Summer Fire
Page 121
Chloe told him her number and he sent a quick text so she’d have his.
She rose up on her toes to steal a soft kiss. “Don’t forget. I’m not giving up.”
He smiled. “I’ll call you. Don’t worry.”
Doug pressed his mouth against hers. She had the same taste. Sweet and addictive as always. He hoped his heart wasn’t playing the fool again.
Chapter Six
Dressed in a summer frock and comfortable sandals, Chloe was ready to go as soon as he called. She paced through her living room looking at all the modern furniture and weird-ass art that did nothing for her.
She’d rented the apartment because her brother had connections and it was available to move in immediately.
Doug inspired her to throw off her parents’ expectations, but Daniel was the reason she followed her heart to become a doctor. He was the one who told her to live for herself. It was time to do exactly that.
Her brother was the one person in her family who got her. Her parents had all but disowned him. Daniel went into real estate, which wasn’t good enough in their opinion. However, his biggest flaw—in their eyes, not hers—was his sexual preference.
However, his twin was the perfect child. Danielle was politically driven. Well on her way to being a congresswoman and married to a powerful lawyer. Their parents’ only pride and joy.
There was a knock. Her head tipped to the side. She hadn’t buzzed anyone up. Walking to the door, she peered outside. There stood her mother, looking prim and proper in her business suit and chic up-do.
Chloe wanted to gag, but opened the door. “How’d you get past the security door?”
Her mother’s smile held no warmth. “Not going to invite me in?”
“Nope. It’s been how many years since I bothered calling?”
“Four. All because we want the best for you.” She rolled her eyes and popped one hand on her hip.
“No. You want the best for you and Daddy’s campaign. Daniel has a respectable career. As do I, thanks to my hard work, not your money.”
“You mean your trust fund,” she sneered.
“Oh my god, really? Why the hell are you here? If it’s for Pierce, you can forget it. If it’s to attend some smarmy get together with your slimy-ass friends, you can turn around and walk away. You don’t control me, and I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“You seriously can’t be reasoned with. You always were a spoiled brat.”
“No. If I were spoiled, I would likely want to do exactly what you wanted. Look, I’m not interested in Daddy’s campaign or Danielle’s.”
“One fundraiser. That’s all I ask. I even have a date lined up for you.”
Her phone rang, and she hoped it was Doug, ready to go.
Her smile brightened. “Nope, not a chance. I have a man.”
“Then bring him.” Mother shrugged. “Can’t possibly be as bad as that artsy music freak you had a crush on in high school.”
Through clenched jaw, she warned, “You can go now.” She slammed the door and prayed her mother had the decency to walk away before things got heated.
After clicking the lock in place, she looked at her phone and a tear trailed down her face. She pressed talk. “Hi, Doug. Will you be off soon?”
“What’s wrong? You sound upset.” After two sentences he read her. He could say what he wanted, but he knew her.
Sitting on the couch, she lied, “I’m fine. Really.”
“Don’t play that game. You’re upset. What happened?”
“Tell you about it later. Right now, I want to know if I can pick you up, and when.”
“Half-an-hour and you’d better tell me what’s going on. I don’t want to play games. If we’re giving this a try, I want the truth.”
“You’ll have the truth.” All of it.
“See you soon.”
Running to the mirror, she checked her makeup and did a quick touch up. Then she peeked out the peephole. Mom was still there.
Sighing heavily, she opened the door, stepped out, shut, and locked it.
“Talk to me, Chloe. Give me a chance to explain.”
“Nope. Not happening. I realize it looks bad that you can’t convince two of your children to fit into your mold, but I got news for you, we never did. I tried and it nearly broke me. Daniel is an amazing man, but you’re stuck in your ridiculous ways. I don’t have time to deal with you, or your bullshit.” She turned, and hurried to the stairwell, choosing it because her mother wouldn’t be caught dead taking the stairs.
*
“Who was the sexy redhead with you last night?” Jared asked with a smirk. “She’s hot.”
“She’s off limits,” Doug warned.
Jared’s hands came up. “Okay, okay. Can’t blame a guy for being curious. You don’t date all that often.”
He shrugged. Is that what they were doing? Dating?
The bell rang and in walked Chloe. Her smile was contagious.
Jared chuckled. “Got it. Hands off, boss. You can introduce me. I’ll be a gentleman.”
Doug snorted. “That would be the day.” He was a couple years younger, Roxy’s age, and new in town. Nice enough guy, but into weird shit. Less Doug knew, the better.
“Afternoon, Chloe. This is Jared. There wasn’t time to introduce you yesterday.”
“Hi, Jared. How are you feeling?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Sore, but nothing major. Thanks for calling the cops.”
She nodded. “I think Doug was a bigger help.”
“Pretty equal. Two on one doesn’t make for good odds. He handled it until the police got there, but you never know.”
Doug snorted. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“You two get out of here. I have everything covered.”
“Later.” Chloe looked up at Doug and he couldn’t resist threading his fingers through hers. Once outside, she brought him to her BMW convertible and unlocked the doors.
