by Wendy Smith
I nod toward them.
“Sarah’s been looking forward to you coming to dinner, Hunter.” Her eyes flash with mischief, and I swallow down how uncomfortable that makes me. I’m not even sure why; Hunter’s not my date.
“Stop it.” Sarah blushes and meets my gaze briefly. I turn my head to see Hunter’s in conversation with Darren, and has either missed this whole exchange or doing a really good job of pretending he did.
“Chloe’s husband was best friends with Hunter when we were at school. I’m sure she has plenty of info on Hunter if you’re still interested.” Meredith smiles.
She turns to me and grasps my arm. “I was sorry to hear about Scott. And even more sorry that I upset you the other night.”
I swallow hard. “It’s fine. I should be used to it by now.”
“Darren dug up Scott’s obituary online. I wish we’d known. We would have made the trip.”
“Thanks, Meredith.” I’m shaking a little, but I clench and relax my hands a few times to even out.
“But I’m happy you’re home again. Maybe we can hang out.”
I nod. “I’d like that.”
She lets me go. “And now I have to go and check on dinner. If you’ll excuse me.”
I exhale slowly.
“Chloe. Would you like a drink? I have beer and a few different spirits.” Darren walks toward me.
“A beer would be great, thanks. I’m not driving.” I grin.
He laughs. “Sounds good. I’ll get you one. Hunter?”
“Just a juice if you’ve got one. I am driving.” Hunter shoots me a pointed look, and all I can do is laugh.
“Sorry. I could drink a juice in solidarity.”
“Have a beer. Enjoy yourself.” He chuckles.
Darren’s gaze flickers between us. He seems to be biting down a smile. “Beer and a juice coming right up.”
I take a deep breath as he leaves the room, and we’re left with Sarah and Russell.
“It’s good to meet you two,” Hunter says.
Sarah moves closer. “We’ve met before.”
“Have we? I’m sorry if I can’t remember.”
Her expression darkens before she breaks into a brilliant smile. “I’ll just have to remind you.”
I drop my gaze. It’s really obvious what she wants, and it makes me a little uncomfortable. I mean, Hunter can hook up with whomever he likes, but I don’t want to see it.
“Here we go.” Darren heads straight to me and hands me a Corona bottle before giving Hunter his juice. “How are you settling back into town, Chloe? Good?”
“It has been. The house is perfect, and we’re mostly unpacked.”
“Is it good to be home?”
I glance at Hunter. “It’s really good. I think it’s been the right thing for us to do.” I take a sip of my beer. “Our old house was getting to be a bit much. We’re going to form some new memories here.”
“Dinner’s nearly done, so maybe we should take a seat.” Meredith smiles as she walks into the room, guiding us toward the dinner table.
“Hunter, you’re here between me and Sarah. Chloe, you’re on the other side next to Russell,” Meredith says. “I’ll just serve dinner.”
I exchange a glance with Hunter and smile. His tight-lipped expression shows he’s not as okay with this as me. But this isn’t a date, and even though he’s already become my rock, I need to stand on my own two feet.
He’s still right across the table from me.
Sarah’s pretty glamorous in comparison to me. I’m not even wearing makeup, just a bit of lip gloss, but she looks like she walked out of a magazine.
I don’t even know why I’m thinking that. It’s not a competition.
She flashes me a smile before she takes a seat beside Hunter.
My cheeks burn, and I dip my head to avoid eye-contact.
“Are you okay, Chloe?” Darren asks.
I look up. “I’m fine. I don’t get out of the house often, so this is nice.”
He smiles at me. Apart from Hunter, Scott didn’t have a lot of close friends other than me. And I was a bit of a loner other than Scott. It’s wonderful to be welcomed into Darren and Meredith’s home when we weren’t close previously.
“You’re welcome any time.”
I watch as he disappears into the kitchen behind his wife.
“Chlo.”
I shift my gaze to Hunter.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What is it with you guys asking me?”
He shrugs. “Just checking.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m okay.”
His gaze stays on me, and I brush my hands down my skirt, smoothing the fabric and taking a deep breath.
“How’s business, Hunter? You work in security, don’t you?” Sarah asks.
He turns his head and nods. “Business is good.”
She smiles, and then her unimpressed gaze hits me. I smile sweetly back, pick up my handbag where I’ve dropped it on the floor beside me, and pull out my coconut lip gloss. It’s a nervous habit to apply it more often, and I’m aware of it, but I figure it’s pretty harmless.
I pop the lid, place my index finger in the container and scrape some over my lips. The familiar scent helps calm me, but when I look up and see Hunter’s gaze focussed on my mouth, the effects are reversed. I smack my lips together and throw the gloss back in my bag.
“Here we go.” Meredith says, and she and Darren place plates in front of us containing pasta with a creamy chicken sauce.
“Looks great. Thank you.” I smile at Meredith.
I wait until she and Darren join us with their own plates before picking up my knife and fork.
