Troy hedged. Ronnie had just told him how much Mom was looking forward to all this. “I’ll try a few more, but then I have to go.”
Chapter 12
Chloe
Chloe only half-listened as Teresa finished the story of the time Grady took Ronnie to the hospital to get her tonsils out. He was a teenager and Ronnie was much too young for him back then, but he’d taken good care of her.
She steeled herself not to look at the dessert display, where Amy was feeding Troy bites of cheesecake and chocolate like he was a puppy begging for scraps. A stress headache started to form behind her right eye. She couldn’t help but look; it was the train-wreck phenomenon. Even though she knew she wouldn’t like what she saw, she couldn’t not look. Amy was licking the back of a fork, her eyes all come-hither and her hand snaking up Troy’s arm.
Fueled by her indignation, Chloe scooted her chair back. “Excuse me.” She left the table, embarrassed because she’d been rude and not said goodbye and because her so-called fiance was fawning over another woman, and headed for the door. The vans were still parked outside and Brian had said they could shuttle people back and forth to the Starry Skies Bed & Breakfast or the house as needed. Well, she needed to get out of there.
If she was Troy’s real fiancée, he would have humiliated her by flirting with his ex-girlfriend. As it was, Chloe would be happy to pop his tires. She yanked her coat off the rack by the front doors and stormed into the night. Glaring at Troy’s truck, she contemplated following through with the ill-begotten plan, but decided against it. Amy would probably end up giving him a ride home, and she didn’t want to provide the excuse for them to be together any longer than necessary.
“Chloe!”
Chloe flipped around at the sound of her name. Candace ran down the church steps, hugging herself against the cold. Her long hair flew out behind her. “Where are you going?”
Chloe pasted on a smile. “Back to your parents’. I have a headache.”
“I have some over-the-counter stuff in my purse, if that will help.”
Chloe glared at the doors. “I don’t think that will do much.”
Candace bit her lip. “Is this about Troy and Amy?”
Chloe sucked in a breath and dropped her gaze. “I don’t need to watch that.”
“Agreed.” Candace looked back at the church, her forehead creased with worry. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
Chloe tightened her coat. “It doesn’t matter. He can do whatever he wants. I’m going.”
“But—”
“Tell your parents I said good night.” Chloe ran to the nearest van, tears threatening. She threw open the door and climbed inside. “The Martins’, please.”
The driver nodded and put the van in gear.
Chloe scooted as far back into the corner of the back seat as she could get. She sniffed—one heart-pounding, tender-loving kiss wasn’t worth a drop of her tears. This was all supposed to be a sham. Pretend.
She hugged her arms to her aching chest. If it was supposed to be fake, then why did it feel so real?
Troy
Troy searched the gathering room for Chloe, but he couldn’t see so much as a twirl of her pretty skirt or a curl on her head. Man, those curls were something tonight. He’d thought they were a crazy mess at the shop, but that’s because he’d never seen her wear her hair down. The way they twisted and kinked was downright amazing. He could easily picture a little girl with big green eyes and those reddish curls—she’d have him wrapped around her finger. Just like Chloe was doing.
He shook his head in an effort to clear those thoughts away. He shouldn’t be thinking about Chloe’s future children or being their daddy. He needed to find her. She wasn’t at the center table, but he headed that direction anyway, hoping someone could point him in the right direction.
At his arrival, the table went silent. Candace and Ronnie glared. Grady and Dad shook their heads in disappointment. Even Grady’s parents looked like they were angry at him. More worried that he couldn’t find Chloe than the fact that his whole family wanted to tear his head off, he turned to the least threatening person at the table. “Hey, Candace, have you seen Chloe?”
She widened her eyes and dabbed at the corner of her lips with her napkin. “Who?”
Troy gritted his teeth. “Chloe.”
“Oh, you mean your fiancée?”
He swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“Well.” She tapped her chin. “She was here when you were flirting with Amy … and then …”
Troy jerked back. “I wasn’t flirting with Amy.”
