by Kathryn Ross
It was Steven, and he seemed to do a double take as he looked at her, his eyes skimming over her figure in an openly assessing way that brought colour to her cheeks. ‘Nice outfit,’ he drawled huskily.
Before she could gather her senses to any kind of cognitive response he continued briskly, ‘Nile’s on the phone for you.’
‘Nile!’ Immediately everything else was forgotten and she felt her heart stand still, felt the colour slipping from her cheeks. ‘What does he want?’
‘I don’t know,’ Steven said sardonically. ‘I didn’t think it was my place to ask him.’
‘No…no, of course not.’ She shook her head. ‘Sorry, I’m just a bit surprised that he’s rung…especially here.’
‘Well, he used to ring you here sometimes when you were working.’
‘Yes…but we haven’t spoken since he left.’
‘I see. You can take it in my bedroom if you want some privacy.’ Steven nodded to the door across the landing.
‘Yes…OK, thanks.’
She sat down on the edge of Steven’s bed and took a few steadying deep breaths before lifting the phone. It was crazy to feel nervous about speaking to Nile. He had been her partner, the man who had shared her bed over the last year…the man she had thought she would spend the rest of her life with.
‘Hi, honey.’ Nile’s voice was subdued. ‘How are you?’
‘How do you think I am?’ she said shakily. ‘A bit shocked by your sudden departure, not to mention the other little surprises that were lurking in store for me.’
‘I’m sorry, Chloe.’ His voice was quietly controlled. ‘I went around to the apartment last night to see you, and when you didn’t answer the door I let myself in and waited. I waited all night and then I started to get worried that something had happened to you.’
Chloe felt a dart of fury. ‘You walked out on me nearly four weeks ago, and suddenly you’re worried about where I was last night?’ Her voice was cold. ‘Don’t insult my intelligence any further, Nile.’
‘I was really worried, Chloe. I thought you might have had an accident in that snow. I rang all of your friends and it was desperation trying your boss this morning. What are you doing over there anyway? Surely you’re not working all weekend, are you?’
There was an edge to his voice that Chloe didn’t like. ‘That’s really none of your business now,’ she snapped.
‘Don’t be angry, Chloe…I’m sorry about the way things have turned out; I really am. I know I should have sat down and talked things through with you at the time, instead of just flying off the handle and walking out.’
‘Tell me, Nile, did you walk out because of our argument, or was it because of this other woman that I’ve heard about?’ Chloe asked.
‘I haven’t left you for someone else,’ Nile said quickly.
‘Oh, come on, Nile. My friends saw you with her last week—a cute brunette of about twenty-something ring any bells?’
There was a moment’s silence and then Nile sighed. ‘OK, there is someone else, but it’s not a serious relationship,’ he admitted cautiously. ‘I just feel I need what she can offer me at the moment. She’s not as strong as you…she needs me. And I quite like the way that makes me feel.’
‘Well, I’m pleased for you.’ Chloe couldn’t help the sarcastic tone in her voice. She felt hurt.
‘Look, Chloe, things have changed between us. You were a real brick carrying us through those difficulties I had financially, and I’ll always appreciate it. But now I’m back on my feet I realise something about our relationship that I never did before: you don’t really need me.’
‘And the new woman in your life does?’ she asked softly.
‘Sonia is totally different to you; she’s the homely type.’
‘I see.’ Chloe didn’t know what to say to that. She felt her heart drumming uncomfortably against her chest. ‘You mean she sews and bakes? Well, I don’t think sewing is one of my strong points,’ she admitted huskily.
‘You see, you can always joke your way out of everything.’ His voice sounded cross.
‘What else can I do? Obviously we’re just the wrong people for each other after all. But if you want a more serious approach, why have you taken all the money out of our joint bank account? The money we were saving for our wedding?’
‘I’ve just borrowed it. I’ll pay it back once I’m on my feet.’
