Chapter Sixteen
Chloe
As I put up baking supplies, I hear a knock on the door. Rich. My heart skips a beat. It’s pathetic how much I’ve missed him over the last day. What does he want? To finish the bet. Do I want to have sex with him again? That’s a stupid question. Of course, I do.
I rush to the door, turn the knob, and yanked it open for him. “Hi.” My voice sounds more breathless than I expected. I clear my throat and try to act nonchalant.
“Hey.” He blinks and shuts the door behind him with his foot. “Did Jenna talk to you last night?”
“Yes. She said she was coming home this weekend.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t wait to see her. It’s been months.” I clench my hands together at my waist to keep from advertising how nervous I am. I haven’t been this anxious since my first public speech.
“About last night… ”
“Yes?” Please, don’t say it was a mistake.
“It was all a lie.” A lie?
“What was a lie?” My entire body feels heavy. Whatever he means, I can tell it isn’t good. It’s not going to be holding hands and kissing as we watch the sunset together.
“The bet.”
“You didn’t take it?” Did he go back and tell Kameron that the bet was off? Why hadn’t he said something to me? I walk to the other side of the island to put some space between us.
“No. There was no bet.”
“I don’t understand. I saw the messages.” Did Rich and Jim get together to set me up? My stomach heaves. I swallow the bile rising in my throat and dig my fingernails into my palms. The floor rises and falls in front of me as dizziness threatens to jump up and smack me in the face.
“Kameron didn’t send it.”
What the fuck? That can’t be true. What game is he playing? “Then, who did?”
“Tabitha Young. ”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Are you and Tabitha are a thing?”
“No. That’s fucking crazy.” Rich places his hands on the island and leans across it.
“I don’t understand what you are saying.”
“You saw Kameron and Tabitha together. They’ve been dating for a while. I guess her phone broke and he gave her his old one to use. She was the one that made a wager with both Jim, and then, with me.”
“Are you sure? Did you see the phone?”
He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t see the phone she was using, but I did see Kameron’s phone. It isn’t the same number, so I believe him.”
Heat floods through my chest, up to my neck, and to the tips of my ears. How dare she. The bitch. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t even know what I did to her that pissed her off.”
“Just being you.”
“Right. Every girl wants to be me, and every guy wants me. Get a grip, Rich.” I pause for a second as everything sinks in. “There was never a bet? ”
“No.”
“Shit.” I glance down and open my hands. The half-moon indents from my fingernails are deep. I’m surprised they aren’t bleeding. I rub the spots to give me something to do besides feeling sorry for myself. “So we had sex for no reason.”
I want him to deny it. To say we had sex because he loves me. To beg me to make love to him again. To be his forever.
“Yes.”
Fuck. My eyes snap shut. His words are like a dagger slicing through my heart. Without the bet, Rich wouldn’t have had sex with me. Somehow, I must make this right. I dragged him into this mess, and now I must fix it. I inhale and open my eyes. “I’ll pay you.”
“No, you won’t.” He raises his hands as if to ward me off.
“No. I’ll pay you.” I march over to my purse and pull out my wallet. My eyes sting as I grasp the blue bound checkbook. “Will you take a check? I don’t carry around that big of bills.”
“I’m not taking your fucking money. ”
“You deserve it. You took the bet for me. I’m paying.” As I write the numbers, my arms feel like they’re being held down by anvils, and my eyes fill with tears. Stop. You aren’t crying in front of him. Not until he’s gone.
I rip it out, march over to him, and shove out my hand. “Here.”
“Chloe, this is stupid.”
“No. I honor my bets. Here. It’s yours.” I grab his hand, open his fist, and clasp his fingers together. “Now, leave.”
I hadn’t meant to sound so abrasive, but I’m about to crumble. He’s got to go before I humiliate myself. “Go.”
“Damn it, Chloe.” His jaw is set, and the veins in his neck bulge.
“Please, Rich. Just go. Now.”
He closes his eyes and sighs, “Okay. I don’t want to hurt you any more than I already have.”
I turned on my heel and run to the stairs without looking back to see if he leaves. I can’t look back as the tears stream down my cheeks. What have I done? How will I face him ever again? When I reach the steps, I slam the door behind me. We work a block away from each other. And Jenna. Jenna will be back this weekend.