Mom made a choking sound that sounded more like she wanted to choke him.
Ronnie picked up her fork and fed Grady a bite of her dessert. “It’s so good to see you again, Troy,” she cooed.
Grady barely held back his laugh, and then he gazed deeply into her eyes as he slowly chewed. “I can’t believe it’s been so long.”
Heat filled Troy’s face. “Okay, knock it off. It wasn’t like that.”
“It looked like that,” said Dad. “And your sweet girl didn’t deserve you behaving like an idiot.”
“Gee, Dad. Tell me how you really feel.” Troy kicked Chloe’s empty seat. “Just tell me where she is, will you?”
Candace flipped her hair over her shoulder. “She went back to the house.”
Troy kicked the chair harder. “You let her leave?” Dang it. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Talking with an old friend wasn’t a sin.
“What was I supposed to do? You were busy with Little Miss Busybody. It wasn’t like you were chasing after her,” argued Candace.
That’s right. “And I’m not chasing now.” He went to yank out the chair, but Ronnie grabbed the seat and wouldn’t let him. He tugged harder. “Let go.”
“Not until you realize you’re an idiot,” Ronnie said through her locked jaw. She was holding on tight to the chair, and he’d forgotten how strong she was.
He threw both hands in the air in a give-up gesture. “Fine. I won’t sit here, but I’m not chasing after her. She’s being hypersensitive.” He folded his arms. “Just like a woman.”
Ronnie was on her feet in a flash—a pretty impressive act, considering she was wearing three-inch heels and a knee-length dress. “Yes, she’s acting like a woman. A woman scorned.”
Mom jumped up too, her hands spread wide. “Hey, this isn’t the place for a Martin family brawl, you two.” She smiled at those who were beginning to stare in an effort to reassure them that everything is fine.
Troy lowered his voice. “I didn’t scorn her.” He didn’t add that it’s impossible to scorn a person you aren’t actually engaged to, although he was thinking it. A part of him did feel bad that Chloe felt bad—a big part of him. “Besides, if she was upset, she should have told me instead of leaving.” And turning my whole family against me. Some fake fiancée she was—where did her loyalties lie, anyway?
Ronnie, Candace, Mom, and even Jan, Grady’s mom, shook their heads like they were dealing with a rogue steer on the ranch who refused to do what was good for him.
Candace was the one who finally said what they were all thinking. The women in his family had a tendency to be on the same page without saying a word. “She was hurt because she loves you so much, you doof.”
He immediately shook off their reasoning. “That’s not true.”
“Oh?” asked Grady, his head tilted at a cocky angle. “Are you saying she doesn’t love you? Or that you don’t love her?”
Troy ground his teeth, thinking of Grady and Ronnie’s bet whether his engagement was real or not. Right now, he’d love to shove a piece of wedding cake in Grady’s smug face. “That’s not what I said.”
“Then what are you saying?” prodded Grady.
“Whose side are you on, anyway?” Troy pointed at him. All the frustration of having his best friend pull away from him for a woman built up inside like soda when you shake the can. He lowered his voice, adding a menacing growl. “I used to
think you had my back.”
Grady instantly caught on to the anger and the challenge Troy issued. His hands clenched. “Don’t play the fool twice in one night, Troy.”
Troy leaned both hands on the back of the chair in front of him, gripping tight. He’d put up with a lot from his best friend lately. He’d been stood up, put off, turned down, and basically abandoned. “I’m not the fool, Grady. You’re the sappy one who dogged me all year. Way to be a bro.” He lifted the chair a couple inches off the floor and slammed it back down.
The room went quiet at the noise.
“Troy,” warned his dad.
“You know what? I’m out.” Troy shoved off the chair and stormed to the exit. He tore his coat off the hook, noting that Chloe’s coat was already gone. Fine. She was a big girl; she could take care of herself.