“It’s Darren’s favourite. Hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
She smiles at me, and I cut a slice of chicken. It’s full of flavour and I nod, moaning at the taste. “That’s so good.”
“I’ll give you the recipe if you’d like.”
“My boys would love this.”
“Chloe’s boys even eat my cooking. They’ll love the crap out of his.”
I laugh at Hunter’s comments. “To be fair, you’re a good cook too.”
Meredith looks between us. “You two have been having dinners together?”
“Hunter helped me out the other day.” I scoop another piece of chicken and pasta into my mouth. It really is delicious. “I wasn’t feeling well, so he fed my boys while I had a nap.”
“Are you okay now?”
I nod. “The whole move has just been exhausting. Physically and mentally.”
“I’m sure.”
We continue to eat in silence for a little while before Sarah sparks up a low conversation with Hunter. He glances at me before turning toward her. I know he’s feeling a little protective after the other day, and I appreciate it. But she really is pretty, and the two of them would look good together.
That thought doesn’t help my unease.
“So, what do you do?” Russell asks.
I turn toward him. “I’m a writer.”
He smiles. “Really? Would I know any of your books?”
“I write mystery thrillers under the name C Cooper.”
Meredith touches my hand. “I couldn’t help overhearing. Those are your books?”
I sit up straight. “They sure are.”
“I love them. I think I’ve got all of them.” She smiles.
“Really? Don’t tell me what you think.” I laugh.
“They’re so good. The twists always get me. Where does all that come from?”
I shrug. “The real world is a pretty twisted place.”
Meredith cocks her head. “That’s true. And dark.”
“Some years are darker than others.” My writing changed a lot after Scott died. I found myself delving deeper to create stories that sold better than anything I’d written before. It took a couple of years for that darkness to lift, and by then I could almost write what I wanted and it would sell.
>
No one knew who I was, and I didn’t hide it, but I also didn’t do book tours. No one cared as long as my books sold, and I got privacy with my kids.
“Yes, some years are darker than others.”
Across the table, Sarah flicks her dark hair, and leans in.
I’ve seen this before. It conjures up memories of the first dinner Scott and I had with the partners of the law firm he worked for in the UK. His co-worker had sat across the table and flirted with him, but Scott had smiled and stayed focussed on me, his wife.
Hunter doesn’t do the same. Of course he doesn’t. His attention’s on Sarah as she talks to him, his long fingers stroking his thick beard. The rumble of his deep voice resonates, but I can’t hear what he’s saying with their conversation so quiet.
“So, you’re good with words.” Russell’s voice knocks me out of my stupor.
I shrug. “I guess. When the mood strikes.”
I’m not sure what it is about him, but I’m not at ease with this guy.
I freeze when Russell’s warm hand lands on my knee. “I’d love to hear more. Maybe I could interest you in going for a drink sometime.”
Brushing my skirt down, I push his hand away. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think so.”
I’m not interested. This guy is making my skin crawl.
“How do I change your mind?”
His hand is back, and I suck in a breath. I learned a long time ago that while most men aren’t dickheads, there are definitely those who decide, because you’re alone, that it means you’ll sleep with anyone.
The assumption seems to double when you’re a single mother.
“Look, Russell. I’m sure you’re very nice, but I’m not interested.”
I shove his hand away more forcibly this time. It’s under the table, and I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to it, but that doesn’t mean he has any right to put his hands on me.
I feel Hunter’s presence before I even notice he’s on his feet.
“Get up.” Hunter looks past me and at Russell.
“What?” Russell laughs.
“Get up and away from Chloe. Do you think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?”
I look up at Hunter. “It’s okay. I took care of it.”
“There should have been nothing to take care of. We’re swapping seats.”
My cheeks burn as Russell holds up his palms. “Chloe and I were just talking.”
“You don’t need your hand on her knee to talk to her. How many times did she have to move it?”
All I can do is stare at Hunter. Across the table, and with all the chatter, he can’t have had a clear view of what happened, but he must have been paying attention.
And then he reaches down and squeezes my shoulder.
My heart goes into overdrive, fluttering like a butterfly. I can barely focus on what happens next as Russell rises and Hunter takes his place.
What the hell just happened?
And it’s not just my heart. It’s as if a light bulb went off above my head as I stare at Hunter. He’s swapping plates across the table and seems oblivious to me watching as my whole body tingles.
What would it be like to be with Hunter?
I always had a soft spot for him, but never saw him as anything other than a friend. Seeing him again after so long is, in a way, like coming home. He’s matured, and become even more handsome than I remember, but he just has that familiarity about him which has made it easy to slip into that friendship.
But now I’m seeing him in a different light.
“Are you okay, Chloe?”
I swallow hard and look over to see him smiling at me. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
He shoots me a grin, picks up his knife and fork in those large hands of his, and begins to eat his dinner again.
I can barely focus while looking at those hands. What would it be like to have them on me? I’m not sure I’m going to be able to finish dinner.
