Chapter 8
This Year
T HE FIRST MORNING IN Sloane and Alden’s beach house, everyone follows Sloane’s instructions: Be ready by ten and wear a swimsuit.
They all climb into Sloane and Alden’s Range Rover, Chloe and Marianne sitting in the third row like middle schoolers on the way to soccer practice. There’s a bag of towels in the back of the car, and Chloe wonders why they aren’t spending the day on the perfectly manicured, snow-white beach in front of the house. The beach where they can spread out and avoid awkward conversations instead of the tightly enclosed vehicle where everyone’s hangovers and resentments swirl.
“Where are we going?” Chloe shouts from the back of the car.
Alden is driving, and Luke is in the front passenger seat. Sloane had tried to force Luke into the middle row, claiming she gets terrible carsickness these days. Luke argued that his legs were too long to be cramped in the middle, to which Wyatt shrugged and said, “I think you can suffer through.” But he wouldn’t. Luke and Sloane stood in an awkward standoff for five minutes, fighting over seats in a car like siblings, until Alden said, “Either get in the car or walk.” Sloane huffed as she climbed in the middle next to Wyatt, mumbling about how her plans were already going off the rails.
Sloane turns around, giddy as she answers Chloe’s question. “ Stand-up paddleboarding. It’s so much fun.”
“In the ocean?” Luke asks.
“No. We’re going to a dune lake,” Sloane says.
“What’s a dune lake?” Chloe asks.
“I’m getting carsick,” Sloane says. “I have to turn around. Google it.”
Marianne whispers out of the side of her mouth. “I have a guidebook. There’s a chapter on dune lakes.” Marianne reaches into the diaper bag she’s using as a purse and hands a book to Chloe.
“I didn’t know they still printed these,” Chloe says, flipping through the glossy pages.
“I checked it out at the library,” Marianne says. “They have a baby story hour. I’m there a lot. It’s a social activity.”
“Sitting around with a bunch of infants at a library is not social,” Sloane says, staring out the car window. “Don’t let your entire life become about a baby.”
The entire car is silent. Everyone knows Sloane, that her good intentions are often lost in overbearing delivery. But this statement seems to have gone too far. And Sloane’s lack of awareness makes it worse. Chloe looks at Marianne and sees her jaw moving back and forth.
“Teddy,” Marianne says, swallowing slowly. “My son’s name is Teddy. And I am completely fine with him being my whole life right now, Sloane.”
“You’re right. I apologize.” It sounds like Sloane means it, but she doesn’t elaborate and rolls down the window, the outside wind hopefully easing her motion sickness and blocking any further discussion.
“What’s with her?” Marianne asks, leaning over and whispering in Chloe’s ear.
“She’s cranky. Maybe Alden forgot to feed her this morning?” Chloe tries to joke away the tension. But it only seems to make things worse, Marianne retreating into silence along with the rest of the car.
Chloe spends the next few minutes reading Marianne’s guidebook. The coastal dune lakes along this stretch of beach in Florida only occur in four other places in the world. They form over time when fresh water fills depressions in the dunes, creating unique habitats for fish, turtles, birds, and the occasional alligator. They’re also calm, perfect for paddleboarding.
When they pull into the sand and gravel parking lot next to the dune lake, everyone jumps out of the car as soon as it stops moving.
The dune lake is beautiful. Tall grasses surround the border, with peek-a-boo views of the Gulf and water pathways that wind around the sand. There’s a small shed set up off to the side with paddleboards and kayaks propped between wooden slats.
Luke is the first to take a life jacket and one of the long boards. He fidgets with the buckles as he’s given a few brief instructions, and then he pushes out into the water.
When Chloe came downstairs this morning and fixed herself a bowl of yogurt topped with fresh mango and papaya, homemade granola, and coconut flakes from the buffet Sloane had arranged with the morning catering crew, Luke left the kitchen. He muttered something about getting ready. Except he was already dressed and this outing didn’t seem to require any advance preparation. It’s obvious Luke simply wants to avoid Chloe.
Chloe’s never been paddleboarding before, but a few friends from her yoga studio rave about it. Knowing she has decent balance, she’s not too concerned. But she still listens intently as the rental guide goes over the best spots to explore and carefully attaches the paddleboard strap to her ankle.
Chloe pushes off and sees the rest of her friends standing on the edge of the lake. “Are you guys coming?” Chloe asks.
“I forgot my credit card,” Sloane yells out across the water. “I need to head back to the house. Alden’s going to give me a ride.”
