by Maren Lee
Chloe kissed him on his forehead and whispered, "I've got to get some school work done this morning. Get some rest, hero."
She slowly rolled out of bed and limped toward the kitchen. Walking wasn't coming easy at the moment. Tylenol and a cup of coffee were a necessity right now.
Chloe made coffee and reflected on the events of last night. Things with Justin happened a little more quickly than she'd expected. Not that she was complaining. Sex with him was amazing. Just like she knew it would be. She downed her first cup of coffee and poured herself another, grimacing as she got up from the kitchen stool. It was going to be a long morning if the caffeine and pain killer cocktail didn't work.
Unfortunately in addition to her nonnegotiable ride-along with Justin tonight, she also had an outline due for her Accounting 497 class. Six more credits and she would finally be done.
Taking care of her grandmother had taken an unexpected toll on her education. Most of her friends graduated years ago. At 29, Chloe felt way behind on everything. Her education, her career, her love life...motherhood. She shook her head quickly, as if to erase that thought from her mind like an etch-a-sketch. Chloe wouldn't trade the time she was able to spend with her grandmother for anything. Still, she definitely couldn't wait to be done slinging steaks at night.
After working for a couple of hours on an outline of the effect that a decrease in interest rates by the Federal Reserve would likely have on U.S. manufacturing (riveting stuff), Chloe felt her stomach rumbling. She hadn't eaten anything other than the pizza the night before. She needed sustenance ASAP or she would reach the "hangry" stage. That wouldn't be pleasant for anybody. Unfortunately, the fridge was still empty.
She knew Justin was going to sleep for a little while longer, since he would be pulling second shift. He needed his rest, so she didn't want to wake him just yet, but they needed groceries. She knew there was a convenient store just a few blocks from Justin’s place, so she decided to risk it and head out. I’ll be back before he even knows I’m gone.
Chloe decided to wow him with her signature omelet as a surprise when he woke up and bring him breakfast in bed. She found herself smiling at the thought of spending more time with him today. It was a familiar feeling, but she wasn’t quite sure what to do with these feelings for him just yet. The thought of having her heart rejected again made her stomach sink. She needed to keep these thoughts and emotions to a minimum. Casual. Keep it casual, Chloe. After giving herself that pep talk, Chloe grabbed her purse and headed out the door for a welcome distraction.
Chapter 6
The Corner Market wasn’t big by any means, but there was a decent selection for a store that only had six aisles. Finding everything she’d wanted on her list wasn’t going to happen, but she could definitely make some concessions until they were able to go to Billings (the “big city”) for a more involved grocery binge.
She loaded her items on the conveyer belt and walked toward the cashier. Chloe was pretty sure the cashier was barely out of high school. She sent her an approving smile that was returned a scowl. What the hell is her problem? Chloe cut her smile short and redirected her attention to the small pile of loot she would be taking back to Justin’s. Milk, bread, sugar, coffee creamer, granola bars, cereal, cheese, an assortment of veggies, a couple bottles of wine, and a couple of celebrity gossip mags. She’d grabbed two dozen eggs for omelets and a few extra to have on hand if she chose to make brownies before they left this evening. Carrying the bags would be a pain in the ass, but it wasn't too far of a walk and it would be worth it in the end.
The bitchy cashier asked for her I.D. Chloe decided to take it as a compliment that she didn’t look old enough to buy alcohol. After taking far too long staring at her DMV statistics, the lady flicked her I.D. back to her. This bitch has some fucking nerve.
Chloe saw the total of the groceries. Yikes! Living in a small town is expensive! She handed the cashier two 20’s and waited for change.
“Not surprising that a woman sleeping in a kept man's bed pays with cash.”
“I’m sorry? What was that?” Chloe asked, completely floored.
“You’re sleeping with another woman's man, honey. Here’s your change.” She dropped the coins on the ground and tossed three dollar bills in her face.
Do not hit her. Do not hit her. Keep calm, Chloe.
Chloe grabbed her change and kicked the pennies toward the checkstand.
“You can keep those.” Chloe glared and grabbed her bags.
“You sure a cheap whore like you doesn’t need the money?”
Who the fuck does this bitch think she is and what the fuck had Justin gotten her into?
Chloe was fuming as she flipped the stupid bitch off and headed out the door. How did this woman know she was with Justin? It hadn’t even officially been 24 hours. Had he been running his mouth about her already? Calm down, Chloe. You’ve been with him the whole time. She took a deep breath. Yeah, but just because you’ve been with him the whole time doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Shit. Had Justin lied to her and put her right in the middle of a fucking love triangle? Was he cheating on someone with her? No. This is not happening. Chloe leaned against the outside of the building and took another deep breath to calm her panic. She gave herself a few minutes to cool down before she headed back. She looked to her left and saw someone staring at her around the corner. Okay, that’s it.