He made his way to his truck and climbed in. The first thing that hit him was Chloe’s scent. She had this perfume that was soft and deep with a hint of something floral. It was so feminine that it had curled its fingers around his heart and strummed a merry tune. He leaned his head against the cold steering wheel, his breath fogging up the windows and his mind clearing. He didn’t want to think for a few minutes, didn’t want to feel bad for storming out on his sister’s rehearsal dinner, didn’t want to figure out what to do about Chloe. He just needed a mental and emotional break. Dang it! His emotions were always under control. He was the levelheaded one.
Someone knocked on his window. He lifted his head, inserted the key, and then rolled the window down to find Ronnie shaking her head.
“Come to call me a doof again?” he verbally poked at her.
She laughed, her breath puffing up around her head. She’d put on a coat and scarf and had her hands buried in her pockets. “If it would help.”
He shrugged.
“Listen.” Ronnie pulled her hand out of her pocket and swiped at a hair that was stuck to her lip gloss. For a moment, Troy was struck at how grown-up and poised she’d become. His little sister in coveralls wasn’t there to follow him around the shop anymore. She was a woman, and she was getting married. His heart tugged painfully at the thought.
“I feel somewhat responsible for what happened with Amy because I hired her. I’ve had a talk with her and told her to leave you alone or she’s not getting paid.” She narrowed her eyes. “I assume that’s what you want.”
Troy thought about Amy’s advances, her hand on his arm, her flirtations. None of it had any effect on him. In fact, it was more of a bother than an ego trip. “I only talked to her because I was trying not to be rude to your wedding planner.”
She nodded. “Thanks. But feel free to toss her aside if it will save your future marriage.”
Troy barked a laugh. “Will do.”
Ronnie put her hand on the window ledge. “I’m just saying this because I think it may have gotten lost earlier.”
Troy leaned away from the window. “Okay …”
“Chloe wouldn’t have been so upset if she didn’t feel vulnerable in your relationship.” She pulled her hand off the door and tucked it back inside her coat. The December chill was settling into Troy’s bones, and he hadn’t even started warming up the truck yet. It was going to be a cold ride home.
“When Grady told me you guys were going with a female partner, he was careful to reassure me that it wouldn’t interfere with us. But the thing was, I knew he loved me and I wasn’t worried. I was secure in that love.”
Troy’s first instinct was to gag at hearing his sister talk about being in love with his best friend. Once he got over that, he thought he understood what she was trying to tell him. He was hearing that Chloe was into him and jealous of Amy. “The question is … what do I do about it?” He tapped the side of his thumb on the steering wheel. He liked Chloe, liked her a whole lot more now that he’d gotten to know her a bit. And from what he’d seen, he wanted to know so much more.
Ronnie laughed. “Talk to her. Kiss her—a lot. And if you mess that up, you are a doof.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “I’m headed back to the house.” He flipped his head around and looked at the church. “But I told you I’d help clean up.”
Ronnie waved him off. “There’s plenty of uncles around to help with that. You go take care of Chloe. And will you invite her to my bachelorette party tomorrow night? I don’t want her to feel left out.”
“I will.” He started the truck, and Ronnie ducked her face into her scarf and headed back into the building.
The ride back to the house was cold. Troy clenched his stomach muscles for all of it, his nerves getting the better of him.
The Christmas carnival created a hazy glow in the horizon to the east of town. He had so many fun memories from the carnival, of growing up in Snow Valley. Christmas was the best time of year here. No one did the holidays like Snow Valley did the holidays. He pulled into the driveway and noted that the lights were on in the house.
After parking, he made his way inside, unsure of what he’d say or what he’d find. “Chloe?” he called as he entered.
“In here.” Her voice was quiet and small and it came from the kitchen. He found her stirring a cup of hot chocolate, staring down at the swirling marshmallows. “I hope it’s okay that I made this.” She tapped the spoon on the side of the mug and took a tentative sip, still not meeting his gaze.
