“Chloe, I’m not certain if…”
“I’ve already spoken to the group,” she cuts me off. “We have a handful of willing participants.
They are really excited about it, Mr. Vaughn. They want to connect with you. They want to do this.”
Christ. I don’t know how to say no to that.
I can’t say no to that.
I owe them that much. She sees that in my face. The resignation. The defeat. And she capitalizes on
it.
And in that moment, I realize that maybe Chloe isn’t the one who should be running from me.
Maybe I should be running from her.
“I thought we could capture some images during the process as well,” she continues. “To really
bring it to life.”
“Of course,” I choke out. “That would be… great, Chloe.”
“There are two more pieces,” she says.
I feel the urge to have a drink. But I continue to listen instead. To give her my attention and ignore
the panic clawing inside of me at the prospect of facing my past.
“One will be a live piece,” she tells me. “At the very end. Swan Lake.”
“And the final piece?” I ask.
She smiles, and it unsettles me.
“That one is a surprise. I’ll have to work on that later. But I need your help with the rest. So can
you do it?”
“You’re talking about a very large-scale project, Chloe,” I reply. “Are you sure you can get it done
with all of your responsibilities?”
“Yes,” she answers defiantly. “Absolutely.”
What choice do I have when she’s looking at me that way?
“Okay,” I answer. “Then yes. I will help you.”
Chapter Nine
Chloe
Mr. Vaughn arrives on the rooftop at exactly the time we agreed on. And at first, he seems relieved
to find that we are not alone.
Until his eyes settle on Bastien.