Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Sam

“Where have you been?” Mason looks up from his phone, half-eaten sandwich in his hand.

“I went for a run,” I say, taking off my shoes.

“Bullshit you were running the whole time.”

“What, afraid you can’t keep up?”

“I could outrun you any day,” Mason shoots back.

Rory comes into the kitchen holding Adam and gives me a pointed look. “Don’t start,” she warns.

I take Adam from her, bouncing him gently in my arms. He reaches for my nose, smiling.

“Start what?” Mason asks, taking another bite of his sandwich.

“You know,” Rory says, opening the fridge.

“No, I don’t.”

Rory rolls her eyes. “You’re stupidly competitive, and it’s annoying.”

“I am not,” Mason spits back. “Okay, fine, I am. So where were you?”

“Running, that whole time. Blindfolded and uphill both ways. Barefoot too.”

“Hah-hah,” Mason snickers. “Hilarious. Next time you want to actually work out, let me know.”

“What, are you going to go cut down trees or something? With an ax like a real man,” Rory retorts.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Mason stuffs the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. “But with chainsaws.”

“That is not a good idea for a doctor.” Rory grabs her leftovers from breakfast this morning. “Gotta protect the hands.”

“Why, it’s not like he’s a surgeon,” Mason says with his mouth full.

“Next time you’re not breathing and need a tube inserted down your throat, remember it’s not that important if I have steady hands or not.”

“I bet you use that as a pick-up line, don’t you?” Mason leans back. “I would.”

“Gross,” Rory says under her breath.

I take a seat at the island counter, still holding Adam. “Where’s Dean?”

“Helping Dad fix the fence out back. They should be done soon. But now I’m curious…where were you?”

“With Chloe,” I say, knowing those two words are going to raise a lot of questions. Rory freezes, hand midway in the air to turn on the microwave, and gets a big smile on her face. “Calm down. We just grabbed food at Sunset Tavern and caught up a bit.”

And then I don’t know what happened. I thought we were on the same wavelength. I thought I had read her right. Maybe I was wrong. Or maybe my desperation and feelings I’ve tried so hard to repress are making me off my game…but Chloe isn’t a game I want to play.

Games end. Someone wins and someone loses.

I don’t want anything with Chloe to end, and I want—more than anything—for us both to win.

“You should date her,” Rory says.

“We’re just friends,” I press and hold Adam up so he can see out the window. “Friends who haven’t seen each other in a while.”

“Sure you are,” Mason and Rory say at the same time.

“We are.”

“Don’t you want to be more?” Rory presses, and I want her to stop. I don’t want to snap at my sister, but I don’t want to be asked questions that make me uncomfortable either. Of course I want more. I’ve wanted more for years yet always came up with an excuse.

Chloe was too young.

I had a girlfriend.

She had a boyfriend.

We went to different colleges.

And then I was an asshole, too scared to follow my heart, and I let my insecurities hurt the only person I’ve ever loved.

I’ve changed, and I want her to know that. I’m not the same lost young adult who didn’t know his place in the world. I’ve grown up a lot since the night of the party, and that was my sobering moment that made me realize how much responsibility for my life I hadn’t yet taken. I was in med school, on my way to becoming a doctor, yet still coasting along carefree, living for me and me alone.

Losing her hurt more than anything I’ve ever experienced, and knowing I hurt her in the process just about killed me.

“We’re friends,” I say, giving Rory a please stop look. “Don’t make her feel uncomfortable when she’s here tonight.”

“I won’t say anything to her,” Rory promises. “But how cool would that be if you dated Chloe and then I got to go to premieres of Shadowfall.”

“That’s the real reason you want me to date her, isn’t it?”

“Of course not, but it would be cool, wouldn’t it? I like Chloe, and I like how she never took shit from you—from any of you. She was my role model when we were kids, and without her, I wouldn’t be the nerd I am today. And you don’t have to worry about her being a gold-digging whore like your last girlfriend. Chloe makes a lot more money than you. If anything, you’d be the gold-digger whore.”

“Way to be subtle, Sis,” Mason chuckles. “But if Sam wants to be a trophy husband, he needs to get in better shape.”

“Fuck you,” I say, narrowing my eyes as if I’m actually angry. I’m in the best shape of my life right now. “I didn’t go through twelve years of schooling just to be a trophy husband.”

“Your loss. I’d take Chloe up on that offer any day.”

