26AshChloe & Forest Breakup
Ash
Chloe & Forest Breakup
Ash read his text from Chloe again as he approached the front door of Forest’s house.
Chloe had asked for emergency babysitting services, and Ash had felt like it was his chance to redeem himself and agreed, but the more he thought about it, the weirder the request sounded.
Forest was in the middle of a PR nightmare at work.
Valkyrie Development was getting blamed for a vicious attack on a homeless encampment.
It seemed concerning that Chloe now also had an emergency.
The front door swung open as Ash approached. Chloe stood in the doorway, already wearing her coat.
“Thanks for coming,” she said softly. Her eyes looked red, and Ash got a sinking feeling in his stomach. “Olly’s down for a nap. He’ll be up in about an hour.”
“OK. Are you OK?”
Chloe took a deep breath. “I’m finding it difficult to accept the unfairness of life at the moment. I will need to meditate.”
“Uh...”
There was the sound of a motor, and Ash turned to see a Honda sedan pull into the driveway. It was driven by a cute Asian woman with long black hair.
“Uh, Chloe, I’m not sure. Maybe you should wait until Forest comes home,” said Ash, grasping at straws.
“This is for the best,” said Chloe, shaking her head. “There is a letter for Forest on the kitchen counter. It will explain everything.”
She picked up a bag by the door, and Ash recognized it as the same bag she’d arrived with.
“Tell Olly...” Chloe’s voice cracked, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Tell Olly I love him.”
She hurried out to the car before Ash could speak.
Ash watched the car drive away with the horrible feeling that she wasn’t coming back.
He went into the kitchen and checked the letter.
The envelope was sealed shut. From having a deviant behavior-filled childhood and mystery novel habit, he knew at least three ways around that, but he put the letter down instead.
By the time Forest returned from work, Ash was ten seconds away from calling in Rowan for reinforcements.
“Want Chloe!” Olly wailed as Ash carried him into the kitchen to meet Forest.
“What’s going on?” demanded Forest, reaching for Olly. “Where’s Chloe?”
Any hope that Chloe had texted Forest and Ash wouldn’t have to deliver the bad news evaporated.
“I don’t know!” said Ash. “She called. She said it was an emergency. When I got here, she said that she had to go and that it was for the best. What did she mean, for the best, Forest? What the hell did you do?”
“Want Chloe,” mumbled Olly.
“Chloe will be back soon,” said Forest, holding Olly tighter.
“Don’t say that,” hissed Ash.
“If it was an emergency, then I’m sure she’ll deal with it and be back soon,” protested Forest.
“She took her bag, and she left a note,” whispered Ash, pointing to the letter on the counter. “That is not what you do when you’re coming back.”
Olly clung to Forest but had at least stopped crying as Forest rocked him.
“I have Bear,” said Ash, patting his pockets and pulling out the flattened stuffed animal.
“Bear!” barked Olly, holding out a demanding arm without moving his head from Forest’s shoulder. Ash put the stuffie into Olly’s outstretched hand, and Olly stuffed Bear’s paw into his mouth, then took a deep, shuddering breath.
“OK,” said Forest, keeping his voice soothing for Olly, “one thing at a time. We’ll just read the note.
I’m sure Chloe just didn’t want to call me during a crisis.
The last time we talked, I told her I wouldn’t be home until ten.
She didn’t know your asset management software would come through for us. ”
“It did?” Ash was surprised. Once projects were moving, he tended to forget about them. He just remembered being grateful that Forest had invested.
“Yeah, I’m doubling my investment. Worth every damn dime. But let’s just…” He edged around the long marble island and picked up the letter without jostling Olly too much. He tore open the envelope and unfolded a single sheet of paper.
Ash watched the color drop out of Forest’s face. Olly leaned until Forest allowed him to slowly slide onto the floor, but Forest continued clutching the page before him. Olly hung on Forest’s leg while sucking on one of his stuffie’s paws.
“Are you OK?”
Forest usually buried his emotions, but Forest looked like a feather could knock him over.
“Forest?”
“Want Chloe,” muttered Olly around his stuffie.
“Forest, you’re freaking me out,” said Ash.
“The Sound Transit job and the homeless camp...”
“Yeah, I saw the news. That’s why you’re working late. But they’ll figure out it wasn’t your fault.”
“But it is my fault.”
“What?”
“I was holding the job until Sound Transit cleared the site. I’m not kicking people out of tents. Someone else can go be the asshole. I didn’t realize I was squeezing the subcontractor. Or I did, but I didn’t care. Also, I think I might have broken his nose.”
“You punched your subcontractor?” Ash tried to wade through Forest’s convoluted statement.
