Annabelle walked into the room, thankfully ending their conversation. “Excuse me, I have a Chloe Doyle in the waiting room asking to see you. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she’s insisting it’s important.”
Blake’s face split into a huge grin, and he slapped his thigh. “Speak of the devil. I can’t wait to see what she wants.”
Scrubbing a hand over his face he said, “Send her in.You”—he pointed a finger at his laughing brother—“get the fuck out of my office.”
Blake pushed himself from the chair and followed Annabelle. Before he reached the door, he turned around. “Two birds. One stone. Or take her for yourself. I know what option I’d choose if I were you.” With that, Blake left the office and, a few seconds later, Chloe stood at his door.
Chloe hovered in the doorway unsure if she’d made the right decision coming to see Theo. When Blake passed by her, he gave her the biggest grin, and she wondered if he knew about her embarrassing behavior last night. Her head pounded—a reminder of too much alcohol and too many terrible decisions.
Pulling back her shoulders, she stepped inside the office. Theo waited, one hip propped on the edge of his heavy wood desk with his arms crossed, accenting his broad shoulders and bulging biceps. God, would she ever get used to seeing how buff he’d grown over the years?
“You’re looking fresher this morning, Chloe.” A playful grin tugged at his lips.
Her stomach churned. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the hangover or last night’s embarrassing behavior. “I’m not feeling so fresh.”
Theo chuckled, and her heart tripped at the sound. The childhood crush she’d thought was over years ago had reared its head once again, this time bigger than ever before. If she was to find herself a husband, she needed to control the urge of wanting to have her way with Theo. Oh, wait. It would never happen. She was Ethan’s sister and therefore a no-go zone. What a dumb rule!
“Umm... about last night.” She averted her gaze toward the window and the view of Central Park. “I’m sorry I got mad at you for not wanting to help me with… with…”
“Finding a husband?”
She nodded. “I was drunk, and I should never have asked. I was mad at Ethan for sending you to spy on me, and well, I thought you owed me. I’m not going to tell Ethan I figured out his plan to treat me like a two-year-old. He’d only send my mother here.” Her eyes met his. “But that doesn’t mean I want you following me around either.”
“If I hadn’t been watching you last night, who knows what could have happened? You weren’t in the greatest condition.”
“You think I don’t know that?” The bottle of wine she’d consumed pounded in her head. “I know I shouldn’t have had so much to drink, and I won’t do that again no matter how bad the next date orno-showdate I end up on is. I’ll try my luck with a dating site because Blair’s men were duds, and I don’t trust her choices anymore.”
Theo frowned. “You still want to go on dates with strangers? Do you know how dangerous using dating sites can be?”
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring his stance. “You’re starting to sound like my brother. Do I have to remind you that I’m an adult?”
“No, you don’t.” His crystal-blue gaze trailed over her body like a warm caress, and her knees trembled. “It’s still dangerous meeting random people online.”
She threw her arms out in frustration. “Well, how the hell am I supposed to find a husband, then? You refused to help. I don’t know anyone else here. I have no other choice.”
“Why are you in such a rush to find a husband? I know you said you’re thirty. That’s not old, you have plenty of time.”
Chloe’s shoulders slumped. “You don’t know that. Anything can happen, and then I’ve missed out. Do you remember my friend Isla?”
Theo smiled. “The two of you used to follow us around.”
“We didn’t—” Theo raised an eyebrow. “Okay, sometimes we did. We were bored.” She took a calming breath. “Anyway, Isla died three months before her thirtieth birthday.”
Theo pushed himself away from the desk and stood in front of her. “I’m sorry to hear that. She was a great girl.”
Chloe nodded, her throat clogging with emotion. She missed her best friend. Six months after her passing, and it was still hard to talk about. “She worked and traveled and lived her life like it never was going to end. She said she was too young to settle down. She thought she had plenty of time for all that.” Another breath. “Then she got sick. She started having problems breathing and fainting spells—an undetected heart condition. Treatment came too late. Her one regret was not experiencing true love.” A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away.
“Doesn’t mean the same thing’s going to happen to you,” Theo said, placing his hands on her shoulders and rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
The soothing gesture made more tears fall. God, she’d thought she’d had no more tears to shed. Guess she was wrong, because they fell as if she’d just lost Isla all over again. Theo pulled her closer, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. She breathed in the faint smell of sandalwood as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Shh, Chloe, it’s okay,” he whispered, holding her until the tears dried up and her body stopped shaking.
After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and pulled away. She ducked her head and gave a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry about that. I still miss her. I’m okay now.”
Theo searched her face as if to verify the truth of her words. “That’s understandable. She was your best friend.” Theo’s hands moved from her shoulder, up along her neck, and cupped her face, brushing over her damp cheeks.
Chloe held her breath as his gaze fell to her mouth. Anticipation vibrated through her. All too quickly, he dropped his hands and stepped away. Chloe exhaled in a rush. Of course, he wasn’t going to kiss her. He was only offering her comfort.