“Adam and I are glad you chose the path you did instead of being a trophy husband,” Rory says. “I wouldn’t have met Dean if you hadn’t gotten me a job in Eastwood.”

“You got that job because you’re a good nurse,” I say, and Rory smiles. “All I did was let you know of the opportunity.”

The microwave beeps and Rory takes her food out and comes over. Adam reaches for his mom and starts fussing.

“I just want to eat one meal in peace,” she sighs.

I stand up, rocking Adam to help calm him down. “I’ll distract him.”

“Thank you. I think he needs a diaper change too—kay, bye!” She turns, and I shake my head but take Adam into the living room to change his diaper. I lay him down on the blanket spread out on the floor.

“You and Chloe are really just friends?” Mason comes in and sits on the couch. He has another sandwich in his hand.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t want to be anything more?”

I unsnap Adam’s onesie and put the clean diaper underneath him before undoing the dirty one. “She lives in LA,” I say, giving him a non-answer and trying not to let myself think too much into it. If Chloe doesn’t want anything more, then I’ll have to accept it and do everything I can to make sure she’s happy. I’d rather have her in my life as a friend than not in my life at all, no matter how much it’ll hurt to stand by the sidelines and watch her with someone else.

“You wouldn’t want to do the long-distance thing then. Yeah, I get that.” He turns the TV on, and I finish changing Adam. I hold the baby against my chest as I take the dirty diaper into the bathroom to throw away.

“Do you want to do tummy time with him?” Rory asks as I walk by.

“Sure. Is the playmat in the living room?”

She nods. “It’s in the pack-and-play. He likes the one with the mirror and the fish.”

I get things set up and sit on the floor with my nephew. Mason is flipping through different crime documentaries on N*****x. “So, you’re not going to make a move on Chloe tonight?”

“No,” I say, getting annoyed at my siblings for pestering me. Enough is enough already. I don’t want to have to blurt out the truth to get them to shut the hell up.

“Then you won’t mind if I do, right?”

“Hilarious,” I deadpan.

“I’m serious,” Mason goes on. “You wouldn’t mind? You’ve seen her. Damn, she’s hot.”

I look at Mason, not sure what the fuck he’s trying to do. Though I’m confident if Mason did make a move on Chloe she’d laugh and think he was trying to be funny. There’s no way she’d take him seriously. Hell, even I’m not taking him seriously.

“Isn’t she?” he goes on.

“Yes,” I say, remembering standing in the kitchen with my hands on her back. Her hair felt like silk against my fingers, and her skin was soft and smooth as I massaged her shoulders. “She’s attractive. She’s always been attractive.”

“Yeah, she has. Hey, remember that summer after her freshman year of college? We took the boat up to Lake Huron for the weekend, and Chloe wore this pale pink bikini.” His eyes are on me, and I know Mason well enough to know he’s trying to get a reaction. He can be an asshole like that. Lucky for him, Mom comes home with groceries and has him help put stuff away.

She’s in a panic about the house not being clean enough for Chloe to come over, and we all do our best to appease her and pitch in with the cleaning. Chloe was the least judgmental person I ever knew, and from the little time we spent together, I think it’s safe to say she still is, which is impressive, really, considering how much her life has changed.

“Mom,” Rory presses at half-past four. “The good china is going overboard.”

“I agree,” I say, not wanting to wash any more dishes. “Chloe’s excited to see everyone. She’s not even going to notice the dishes.”

Mom’s standing in the dining room, looking at the table. She bought a new centerpiece today as well. “You’re right. Chloe is just like family. It’s just been so long since we’ve seen her.”

I feel everyone flick their eyes to me, hoping I’ll give some sort of a better explanation than just the standard “we drifted apart.” Mom turns her attention to me. “You should have invited her over sooner.”

“I haven’t seen her in years.”

“You could have called.”

I did. And she never answered. “I’m going to go get her now.”

“Already?” Mom jumps back into action. “Did anyone clean the upstairs guest room’s bathroom?”

“She’s not going to go in there,” Dad says, patting Mom’s shoulder. “And it was cleaned before the kids arrived.”

“Fine, fine.” Mom lets out a breath and turns to me. “Drive slowly, please.”

“I’ll take the long way,” I tell her, and I actually will. I told Chloe five, and it only takes about twenty minutes to get to Chloe’s dad’s house since I have to drive around the lake. “Both times.” I get my keys, wallet, and phone from the junk drawer where Mom stashed them and go outside. It’s still hot as fuck out, and another storm is on the horizon, making the air even more sticky than it was before.