“Of course.” He pulled off his coat and laid it over a barstool. “That’s why Mom leaves it on the counter like that.” He motioned to the hot chocolate station Mom set up every year. The three red containers were labeled with the flavor of cocoa and the bowls of marshmallows and crushed candy canes had clean spoons for dishing.
Chloe took another drink and continued to look anywhere but at him.
He hated it. There was a part of him that was out of balance because they were out of balance and he had no idea why. It wasn’t like they were married or engaged or even dating. They were coworkers and she was doing him a favor. He chuckled. “You pretty much charmed my entire family.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I like them. They’re—” She drew in a deep breath, choosing just the right word. “Welcoming.”
He nodded. That pretty much summed it up. He was having a much harder time summing up an apology. Apologizing to his fake fiancée for talking to another woman was ridiculous. And yet, being close enough to see the guarded look in Chloe’s eyes made him feel like he had stepped over a boundary. “I don’t like Amy,” he blurted.
Chloe stilled. “You can like whomever you want to like, Troy. We’re not really together.” She turned to dump her half-empty mug down the sink and turned on the water to rinse the dark liquid away.
“I know.” His head did, but his heart squirmed. “She was … assertive, and I should have been firm with her. It wasn’t right to give the impression that I was disrespecting you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t do that. I’m not that kind of a guy, and I don’t like that I looked like one tonight.”
Disregarding his outburst and the small scene he’d caused, he cared what his family thought of him, and he cared about the kind of man he was in his soul. His father was a stand-up guy, the kind that followed through. If Brian Martin said he’d have a car ready by a certain date, he stayed late to finish. If he quoted you one price, he’d stick to that quote even if he lost money. That kind of honest business had earned him the respect of everyone in Snow Valley, and it had earned him the admiration of his son. If Troy could be half that man, he’d be lucky.
Chloe set the rinsed mug in the sink. “I don’t think you’re a bad guy, Troy. Amy would be hard to resist.” She dropped her gaze, and Troy’s heart fell right to the floor with it.
Suddenly, it didn’t matter what Snow Valley thought of him. It didn’t matter what his extended family or even his inner circle thought of him, because he’d hurt Chloe. He stepped quickly around the bar and hooked his finger under her chin to lift her eyes to his. “Amy is easy to brush off.”
“Yeah, right.”
He swallowed before saying, “It’s true. I didn’t chase after Amy. I came after you.”
Chloe’s cheeks flamed and he could feel the heat rising off her skin. His heart rate kicked up a gear. He ran his fingers lightly over the pink hue, delighted by the sound of her breath hitching. His own breath was coming in short bursts.
Chloe suddenly pushed past him and busied herself cleaning up the milk and hot chocolate mix. “Thanks, for that. I, um, I’m glad you came after me.”
“Anytime.” Troy leaned against the sink, his hands on the cool counter. The contrast in the temperature helped clear his head. With that clarity came the realization that Chloe didn’t trust him, and that stung. He wasn’t exactly being trustworthy; lying to his family the way he was didn’t create that great of an image. Laying it all out there now would make him look even worse. And Chloe? What would his family think of her? She didn’t deserve to be branded a liar or to be looked down upon—especially since she was doing it as a favor to him. He needed to keep up appearances, if not for his sake, then for hers.
He stretched his arms out to the side. “Well, I think I’m going to head off to bed. Do you need anything?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.” She frowned into her mug and then turned on the water and picked up the scrub brush.
He dropped his arms. She didn’t look fine. There was something else going on in that pretty head of hers. He just didn’t feel like he had the right to prod. And really, he wasn’t looking to get mixed up with a woman right now. This weekend was supposed to be relaxed and uncomplicated.
With a mental shove, he headed towards his room. “Good night.”
“’Night,” she replied.
Troy readied himself for bed in record time, not wanting to run into Chloe in the bathroom while he brushed his teeth. After he shut off the light and climbed into the sheets, he heard her soft footfalls in the hallway and the bathroom door shut.
Lucy McConnell's Snow Valley Box Set Page 59