She marched toward the side of the building and peeked around the corner. There was no one there. Chloe was feeling pissed off and exhausted. She turned back toward the front of the store and smacked into the chest of a well-built blonde woman. The initial shock from the run in made Chloe instinctively apologize, but her apology was quickly rebuffed when the woman looked Chloe up and down through her aviators and spoke firmly, “You better watch yourself, bitch. I know who you are. I know you’re fucking Justin and he’s cheating on his woman. We’re gonna make you regret it.”
Holy shit. Was it true? If it wasn’t, what in the hell is wrong with all these crazy ass women?!
Chloe had had enough. But as soon as she decided to throw down, she realized she was alone on the sidewalk. What. The. Fuck? She snagged her bags and headed to Justin’s. They had some shit to discuss.
➰
Chloe walked up to Justin’s door fuming mad. She was ready for a fight; ready to go in guns blazing. But maybe that wasn’t the right approach here. How was she supposed to bring this up to Justin? Oh hey, heard you already have a woman around town, dickhead.
She knew she needed to keep it cool when she talked to him. Screaming at him would only make her seem too invested in this fucked up situation. Sure the sex was hot, but was it hot enough to deal with that kind of bullshit at a fucking grocery store? Fuck yeah, you came multiple times last night. Shut up, Chloe. There was no easy way to prepare for a conversation like this. She'd just wing it. The right time to talk about it would present itself.
As she walked in the door she could see Justin pacing in the kitchen, gym shorts on, no shirt. The scratches on his back reminded her of their hot night. Stay focused. Do not let your g-spot drive this conversation. She shut the door hard enough it caught his immediate attention.
"Jesus. She's back. Yep, I'll call you back in a minute." Uh oh. He was mad. "Where the fuck have you been!?" he roared.
Oh hell no, who does he think he's talking too?
"Where does it look like I've been asshole?" she held the bags up into his face.
"Are you fucking insane Chloe? You can't just leave here without telling me."
"Why because your girlfriend might see me?"
Justin looked stunned by her comment. "What the fuck? I don't even know what that is supposed to mean."
"It means you are a lying, manipulative, asshole who can go fuck himself." Chloe took the bags of groceries and threw them on the ground in front of him. So much for the eggs. "You could have saved me yet another round of embarrassment by just being honest with me. Instead, I was blindsided wh
en I met your girlfriend’s entourage today. A little heads up on your part might have given me some time to prepare for their not-so-kind words. I kind of like to know if I’m involved with a fucking cheater!" she screamed back.
Justin's eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, "I don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about! Do you have any idea how irresponsible you are? I was one minute away from having the entire department out to look for you. Brenden is fucking pissed right now. You are my responsibility and I do not take my job lightly. If something were to happen to you it would be my head on the chopping block!"
Chloe's eyes welled up with tears. Don’t cry now. Hold it together. "I thought you were different, but you’re just like the assholes I’ve been dealing with my whole life.”
“Oh come on, Chloe! Quit being dramatic. Clearly you don’t understand the severity of your situation and clearly someone just talked shit about me to you and you weren’t smart enough to realize it’s bullshit. Let’s make breakfast and talk this out.”
“Fuck breakfast, you condescending prick. I’ve lost my appetite. You are more than welcome to go eat a dick, though!” she turned her back and walked toward the bedroom and away from him.
“Real mature, Chloe. Real mature.” Justin said condescendingly.
“Fuck you!” she yelled. She slammed the door behind her and flopped down on the bed, that unfortunately still smelled like sex and Justin’s cologne. God dammit. She'd had enough drama for one day already.
➰
Justin knew he had his hands full the second he caught wind of Chloe’s attitude when he’d pulled over just a few days ago. But he couldn't wrap his mind around the conversation that had just taken place. God damn, the woman was infuriating. He had no clue what she was talking about when she said she met his girlfriend’s entourage. What in the fuck? He hadn't been in a serious relationship in over two years. And that breakup had occurred at the altar in front of a crowd of his family and closest friends. The music played. The doors opened. The bride was gone. He loved Kristin. Or at least, he thought he did. Maybe he just loved the idea of her. He was sure she’d done them both a favor by leaving. Still, it was humiliating and painful. It took him a year before he could even think about dating someone again.
Justin decided to get back on the proverbial horse again last summer. But the second he met Chloe, he realized she was just the type of girl who could suck him into something serious again. He panicked and immediately constructed a wall around his heart. He refused to put himself in a situation where he could get hurt again. So he walked away. Actually, literally walked away. He cut off ties completely. He stopped texting her. Stopped calling her. Tried to stop thinking about her. He was nearly successful. She just had to come back, didn’t she?
Now that Chloe was back, she was stirring up the same feelings from the previous summer. He could feel the panic bubbling up in his chest and moving toward his throat. He didn’t want to be vulnerable again. He couldn’t. And after dealing with that estrogen psychobabble Chloe had just spewed, he was almost certain it wouldn't be worth it to have a serious relationship of any kind ever again. He wasn’t sure he could hack it. He’d been a bachelor for so long. Was disrupting his life worth having a good woman in his bed every night?
