Page 67 of Master of My Heart

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sabrina hurried down the stairs and back to the party. As intimidating as crowds were, she somehow felt safer down here than up on the roof with Aiden and that other man. She realized she left her drink up there and started walking toward the bar to get another one when some pictures on the wall caught her attention.

A portrait of a handsome man in an army uniform hung below a tri-folded American flag in a display case. The man looked somewhat familiar, so she quickly glanced at the other framed photographs around it. It was of a family with four boys. Each photo showed the boys growing older. She walked along the wall, following the progress of the growth.

The oldest boy...

When the oldest boy looked to be about thirteen, the father, who had smiled proudly in each picture, was no longer there. The smiles in the rest of the family were bright in the following pictures, but somehow, their eyes showed a keen sense of loss. She glanced back at the single photo of the army man, then looked back at the family pictures.

Her heart dropped when she finally recognized the oldest boy.

Chase.

Why were there photos of Chase on the wall? Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked around the room, expecting him to appear out of nowhere.

“Sabrina, right?”

She jumped and turned to see Richard standing behind her. She swallowed hard and backed into the wall as his intense gaze swept over her.

“Do I make you nervous?” he asked with a smile.

“A little,” she admitted slowly.

“Why?”

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Would he be upset at the truth? “You remind me of someone.”

“Who?”

She hesitated. “Someone who isn’t very nice.”

“Ah,” he said slowly, studying her face. “I’m sorry to hear that. But I promise, I’m a pretty nice guy.”

She nodded, staying silent.

He leaned against the wall. “You said you’re from Arizona?”

“Yes,” she answered, taking a step to the side.

“What made you come out here?”

Sabrina looked around. “My instructor said that the company was holding auditions and I was... looking for a change.”

“Ah.”

Sabrina twisted her fingers around each other.

“Do you like it out here?”

She glanced at the stairway that led to the roof. “I’ve met some nice people. I’m glad to be here and not back home.”

“Why?”

She bit her lip, realizing she’d said too much. “Just needed a change.”

“You said that already.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a nasty smile. He actually seemed quite nice.

She shrugged, not knowing what else to say without saying too much.

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