‘You cancelled all the standing orders from the bank and withdrew cash that should have been used to pay bills.’ Chloe raked her hand distractedly through the length of her hair. ‘I’m inundated with final demands for payment.’
‘Look, you’ll be OK, Chlo… You’ve got a good job and you’re a survivor; you’re strong. I’ll make it all straight with you as soon as I’m on my feet again. Meanwhile we do need to meet to sort out our other joint finances. The deposit we paid towards our new house—’
‘As the sale won’t be going through now, we’ll have lost it.’ She cut across him swiftly.
‘That’s just it… I was thinking that maybe I’d go ahead and buy the house on my own. I was wondering if you’d sign it over to me?’
‘And that’s why you were waiting for me last night, was it? And why you are ringing me here at my boss’s house—?’
‘Yes, well, this is important. There’s no point us both losing that deposit.’ Nile started to speak to her as if she was a wayward child lacking in comprehension.
Chloe was going to remind him that she was the one who had paid the deposit on the house anyway, but stopped herself; she had never been the type to fling things like that in his face and she wasn’t going to start now. It wouldn’t serve any purpose anyway.
‘I’ve been to the bank and they will give me the mortgage on my own, so it makes sense that I should buy you out,’ he continued quickly.
‘And when are you thinking of doing that?’
‘I told you, as soon as I can I’ll repay you everything I owe you. But we need to sort the house out now…and pretty quickly, because if I don’t pay the next instalment I’ll lose it altogether. I need you to sign some papers—’
‘I’ll think about it.’
‘What do you mean, you’ll think about it?’ He sounded angry now.
‘And in the meantime I want you to give me my front-door key back,’ Chloe continued calmly.
‘Look, Chloe—’
Chloe put the phone down. Then sat on the bed, looking around the room. She felt kind of lost…
What was it he had said? You’re a survivor; you’re strong. It was quite ironic that he should throw that at her as an accusation, a fault. She had to be strong; she’d had to learn how to fend for herself from a young age. And she regarded it as one of her strengths, not a weakness.
Nile Flynn had quite a cheek, saying that to her and then clearing out all their money and leaving her with debts! Justifying it by saying, Hey, it’s OK, you’re strong, and you’re a survivor. Chloe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but she had a very cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She’d thought Nile was different from other men; she’d thought he was reliable. That was why she had let down her defences and eventually agreed to marry him; she had honestly believed he wouldn’t hurt her. And she had worked hard at the relationship.
‘Big mistake,’ she whispered to herself. ‘Stick to your career and forget men.’
But what about children? The question crept insidiously in on her. She wanted a family so much…the need burnt inside her. She remembered mentioning that once to Nile. He had been quite shocked. Had told her there was no way they could think about a family until they were in their new house and he was more settled in his job.
And look how things had worked out…the first thing Nile had done when he was more settled in his job was dump her. All that time she had spent carrying him, trying to be cheerful and upbeat when things weren’t going right for him, and he didn’t think a scrap more about her…in fact, he just resented her for it.
; ‘Everything OK?’ Steven’s voice coming from the doorway startled her.
‘Yes, fine.’ She tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt.
Steven came further into the room and sat down on the bed beside her. ‘If you want to talk about it I’m a good listener.’
‘There’s not a lot to say except that I’ve got really lousy taste in men.’
Steven smiled at that.
‘You think I’m joking, but I’m not. All Nile is bothered about is that he’s going to lose the deposit we’ve paid on a house we were buying jointly. He tried to pretend that he isn’t serious about this woman he’s seeing, but it sounds as if he is serious about her to me… He probably wants to move her into our new house.’
‘Well, you’re better off without him, Chloe. You deserve far better than that.’
Chloe couldn’t find her voice to speak for a moment. Then she gave a wobbly smile as she met Steven’s eye. ‘Yes, my knight in shining armour will be riding up to rescue me any day now.’
Suddenly they both laughed.
‘Preferably he’ll arrive before my sister’s wedding.’
‘I didn’t know you had a sister.’
