“Is that a lightbulb coming on?” Hannah asked with a grin.
Chloe wasn’t completely ready to accept that Nathan wasn’t just trying to make up for taking her sister away and trying to assuage his guilt. “Maybe?”
“Maybe?” Hannah echoed, her tone showing her disdain. “Why can’t you see it?”
“Why now? Why not back in college when I would have given anything for him to see me that way?” Doubts crowded in once again. “I think he’s just trying to ease the guilt he feels for being responsible for Lisa’s death. And who better to assuage it with than me? Lisa’s sister? Because if I forgive him, then he can go on his merry way and not think about her anymore.” Then, as her thought completed, she knew she’d done the right thing in telling him she wasn’t interested. “And then once I’ve fallen under his spell and forgiven him and he goes on his merry way, I’ll be left with a broken heart.” She shook her head. “No. I can’t do that.”
Hannah nodded. “All right. I can see why you’re reluctant.”
Tired of thinking about it, she turned the conversation in another direction.
Alone that evening, Nathan soaked in the jacuzzi in his parents’ backyard. Taking in the nighttime view, he reflected on his day. It had begun with so much promise—he’d enjoyed looking at cabinets with Chloe, then had loved watching her have a blast as she’d driven his car. And then she’d agreed to have lunch with him—albeit a business lunch. Even so, when they’d sat at that table together, it hadn’t felt like business. Not after that carefree car ride. It had almost felt like a date.
And then Misty had shown up. He admitted that he found her as stunning as ever. But the timing of her arrival couldn’t have been any worse. Fortunately, he’d managed to avert the disaster of Chloe walking out, but then they’d played that stupid game of Truth and now he’d committed to never asking her out again.
Of course it was the right thing to do—if she didn’t want him asking her out, he had to respect that. But, oh, how he wanted much more than mere friendship with her. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t get her gorgeous smile and twinkling eyes and bubbly personality out of his mind. Why hadn’t he noticed those things before? But he knew why. He’d been too focused on having a good time to pay attention to what was right in front of him. And now it was too late because she clearly still held Lisa’s death against him.
It was like perfect karma that now that he’d found someone he really connected with, someone he knew didn’t care about his wealth, someone who actually cared about him, that person was out of reach all because Lisa had come on that cruise. And even though he’d survived that terrible shipwreck, his chance of finding true happiness seemed to be slipping through his fingers. It was like he’d survived only to be punished later for that very survival.
“Hey there, handsome,” a sexy female voice said from behind him.
Startled, Nathan turned to see who the voice belonged to, although he already knew, and when he saw Misty standing beside the jacuzzi, he had to work to hide the mix of surprise and annoyance.
“Hey,” he said, moving to a different seat in the jacuzzi so he was facing her.
She was wearing a sleeveless dress, and as she slipped off her sandals and moved to the edge of the jacuzzi, Nathan wondered what she was doing there.
“Mind if I join you?” she asked as she pulled her dress up to her knees, sat on the edge of the jacuzzi, letting her bare legs dangle into the steaming water.
“Not at all,” he said, half-meaning it. Any hope of more than friendship with Chloe—and even that was strained at times—didn’t seem possible. But that didn’t mean he had to be completely alone. Misty was clearly interested, and to be honest, he was lonely. Desperately lonely.
Misty slowly swished her legs in the water. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you at the restaurant how thrilled I was when I heard that you’d been found.”
That was more than Chloe had ever said to him, and his heart warmed at Misty’s words.
“Thank you. I appreciate that. I really do.”
Misty smiled the smile that he’d fallen for back in college, but even so, it didn’t have the effect on him that Chloe’s smile did. Chloe’s came from somewhere deep inside, lighting up her entire countenance and brightening Nathan to his very core every time he saw it.
But Chloe wasn’t there. She hadn’t come to see him, hadn’t told him how thrilled she was that he was alive. For the most part, she barely seemed to tolerate him. No, he needed to focus on who was sitting in front of him and stop thinking about Chloe James.
Chapter Eighteen
A week later, while sitting at her desk, Chloe received an email from Hannah.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen this or if you even want to know about it, but I think you should.
Love you!
Hannah
Chloe clicked on the link that Hannah had included, which took her to a website that featured stories and pictures of celebrities. Staring back at her was the smiling face of Nathan. With his arm around Misty’s waist. Nathan wore a tux and Misty wore a stunning emerald-green ball gown. Her blonde hair was swept up in a sophisticated chignon and diamonds dripped from her ears. The story said the couple had attended a charity event together the night before and there was speculation that Nathan had a new girlfriend.
Staring at the photo, Chloe felt her heart contract with jealousy and frustration, but the frustration was aimed at herself. If she’d accepted even one of Nathan’s invitations to go out, perhaps it could have been her standing by his side at the charity event.
He would like that, she told herself. Because then he could show the world that the sister of the dead girl wasn’t holding her death against him.
Why did she believe so strongly that Nathan had ulterior motives in asking her out? Resting her chin on her cupped hand, she thought it over. Then a swell of feelings crashed over her and she knew. In all the years she’d known him, he’d never once shown any romantic interest in her. It was suspicious that he suddenly had that interest now. She didn’t trust him. Not like she had before.