Maybe Chloe would be good with just being friends with benefits?
He knew he'd hurt her last year when she came to meet him. Sierra, with her insane need to be a matchmaker, had introduced the two of them via Facebook. Justin was instantly attracted to her. From her profile picture he could tell she was beautiful. Brunette. Curly hair. Curvy. Just his type. So they started chatting on instant messenger. It was flirty and fun. Phone numbers were exchanged and they started texting. After a few weeks of texting, he decided to take it to the next level: I’m ready to hear your voice, beautiful, he texted. And he was so glad he did. His phone instantly started ringing and when he answered with a, “Lo,” he heard a soft giggle and knew it was the right move. They talked for hours that first night about everything. He loved hearing her talk about her grandmother, her hopes and dreams, her favorite things, her pet peeves, her deal breakers. He loved the sound of her voice. He loved her laugh. He just loved talking to her. After a few months of back and forth, he anxiously asked her if she wanted to meet. “Hell yes, I want to meet!” she exclaimed loudly as he heard a big crash. Apparently she had tripped over her own feet in her excitement at the request. God, she’s adorable and funny and smart. So they decided it was time to meet. Sierra's birthday weekend last year was the perfect opportunity.
The initial attraction between the two of them was obviously already there. They both knew it. They could talk on the phone for hours and text each other throughout the day. Meeting each other in person shouldn't have been such a big deal. But the moment he saw her in person, all of the emotional attachment and bullshit that comes with a relationship started to overwhelm him. God, she was so pretty. And perfect. And that body. Justin wanted her. But when they finally kissed, he felt the connection they had getting stronger. She looked up at him with dreamy eyes and said, “I think I’m falling for you, Justin.” I think I’m falling for you, Justin. He heard it over and over in his head. He panicked. Completely panicked. He looked her in the eyes one last time. Swallowed the fear in his throat and shook his head at her. He turned around and walked away. He couldn’t turn around and look at her again, because he knew he would see a beautiful, crushed woman. And it was all his fault.
He’d spent the rest of that weekend avoiding her; putting distance between them. She kept trying to get in touch with him to figure out what went wrong. Her texts and voicemails went from confused to hurt to completely fucking angry. God damn, the woman was a hell cat. She probably wouldn't have been so upset with him when she left had he just told her the truth. There's no fixing the past that was for damn sure, but he needed to get a handle on the present situation ASAP. The problem was, he had no idea where to even start. It had been about 15 minutes since Chloe ran off and slammed the door. He knew it was time to grovel to at least one of the women in his life. He cringed and picked up the phone. Sierra was going to rip him to shreds when he told her Chloe was upset with him again.
The phone rang twice before she answered and like always he could hear chaos happening in the background.
"I said that was fine Emma! What's up, jerk off?" Sierra answered.
Fuck, Chloe already called her.
"Just needing a little guidance on how to start a conversation with your cousin, my sweet, sweet, beautiful, lovely, darling, classy friend."
"Well for starters, you don't scream at her and tell her she's irresponsible right after she was subjected to some of the bitches in your slutty fan club. She was going to make you breakfast, you prick."
Yep. As usual Sierra didn't sugar coat it.
"I know I shouldn't have yelled, it was a gut reaction, I was worried and instead of talking to her calmly I just flipped out."
"No shit. She's more upset about the fact that you called her irresponsible and immature after she tried to do something nice for you."
"Well it was-"
"Shut it! Just shut your mouth right now, Justin. Chloe has worked her ass off her whole life. She would give the shirt off her back to anyone who needed it whether she knew them or not. She spent years taking care of her grandma because her parents were too selfish to help with the responsibility. Somebody had to do it, so Chloe selflessly stepped up and did it and not once has she asked for anything in return from anyone. She has been working full time waitressing and going to school for the last four years so that she can get her career started. A career she put on hold to help someone else. Chloe is anything but irresponsible, Justin.”
“She shouldn’t have fucking left without fucking telling me! I was worried sick when I woke up when she was gone!”
“Justin, she doesn't live every day seeing worst case scenarios like you and Brenden. Going to the store didn't seem like a dangerous thing to do. Should she ha
ve waited for you? Yes. But it’s not like she went to be a rebellious bitch. She wanted to make you a nice breakfast, you dick."
Justin knew he was a little hard on her, but he didn't realize just how big of an ass he really was in her eyes. Shit.
"Okay, I get it. I was a jerk. What do I do now?"
"Well, you should probably get her something to eat. She's hangry. You can't fix that without food."
"Got it. Then what?"
"Then you give her an hour to work through the hanger and you go apologize."
"You're right. I'm on it."
"Good. Don't fuck it up. Need anything else?"
“Who’s my slutty fan club?” Justin asked. “I literally have no idea who she is talking about or who is supposedly my girlfriend.”
“Sounds like it was Crystal and Jolene talking smack. They might still think you’re with Kari across town, or they know Kari still wants to be with you.”