“I’m getting sunburned,” Marianne says. “I’m going to head back too and grab more sunscreen.”
“They sell sunscreen right there,” Chloe says, gesturing to the rental desk and almost losing her balance in the process.
“It’s not my brand,” Marianne lies, not even trying to make it sound convincing.
Luke must hear the shouting because he paddles over to see what is going on.
“Why isn’t anyone else in the water?” Luke asks Chloe.
“This is a trap. A Sloane trap. What’s your excuse, Wyatt?” Chloe asks, catching on to the blatantly obvious trick their friends are playing.
“Sloane is scary,” Wyatt shrugs. “Sorry, guys. You two have fun out there.”
Chloe and Luke stand in the middle of the lake, balancing on their boards, as their four friends pile back into Sloane and Alden’s car and drive away.
“What are we supposed to do?” Luke asks.
“Stand here like idiots,” Chloe says. She looks over at Luke. His normally confident posture has been altered to wobbly baby giraffe legs. He’s terrible at paddleboarding, and Chloe tries hard not to point this out.
“Do you think they’ll come back?” Luke asks with a hint of panic.
“Eventually.” Chloe paddles farther out.
“Wait. Where are you going?” Luke asks.
“To explore. Might as well enjoy this paddleboard kidnapping.” Chloe looks forward, dipping the paddle into the water and pulling it backward as she skims the lake’s surface. There’s no one else on the lake, and although she’s annoyed with Sloane’s scheming, there are worse places to be abandoned. It’s almost meditative, and Chloe can use all the calming exercise possible this week.
Chloe looks over her shoulder and sees Luke, immobile. He’s having trouble balancing, and the way his head is moving back and forth suggests that he has no idea where he is going to go. He stares at the sky, and Chloe takes pity.
She circles back toward him and asks, “Are you okay?”
Luke tries to shake his head, but even the subtle movement seems to impact his balance. “Can we stick together?” Luke asks.
“Why?” Chloe knows that Luke would never willingly ask for time together.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Luke manages to say in a stilted voice. “I kind of rushed through the instructions. I figured Alden could fill me in when he got out.”
“Stand. Paddle. Those were the instructions,” Chloe says suspiciously.
Chloe starts out on the route the guide recommended. The dune lake is open at the beginning, but then narrows as it gets closer to the Gulf. There’s a hill of sand in front of them blocking the ocean, and winding water pathways that seem to go on for miles. Chloe loves how the terrain expands and contracts, creating a secret escape from the more well-traveled beach.
Even though it is still early, the sun is hot, and Chloe is grateful for her wide straw hat and the sunscreen she remembered to apply, unlike Marianne. Allegedly. She looks over her shoulder and sees Luke following, wobbling on the board, his feet shifting as he constantly tries to maintain his balance.
“Tighten your stomach,” she instructs. “It makes it easier.”
Luke must have listened to her instructions because the next time she looks back, he seems more comfortable. There’s a calming rhythm to the way the board glides over the water and the paddle propels her forward, silent motion as the landscape slowly changes. Chloe wishes her mind could feel as peaceful as her body.
They are silent for too long, an awkwardness building because there is no one else out on the water and there’s nothing but the sound of seagulls filling the air. Chloe pushes her paddle in the opposite direction, stopping the forward momentum so that Luke can catch up.
He looks uncomfortable. That’s probably because he is, Chloe thinks. But she is unclear as to whether it’s the wobbling paddleboard or her that is the primary source of discomfort.
When she can no longer tolerate the silence, she says, “This is nice.”
“No, it’s not,” Luke shouts. He must see Chloe’s face fall because he quickly adds, “Lakes freak me out.”
“They’re too calm and peaceful?”
“On the surface,” Luke says. “But you never know what’s living underneath all of that calmness.”
“You fish all the time,” Chloe points out.
“In. A. Boat,” he states through gritted teeth. “There’s no protection with these boards.” Luke points across the lake to the rental stand. “Can we go back to the beach?”
“I want to explore a little bit first,” Chloe says. “Hang out and I’ll get you on my way back.”
She paddles off, but she quickly hears rough splashes behind her. When she turns around, she sees Luke slapping the water with the paddle as he tries to follow Chloe.
“Are you coming with me?” Chloe asks, unable to hide her shock.
“Better than the alternative of staying here alone,” Luke says.
Chloe continues paddling. “Your fear of a fish-related death is stronger than your fear of me?”