“He was going to hit Chloe. I just bounced him off the hood of the car.” Forest appeared to think for a moment. “And I probably did punch him a bit.”
“Uh… OK, question one: why would the contractor hit Chloe?”
“He’s her brother, and he’s an asshole. I don’t think it’s related to the encampment.
I don’t know… Maybe it is. Doesn’t matter.
The point is: he’s the subcontractor. They were under contract for the Sound Transit job, but it was stalled until the city did something.
My PM said money had been tight for them, and they wanted other work.
But he’s been unreliable. We didn’t want to use them. ”
“So, you think he cleared the homeless encampment to kickstart the job?”
“Yes,” said Forest, looking at the letter again.
“Shit,” said Ash. “You need to call your lawyers. You need to get a crisis management team together. The second anyone connects the dots between Chloe and those guys, you’re going to have a problem.”
“A problem…”
“Yes, they’ll say you told Chloe to tell her brother to clear it out. Or something equally stupid. We’ve got to get out in front of this.”
“Oh, who cares? I mean, seriously, who the fuck cares what people think? Besides, once I tell people I beat him up, they’re more likely to say Terrence cleared out the camp to get back at me.”
“Yes, but that would mean confessing to assault,” objected Ash.
“Whatever,” said Forest. “It’s not like they haven’t been flashing my arrest record around on the news already.”
“Yes, that’s my point!” exclaimed Ash, waving his arms. Why was his brother stupid?
“So I beat up the douchebag who was assaulting my girlfriend, so what?”
“I really don’t think you’re taking the right view on this,” said Ash. “Optics matter. Your company is going to take a hit.”
“Yeah, probably. The bigger problem is that I need to find Chloe before she does something crazy. Who picked her up?”
“What?”
“Was it an Uber? A friend? Who picked her up?”
“I think it was a friend,” said Ash. “A woman was driving.”
Forest stretched, reaching for the tablet on the kitchen counter, trying not to move the leg Olly was attached to.
“Forest, your company is in the middle of a crisis. Chloe probably thought you needed to distance yourself from her.”
Olly spotted a Lego under the table and walked away, freeing up Forest.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what she thought, but she’s a Buddhist nun who believes in self-sacrifice,” said Forest. Olly came back with the Lego and held it up to Ash.
“Buddhist nun,” repeated Ash. “Oh. Is that where she learned kung fu?”
“What?” asked Forest.
“Kung fu!” yelled Olly and kicked Ash in the shin.
“Ow!” yelled Ash, hopping up and down and grabbing his shin and the edge of the counter.
Forest looked down at Olly in surprise. Olly looked up in equal astonishment.
“Nice shot,” said Forest.
“Thanks for the support,” snapped Ash.
“You’re three feet taller than he is. If my son can take you out, I think that warrants a compliment.”
“Your son could take out a brick wall. He’s a bowling ball of destruction!” Ash pulled up his pant leg to inspect his shin.
“We don’t kick Uncle Ash, bud,” said Forest.
“Chloe kicks,” said Olly sourly. “Want Chloe.” He sat on the floor and stuck Bear’s paw back in his mouth.
“I know, bud,” said Forest. “Me too.”
“Forest, you need to stop and think,” said Ash. “You need to get a damn lawyer on this situation.”
“Olly, kick Uncle Ash’s other leg,” said Forest.
Olly laughed around Bear’s paw, and Ash glared at both of them.
“Olly, why don’t you kick Daddy?” suggested Ash. “Daddy needs a swift kick in the rear.”
Olly looked confused.
“You’re not wrong,” said Forest, still poking at the tablet. “But it should have happened about two days ago. Maybe it would have stopped me from being an idiot.”
“I want Chloe,” said Olly, trying to peer over the edge of the counter as he heard her voice on the security feed.
“Chloe went to see Daisy,” said Forest, shutting down the tablet, and Olly perked up, recognizing the name. “And now you have to stay here with Uncle Ash while I go get her.” He ruffled Olly’s hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring Chloe home soon.”
Ash and Olly watched Forest jog out to the garage, but when he looked down at Olly, Ash saw the same doubt he felt.
“I really think they’ll be home soon,” said Ash. “How do you feel about dino nuggets while we call Uncle Rowan?”
“Unca Roan!” chirped Olly.
Ash managed the sheet pan of nuggets while crossing texts with Rowan, which ended abruptly when Rowan texted that he was going to get Forest and that Vivian would come and wait with Ash.
When Vivian arrived, Ash wasn’t sure what to say to the auburn-haired paralegal.
“Um... Do we know anything about what’s going on with C-H-L-O-E?” he asked, tilting his head at Olly.
“No,” said Vivian, tossing down her purse and taking off her jacket. “I was on my way to meet Rowan for dinner when he rerouted me. Which I have to say is...”
