Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
CHLOE
“Ari, keep it down. Your aunt is sleeping.” I can hear Mason trying to keep his voice low as he reprimands his daughter.
I turn over, not wanting to wake up. I almost forgot the horror of last night.
Did I really get kicked out of my flooded place last night?
Blinking my eyes open slowly, I take in the house I’m sleeping in.
Yep. I did.
Fuck.
Sitting up on the couch, I groan.
“Sorry. I was trying to keep the noise to a minimum,” Mason says apologetically.
“Auntie Chloe, you’re finally awake. I have been trying to wake you up forever.” Ari comes and jumps on me.
“Arianna Rose,” Liv says as she comes into the room. “We told you to leave her alone. You know what that means.”
Ari pouts. “No ice cream after school today.”
“That’s right. Now go get ready for school.”
She huffs as she climbs down and heads to her room.
I stand, stretching.
“You good?” Liv asks me.
“As good as I can be.”
She nods. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”
I go to the bathroom, doing my morning business and freshening up. I change into my work clothes, then head into the kitchen.
A pang of jealousy hits me as I look at my best friend and her family sitting at the kitchen table.
They had a rough road to get here. Arianna didn’t have her father in her life for the first several years of her life due to Mason’s crazy mother.
I helped raise that little girl, but I had to hand the reins off to Mason when he showed back up.
I don’t regret it, but sometimes I miss it. I didn’t feel so lonely when I was the one helping Liv. Now that she no longer needs me in that role, there’s an emptiness there.
Pushing my feelings away, I paste on a smile as I join them at the table. “Thank you, Liv, for breakfast.”
She laughs. “Mason made it.”
“Oh, well, then screw you. Thank you, Mason.” I smile at him.
“You’re welcome, Chloe. So what happened?” he asks.
“Mason. I told you not to ask,” Liv hisses at him.
“It’s fine. He should know since I stole your couch.
” I sigh, realizing I have to tell them everything.
“I’ve been going to the farmers’ market down on Hanover every Saturday.
There’s this little holistic vendor that sells all kinds of things.
Crystals and stuff. She also sells these really cool bath bombs.
They smell like the ocean and have seaweed and some other stuff.
I have no idea what all is in them, but I’ve been using them almost daily for the last year or so.
I guess it finally clogged up the pipes to the point one of them busted or something. I don’t know.”
Mason bursts out laughing. He’s practically falling out of his chair. Ari starts laughing too, not understanding why, but she likes to be included.
“Oh, you can go fly a kite. Laugh it up, buddy,” I tell him. “Sleep with one eye open.”
He continues to laugh as Liv attempts to hold off her own laughter.
“‘Et tu, Brute?’” I quote Julius Caesar, feeling a little betrayed by my best friend.
“You have to admit, it is quite funny.”
I glare at her before rolling my eyes. “Ari, honey, your daddy is a big ol’ meanie. Do you hear him making fun of your favorite Auntie Chloe?”
She is still giggling. “Daddy isn’t mean. He’s the nicest ever. I love him.”
My heart melts at her admission. She’s right. I used to think Mason was the devil, but he really showed up for Arianna and Olivia as soon as he knew Arianna existed. He is the type of man I hope I find. One hopelessly devoted to me.
I don’t think there are any more men like him out in the world.
“Anyway, the landlord kicked me out and told me not to come back. Not that I could stay there with the place water soaked. Most of my stuff is ruined. I need to go back and grab what can be salvaged,” I tell them.
Mason nods as his laughter dies down. “I can help you with that. Whatever you need.”
I shake my head. “You guys do enough for me. I can hire someone to help me.”
“Stubborn. Take the help,” Liv tells me.
“I’ll consider it,” I tell them. “I need to find a place to stay before I even consider getting my things anyway.”
“Obviously you stay with us,” Mason says without hesitation. “We can turn my office into a bedroom for you so you can get a little more of a peaceful sleep. We would be happy to have you.”
See, Mason is a walking green flag.
“Of course you are welcome here anytime. It’s no bother at all,” Liv adds in.
“I love you both for that. I really do, but I can’t stay here. You have routines and shit.” I look over at Ari. “I mean stuff.”
Ari says. “Oooh, swear jar. Daddy has to put a lot of money in there too.”
I laugh, loving the little girl.
“Well, you need somewhere to stay until you find a place. It’s not going to happen overnight. Where are you going to stay?” Liv asks.
“I don’t know. A hotel? Maybe your hotel?” I tell her, thinking about how much that is going to cost me.
Probably whatever savings I do have. It’s not much, but I’ll do what I have to.
Mason rubs his hand down his face. “Brantley is out of town with the team until next week. You could stay at his place until he gets back.”
A little shiver runs down my spine at the mention of Brantley. Whenever I see the man, we end up bickering. I act like I hate it, but it energizes me. I secretly love it.
“Absolutely not.”
Mason winces. “I thought you might say that. It’s a good option for you.
He’s not there. He has like four bedrooms that he doesn’t use.
It won’t cost you any money, so you could use that money you would have spent on a deposit on a new place.
I know you hate the guy, but he won’t even be there.
I’ll make sure to give you the heads-up when he’s coming home so you can leave and not have to see him. ”
“He wouldn’t want me at his place, and I won’t stay there without his permission,” I tell him.
“He will be happy to help. It’s what friends do. I will call him and let him know you will be there. I promise he won’t say a word. I’ll give you my key to use.”
I bit my lip, considering it. “He’s your friend. Not mine.”
Mason scoffs. “You are part of this friend group, so he’s your friend too, even if you don’t want to accept it. You’ll be staying at his place. It’s settled.”
“You’re not my daddy, Mase,” I joke.
