Dump and Chase (Nashville Assassins Next Generation 1)

“Awesome. Since you’re both here, I got the part.”

They both light up, which allows me to breathe. “Not Roxie, but Velma.”

“Oh, you’re gonna be a great Velma,” Mom gushes, and I nod.

“It’s the part I wanted.”

“No clue who these people are, but if you’re happy, I am,” Dad says as we both sit down.

“I am. Really happy.”

I cross my legs as Dad glances at Mom. She’s looking down at something, but when she looks up, it’s as if she knocks the air out of my body with those piercing green eyes. I swallow hard as she holds up a paper, though I can’t see it. “Shelli, are you aware how the plane works?”

I blink, confused. “Um, it flies in the air?”

Dad scoffs as Mom glares. “Yes, smartass, but I mean behind the scenes.”

I furrow my brows. “Wait. I paid for gas, and it was clean. I didn’t even eat or anything on the plane. That spot in the carpet is from Quinn! He—”

“Shelli,” she says, stopping me, and I snap my mouth shut. “I know about all that. I mean with the manifest.”

Manifest.

Shit.

“We got the manifest emailed to us yesterday after you landed in New York and again this morning when you landed here,” Dad says, and I can’t look at him. “Shelli Adler is on there, along with the pilot and crew, but also Aiden Brooks.”

My heart jumps into my throat as I look up at my mom, who is watching me intently. Her face is set in stone, and my mind is going crazy. Do I lie? Do I make something up? Well, one thing is for sure, the cat is out of the bag.

“Um, yeah?”

She narrows her eyes, and still, I don’t look at my dad. “So, Aiden went with you to New York?”

I swallow hard. “Yes, he did.”

“He missed practice for charity business. I mean, I appreciate his dedication to the foundation, but I’m unsure what y’all could have been doing foundation-wise.”

Absolutely nothing.

I take a deep breath. “We didn’t do foundation stuff.”

I feel Dad’s gaze on me. “Then why did he go?”

I lick my lips as I look down at my phone. If I opened it, there would be a picture of Aiden and me at dinner in New York. He’s looking at me with this goofy expression on his face, and I’m laughing. It wasn’t supposed to be the picture we had taken, but the girl who took it took so many that I lucked out and got that shot. It’s my favorite. He’s my favorite. I turn my gaze to my father and exhale just as harshly as I inhaled. “He went because he wanted to see me audition, and he wanted to take me to dinner at his favorite place in New York.”

Dad’s face is stony. “Why would he do that?”

I bite my lip as I pray for my dad’s angina. “Because we’ve been seeing each other since I left New York.”

Yup, he’s speechless. I look back to my mom, and she doesn’t look surprised or speechless.

“At first, we didn’t want to tell anyone because we wanted to make sure we were good. We know now, but he’s worried Dad will kill him and you’ll trade him, so he wanted to bring the Cup home to smooth that over.”

“I would like a Cup, but I also don’t like being lied to,” Mom says, and I nod.

“I don’t think we lied, just kind of kept it from you,” I say, trying to go the least-guilty route.

“This is unlike you. You usually tell me everything.”

I nod, and though I notice my dad hasn’t said a word, he seems to be breathing, so that should mean he’s okay. Ish. “I know, but with Aiden, it’s different. You know I’ve liked him for a long time—”

“You have?” Dad asks, and I nod.

“Yeah, like, since I was a kid.”

“Why? He’s goofy as shit.”

Mom laughs as I shake my head. “Because he’s driven, gorgeous, and so smart. I love how he makes me laugh. How his smile hits me in the gut. He’s really sweet—”

“Shelli, I love the guy. Don’t get me wrong. But he has a reputation. It’s not a good one either, even if it appears he’s changed—”

Mom cuts him off. “You’re right, Shea, but he also has worked hard to clear his name. He is a good kid, always has been, and got himself in a shit situation. If I remember correctly, you did the same.”

He has? Dad gives her a dark look. “That’s unfair. I was young, and that girl was trying to trap me.”

“You just said the same thing Aiden said to me,” Mom says, but Dad’s comment steals my attention.

I look over at my dad. “What happened?”

“Girl tried to claim she was pregnant when I was on my way to the NHL. Real spotty. Aunt Grace beat her up.”