Page 57 of Tangled Up In You

"Yes, but she moved to New York last year, so we haven't seen each other recently. When I told her I was coming to Whisper Lake, she was not thrilled. She doesn't believe in do-overs. Once she's been somewhere, she doesn't go back."

"Well, that's her and not you."

"Sometimes I'm not sure how different we are. Part of me has always longed for roots, but then a part of me thinks that might be too boring, like maybe I'm made to wander, to always be trying something new."

"It's funny how it takes so long to really understand ourselves," Chelsea said. "I've had to do a lot of soul searching in the past five years. I made some decisions that I thought would be safer choices, but they didn't make me happy. I had to really look at myself, at who I am, what I want. Brodie was a big part of that self-discovery. I'd gotten caught up in my image, what everyone else in the public thought about me. I was trying to live up to impossible expectations. Finally, I realized it didn't matter what anyone else thought or what they wanted for me. I have to be who I am, flaws and all."

"That sounds like an interesting story."

"Someday, I'll give you all the dirty details. Or you'll probably hear them from someone else—maybe Adam," she added, giving her a speculative look. "He seems to be spending time with you."

"He's looking into the break-ins at my store."

"Is that all he's doing?"

She hesitated. "We're…friends."

A gleam entered Chelsea's eyes. "I saw the way Adam was looking at you the other night. He didn't have friendship on his mind. He was interested in you."

"Maybe reluctantly. But I'm not his type, and he has been very direct about not wanting a relationship."

"Because he's so damned stubborn," Chelsea said with annoyance. "Adam lost someone close to him a long time ago, and ever since then, he's been gun-shy."

"Maybe he never got over her."

"I don't even know if it's that. But he changed so much after Gina died. He became a different person."

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"He lost his fun side. He was always the most serious, the most determined, the most do-the-right-thing kid in the family. He took his job as a role model to heart. But he could also be funny. When we were young, Adam liked to party and tell jokes and dance. He was open to new ideas. After Gina died, he just shut down. Then he became a control freak. He would grill me and Lizzie more about our dates than our dad would. He was hard on my brothers, too. He treated us like we didn't have brains in our heads. It was coming from a place of love, but it was irritating. Sometimes, I think he became a cop just so he could make people do the right thing."

Chelsea's comments answered some of the questions she'd had about Adam. Unfortunately, her words only reinforced the idea that the fun Adam probably wasn't going to reappear. She'd seen bits and pieces of that guy, but there was always a point where he shut down, where he regained control. "What was Gina like?" she asked.

"Always smiling. She was happy, friendly, and fun-loving. She took nothing seriously. She loved going out to clubs. That's where she died. She was caught in a crossfire."

She nodded. "Adam told me."

Chelsea's brow shot up. "He told you about Gina?"

"Yes."

"Wow! He does like you. He doesn't talk about Gina to anyone."

"Don’t get carried away," she warned. "I gave Drew a job. I didn't know his relationship to Adam until after he started, and then Adam told me about Gina and why he feels responsible for Drew."

"That's interesting. How is Drew working out?"

"It's going really well. He's a whiz on the computer. He set up my entire store inventory and sales system and is building a website now."

"That's great. I wonder if Adam is doing as well as Drew," Chelsea said, a concerned frown on her face. "I worry about Adam having Drew here. I feel like it's going to drag him back to the past. I don’t want him to have to relive that terrible time in his life. But he thinks he owes this kid something, and when Adam sets his mind, there's no changing it."

"He does seem like a stubborn person."

"That's for sure. But he's also a really good man. He has fierce loyalty and love for his friends…for the entire community, really. Just in case you're at all interested," Chelsea added with a sly look.

She didn't really know what to say to that. Of course she was interested. She'd never been so physically and emotionally attracted to a man, but she didn't know where her life was going to go. She and Adam would probably drive each other crazy, and not always in a good way. It was better if they just kept things platonic.

Fortunately, her conversation with Chelsea was interrupted.

---