“Yes,” Luke quickly replies. “And I’m not afraid of you. I just don’t …”
“Want to talk to me?” Chloe offers. “Want to see me again?”
“I don’t know, Chloe. It’s hard to know what I want when it comes to you.”
Chloe doesn’t respond. Even though she wants to. Even though she wants to ask why Luke seemed so unsure so many times in their relationship. And the one time she expressed any hesitancy, he interpreted that as the end. But instead, she saves those questions for later, when he tells her that he’s ready to have a real conversation. And right now, it doesn’t seem like they are ready for much more than basic attempts at civility.
“Well, if we’re going to be paddleboarding buddies this morning, I want equal protection,” Chloe says. “If an alligator comes at me, I expect a rescue attempt.”
Luke hesitates for minute and asks, his voice barely a whisper, “Are there alligators in this lake?”
“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t have time to finish reading Marianne’s book. But in general, I think alligators like warm wetland situations.” Chloe gestures around the lake, to the marshy forests around the edge that are so thick it is hard to see where the lake ends and land begins.
Luke is silent and when Chloe turns around, she sees that his face has gone white.
“They wouldn’t let people rent paddleboards in alligator lakes,” Luke says, sounding like he’s trying to reassure himself.
“This is Florida. Not exactly the same safety standards as Manhattan, Luke.”
He starts looking around nervously. “Oh my God, Chloe. I don’t want to die like this.”
“No one is going to die.” She starts laughing, thinking Luke is joking but stops when she sees the seriousness on his face. “When did you become so afraid of alligators? How did I not know this?”
“How many alligator interactions did we have in our relationship?”
“Zero. But it seems like something I should have known.”
“All reasonable people are afraid of alligators,” Luke says defensively. “We have to go back.” He tries to turn his board around, but his balance is already questionable. He bends down, trying to squat his giant man-body on the board, when there is a rustling at the edge of the lake. “Did you see something move over there?” Luke’s voice has now moved past panic into terror territory.
“Yes,” Chloe says slowly, trying to calm this person who is acting so unlike the Luke she’s always known. “It’s probably a snake. An alligator would make more movement.”
“A snake is not better,” Luke says through clenched teeth. “This is some Romeo and Juliet bullshit. Sloane’s trying to get us to die together.”
“I’m sure this is safe,” Chloe says, trying to hide any hint of laughter in her voice.
All of a sudden, a crane lands on the edge of the lake. But because the bird lands behind Luke, he doesn’t know it’s just willowy, long-legged poultry. He must assume the worst because he turns abruptly, holding his paddle in the air, ready to use it as a weapon.
The sudden movement makes Luke lose his balance, and, predictably, he falls in the lake. But he also manages to fall with such force that his paddleboard flies away into the murky reeds at the edge of the water.
“Chloe, help,” Luke screams as his head bobs in the water.
“Why wasn’t your paddleboard attached to your ankle?” Chloe asks, slowly paddling in his direction.
“I don’t know!” Luke says, gulping in water and then trying to spit it out.
Chloe would find this amusing, except in his panic, Luke seems to have forgotten the basics of how to swim. She bends down and tries to help him up on her board, but they both fall in the water in the process.
“Is it coming toward us?”
“What?”
“The alligator?”
“It was a crane, Luke. You tried to wallop a beautiful bird. Now get up on the board first and sit in the center.”
Luke does as he is told, but he can’t even manage to sit. Instead he lies on his stomach and grips the edges of the board. Chloe hands him the paddle. “Do not drop this. It’s our only way back.”
Luke seems to debate Chloe’s instruction, eventually loosening his grip on the board and reaching out for the paddle’s handle.
Chloe treads water, resting one arm on the side of the board. “You are the worst paddleboarder ever,” she says.
“I kind of freaked out. Did you see where my board went?” Luke doesn’t raise his head to look, seemingly afraid to make any sudden movements.
Chloe points to the edge of the lake. Pushed into the tall grasses and already covered in a layer of algae is Luke’s board. “Let’s go get it,” Chloe says.
“Absolutely not. I will pay the replacement fee. If there is an alligator or a snake in this lake, that’s its little home over there, and I’m not going near it.”
“Luke. Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit? You were right earlier. If they knew there were deadly creatures in this lake, they wouldn’t set up a paddleboard business here.”
“I’m not risking it.”
“Well, how are we going to get back?” Chloe asks, thinking that the reverse Titanic situation isn’t going to work much longer. Chloe is holding on to the side of the board, but it is too far for her to swim, and Luke seems incapable of basic functioning.