I stop for gas on the way and get to Chloe’s house just a few minutes before five. She comes outside when I pull into the driveway. I put my BMW in park and get out, meeting her halfway on the sidewalk.

“Hey, Sam,” she says with a smile.

“Chloe,” I breathe, fighting to find my voice. She looks absolutely beautiful in the blue dress she’s wearing. It hugs her curves and shows off just enough of her breasts to be a constant distraction tonight, I’m sure. Her hair hangs around her face in loose curls, and her eyes look greener than before. “You look beautiful.”

Her smile widens. “Thank you, kind sir.”

My heart flutters in my chest, and I want so fucking badly to grab her, pin her body between mine and the car, and kiss her breathless.

“Did you get a lot of writing done?”

“Enough to make me feel productive,” she replies. “I saw that it’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I’ll hole up on the screened-in porch and plan to knock out a ton of words.”

“Do you make an outline?” I open the car door for her and go around.

“Not really,” she tells me as she pulls the seatbelt over her body. “My editor likes to review it, so I give her a super rough one. It’s a waste of time for me to make anything more than a rough outline. I change things too much.”

“That’s interesting. You probably get asked this all the time and you’re wanting me to shut up, right?” I back out of the driveway.

“I don’t mind,” she assures me.

“Good, because you’re going to be bombarded with questions as soon as you walk through the door.”

“I can talk about writing and horses all day. Be warned: I can get pretty talkative.”

I steal a glance at her. “I think I can handle it.”

She looks out the window, watching the scenery pass by. “Have you run into anyone else since you’ve been back in town?” she asks after a few minutes tick by.

“No, but I haven’t really left my parents’ house much.”

“Same. The few times I have left, I’ve run into you. Funny, isn’t it? We go years without talking and it’s like I can’t avoid you.” She turns, and I can feel her eyes on me. Slowing at a stop sign, I take my eyes off the road for a second to look at her. “I think you are stalking me.”

“I was going to say the same about you. I was at the bar and Silver Café first. You showing up after I was already there means you’re the stalker.”

“Hah, that’s the same thing I said to Lauren today.”

“Lauren?” I question.

“The girl from the bar…we saw her at Sunset Tavern.”

“Oh, the chick Mason went home with. Maybe? He was with her friend when I left, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought them both back with him.”

“You left without Mason?” she asks, eyes going wide.

“Yeah, I’m not his keeper.”

“And you went back to your parents’ house?”

I shake my head. “Jacob’s. I had to check on the dog.”

Chloe smiles and lets out a breath. “That’s really sweet. And if I was stalking you…would you mind?”

“If you stalked me? I suppose it would depend on the reasoning.”

“So I could kidnap you, lock you in a dark basement, starving you so your skin gets all baggy and I can cut it up to make a quilt.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

“I’d sell your organs on the black market too.”

“Make sure you get top dollar. I like to think I’m rather expensive.”

“You are, though I might have to knock a few thousand off due to your old age.”

“Please,” I retort. “I’m only two years older than you.”

“I know, I know…I’m getting old too. At least I don’t look like it.”

“And I do?” I laugh.

Chloe reaches over and messes with my hair. It sends a shock through me, and I grip the steering wheel tightly. “Nah. You don’t have any grays yet. Though it’s so unfair guys are ‘sexy’ and ‘distinguished’ with salt-and-pepper hair and women are shamed.”

“Are people really as superficial in LA as TV shows make them seem?”

“Yes and no. It depends on where you are and what crowd you’re running with. Anyone in the film world is always worried about their looks but mostly because the media will criticize them, and it can be a hard pill to swallow.”

“It would be, and I would not enjoy public criticism. At all.”

“Lucky for you,” she starts. “There’s little to criticize.”

“Thanks for the ego boost.”

“Like you need it.” She’s smiling at me, and I start to get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s not something I’m used to, and I don’t like it, not one fucking bit.

“Wow,” Chloe says when we pull onto the gravel driveway of my parents’ farmhouse. “It looks the same.”

“Are you getting emotional?” I tease.

“Maybe,” she says back with a laugh. “But it’s just like old times.”

It hits me then, that that is exactly what’s causing the bad feeling. It is just like old times. Old times where I’m stealing glances at Chloe, counting down the days until she turns eighteen so we can be together, because I was so sure everything would magically work out by then.

It’s just like old times, when Chloe will go home, alone. I don’t want it to be just like old times. And I won’t let it. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make Chloe mine.