I spent the first half of the meal focussing on fending off Russell. But Hunter is a whole other distraction. He’s eating and taking part in the dinner conversation, but all I can think about is what he did.
And being with him.
He forks a piece of chicken into his mouth, and I’m captivated by how his jaw works beneath his beard. It looks so soft that I squeeze my knife and fork tight to refrain from reaching out and touching it.
I turn back to my meal, but not without glancing at Sarah. The irritation in her eyes makes my stomach flip.
“Chloe, you said earlier you have children?” Meredith asks.
I turn my head, just blinking for a moment as her words sink in. Speak, Chloe.
“Uhh. Yes, I do. Twin boys.”
She smiles. “Are they like you or Scott?”
“So much like Scott in looks. If you compare them to Scott as a teenager, you can so see the resemblance. But Braden is more like me in personality, where Xander is very Scott.”
“Have you got photos?”
“Sure.” I reach down into my bag and pull out my phone. Finding the most recent one, I hand it over to Meredith. “Braden on the left, Xander on the right.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh my goodness. They’re so big. How old are they?”
“Recently turned sixteen. And both much taller than I am.”
“Both pretty good at cricket too. I discovered Chloe was living next to me when they broke my kitchen window,” Hunter says.
Meredith’s mouth falls open. “No. That’s so funny.”
“Wasn’t at the time, but then I realised who it was. But they’re really good kids.”
I bite my lip and find his brown eyes glistening as the corners of his mouth tug upward. His jaw twitches, and I struggle to look away from the chiselled contours of his face.
“That’s wonderful.” Meredith hands me back my phone.
I blink and focus on the screen. “Thank you.”
“And you’ve always got that bit of Scott with you,” she adds.
Clenching my phone, my chest tightens. “Every day.”
Smiling to myself as I drop my phone back into my bag, I’m so proud of my boys. And even though it’s rare for me to have a night out, I miss them.
“You should bring them with you next time. They’re older than our kids, but I’m sure it’ll be good for them to meet more people.”
I nod. “That would be great. Braden will probably love that. Xander tends to keep to himself.”
She tilts her head. “Not unlike his dad.”
“They look identical, but they’re not hard to tell apart,” Hunter says.
I laugh. “I still get caught out sometimes, but generally it’s pretty easy.”
My heart swells thinking of my boys, and even though they’ll be in their rooms back home, missing them hits me right in the chest.
They drive me nuts at times, but being apart from them has always been hard.
After dinner and Meredith’s Pavlova for dessert, we all sit in the living room once again. I’m on one end of the couch, Hunter in the middle, with Sarah on his other side.
She’s still flirting with him, but I’m trying not to pay attention.
“Chloe.”
I turn toward Hunter.
“Want to head home? I’m sure you want to check on the boys.”
I clasp my hands. “That would be great.”
He stands and I follow suit.
“Going so soon?” Meredith asks.
“I have some work to do, and I’m sure Chloe wants to get home to her kids.”
Meredith places her hand on my arm. “We should catch up.”
“I’d like that. Want my number?”
“I already got it from Hunter. I’ll give you a call, and we’ll go out for coffee.”
“Sounds good.”
“See you later, Chloe.” Darren doesn’t hold back. His arms are around me before I know it, and he kisses my temple.
“Thanks for everything.” I say.
“Any time. We
’d love to meet your boys.”
My heart warms at the thought. “We’ll definitely have to arrange that.”
Saying our final goodbyes, we make our way to Hunter’s car. He opens the door for me, and my heart flutters all over again.
“I don’t know about you, but I really didn’t want to stick around any longer. I can’t believe that guy had the nerve to put his hands on you.” There’s still edginess to his voice.
“He was a creep.” I shudder. “Thank you.”
He fixes his dark-eyed gaze on me. “What for?”
“For what you did. It was … pretty cool.”
He grins. “I’m a pretty cool guy.”
That smile. I recognised Hunter the instant I saw him at the reunion despite all the changes in him. His face is more weathered behind the beard, and I think he hides a lot behind it. But that smile always did light up a room.
And now it’s lighting up my heart.
I’m crushing on Hunter Emerson and I like it.
He starts the car, and we pull out into the street.
I don’t want this part of the night to end.
Looking out of the window, we pass house after house, each building a blurry reel of bricks and picket fences.
“You okay?” Hunter asks.
I turn to look at him. “I enjoyed myself for most of the evening.”
He sighs loudly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from that.”
“I’m a big girl, Hunter.”
He glances at me. “I know, but I feel responsible for you. Scott would have killed me if I ever let anything happen to you.”
My cheeks burn. Maybe he’s not interested. Maybe this is all just out of some sense of duty to his boyhood friend.
I turn my head away again and go back to looking out the window.
“Scott always was a lucky bastard.” He laughs as I swing my gaze back to him. “What? Russell’s a jerk who needs to keep his hands to himself. But you have always been gorgeous, Chloe. Inside and out.”
I swallow hard.
He takes a deep breath like he’s about to say something else, but then he doesn’t and I can’t stop looking at him.