“We’ll share your board,” Luke says, and he moves two inches to the side, hardly enough room for another person.
Chloe can’t think of another option. “Fine. Try to stay still.” She slowly pulls herself up on the edge of the board, instructing Luke to shift sideways and distribute the weight. All of her yoga strength pays off at the same time all of Luke’s obsessive neuroses come to light. The more Luke flails, the more likely they will both end up in the water, so Chloe spends equal amounts of energy trying to position herself and to settle Luke’s jerky movements.
Chloe manages to get one leg up on the board and wrap one arm around Luke’s waist, but the board tilts toward the water.
“Stop moving,” she tells him, but it seems like a pointless instruction because Luke’s eyes are shut and he is mumbling to himself something that sounds like a motivational mantra.
Slowly, she pulls her second leg out of the water and scoots toward the center of the board. There isn’t enough space for two normal-sized people, and with Luke’s long muscular body, there is nowhere for Chloe to put herself except practically on top of him.
It’s not exactly an unfamiliar position. How many mornings did they wake up exactly like this, Chloe wrapping herself around him as his eyes slowly opened and his hand swept her blonde hair out of her face? Except now, with every brush of their bodies, the warmth of his skin feels unfamiliar and terrifying.
When Luke finally opens his eyes and sees Chloe next to him, he seems to realize that maybe there are more dangerous things than alligators in lakes. Dangerous things like exes pressed up against one another, lips mere inches apart, and a wobbly board that requires bodies touching whether they like it or not.
Chloe feels Luke’s arm wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. His eyes never leave her face, staring with intensity. She can’t decipher whether it’s directed toward her or the situation. But when he reaches up and brushes a strand of her wet hair off her forehead, a motion he’s done a million times, Chloe’s eyes flutter closed. It’s a strange sensation, her body debating whether she wants to freeze time or teleport away.
When her eyes open, Luke whispers, “You’re here.”
She can barely manage a nod, the electricity of his body pressed against every inch of hers, his hand still cupping her face, as she wonders what will happen next. As she wonders what she wants to happen next.
Chloe swallows and sees Luke’s face moving forward. For a moment, it seems like he’s forgotten his anger. He’s forgotten that the person lying next to him is the person he claimed he never wanted to see again. It seems like he is just as drawn to her as he’s ever been. And despite the words they exchanged a year ago, their bodies remember the decade before and the magnetic pull they’ve never been able to deny.
Chloe is frozen as Luke’s lips hover above her own. But then, just as quickly as the moment came, it disappears, and Luke’s face whips away, creating the few inches of distance they can manage wrapped together on this single paddleboard.
Chloe takes a deep breath and finally says, “I’m going to stand.”
“Okay,” Luke murmurs in the other direction.
“You can sit,” she suggests. “I’ll handle the paddling.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” His words are mechanical, and immediately she knows that whatever happened, or almost happened, is over. For now.
Chloe stands and Luke hands her the paddle. After some maneuvering, they find their balance together. But she can’t quite manage to paddle without feeling like her ass is directly in his face, making this situation even more awkward than it already was. She decides sitting is better.
She mumbles an excuse about having more leverage when she’s on her knees.
Immediately her head whips around and Luke is fighting back a laugh.
“Don’t say it,” Chloe instructs.
“I wouldn’t dare,” he says through muffled laughter.
Luke sits with his legs spread in a wide V and Chloe is in the middle, her back to Luke’s stomach as she tries to paddle forward without leaning too much into his body. But they can’t help but brush against each other. And every time Chloe feels the firmness of Luke’s chest against the strings of her bikini top, she feels the unconscious tugs of memories of what he used to do in these situations.
The way his fingers would trail up and down her bare skin.
The way he would wrap his arms around her body, holding her close enough that the murmur of his heartbeat filled her ear.
The fact that he always made her feel safe in a fragile world.
Thankfully, Luke can’t see Chloe’s face and the redness creeping up her neck.
“This is torture,” she admits for more than one reason. It’s difficult to paddle two people, especially when the other person is almost twice your size.
“I know. Who would paddleboard for fun?” he says, his voice even, annoyingly unaffected by this situation.
“I’m not talking about paddleboarding, Luke.”
She lays the paddle in the middle of the board and carefully turns around, her face now inches apart from his.
“We have to talk. Now.”
Luke tilts his head sideways. “But then Sloane wins.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d planned every bit of this,” Chloe says. “She’s probably been subconsciously feeding into your hidden fears of alligators knowing we would be stranded on a single board.”
