“That’s very direct and to the point. So you do have an opportunity to fix what’s happened between you two—if that’s what you want to do. I could be wrong, but he sounds flipping awesome.” She put her finger against her chin as if deep in thought. “Do you think your ticket is transferable? I mean, I could go tell him in person, let him down gently.”
Sara frowned, puzzled by her cousin’s offer until the meaning hit her. “Wh—what? Hell no, you won’t,” she barked out.
When Chloe snickered, Sara knew she’d been played. “That’s what I thought. So we have, what, a matter of days to make arrangements? When will your brother and his bimbo be back from their usual child-free vacation?”
“Um . . . five days,” she said uncertainly. “I can’t leave Kaylee at home by herself, you know.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t she have grandparents?”
“Nicole’s parents live in California, and they both have jobs.”
“Well, your mother is free as a bird, isn’t she? And conveniently, she’s living with you right now. Surely she can watch Kaylee for one day. If there’s some reason that she cannot, then I’ll take vacation time and handle it.”
“You’d do that?” Sara asked, thinking it was the nicest thing anyone had done for her in years.
“Absolutely,” Chloe agreed without hesitation. “We probably need to get you some new clothes. You realize it’s much colder in Alaska. And there’s probably snow on the ground. So heavy winter clothing is a must. Maybe a couple of nicer outfits for an evening out.”
Sara’s head was spinning. Chloe was clearly in her element and getting more animated by the moment. But she seemed to be overlooking one very important thing. Clearing her throat, Sara jumped in when the other woman paused. “I can’t tell you how much all of this means to me.”
Chloe raised a brow in question. “I sense a ‘but.’ Whatever it is, we can deal with it.”
“Who is supposed to take care of my niece while I’m gone?”
“Her. Parents,” Chloe emphasized slowly. “Sure, it may not be ideal, but if you wait around until they’re ready for you to leave, she’ll be graduating from college. It won’t be a total shock to them either, since they know about Gabe. You said yourself that Chris was concerned about you leaving. That’s sort of like giving your notice. Granted, it’s not exactly the conventional way, but this isn’t a typical situation.”
Sara couldn’t believe how easy Chloe made it sound to uproot her life and go visit a man she didn’t know very well. This was the sort of thing that teenagers without any common sense did. Not women who had no desire to end up in the trunk of someone’s car. “Shouldn’t you be preaching caution instead of encouraging me?” she asked wryly.
Chloe spread her hands out in front of her. “We know he’s pretty far up the food chain in the military. Did he ask for or send you dirty pics during all the time you two were talking a million times a day?”
“Um—no. He never said anything out of line. He mentioned some overly friendly females he’d dealt with through the years and how uncomfortable it made him.”
“So another positive for him.” Chloe grinned approvingly. “I really can’t see a wacko making the effort to come here first to meet your family. That speaks volumes, Sara. At that time, he had no reason to believe you weren’t coming to visit him as planned. So why would he put himself in what was likely to be an uncomfortable situation when it wasn’t necessary?” She reached out and squeezed Sara’s hand. “That was all for you. No guy would do that for a lady he didn’t care a lot for. It also tells me that he’s a responsible, honorable man, who would never disrespect or harm you.”
Sara sighed. “I’m not afraid of him. Somehow, I knew even before he showed up at my door that he was trustworthy.”
Chloe sat quietly for a moment before saying, “I can’t make this decision for you. But I do want to say one last thing. I—I feel that if you don’t go to him, you’ll end up alone.” Sara’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes watered at her cousin’s blunt statement. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. This has absolutely nothing to do with your appearance or who you are as a person. You’re gorgeous, funny, intelligent, and quirky as hell. I’ve told you before, you could have your pick of men—that’s not the issue. I don’t think you were even aware of it, but you’d given up on yourself until Gabe came along. You were living through your family, and they were more than happy to let you. Kaylee filled the void you might have had to be a mother, and you’ve been all but running a household for your brother for three years. The only thing missing was male companionship, and when did you have time for it? Without Gabe, you’ll go back to what you’re used to, like most anyone would. And I’m afraid your family members will be thrilled to encourage it. You won’t risk taking a chance with your heart again because you’ll be too afraid of getting hurt.”
Sara wanted to argue with her assessment, to say she had it all wrong, but they both knew better. If anything, she was understating the fallout from this. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. Coward. Nicole is right. “I’ve never had anything of my own.”
Chloe gave her an understanding smile. “Believe me when I say I’ve been where you are before. The circumstances might have been different, but I’ve stood at the crossroads, not knowing which way to go.”
“I swear if you tell me you took the road less traveled, I may hate you,” Sara grumbled, as she used the back of her hand to wipe a tear away. Why can’t I stop crying?
Chloe burst into laughter, causing Sara to wrinkle her nose in annoyance. She’s perfect. She has no clue what it’s like to be me. “Sorry,” she said contritely. “Your expression was so flipping priceless I couldn’t help myself. No, trust me, I didn’t take a chance. I stuck my tail between my legs and went home. I had a guy that loved me. Really and truly loved me, Sara. He offered me the world and I was too afraid to reach out and take it. All he asked was that I have faith in him—in us—and I couldn’t do it. Instead, I went back to guys who treated me like shit. Case in point, my last boyfriend, who dropped his zipper for half the female population of the state, no doubt. Somehow, I felt if I got hurt, it would be easier to handle with a piece of crap like that. But you know what? Getting your heart stomped on sucks no matter who does it. And I realize now that Wes would have never done that to me. We’d have had disagreements like normal people, but it wouldn’t have been over infidelity or disrespect.”
“Then take your own advice and go to him,” Sara urged. “Tell him you made a mistake. Maybe it’s not too late. When you love someone, it doesn’t simply go away because you’re not together.” It rips you up inside instead.