True Colors (The Masks #1)(9)

I grunted.

“Chase was pretty disappointed you had to leave early. He was really looking forward to...you know.”

I wanted to mumble something about him not even trying to see me home, so “you know” probably wouldn’t be happening for a while now anyway. But I couldn’t be bothered.

“You guys can talk about it later today. I’ll tell him to call and take you out for ice cream or something.”

The word NO was on the tip of my tongue, but Stella patted my shoulder before I could talk. “Get some rest, okay?”

I was rising to my elbows in protest, but she was out the door before the pillow had even fallen off my head. I snatched it back and plonked my head down with a sigh.

“Ow.”

*****

Chase called at two. By then I’d managed to get some more sleep, eat a little fruit salad and yogurt, and get some more pain killers into me. My head was slowly starting to clear and my eyes only hurt a little. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk to him. I was still kind of miffed that he hadn’t even bothered to check on me. My thumb hovered over the screen, but then I sighed and unlocked it.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Chase’s voice was soft, quelling my annoyance. “How you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Is it okay if I pick you up soon? I thought we could go for a drive, have a chat.”

How could I say no? His voice was so soft and sweet and I suddenly wanted to see him.

I smiled. “Sure.”

“See you in an hour, okay?”

“Okay.”

Throwing back the covers, I shuffled out of bed and headed for the shower. I was more than grateful to find Mom’s note downstairs saying she was out for the day with my eldest sister, Layla, and the grandkids. My mom was such a sucker for kids and Layla knew it. She was always calling on Mom to help her out. They were often here on the weekends, overtaking the house. Thankfully they were never allowed in my room. That was my Dad’s ruling and I loved him for it.

The shower revived me, my new handmade Bella Fresca soap making me feel crispy clean. The scent was called Surf & Sand, no wonder it made me feel so fresh. I let my hair dry naturally, something that would take ages to do and probably give me a little frizz, but I didn’t care. It felt so nice wet and cool against my back that I walked around in nothing but my jeans and bra until I heard Chase honk the horn.

I pulled on my shirt and buttoned it as I descended the stairs. Grabbing my phone and a little cash, I shoved them in my back pocket, yanked on my flat slip-on shoes and scurried out to the car.

“Hey you.” Chase greeted me with a kiss.

I closed the passenger door behind me and blushed. “Hey.”

Putting the car in gear, he pulled away from the curb and headed for the beach. “So, you feeling better?”

I glanced at him to answer and my breath hitched. He looked different this morning. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but there was something weird. His cool charm had vanished and now he looked plain pissed.

My stomach clenched. Adjusting the ring on my finger, I looked at my lap. “Sorry about bailing last night."

"No big deal." He shrugged, looking casual enough. Maybe I had just imagined the dark look I saw. I stayed quiet for a minute, studying him out of the corner of my eye. The longer I looked at him, the more the calm facade slipped away and I could see his anger. The smooth lines of his face were hard and unrelenting as he scowled ahead.

“Why are you so mad?"

"I'm not." Stopping at the intersection, he glanced at me and smiled, but it wasn’t a kind smile at all, it was rigid and forced. I didn’t get it. His voice was so calm and casual, like he actually meant what he was saying, but I could see it all over his face. He was not impressed with me, at all.

I blinked slowly and looked at him again. The anger was gone and I could see the sweet smile he was giving me. The light turned green. As Chase accelerated through it, I kept watching him, waiting for the angry change up. This was freaking me out. Why nice one minute and pissed the next?

He didn’t say anything, which wasn’t helping. I wanted to hear his calm voice and assure myself that all his dirty looks were a figment of my warped imagination.

I bit the corner of my lip and stayed quiet for the rest of the trip. We were soon pulling up to one of our favorite beach lookouts. Chase parked.

“Come on,” he grinned. “Let’s go for a walk.”

I took the picnic rug he handed me and tucked it under my arm. That black look was back in his eyes again. I almost didn’t want to let him take my hand, but he grabbed it before I could pull away.

This was mega awkward, there was no way I could enjoy our afternoon together if we didn’t clear the air now.

I swallowed as we made our way over the grass verge. “I really am sorry about last night. I wouldn’t have bailed if I hadn’t felt so bad.”

“I said it was fine.” There was that shrug again and the smile slipped into a frown. I blinked and looked at him. The frown was gone and he was smiling sweetly at me. I grinned back, but then his sweet smile disappeared and became that hard-edged grimace I saw before.

What the hell was going on?

I jerked to a stop.

“Chase, you look really pissed off...like you don't believe I was sick or something."