“Unlikely.” Luke’s eyes narrow, seemingly annoyed by Chloe’s reference to his obvious phobia. “But the fact that there is even a chance of that happening is credit to Sloane’s overall mastermind. Do you think any part of her life has ever gone off plan?”
Chloe hesitates before answering. “If it did,” she says, “I’d imagine it would be very difficult for Sloane to manage.”
“That’s an understatement.”
Chloe doesn’t say more. Instead she asks, “Can we talk about us?”
“There is no us ,” he states.
“I want to be your friend, Luke. I miss you, but I also miss everyone else.”
“Well, you should have thought of that.”
Her eyes narrow. “I should have accepted your proposal so I wouldn’t lose my best friends?”
“If you lost them, then maybe they weren’t your best friends,” Luke says.
This is the sinking moment she’s been trying to avoid. Because what he said is her worst fear vocalized, from the person who probably understands the situation the best.
“Is that what you think, Luke? Honestly. Sloane and Alden and Marianne and Wyatt don’t really care about me? They just pretended to be my friends for ten years because I was your girlfriend?”
Luke stares at Chloe, seeming to understand his comment’s impact on the person sharing a slender floating board in the middle of a lake. “A part of me wishes it was true,” he admits.
“Why?”
“Because it would make this thing between us easier.”
“What thing?”
“I don’t know what we are anymore, Chloe. We were never really friends. We were always more than that. Now I’m supposed to be in your life in some demoted role? I don’t see how that works.”
“And if I was just gone? If I lost every person that matters the most to me?” She barely whispers the words.
“It would make it easier for me. Yes. And I know that makes me an asshole.”
“It doesn’t make you an asshole.” Chloe adjusts herself and the board tips slightly. There’s panic on his face. She smiles. “It kind of makes you an asshole.”
“What do you think we should do?” Luke asks. It sounds genuine, but Chloe thinks maybe he’s just so desperate to get out of the lake.
“Other than talking about what happened last year?” she asks.
“You said no. That was all the talking that was required.”
“You don’t want an explanation? Everyone else is asking for one.”
He shrugs. “Then explain to them.”
“I’m not talking to our friends about something you and I haven’t even discussed. Everyone’s too involved in each other’s lives.”
“They need the explanation. I don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Are you happy, Chloe?”
“What do you mean?” She looks away. When she turns back, she finds that Luke’s eyes haven’t left her face.
“If you’re happy without me,” he says, swallowing before he continues, “then that’s all the explanation I need.”
She thinks about the last year. Leaving New York was scary because all she knew was her life with Luke. She was willing to follow him wherever he wanted to go. No adventure seemed out of reach with him at her side. Moving to New York, finding themselves wrapped up in the world of his investment banking job and all of the wealth and privilege and rules that world encompassed.
It wasn’t until she left that she realized the neglect of her own adventures.
“I’m trying,” she finally says. “I think I’m getting closer to happy.”
The side of his mouth turns up. He can’t manage a full smile. And Chloe doesn’t blame him. Because it’s not good news when someone tells you they’re happy without you.
Luke clears his throat and manages to reply. “Good.”
“What about you?” she tentatively asks. “Are you happy?”
“I’m working on it,” he says.
“If I hurt you, I’m sorry. That was never my intention.” She reaches for his hand and he lets her hold it, for a brief moment, before pulling back.
“I think I know that. Somewhere very, very deep inside.” Luke rubs his hand along his jawline. “Give me another year or so to fully realize it.”
“And until then?” Chloe asks, begging for an opening, some pathway forward.
“I don’t know. We get through this week and then agree to some sort of separate custody arrangement? Honestly, I think everyone else feels as awkward as we do. They’ll probably be relieved.”
Chloe looks away. “I don’t think Sloane will be relieved. And I don’t want separate custody.” Her brows furrow and her lips purse as her fingers trace the logo in the center of the board. When she looks up, Luke is imitating Chloe’s face, pursing his lips in an exaggerated fashion and squinting his eyes. She can’t help but laugh, the same way she’d always react when Luke would point out that Chloe is incapable of hiding her emotions.
She smiles as she says, “I think there’s a better solution.”
Luke smirks. “What’s that?”
“You said it earlier,” she points at his chest. “We were never just friends. We kissed the first night we met.”
“I tried to do a lot more than that.” Luke grins.
“I know,” she says as she pushes away the memory of that first night in her dorm, focusing on their current situation. “We need to start over.”