Chloe nodded. ‘Sinead. She’s twenty-two and is really my half-sister. She’s getting married in May, which is why I’ve booked a long weekend off that month. I’m going home to Dublin for the wedding.’
‘That sounds fun.’
Chloe didn’t answer.
‘Why don’t you come downstairs and have some breakfast?’ Steven said gently.
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think I could eat anything. I feel a bit sick.’
‘No, you don’t. You’re made of tougher stuff than that.’
‘How do you know?’ She looked over at him and he smiled.
‘I’ve seen you in action in the office. You’re a tough cookie.’
‘That’s what Nile thinks as well, but…’ She was about to tell him that it wasn’t true, that it was all just an act, and then she smiled and changed her mind. Chloe Brown would never…ever admit to that and she wouldn’t let the likes of Nile Flynn bring her down. ‘Yes…maybe you’re right.’ She angled her chin up slightly.
‘Of course I’m right. It’s weeks since Nile left and you haven’t fallen apart. You haven’t even had a day off sick from work.’
‘You can tell you’re my boss! The most important thing is that I haven’t had a day off!’ She shook her head but amusement danced in her eyes for a second.
Steven grinned. ‘Well, at least I’ve brought back a bit of your sparkly dry humour.’ He touched her face gently and looked deep into her eyes.
Suddenly she was profoundly conscious of how close he was sitting to her on the bed…and the touch of his hands on her skin. She looked into his eyes and felt the laughter still inside her, felt it being replaced by a much stronger emotion that twisted and snaked its way through her.
‘Daddy?’
Beth’s voice calling from downstairs broke the intimacy between them. Steven moved away from her. ‘I’ll go and see to her,’ he murmured. ‘Come downstairs when you are ready, Chloe.’
Chloe didn’t immediately move to follow him. What had just happened? she wondered. One moment she had been thinking about Nile…the next he had been very much forgotten. Why was Steven having this effect on her? That kiss last night had changed things between them, she thought with apprehension. But it had just been a mistake; she needed to forget about it, she told herself crossly, just as he had probably forgotten about it.
She sat where she was on the bed for a while, and her eyes flicked around the bedroom. It was decorated in a very masculine way, no frills or flounces, just plain walls and bedding. There was a photograph on the dresser and she crossed to have a closer look.
It was of a very beautiful woman with long golden hair and sea-green eyes; she was holding a baby in her arms, smiling tenderly down at the tiny infant. Obviously it was Steven’s wife with Beth, and it had probably been taken just hours after Beth was born, judging by how tiny she was. A wave of sadness washed through Chloe. How selfish she was to feel sorry for herself because of Nile…how much worse must Steven’s pain be? He had lost his wife, the mother of his child.
She put the photo down and, pulling herself sharply together, went back across to her own room.
Chloe had only intended to put on some lipstick before going downstairs, but when she looked into the mirror and noted the sensually provocative way that the jumper she was wearing clung to her figure she quickly stripped it off and dug about in the wardrobe again until she found something with a higher neck.
That’s better, she thought, surveying her reflection again and noting that the grey polo-neck was longer and a bit looser, much more practical for a cold snowy day. Then she reached for her hairbrush and pinned back her hair before going downstairs.
‘Sit down.’ Steven nodded to where a place had been laid for her at the kitchen table next to Beth. ‘Would you like tea or coffee?’
‘Whatever you’re having.’
‘I’ve made both.’ His eyes flicked over Chloe as he put two pots down in the centre of the table. ‘Are you OK now?’
She smiled at him. ‘Yes…I’m fine.’
He opened the top oven, took out a cooked breakfast and placed it in front of her. ‘There you are. Eat up—it will make you feel better.’
‘Do you think you are feeding the five thousand here?’ Chloe looked down at the plate of food in surprise. ‘I’ll be the size of a house if I eat all this. I usually just have cereal.’
‘So do we during the week. But it’s the weekend, time to relax a bit.’ He resumed his seat opposite her. ‘Besides, we have to keep our strength up to build this snowman.’
