Chasing Happiness by Raine English

Author:Raine English [English, Raine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary romance
Amazon: B011QHY6XM
Goodreads: 26078821
Publisher: Elusive Dreams Press
Published: 2015-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Ariana took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Talking about what happened in New York terrified her. The last thing she wanted was to relive that time in her life. But when she glanced at her friends’ faces, she knew her secrets would be safe with them.

“Why don’t we sit somewhere more comfortable?” She picked up her teacup and headed into the living room, with Zoe and Katie following her. Ariana set her cup on the coffee table, then sat in a wing back chair and tucked her legs up under her. Zoe and Katie sat on the sofa.

Ariana’s throat suddenly felt dry. She took a sip of tea, then opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Zoe smiled and said reassuringly, “It’s okay to be nervous.”

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“At the beginning,” Katie said.

She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, forcing her mind to go back in time. “Everything happened so fast. I was only in the city for a couple of days when I met Phil. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished that I’d never walked into that coffee shop. Anyway, I’d just ordered my latte when I noticed this guy staring at me from a table a few feet away. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes I’d ever seen. And the rest of him was pretty hot too. Before I knew it, he was at my side, handing me his business card and asking if I’d ever done any modeling. Not that it mattered to him. Actually, I think he was kind of glad I was a novice. It gave him the opportunity to mold me into exactly what he wanted. The more naïve, the better. And boy was I green. As soon as I saw the name on the card, I recognized it. I’d seen it many times in magazines. Phil Cantor had photographed some of the most beautiful women in the world, and he wanted to take my picture? To say I was flattered would be an understatement.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Anyone would have been,” Katie added.

Ari sighed. “I know that. I just wish I’d been smarter.”

Zoe leaned back against the couch cushions and crossed her arms. “But you had no way of knowing things would turn out badly. Like you said, he was the real deal. You can’t blame yourself.”

“I know that. I guess what I blame myself for the most is not getting out sooner. I should have left right after I realized things weren’t as pretty as the eight-by-ten glossies he took.”

“I don’t know, Ari. Lots of women stay in relationships they shouldn’t.” The look on Zoe’s face made her wonder if she might be referring to her own.

“I know, but I just can’t help wishing that I’d done things differently.”

“When did it start to go bad?” Katie asked.

“Not right away. And I don’t want you to think it was all Phil’s fault. I’m partly to blame.”

Zoe’s and Katie’s frowns didn’t go unnoticed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.