Chapter 35
THE AGENT
CHLOE
Marie
Gahhh! Stuck in traffic!
You can go inside our new place without me.
You sure? I can wait.
It’s looking like a two-hour jam.
Go ahead. Just be ready to help me pump up our air mattresses whenever I finally get there.
Deal.
Istepped off the elevator and rolled my suitcase next to the stack of others we’d left in the hallway.
Walking over to our new door, I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open to our new lives.
As I hit the lights, my jaw dropped to the floor.
Warm amber lighting glowed beneath the kitchen cabinets, soft jazz drifted through hidden speakers, and the entire condo smelled faintly like vanilla and fresh linen.
For one stupid second, I actually wondered if I’d walked into the wrong life.
This place was supposed to be bare and unfurnished, but cream-colored and gray chaises and chairs stood guard in our living room.
Complementing drapes hung high over the windows, and grayscale photos of Marie and me were framed on the walls.
What the…
I double-checked to make sure the number on my door was correct and that the key matched before taking another step forward.
The kitchen was fitted with designer appliances, and every drawer I pulled open was filled with cutlery or cooking tools.
Swallowing, I walked down the hallway and peered inside the first bedroom, which was Marie’s.
With rustic pink accents and soft white walls, its thirty-pillowed bed looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel, and the plush seating area was exactly Marie’s taste.
When I made it to the master bedroom, I froze.
Plucked straight from my dream Pinterest board, a beautiful gray carriage bed stood guard next to a sleek glass desk and a chaise that bore my name on its fabric.
The throw blanket folded across the bed was the exact shade of gray I’d once told Dante made me feel calm.
Even the candles on the nightstand were my favorite brand.
Oh my god…
Returning to the living room, I spotted the model of The Holden in the corner.
It was the model that Dante and I had agreed on long ago.
Next to it, on a small glass table, stood a tall vase with orchids and an envelope that read “To Chloe. From Dante.”
“Oh my god!” Alyssa rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you so much for buying this place instead of renting. The commission on this is going to cover the rest of my year!”
“What do you mean buying this?”
“Oh come on!” She pulled back. “No need to be modest at this point, Miss Sterling. I see why you were being so weird at our last few showings now.”
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Okay.” She winked before handing me the other set of keys. “I’ll play along with your game. I hope you enjoy your lifetime rental.”
“You’re really starting to worry me…”
“I think it was smart of you to pay all the condo fees twenty years upfront,” she said. “If I had that much in my savings, I’d do the same thing.”
Before I could ask her what the hell she was talking about, she picked up the contract folder and held it out to me.
“I’ll be back up with your final welcome documents, okay?”
“Okay…”
She rushed away and left me standing still, more confused than ever.
Not even five minutes passed before she knocked at the door.
“Coming!”
When I opened it, my breath caught at the sight of Dante.
“Give me two minutes,” he said quietly. “Please, Chloe…”
For the first time since I’d met him, Dante Hudson looked genuinely unsure of himself.
I nodded, opening the door wider.
“Look.” He grabbed my hands. “I fucked up with you, and I’m sorry. You don’t have to forgive me on the spot, but you do have to accept everything here and see it as me trying to get you back…”
I didn’t say anything.
I just stared at him.
“I know we weren’t together that long, but it was definitely a relationship, and I miss you like you wouldn’t fucking believe.” He caressed my fingers. “I think about you all damn day and night, and I’ve lost count of all the messages and texts I’ve sent you, but I don’t blame you for ignoring me.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and he gently pulled me closer.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Chloe.” He wiped away a stray tear. “Please tell me you’ll consider giving me a second chance.”
“I’ll have to think about it.” My voice cracked. “It depends on a few things.”
“Like what?”
“Is that model in my living room accurate?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not going to suddenly change your mind and call me crazy for believing it to be real?”
“It’s been on the news all week,” he said. “You haven’t seen it?”
“No…” I sucked in a breath as his fingertips brushed away a few more tears.
“What else do you need to think about?” he asked.
“How much time do I need to stand here and make you think there’s a chance I might not say yes…”
“Five seconds.”
“That sounds more than fair…”
His hand slid against my waist slowly, like he was still waiting for me to change my mind.
I tried to hold onto my irritation for at least another second, but the moment he pulled me against his chest, it shattered.
He kissed me hard and pulled me down to the floor, making me remember just how perfect his mouth felt against mine.
The End