He noted that she had changed out of the attractive figure-hugging sweater into something that looked as if his sister had used it to wash the car. And once again her hair was scraped firmly back from her face into a pony-tail and she had put her glasses on.
She glanced across at him, catching him watching her quizzically, and he smiled.
‘Are you going to help me build my snowman?’ Beth asked happily.
Chloe looked away from Steven hastily. ‘Yes, Beth, I am.’
‘My best friend Rachael made one at Christmas and she put her daddy’s coat and hat on it.’
It was great how having a child around lifted your spirits, Chloe thought as she reached to pour herself a mug of tea and listened to Beth’s inconsequential chatter. Plus it took the edge off that feeling of self-consciousness every time she looked across and met Steven’s eyes.
‘Does Rachael go to your school?’ Chloe asked as Beth paused for breath.
‘Yes, she sits beside me. She has two brothers and a dog…and two mummies, a stepmummy as well as her real mummy.’ Beth sighed. ‘She’s really lucky. And her mummy has a boyfriend called Pete; he’s got blond hair and he makes ice cream.’
Chloe caught Steven’s eye across the table. He smiled. ‘If you have finished your breakfast, Beth, you can go and find your boots, ready for going outside.’
Immediately Beth scrambled down from her chair and ran out of the kitchen.
‘If she had sat there any longer you’d have got the whole of Rachael’s life story,’ Steven said with a grin as he reached across to refill her cup.
‘You mean there’s more?’
‘Oh, it’s a whole saga. A soap opera is boring by comparison.’
Chloe laughed and straightened the cutlery on her plate.
‘Before I forget, Chloe, I’ve rescheduled my trip to Manchester for next Friday. I might need you to come with me.’
‘That’s fine. I’ll put it in the diary when I get into the office on Monday.’
He looked over at her plate. ‘Have you finished?’
‘Yet, it was a lovely breakfast, Steven, thank you. But I couldn’t eat another mouthful.’
‘You’re not dieting, are you?’ he asked suddenly, wondering if that was why she liked to hide that b
eautiful body away behind shapeless clothing.
She glanced over at him with a wryly lifted eyebrow. ‘No. But thanks for asking.’
He grinned at her. ‘Good. I hate women who pick at their food.’
A picture of Helen Smyth-Jones rose in Chloe’s mind. She was so tiny she surely wouldn’t let much more than a celery stick past her lips.
Steven got up and started to clear away the dishes on the table and she stood up to help him.
He wondered if she hadn’t finished her breakfast because she was so upset about Nile. Despite the brave smile as she met his eyes, she looked sad…and she had looked so lost upstairs after that phone call from him. He wanted to keep reinforcing how wrong Nile would have been for her…that she’d had a lucky escape. But he forced himself not to; maybe it wasn’t what she needed to hear right now.
‘So, tell me more about your sister’s wedding,’ he asked instead.
‘There’s not much to tell. I think it’s going to be quite a big affair and I’m chief bridesmaid.’ She pulled a face. ‘I’m just hoping they haven’t chosen a dress for me that’s completely hideous. I’ve got this picture in my mind of something pink and frilly that will make me look dreadful.’
‘You’d look quite fetching in something pink and frilly, I’m sure.’ Steven smiled.
‘No, trust me, I wouldn’t,’ Chloe said firmly. ‘But it’s Sinead’s big day and I’ve told her I’ll go with whatever she wants…also I haven’t been home in a long time, so I’ve got to go with the flow.’
‘I didn’t know you were originally from Ireland,’ Steven said. ‘But now I listen to your voice I can hear the faint accent.’
‘Well, I’m not really from Ireland. When I was little we lived in London, then Mum and Dad got a divorce and Dad went to live in Ireland.’ Chloe closed the dishwasher and leaned back against it to look over at him. ‘Then when Mum died I went to live with my dad and his wife Margaret, who is from Dublin.’