Quickly, they buckled in and she started the car. That’s when he asked, “What happened to upset you when I called?”
She looked over with a heavy sigh. “I haven’t seen my mother in over four years. She showed up minutes before you called. I told her off, but what she said hurt. Doesn’t matter though. It’s bullshit and I know better.”
He squeezed her thigh. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault.” She shrugged.
“What did she say?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Come on. It does. Clearly it upset you.”
“She wants me to go to a fundraiser for Dad. Then proceeded to tell me she had my date lined up. Told her I have a man. She told me to bring whoever I wanted, because they couldn’t be as bad as—you.” A scowl darkened her face. “I told her to fuck off and leave.”
One corner of his mouth tipped up. “What fundraiser?”
“Never asked.”
He couldn’t help laughing. “We could go. See what she has to say when we show up arm-in-arm.”
She snorted. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
Chloe shook her head. “She needs to learn I’m not going to bend to her requests. I’m done with that. If it were up to her, I’d be married to a prick I can’t stand with a career I loathe. I want to do something positive—I want to make a change.”
The fire in her eyes was enough to convince him. “You will.”
“I won’t go to the fundraiser. Would be like saying Father has my support. He doesn’t. They don’t talk to my brother at all anymore. If I didn’t… well, if it weren’t for you, I might try being a lesbian until they finally gave up on me.”
Doug laughed. “Then I consider myself a lucky man. Sorry about last night.” He looked away, once again feeling like an asshole.
“I get it.”
He shook his head. “Drive. I’ll explain about the fundraiser when we get where we’re going.”
“You’re not even going to ask where I’m headed?”
&n
bsp; “Nope. I trust you.”
Her whole face lit up. “I intend to keep your trust.”
He reached over to squeeze her thigh, and left his hand there. A note of hope sounded in the middle of his fear.
Chapter Seven
Questions spun through Chloe’s head. Why would Doug, someone who never had an interest in politics, be willing to go to the fundraiser? He was never confrontational. He’d put an end to an argument, but he wasn’t one to debate.
She parked near Seattle Center.
He came around the car with a crooked smile. “What are we doing here?”
“It’s a surprise,” she answered with a slight tremble to her voice. She couldn’t help the nerves. Music was his biggest passion, and she wanted to prove how much she remembered.
Nodding, he took her hand and let her lead them. She’d always wanted to go, but had been too busy with school and her parent’s constant social events. She’d even turned Doug down when he asked her to go while they were still in high school.
She looked up at Doug as they walked to the Experience Music Project museum and relaxed. He gave her a crooked grin. “Can I ask why here?”
“Always wanted to go—with you. Never worked out, but we have all day and I figured better late than never.”
“Definitely. This is one of my favorite places to draw inspiration from.”
While they waited in line, she nudged him. “You were going to explain why you thought we should go to the fundraiser.”
He chuckled. “I believe I’m playing at that event. Your father hired me, and a couple other guys I play with. Acoustic blues, mellow enough to allow conversation about money.”
Her eyes widened far enough they could have rolled out of her head. “My father hired you?”
Laughing, Doug nodded. “Yup. I do pretty well for myself. Between my upstanding business, fundraising for youth programs, and my own project to help kids, he thought our band would be fitting. My younger brother has dealt with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis his entire life. I’ve done what I can to improve awareness about the disease, and in doing so gained notice from someone in your father’s campaign. That’s how it all started.”
She laughed. “That’s too good. Mom’s the one who rules our social lives. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know your name. Only that I crushed on the music geek instead of the guy she wanted me to go for.”
“You crushed on me in high school?”
“Why do you think I snuck out of grad night with you?”
His brow wrinkled. “Because that prick, Pierce, dumped you when you refused to skip out on grad night for some hoity-toity event. Plus, you trusted me not to take advantage of you.”
She looked away. “Yeah, instead I took advantage of you, then bailed like a jerk.”
Doug rolled his eyes. “Ugh, thought we agreed to start fresh.”
Turning toward him, she leaned up to kiss his lips. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth before releasing her.
He winked. “Come on, line’s moving.”
They paid for their tickets and entered. “Anything specific you want to see?” he asked.
“Lead, I’ll follow, but I will stop if there’s something I can’t pass up.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Walking through the Hendrix exhibit, Chloe turned to Doug. “You really want to go as my date?”
He shrugged. “I’ll be there one way or another. I’d prefer to go with you, but I understand why you’d rather avoid it. Though, Xavier is part of the group. Your brother will be there as his date.”
She stopped, turning to him with wide eyes. “You know my brother?”
“Not well. We’ve met on occasion. He’s pretty cool.”
“Small world.” Then she shook her head. “Why didn’t you mention that?”
He shrugged. “It’s not like we’re best buds. We’re acquaintances. Sometimes he shows up to our shows to watch Xavier. I was trying to forget you—easier said than done. Being around Daniel is weird because I’m tempted to ask about you, which I refused to do.” He glanced away with a shrug.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Doug huffed. “Stop. That’s forever ago. This is now.”