“How does that work?”
“At the beginning. We do the things that friends do. When they first meet. And we see if we can’t salvage something out of this disaster we’ve found ourselves in.”
“Any ideas of where to start?”
“Friends tell each other things,” she says.
Luke eyes her suspiciously. “Like what?”
“Why are you afraid of alligators?”
He shrugs. “No reason. Reasonable people fear alligators.”
She shakes her head. “This isn’t a normal fear. You’re completely freaked out in a very un-Luke way. Pretend I’m your friend. I just asked you a question. Tell me about your irrational fear of alligators.”
“No. I’m not telling you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“Why does that matter? I know millions of embarrassing facts about my friends. You don’t have to pretend with me. There’s no chance of us sleeping together. Tell me the embarrassing thing.”
“I see what you’re doing.”
“Good. I’m being pretty obvious about it.” Chloe waits for Luke to respond, but he sits in silence. “Tell me your embarrassing story,” she says in earnest.
“Fine. Promise not to laugh?” he asks.
“I don’t think I can make that promise,” she says. “But I promise to keep the reasons for your deep-seated fear a secret. I’m very good at keeping everyone’s secrets.”
As they paddle back to the rental stand, Luke tells Chloe about his childhood trip to Disney World, the terrifying Jungle Cruise ride, and the months of bedwetting alligator nightmares that followed before Luke’s mother made him see a child therapist whose experimental aversion therapy treatments seemed to only make the fear worse.
Chloe feels a ton of sympathy for child-Luke and cannot stop laughing at adult-Luke.
When they finally reach the sandy shore of the lake, Luke hops off the board, barely letting his feet touch the water before he unbuckles his life jacket and throws it on the ground.
As Chloe returns the paddle at the rental stand, the employee says, “Your friend arranged for a car to pick you guys up. It’s waiting over there.”
“Thanks,” Chloe says, smiling. Sloane is a manipulative mastermind, Chloe thinks, but sometimes all that planning works out. Because when Chloe looks over at Luke as he is nervously scanning the edge of the lake, and he sheepishly smiles in her direction, she thinks maybe this is a step in the right direction. Maybe Luke is finding a way to replace all that anger with something else.
When they get back to the house after a mostly silent car ride, four sets of eyes are focused on their entrance as they step inside. Sloane, Alden, Wyatt, and Marianne hesitate to speak, waiting to observe the dynamic between Chloe and Luke.
Chloe’s arms quiver as she drops her towel near the door. She knows she’s going to be sore the rest of the week and her eyes narrow in on Sloane.
“How did it go?” Sloane asks.
Luke steps forward. “After you abandoned us? After you left us alone in an alligator-infested lake?”
“You saw an alligator?” Sloane’s voice pierces the air.
“No. We did not,” Chloe quickly replies. “Luke was just afraid that there could be alligators in the water.”
Wyatt shrugs. “Seems like a legitimate fear. It is Florida.”
Chloe purses her lips. Through gritted teeth she says, “That’s not helping, Wyatt.”
“I told you, Chloe,” Luke says with confidence. “That was dangerous. And you were swimming in that lake.”
“You swam in the lake?” Sloane has a look of disgust on her face. “That wasn’t a smart choice.”
Chloe throws her hands in the air. “Paddleboarding was great,” she says. “I loved being in the water. But now I’m going to go take a shower.”
Chloe starts to walk away, but Sloane blocks her exit. “Wait. How did things go between you two?” Sloane gestures to Luke and Chloe. “You look less murder-y.”
Chloe looks at Luke and waits for him to speak. He stares at the floor before saying, “We’re fine.” His eyes meet Chloe’s as he says, “We’re friends.” She nods as he continues. “At least we’re trying to be.”
Chloe goes upstairs and Sloane follows. “No lake sex?”
Chloe rolls her eyes. “At the public lake? On a paddleboard? With my ex who hates me? No, Sloane. There was no lake sex. And if there was, why would I tell you, you manipulative ditcher?”
“You and Luke always hid away the good stuff. You’re too private,” Sloane says.
Chloe raises her eyebrows, and Sloane waves her hand dismissively.
“Okay, no sex,” Sloane says. “But a friendship is a start, right?”
“It’s a start,” Chloe says as she heads toward the shower.
Even though she’s the one who suggested it, Chloe wonders if she can be friends with Luke. Because in the past, they’ve loved each other and they’ve hated each other. And there’s never been an in-between.