He raises a brow. “No, I’m not. Doesn’t mean that you won’t listen.”
I sigh. “Fine, but only until he comes back. I’ll find a place by then.”
He nods. “Understood. I’ll give him a call.”
“I need to get to work anyway. I’ll stop by after work,” I tell him as I stand.
He leaves the room as I kiss Ari on the head. Then I go over to Olivia and give her a hug.
“Thank you for always having my back.”
She laughs. “Are you kidding me? You’re my baby daddy. Of course I have your back.”
We hug a little bit longer before she pulls back.
“You’re going to be okay,” she tells me.
“Thank you.”
As I leave, I wonder if she’s right.
Will I be okay?
brANTLEY
“You really need to get a better goalie. All the goalies you have are lacking the talent to stop a fucking puck,” the old fucker who thinks he knows hockey better than me says.
It’s the fifth person to offer me advice on my hockey team tonight. I wish I hadn’t come to the event at all, but my business adviser told me we need new sponsors. Most of them show up to these charity events.
Not that I mind helping out the charity. I would rather write a check, though. I don’t want to have to socialize with pretentious assholes that think because of the number in their bank account they are better than the rest of the world.
I have more than everyone in this room. I just don’t flaunt it.
Alas, my business adviser does not recommend funding my team all by myself. We have to play the game, and sponsors are a huge part of that.
My phone rings in my pocket. I pull it out, seeing Mason’s name on the screen.
“I’m so sorry, I have to take this.” I excuse myself from the man.
I’m out of earshot when I answer the phone. “Hold on. Let me get somewhere quiet.” I step out into the hall before I let out a sigh. “Man, you saved my ass. I owe you one.”
Mason chuckles. “I’m glad to hear that. Ready to pay up?”
“Ooh, does my favorite niece need another sleepover? I’m so happy to take her off of your hands. I can fly back right now,” I joke.
“Well, it is a sleepover of sorts. I gave Chloe a key to your house. She needs a place to stay for a few days.”
The mention of her name has my heart beating faster.
Chloe.
She’s an enigma. The way she sasses me gets my dick hard.
I shouldn’t feel that way about a woman who despises me, but ever since I met her, I’ve had a hard time finding another woman who captivates me the way she does.
Bantering with her is the highlight of my day.
I’ve tried to mimic it with some of the dates I’ve been on, but they never live up.
I even made one cry because I was being too mean. Her words. Not mine.
Alas, Chloe is the only person who seems to give it back to me as much as I give. She’s one hell of a woman. Whatever man manages to lock her down is going to have his hands full.
It’s sad that I’m jealous of some future asshole I’ve never met.
“Really, Mase? Am I even going to have a home to come back to?” I ask, acting put out.
“Don’t be like that, man.”
“The girl hates me. I’m sure she’s in my room cutting my underwear to shreds as we speak.” I lean against the wall.
“You would be wrong. She’s at work. She will be destroying your clothes this evening.” He laughs.
“Ugh, I wish you hadn’t offered up my place without talking to me,” I tell him, rubbing my hand down my face.
I don’t actually care that she’s there, but I’m never going to be able to look at my place the same again. I will imagine her in it long after she’s gone.
See, Mason doesn’t know about my little crush. I act like I hate Chloe because it seems like what she wants. The truth is, I’m so wildly attracted to her that I don’t know how to act around her. She’s unlike any other woman in my life, which throws me off balance.
“Wow. Sorry, bro. I didn’t realize you would feel so strongly. She’s part of our friend group, and usually you are the first to step up and offer your help when one of us is in need. I can give her a call and tell her I can’t find my key or something. I’ll figure something else out.”
“Wait,” I spit out. “Don’t. She can stay.”
Mason laughs “Good, because I already gave her the key. I knew you’d step up. You’re a good man.”
“Whatever,” I tell him. “Why does she need a place anyway?”
“Oh man, wait until you hear the story. I’ll let her tell you, though. Be easy on her. She’s had a few rough days,” he tells me.
“Is she going to be there when I get home?” I ask.
“If you ask her, no. I’m supposed to tell her when you are coming home so she can vacate. I don’t think she’s going to find a place in time, though. There’s nothing decent out there. I’ve already checked.”
“Why didn’t you put her up at the hotel?” I ask, glad he didn’t.
“I could have, but then how could she annoy you?” He laughs.
“No, really, she wouldn’t have accepted it.
She’s a proud woman. She would have tried to pay the front desk, and it would have been an issue.
Besides, if she’s going to be somewhere long term, she needs to be in a real home, not a hotel room. ”
I agree with him. I don’t like the idea of her at a hotel where any stranger could get to her. She’s safer with me.
“Did you give her the security code?” I ask.
“No. Fuck, when did you get a security system?” Mason asks.
“After those kids trashed the Corvette. I’ll text it over. Get it to her and let her know she will be safe there.”
“Will do. Thanks, man.”
“No problem. Oh, and Mason. Don’t let her know when I’m coming home. I want to surprise her.”
“Sure, man. Whatever you want. Don’t kick her out, though. She’s been through enough.”
I scoff. “Of course not. She can stay as long as she wants.”
I only hope that it’s long enough for me to penetrate those walls of hers.
“Brantley, you are supposed to be in here networking, not on your phone,” Louis says from the partially open ballroom door.
“I have to go. I’ll check in later,” I tell Mason.
“Of course. Thanks, man.”
I hang up the phone, turning to Louis. “Watch how you speak to me. You are my adviser, not my boss. I think you need to remember your place.”
Striding past him, I head back into the room, wondering how long until Chloe gets home.
Pulling up my cameras on my phone, I ensure they are all still working. I can’t wait to see what Chloe does in my home when she thinks I’m not there.
Yeah, this is going to be fun.