“So, do you think Chloe will go?”
Theo rubbed his hand down his face. “I’m not telling her.”
“Mum will be pissed if you don’t bring her,” Blake warned.
“I can deal with Mum; she’ll get over it.” He’d rather her be pissed at him than have to bring Chloe along and have his mother look too closely into their relationship.
Blake chuckled, “Good luck.”
Theo’s cell rang, and he picked it up from the desk. Swiping the screen, he answered, “Hello.”
Chloe didn’t even bother with returning his greeting, immediately asking, “Can you please explain why your mother just called me inviting me to stay at her house in Westchester for the weekend?”
“What?” Oh shit, his father had been right! His gaze darted to Blake.
“Did you give her my number?” she asked.
“No, I didn’t give her your number. But I have a good idea who did.” He glared at Blake. The guilty look on his face told him who the culprit was.
“I’m going to go.” Blake mouthed, pointed to the door, and hurried out before Theo could protest.
Yeah, you better run, you fucker.Returning to his conversation with Chloe he asked, “What did you tell her?”
“At first I said I had plans, but somehow by the end of the conversation, I heard myself saying I’d love to see her on Saturday.”
Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. What was his mother up to? She obviously knew he wouldn’t bring Chloe up to Mamaroneck so she went straight to the source.
“Should I call her back and tell her I can’t make it?” Chloe asked, confused. “I mean, I’d love to see her, but this is so weird. Why is she inviting me to a family gathering?”
Time to come clean, but at least he could lay the blame squarely at his brother’s feet. “Blake opened his big mouth and told her we were seeing each other. This is her way of checking out what’s going on between us.”
“Oh. Then I should cancel.”
“No. She’ll just keep inviting us until she decides that the only way to satiate her curiosity is to just ‘pop in’ for a chat, and she’s got the code to the elevator and the keys to my penthouse.” He left it unsaid that his mother might just decide to show up at the least opportune time. “It’s better that we just get this over with. When she sees we’re just friends, she’ll leave us alone.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.” He heard the uncertainty in Chloe’s voice.
No, he wasn’t sure. But there was nothing he could do about it. “I’ll pick you up on Saturday.”
He hung up, sinking into his desk chair. He had to convince his mother that he and Chloe were just friends. Easy, right? All he needed to do was keep his hands off her for a couple of days. Oh God, this was going to be impossible. Because lately, touching Chloe was the most natural thing in the world.
He was screwed.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Theopulledofftheroad and onto the longest driveway Chloe had ever seen. Manicured hedges lined the driveway leading to Theo’s parents’ house. At the sight of their home, Chloe’s eyes almost bugged out of their sockets. It stretched over the large property with pitched roofs and gray shingled walls with white trimmings. Wide verandas wrapped around the house with wicker baskets of colorful flowers hanging from the eaves.
“This house is amazing,” she said, getting out of the car and tilting her head back to take it all in.
Theo smiled. “Mom found the city too busy for her liking, and they moved out here when Dad retired.”
Chloe’s stomach twisted in knots at the mention of his parents. Could they convince his mother that nothing was happening between them? Technically, they were actually friends so it should be easy, right?
Oh God, how were they going to manage this?
After pulling their overnight bags from the trunk of the car, Theo asked, “Ready?”
“No” is what she wanted to say. Instead, she said, “Yes.”