Softly sighing, she closed the website and turned her focus back on what she had been doing, which was creating a design for another client. Which reminded her. She needed to go to Nathan’s house that afternoon and check on the progress.
That afternoon when Chloe pulled up to Nathan’s house, it was clear that much was happening. Several trucks were parked in the driveway, and after Chloe parked her car and walked toward the house, she could hear power tools. Excited to see how much the workers had gotten done since she’d stopped by several days earlier, she strode through the open door with a smile.
The moment she walked in, her eyes were drawn to the far side of the spacious room where floor to ceiling sliding doors captured the magnificent view of the green hills spread out below the property. Walking across the room, which had yet to have the flooring installed, Chloe approached the sliding doors and inspected the work-in-progress backyard. A spacious patio with a coffered ceiling above it was going in outside the sliders. An outdoor kitchen and a large fireplace would be going in as well. And nearby, an infinity pool was being installed. The backyard would be an oasis. Nathan would love it.
Then an image of Misty crowded into her mind. Would she come over and enjoy all of the amenities as well? Bristling at the idea that all of Chloe’s hard work would be enjoyed by another woman, Chloe had to mentally shake herself and let that old mantra—he’s a client, just a client—fill her mind.
“What do you think?” Keith said from behind her.
Chloe spun around and smiled at the contractor. “It’s looking fabulous. Nathan will love it.”
Keith grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” Then he frowned. “We do have a problem though. I was about to call you so I’m glad you came by.”
A pit of dread filled her stomach. It seemed that there was always some sort of problem on these large projects. “What is it?”
Keith m
otioned with his head for her to follow him. She did, and after a moment they entered a nearby room where Keith used a screwdriver to poke at an exposed stud on an exterior wall. The wood had long grooves in it and the screwdriver went right into it like the wood was soft and brittle
“Termites?” Chloe asked. This wasn’t the first time she’d worked on a house that had the issue.
“Yep.”
“Great.”
“We’ll have to stop work and tent the house then replace all of these studs as well as look for other places where damage has to be repaired.”
Trying not to roll her eyes, she said, “Wonderful.”
“Just give me the word and we’ll move forward on mitigation and repairs.”
Chloe knew she should tell Nathan what was going on but she dreaded making the call. They hadn’t spoken since going to lunch the week before, and now that the old familiar feeling of being overlooked in favor of someone else was back, she really didn’t want to have to face him.
He’s a client, just a client.
Yeah, right.
She smiled at Keith. “Go ahead and get started and I’ll let Nathan know what’s going on.”
“At least the cost shouldn’t be a problem for him,” Keith said with a smirk.
That was true. Usually these kinds of unexpected expenses meant forgoing other changes.
Knowing she had no choice but to call Nathan, Chloe left Keith to deal with the issue and headed toward the front door. But the need to call Nathan vanished when she found him looking out the floor to ceiling sliders. And standing right beside him wearing a stylish outfit and looking gorgeous was Misty.
Their backs were to Chloe, which gave her a moment to gather herself before making her presence known. She also took that moment to look Nathan over. He was wearing dark jeans and a blazer, which emphasized his broad shoulders and narrow waist.
“Hello,” Chloe said, and when Nathan turned and saw her, his eyes lit up and a broad smile curved his mouth.
Rather surprised that he seemed so genuinely happy to see her, she wondered if she should re-evaluate her assumptions. Maybe his interest in her was sincere? Then Misty slid her arm around Nathan’s waist in a possessive manner, shoving down any softened feelings that Chloe had begun to have.
When Nathan had decided to come by and see how things were looking at his house, he’d hoped he would run into Chloe, although he hadn’t really thought she would be there. So, when Misty had insisted on coming with him to see the house, he’d agreed. Now though, with Chloe standing right there looking beautiful in her form-fitting slacks and sky-blue shirt that matched her eyes, he really, really wished he’d told Misty no.
Ah well. It was too late now. Then Misty put her arm around his waist like he was her boyfriend. They’d gone out a couple of times but that was it. Though he only wanted friendship with her, he knew she was hoping for more. And honestly, being around someone who so desperately wanted to be with him lifted his spirits.
“Hi, there,” Nathan said to Chloe. Then, wanting to extricate himself from Misty’s embrace, he turned to the side to look out the floor to ceiling sliders, and to his relief, Misty’s arm fell away. He stepped closer to the sliders, then turned to look at Chloe. “Putting these in was a stroke of genius.”
“Thanks,” she said with a smile. “I’m really pleased with the way they turned out.”
“The view is amazing,” Misty said as she moved to Nathan’s side before beaming an adoring smile on him. “I can’t wait to see the rest of the house.”
Not wanting to be rude, Nathan smiled at her, but then he shifted his attention back to Chloe, who he caught looking at Misty with slightly narrowed eyes.
Why had Nathan brought Misty there? But the answer was obvious—because it was his house. Chloe only felt possessive over it because it was her project.
“Will you give me a tour?” Misty asked Nathan with that adoring look that was beginning to get on Chloe’s nerves.