“Not reassuring?” supplied Ash.
“No!”
“Forest said Chloe’s brother was violent. Like, do we think...”
“Yes! I’m...” Vivian made a dramatically scared face.
“Me too!”
They stared at each other. Ash had never had anyone to worry about his brothers with before. He generally avoided telling their mom because he specifically didn’t want her to worry.
“Well,” said Vivian valiantly, “Rowan is on his way, so I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Right,” said Ash, but he could see that Vivian was also unconvinced.
An hour later, Rowan called, but Ash wasn’t sure that made him feel better.
“So, then Forest did what?” Vivian sounded as confused as Ash felt. It felt odd to be crowding in next to her to talk to Rowan on speaker. Not bad. Just odd to be sharing the space.
“He sent the police detective an email and then went to get Chloe himself.”
“An email?” Ash repeated, dumbstruck by his brother’s stupidity.
“Well, some people may not trust the police to get things done in a timely manner,” said Vivian loftily. “And might choose to handle things by themselves.”
“Baby,” growled Rowan. “Do we really want to open that discussion again?”
Vivian grinned silently and gleefully, so entirely pleased with herself that Ash nearly laughed and ruined it for her even though he wasn’t sure what the joke was.
“Can you two stop flirting for two seconds?” demanded Ash. “I’m still confused about what Forest thought he was doing.”
“Kicking ass and taking name, as far as I can tell. You know Forest. He’s Mr. Plan-it-Out until he gets pissed off, and then he’s Mr. Punch-Them-in-the-Face.
But apparently, Chloe was working with the police and wearing a wire.
She got her brother on tape saying that he’d attacked the homeless encampment.
Although, she also did some ass-kicking. ”
“Chloe, kick!” crowed Olly triumphantly, demonstrating with one flailing leg.
“Uh… yeah, I should mention that she knows kung fu,” said Ash.
“Oh, that’s cool,” said Vivian.
“She was really upset when Forest told her Olly kicked you in the shin,” said Rowan.
“That’s nice of her,” said Ash.
“She wanted to be there to see it,” said Rowan.
“That’s less nice,” said Ash, although he felt like he’d earned it for all the mean things he’d been thinking about Chloe.
“But we said he could kick you again when they got home.”
Vivian let out a surprised giggle.
“Thanks a bunch,” said Ash in exasperation.
“Chloe n’ Daddy, come home?” asked Olly, pulling on Ash’s arm and trying to look at the phone.
“Chloe and Daddy are on their way home, bud,” said Rowan, obviously trying to be extra loud and clear for Olly.
Olly made a grunt of affirmation and let go of Ash’s arm. By the time Rowan hung up, Ash felt relieved, and Olly was playing Legos.
“Ugh,” said Ash, shaking his head. “You know, it would be super great if my brothers could not do crazy, life-imperiling shit for like, I don’t know, one month? Can we just make it to New Year’s without anyone nearly dying?”
Vivian chuckled. “I thought that was just how the Valkyrie family rolled.”
“No! I swear, usually, we are very sane people.”
“With dangerous taste in women, apparently,” said Vivian, her eyes twinkling. “Makes me wonder about who you’re dating. How is... Harper, I believe Rowan said?”
“Harper is not crazy,” said Ash. “She works in Emergency Management. She is perfectly sensible and only had a goat on her roof once.”
Vivian laughed wholeheartedly. “I want to meet Harper. She sounds awesome.”
“She kind of is,” said Ash, blushing.
“Is she coming to New Year’s?” asked Vivian.
It was a normal question, and Ash felt like he should have seen it coming, but it wasn’t until she said it that Ash tried to remember if he’d told Harper about the New Year’s party.
He’d told Mel, and Romeo was helping plan it, so those were the important people.
He had to have mentioned it to Harper, right?
“Um, yeah, I hope so. And my Mom. Do you think Rowan will freak?”
“No, he said Harper seemed nice.”
“No, I meant freaking out about my Mom coming to the party.”
“Oh. Uh. No? I don’t think so? He’s been trying to arrange a lunch with us for a couple of weeks. He thinks she’s nervous, so maybe that question should go the other way.”
“Oh. Right. Rowan said he was going to do that.” But Ash hadn’t thought he was serious. “Well, I’ll see if I can’t get Mom to agree to lunch. She does get anxiety.”
“I don’t want to freak her out,” said Vivian.
“No, it went really well when she met Chloe and Olly. So, lunch with you ought to be a breeze. You probably won’t even spill water on her.” Vivian’s brow furrowed. “Olly knocked over a water glass.”
“Ah. Well, I’ll get a sippy cup, and then we’ll be fine.”
Ash chuckled. “Thanks.”