Page 33 of Wild Lies

For the first time in a year, I don’t feel alone in this. But then Chloe rests her forehead against mine, and I’m reminded that she’s leaving soon and I’ll be carrying my secret alone again.

How the hell am I supposed to let her go?

The question claws at me. Whispering in my ear like a siren call and demanding that I at least try to show her how good it could be if she liked it here enough to stay.

What does she have back in Seattle? She’s said herself that her job is gone, she’s newly single and searching for her purpose, so maybe her staying is a possibility.

Or maybe I could leave?

An image of what we could have—the routines we’d fall into, the love that could grow—flashes in my mind. It’s there, but not quite in reach for me to capture it and make a reality. Not yet, anyway.

19

CHLOE

Kade and I are seated at a table in the Hartlands’ ranch dining hall waiting for Aunt Liz. She leaves town tomorrow morning and all but demanded that we have dinner with her before she goes. I’m not entirely convinced that her insistence that Kade joins us wasn’t just so that she could ogle him one last time.

Tonight, Kade is wearing a light blue denim shirt that is open at the collar and a brown suede waistcoat with a pair of dark navy jeans to finish off the look. He’s removed his Stetson but still looks delicious, with his hair curling at the nape of his neck. It took a huge amount of self-control on my part to not climb him like a tree in the middle of the lobby when I saw him.

“You okay?” Kade asks, reaching for my hand. He soothes his thumb across the back of it, his presence a reassurance.

I’ve been a little distracted looking out for my parents since we were seated at one of the tables in the middle of the restaurant. I can’t help feeling like a sitting duck here.

“I’m fine,” I reply, my leg nervously bouncing under the table and calling me a liar.

“You don’t look fine, you look skittish and like you might bolt, buttercup,” Kade replies, calling me out and pulling my focus to him.

As I stare at him, I suck in a breath and force my shoulders to relax. “I’m just hoping we can get through this dinner without running into my parents.”

Kade nods in understanding. “If we see them, just remember I’m here and I’ve always got your back. You don’t have to feel like you’re facing them alone.”

My body relaxes further at his words, my features softening. “Thank you.” I don’t know what I’d do if he wasn’t here. Hell, I’d probably be hiding away in my cabin and missing everything that Coldwater has to offer.

He squeezes my hand in reassurance and for half a second, I think I’m going to be okay, but then a shadow falls over the table, and I know immediately that it’s not Aunt Liz. She’d announce herself, like she always does, with her effervescent energy.

I look up, my eyes snagging on a pair of soft brown ones. “Hey, Maddie.”

“Hey, Chloe.” She turns her attention to Kade, her face a mask as she adds, “Hi, Kade.”

“Maddie,” Kade greets, dipping his chin.

For a moment, a flare of jealousy rushes through me as I look between them, wondering if anything has ever happened. It’s a small town, right? Isn’t that how it goes? She’s beautiful, and he’s handsome; it would make sense for them to be attracted to each other. I feel my hands getting clammy the longer I watch them, looking for any sign that I might be right.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Maddie says, “I’m sorry to interrupt you again, but I saw you from across the room and was hoping to confirm a time for our chat?”

“Of course,” I reply, sitting up straighter and smoothing my hands over the napkin in my lap as I brush away my jealousy. Kade isn’t mine, so I have no right to feel anything but grateful for him going along with this charade. “Does Sunday work for you?”

Maddie pulls out her phone, scrolling through it before shifting her focus back to me. “It does. Shall we say 11 a.m.?”

“Perfect,” I reply, offering her a soft smile. Much like Kade, she’s been nothing but nice to me and if things go as I hope, she’ll end up being my boss.

She doesn’t hang around once we’ve confirmed a date and time; instead, she taps her phone on the back of the chair and says goodbye, leaving me and Kade alone.

“What was that about?” Kade asks, leaning back in his chair and resting an arm on the back of mine.

I turn toward him, placing a hand on his knee. “It might be nothing, but Maddie said she needs someone to take some photos for her.”

Hope flares in his eyes before he casts a glance around the restaurant and I lose sight of it. “That’s cool, Chloe. Super cool. Are you excited about it?”