pretty hot. I just wanted to send him one of me even though he is around all of those beautiful models," Leigh says.

Chase just stares at Leigh thinking how gorgeous she is, and she doesn't even know it. She feels like she has to send sexy pictures to Christopher to keep him interested in her.

Pulling her close to him he whispers in her ear "Leigh you are a gorgeous, sexy, and intelligent woman. My brother is a lucky man. Except for tonight, I get to be the lucky one because you are with me and not him. We need to get into the car right now though," he says urgently.

Leigh looks at Chase worried what he means by that comment. He sees the look on her face and decides to explain.

"Leigh after seeing that picture of you I happen to know now exactly what you have on underneath that dress. So we need to leave now."

"If not I will be carrying you back upstairs to your apartment, and I will not care about any promises I made to my brother as I am ripping that sexy dress off of you," Chase says with hooded eyes.

Leigh lets out a breath that she did not realize that she had been holding. "Okay," she says.

Hope moves across Chase's face as he wonders if she is saying ok to being with him. Then she walks over to his car, grabs the door handle, and gets in.

Chase takes a deep breath and walks around the back of the car trying to calm himself down before he gets into the car.

They drive in silence to his parent's house. Chase wonders how he is going to be able to be around Leigh without falling for her.

The problem is that he knows it's too late. He's already fallen for her, and he can't have her. She is his brother's girl, and now he has to deal with Jackson trying to get her back too.

This is just one big mess. He needs to get back to New York as soon as possible so that he can try to forget her, and move on.

However, leaving would mean he would not get to see her and spend time with her every day. Unlike Christopher, Chase doesn't think he could ever do that.

Thanks so much for reading my book! Please make sure to vote, and post comments to let me know what you think!
Keep going to the next chapter!