She stopped in front of him. “Remember that Ms. Ross has an event tonight. A fundraising dinner. Red carpet, entertainment news coverage, the works.” She handed him a sheet of paper. “Here’s the final guest list.”
He took the paper and scanned it over, then forced a smile onto his lips. “Thanks.”
She nodded, then turned and walked away.
Jake had known about the event and had done some preliminary work, including asking Tyler to send additional security personnel to meet them inside. It was a big event and there would be a lot of celebrities, but Jake’s only concern was Chloe.
Her face filled his mind. That morning when he’d headed to the gym, he’d kind of hoped she would be there, but when he’d finished his workout with no sign of her he’d been half-glad she’d respected his request to give him space and half-disappointed that he hadn’t had a chance to see her.
Forcing thoughts of her out of his head, he turned his mind to the job at hand—making sure she would be safe at that night’s event.
In her music room, Chloe tried to coax her muse to come out and play, all the while working to keep thoughts of Jake at bay. She couldn’t let their troubles sidetrack her, although the more she thought about him and their misunderstanding she was trying to fix, the more the words of a new song filled her mind. Frowning at the way her personal life fueled her music, she sighed as she picked up a notepad and began jotting down lyrics that came to her. It was cathartic, and as her anxiety over losing Jake slowly began to melt away, she settled into the couch cushions and began humming a melody that went with the words she’d just written.
Two hours later there was a soft knock at the door, and a moment later Beth walked in carrying a plate with a sandwich and some fresh fruit.
Chloe set her guitar aside and smiled at her friend. “Is it that time already?”
Beth chuckled. “Past time, actually, and I could hear you working and didn’t want to interrupt. But,” her eyebrows rose like she was the grown-up and Chloe the child, “you have to eat.”
As annoyed with Beth as Chloe was—but only due to her inquiry about Jake that had pushed Chloe to make a stupid statement, which was not Beth’s fault at all—Chloe still appreciated her. Beth kept her on track, took care of her, and always looked out for her. “Thanks, Beth.”
Beth sat across from her as Chloe picked up the sandwich and took a bite.
“How are things going?” Beth asked. “I mean, it sounds like you’re working hard.” She smiled. “As usual.”
“Great, actually. I’m coming up with all kinds of new material.”
“Really? What’s the inspiration?”
Was it Chloe’s imagination, or was Beth wearing a small smirk? Plucking a green grape off of the bunch, Chloe popped it in her mouth as she crafted a reply. With a quick glance at the door to make sure it was securely closed, Chloe swallowed the grape then shifted her gaze to Beth. “You know me, I get inspiration from all kinds of random things.”
Beth’s eyebrows rose. “Typically from your love life, but you and I both know you’re not dating anyone, so…” Her words trailed off like she wanted Chloe to fill in the blanks.
After another glance at the door, Chloe smiled at Beth.
Beth looked toward the door then narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “Why do you keep looking at the door? Are you expecting someone?”
Why did Beth have to be so observant?
“No, I just…” Chloe chuckled nervously. She hated hiding things from Beth. “No.”
Beth shook her head with a frown. “Keep your secrets then.”
Wanting to deny that she had any, Chloe took a bite of her sandwich instead. As she slowly chewed, she thought about Jake. Though she didn’t like keeping things from Beth, it was worth it, because Jake had become too important to her to risk losing him.
“Thanks for lunch,” Chloe said with a smile.
Evidently getting the message, Beth stood. “You’re welcome.”
Moments later she was gone and Chloe finished her lunch before turning her attention back to her music.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Eager to see Chloe while at the same time dreading it, Jake stood in his usual spot as he waited for her to appear before they left for her event that evening. Her glam squad had come and gone, so he knew she would walk down the hall at any moment. He’d missed the easy relationship they’d been enjoying and kind of wished he’d never overheard Chloe’s conversation with Beth. But really, if he believed what Chloe had told him—that she’d been trying to throw Beth off of the scent—then it didn’t matter what she’d said to Beth. And the more he thought about it, the more he believed her because it made sense. They’d promised to keep their romance a secret, so of course she’d had to come up with something when Beth asked questions.
If Jake had any hope of making things work with Chloe, then he needed to toss caution out of the window and let the wind carry it away and trust Chloe, trust that she was telling the truth, trust that she meant it when she said she cared for him.
Her high-heeled footsteps sounded. Jake’s heart sped up in anticipation. Chloe came into view, her expression guarded.
As stunning as ever, she smiled tentatively. “Hello.”
Jake gazed at her a moment, then let a smile of appreciation curve his lips. “You look beautiful, Chloe.”
Her eyebrows rose like she was surprised he was being so friendly. “Thanks.”
It was time to clear the air between them. “I know now isn’t really the best time, but I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for doubting you.”
She studied him a moment, then bit her lip and glanced at the floor before meeting his eyes. “Does that mean you’re willing to…give me a chance? To try to make this work?”
As he looked at the hope in her eyes, Jake couldn’t believe that he’d nearly thrown this all away. “Yes. Absolutely.”
Her lips parted and she let out a huge breath. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
Seeing how happy she was made him happy. He closed the distance between them, then gently pulled her to him—he didn’t want to mess up the look she’d so painstakingly put together—and softly kissed her on the lips.
Chloe was ecstatic. Jake believed her. He was going to give her a chance. All day long she’d been thinking about him, worried about losing him. Now, with his lips pressing against hers, all those worries disappeared.
He released her and stepped back. Chloe smiled at him as all kinds of feelings cascaded over her. She was falling for him and falling hard. This felt different than the other relationships she’d been in. It felt more…right, somehow. If someone had asked her to explain she wasn’t sure she could, but she felt it. Like this was the real thing.
Happiness swelled within her. They would make this work.
“I’d like you to drive tonight,” she said. “We can take the Rolls.”
He chuckled. “Are you sure?”
Now that they’d made up, she felt more sure about everything. “Yes.” She crinkled her nose. “But I’m going to ride in the back seat.”