“Think I should go?”
“What you decide to do is up to you. If you want to avoid a scene, I won’t blame you if you don’t go. Daniel, though, is going as a big ‘fuck you’ to your mother.”
One corner of her mouth tipped up. “I’ll talk to Daniel. I’m not going as a guest of my parents though. I’ll go as yours, as long as you get a plus one.”
“I do. But honestly, don’t do it if you aren’t comfortable.”
“This might get the point across better than anything I would have come up with.”
He drew in a breath, doubt flashing through his eyes. “Fair warning. Remember, you left my heart fragile. You dump me for anything to do with the fundraiser, and you won’t get another chance.”
Reaching up, she framed his face with her hands. “Won’t be a problem, Doug. This seems to be the perfect way to get my message across. Plus, I’ll get to see you dressed up.” She winked.
He looked around, a playful grin on his face. “Come on. Let’s explore.”
*
After EMP, Chloe happily walked wherever Doug felt like going. Food was his first thought. “Still like pizza?”
Her face lit up. “Definitely.”
Doug tugged her towards Zeke’s Pizza and they took a seat at the window.
He looked over with a grin. “When was the last time you walked around Seattle, visiting all the nooks and crannies?”
She sighed. “Before I left for Brown. I came back for a week the one summer, but that was it.”
“A week? Thought you said you were going to be in town for a month?”
Her heart sank. “That had been the plan. Mom filled my head with some nonsense. Convinced me I could never have you. So I went back to Rhode Island where I hoped to stop thinking about you. I never did stop though.”
“Good. I never stopped thinking about you either.” He sighed. “Let’s talk about something that doesn’t bring us right back to the past. How about where you’re working. I assume you have a job lined up?”
Her eyes twinkled. “I start at Children’s Hospital in two weeks. I’m doing the residency program for Pediatric Rheumatology.”
He leaned forward, his head tipping as he studied her. “I’m truly impressed. Can I ask what prompted you to choose that specialty?”
“I remember how your family struggled with your brother in the beginning, and how much the doctors at Children’s helped him. Thought maybe I could do something like that, and the position was open, so I jumped on it.”
His heart warmed. “You really never stopped thinking about me.” Doug took her hand. “The benefit is for Children’s. Maybe your father is proud of you and your chosen profession? Your mother,” he shrugged, “she was the one who seemed to direct your social lives.”
“Maybe. He didn’t come over today. It was Mom. I slammed the door in her face. Felt really damned good. I can’t wait to tell Daniel.”
He ran his fingers over her palm with a smile. “I’m proud of you. Choosing your own path. Doing something to help kids. You’ve always been amazing, but this is beyond awesome.”
Her cheeks flushed, a pretty shade of pink. If their waitress hadn’t chosen that moment to interrupt them, he’d have kissed Chloe.
Once their pizza was ordered, Chloe asked, “How did you get involved in charities and working with youth?”
“Music.” He grinned. “There are a few kids who have been coming into the shop forever now. They didn’t have money for instruments, but wanted to learn. So I started this program to get kids involved in the community. The hours they put in earns rental time for the instruments. Keeps kids from getting in trouble. They learn to help others. And they get to embrace music.”
“And you were recognized for this?”
He
nodded. “Yeah. Your dad is trying to make a positive change in Washington. He has some good ideas. I voted for him.”
Her head tipped to the side. “You really do keep up with politics.”
Doug shrugged. “I do some digging to see who best fits my ideas. I vote for that person. As a part of the community, I think it’s only fair I have a say in it.”
“I wonder what my mother will say when she realizes you’re the one on stage, and then later that you’re with me.”
A trickle of fear wound through him. “Does it matter?”
“Not in the slightest.”
Heeding his own plea to leave the past in the past, he pushed the subject from his mind. Chloe pursued him after he’d left. Then she proved she wasn’t going anywhere. She deserved some trust.
Chapter Eight
A hint of last night’s inadequacy came back as he led Chloe to his painfully modest apartment. She’d never cared about material things in the past, and he constantly had to remind himself of that fact.
He stood there at the door for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Things had really changed since morning. He’d been sure it was over before it began. Finally, they were at the beginning, he hoped, of what would be a long relationship. Not that he was ready to admit as much.
She bounced beside him, smiling. Her excitement was contagious, and helped him relax. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she teased. “Is there a secret knock or password?”
A nervous laugh escaped. “I’m wondering if we’ll find Jordan here, and if he’ll be—busy.”
“I thought he was with one woman now.”
“He is. But they don’t always land in his bedroom when they get home.” He snorted. “Just warning it could be porno-town when we walk in. I apologize in advance.”
Her eyes widened, humor making the amber depths sparkle. “Oh.”
Doug opened the door, finding Jordan alone on the couch with a notepad and pen. Glancing back to Chloe, he chuckled. “You’ve been spared.”
Jordan looked up, finding Chloe. His brow arched and a smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. “Nice. I’m glad you came to your senses, Doug. Pleasure to see you, Chloe.”