“Sure,” he said as he smiled at her.
“Before you go…” Chloe began, glad she had something of substance to discuss with Nathan that had nothing to do with Misty. In fact, she pictured a look of disgust that was sure to cross Misty’s face at the word termite.
“Yeah?” Nathan said, his eyes focused completely on Chloe.
“Keith ran into a problem today that I wanted to let you know about.”
Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed. “Okay.”
“Evidently there’s an issue with termites.” Chloe’s gaze shifted to Misty, and just as she’d suspected, Misty had scrunched up her nose as if she’d found one of the critters nestled in her salad. Chloe held back a snort of laughter.
“That’s not good.”
Chloe focused back on Nathan. “Keith has it under control.” Then she explained how the problem would be dealt with.
“Sounds like you two are on top of it.”
“Absolutely.”
Nathan smiled at her, his gray eyes watching her intently, and for a moment it felt like it was just the two of them.
“I’d love to see the house,” Misty said, destroying the moment.
Nathan turned to her. “I think Chloe should give us a tour.” He looked Chloe’s way. “Then she can tell you what it’s going to look like.”
Spending another minute with Misty—let alone the half hour a tour would take—sounded like torture. Then Chloe reminded herself that Nathan was the client, so she plastered a smile onto her mouth, swept her arm out in a Right this way gesture, and said, “Please. Come this way.”
After Misty walked past her, Chloe couldn’t help throwing Nathan a glare. She hadn’t meant for him to see it, but his gaze had shifted to her at just that moment, and when their eyes met, his eyebrows shot up in question.
Forcing her lips to yank upward into the semblance of a smile, she turned her back on him and followed Misty, saying, “To your left is where the kitchen will be.”
Chapter Nineteen
What was that glare all about? Nathan wondered as he listened to Chloe go into great detail about where the cabinets, appliances, and two sinks would go.
Was Chloe annoyed that he’d brought Misty to his house? It sure seemed that way. But what the heck? She’d flat-out told him to stop asking her out, so she obviously had no romantic interest in him.
Confused, his gaze went to Misty, who was beginning to look bored by all that Chloe was explaining.
Then Nathan shifted his gaze to Chloe, who seemed on the verge of smirking. And then he knew. She was trying to drive Misty away with her deluge of details. A laugh climbed Nathan’s throat and he had to cough to stop its progress.
Misty’s phone rang in her purse.
“Excuse me,” Misty said with a look of relief as she hurried into another room.
When he and Chloe were alone, Nathan couldn’t stop himself from saying, “I don’t think you need to go into quite so much detail.”
A look of feigned innocence blossomed on her face and she touched her chest with her hand. “You don’t think I’m boring her, do you?”
Now Nathan couldn’t stop his chuckle. “Maybe a little.”
Chloe’s lips pursed as she shrugged. “So sorry.”
Nathan grinned. “No you’re not.”
A devilish smile curved Chloe’s mouth. “No, I’m not.” Then a look of chagrin came over her like she’d just remembered that she was working for him. “I’ll try to keep the rest of the tour brief.”
He was about to tell her that it was actually pretty entertaining to watch, but before he opened his mouth, Misty came back in the room and stopped in front of Nathan. “I apologize, love, but I have to get going.” Her attention was completely on him. It was as if Chloe wasn’t in the room. That bothered Nathan. He didn’t much like her calling him love either. She never had before. Was she trying to make a point to Chloe? Did she feel threatened by Chloe?
Nathan had to hold back a frown. Misty should feel threatened by Chloe because Chloe was th
e one he wanted to be with. Not Misty. Too bad Chloe didn’t feel the same.
“Can you take me back to your office so I can get my car?” Misty asked him.
He preferred to stay with Chloe so he made a split-second decision. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the key fob to his Lamborghini and held it out to Misty. “Take my car and leave it at the office. I’ll pick it up later.”
Misty looked at the key fob in his hand, then she looked at him, and then she glanced at Chloe before meeting his gaze again.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
Nathan had no doubt she wanted him to come with her, but he had other plans. “I need to check out the issue with the termites.”
A look of disgust swept across her pretty face, but there was nothing she could do. She had already stated that she had to leave. With a look of uncertainty, she lifted the key fob from his hand, then she smiled coyly at him and slid her hand into his. “Walk me out?”
“Sure.” With that, he let her lead him to the front door.
The moment Chloe heard the door close, she hustled to the front window. She had to know if Nathan would kiss Misty. Why she felt the need to spy on them, she didn’t know. Maybe she just wanted to torture herself.
Hoping the men working on the house would stay where they were in other parts of the house and not notice what she was doing, she stood off to one side of the front window where she could see Nathan and Misty and hopefully not be seen.
Hand in hand, they strolled to Nathan’s metallic blue Lamborghini, stopping next to the driver’s side. They chatted for a few moments and then Nathan opened the wing-door, which completely blocked them from Chloe’s view. Mouth falling open as she made a scoffing sound, Chloe didn’t know what to do. Eager to see what was happening, she moved to a different place, but still couldn’t see anything. That darn door was too big and they were standing in just the right spot to remain hidden.
The Missing Billionaire Page 8
