by Debbie Mason
Estelle agreed. “Looking forward to it, my boy.” The moment he was out of earshot, she whispered to Chloe, “What’s the plan?”
“Don’t you worry about it. I’ll take care of everything, Estelle.” Chloe stood up and smoothed a palm down her dress. As she walked around the pool, she thought of something her sister-in-law Skye always said, “Everything happens for a reason.”
Maybe she was right. If Chloe hadn’t been killed off As the Sun Sets or if an offer had come in for a movie role, she wouldn’t have the opportunity or time to play Cupid and make up for her past mistakes. The thought made her feel better about her lack of job opportunities and reinforced her belief that she was meant to do this.
She stepped off the cement deck to avoid being splashed by the laughing children in the pool. “Careful,” she told them, forcing a light-hearted tone to her voice, then she raised a hand and called, “Easton. Yoo-hoo, Easton.”
His eyes met hers just as he drew his arm back. Then, as the ball left his hand, he mouthed “oh, shit” and yelled, “Chloe!”
What’s the matter with him now? she thought, tipping her head back to watch the football spiral in the cloudless blue sky. And that’s when she realized it was headed directly for her.
Chapter Four
Easton ran full-out in hope of intercepting the ball, but his leg slowed him down. He swore under his breath when the football hit Chloe’s hands and glanced off her head. His brother Gage, who he’d been throwing the ball to, sprinted past him. Neither of them made it in time to save Chloe from falling backward into the pool. As she hit the water with a blood-curdling scream, Gage shot him a look.
“For chrissakes, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Easton muttered, closing in on the pool. They all knew how he felt about Chloe, so he supposed it wasn’t a stretch that his brother might think the throw had been intentional. But seriously, he should know better. Easton would never hurt a woman, even if she was a pain in the ass. The problem was, Chloe had called out to him as he drew back his arm to throw the ball. She’d distracted him, and possibly made him nervous. There’d been something about the way she looked at him that put him on edge.
Her head popped up when he reached the side of the pool. She sputtered, choking on a mouthful of water as she screamed for help. She kept screaming and flapping her arms.
“No, stay away from her, girls,” Gage ordered his daughters Annie and Lily, who began swimming to Chloe’s rescue.
It was a good call. The way she was flailing about in the pool, she’d probably drown them. “Chloe, calm down. Grab my hand.” Easton knelt on the edge, reaching out to her.
“Help! I’m drowning! Someone help me!”
“You’re not drowning. Just give me your damn hand.”
She ignored him and kept yelling for help while waving her arms, bobbing up and down in the water. With everyone crowded around the pool calling out to her, it was possible she didn’t hear him.
There was no help for it; he had to jump in.
Grayson beat him to it. In three powerful strokes, the other man reached her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I’ve got you, Chloe,” he said.
She released a shuddering breath, sagging against Grayson as he swam toward the pool’s edge. Easton leaned over and grabbed her by the arms. Her eyes were closed, mascara mingling with either tears or water droplets to carve black tracks down her stark white face.
Her eyes opened when he hauled her from the water. “Are you happy now? You nearly drowned me,” she whispered, her pale lips quivering.
He sighed and lifted her into his arms, then limped toward the grass. “I didn’t mean to. I called out to you. All you had to do is move. Not stand there waiting for the ball to hit you,” he grumbled. He wasn’t really mad at her. What pissed him off was the sight of his father running toward them with his medical bag followed by a distraught Liz carrying a blanket. Easton had inadvertently given Chloe another opportunity to cause a scene. And this one was too good to pass up. He had no doubt she’d take advantage of the situation.
“Darling, are you all right?” her mother asked as she wrapped the blanket around Chloe’s shoulders.
Her teeth chattering, she gave Liz a wan smile. “I’ll be fine, Mommsy.”
Easton barely managed to contain an eye roll.
“Put her down here, son,” his father directed, pointing to a spot on the lawn.
As Easton slowly lowered himself to the grass, his leg buckled, throwing him off balance. In an effort to stay upright, he lost his hold on Chloe. She rolled onto the ground with a shocked cry. Everyone stared at him. “It was an accident, okay? She’s fine. Stop treating her like a damn invalid.”
Liz and Paul ignored him and knelt beside Chloe, who stared past Easton with a look of adoration on her face. He briefly closed his eyes and stood up. He didn’t have to turn around to know who was behind him. There’d been a time when she’d looked at Easton the exact same way. Grayson had done it now.
Chloe clasped her hands to her chest. “Thank you, Grayson. You…you saved me. I owe you my life.”
“Oh, come on, don’t be so dramatic. You weren’t drowning, Chloe. All you had to do was swim four feet—” Easton began before she cut him off.
“I don’t know how to swim.”
“Of course you do. You—”
“No, I don’t.” She glared at him.
Okay, so she hadn’t been acting after all. Given how overly protective her parents had been, he probably should have realized there was a possibility they hadn’t allowed her to learn. And he would have apologized for misjudging the situation if she didn’t immediately turn her hero-worshipping gaze back on Grayson. As everyone crowded behind his father and Liz, Easton took a couple careful steps back on the uneven ground. Here we go, he thought, when Estelle and Ty crouched beside her. They were almost as dramatic as Chloe.
Cat sprinted toward them. Standing off to the side, Easton was in a position to witness her brief exchange with Grayson. She lightly brushed her hand down his arm, thanking him, Easton assumed, for saving her sister. Obviously, she didn’t realize the consequences of her fiancé coming to Chloe’s rescue. Grayson looked down at Cat and said something that made her frown. She gave her head a slight, irritated shake, and then went to her sister’s side. Sadly, Easton wasn’t the only one who witnessed the exchange.
From where she lay on the ground, Chloe’s leaf-green eyes flitted from her sister to Cat’s unhappy fiancé. The couple were going through a rough patch, and the last thing they needed was Chloe in town stirring up trouble. And he had no doubt she would. She’d caused a crapload of it back in December. They didn’t need a repeat. But he didn’t know how to broach the subject with Cat. He was a guy; he didn’t do relationship shit. But she was his friend, and he owed her a heads-up. Maybe he’d talk to Grayson instead.
Before Easton could take a step in the other man’s direction, Chance grabbed his arm and shoved his cane at him. “Don’t even think about arguing. You’re gray, and you’re sweating. You shouldn’t have been playing ball, and you sure has hell shouldn’t have been carrying Chloe.”
“Keep your voice down,” he growled, afraid their dad would overhear. That’s all he needed. “I bench-press more than Chloe weighs every day.” It was true. He’d forgotten how small and delicate she was until he’d held her in his arms. She was almost a foot shorter than him, although her hooker heels added an extra four inches to her height. He glanced in her direction. She was being helped to her feet, the back of her hand pressed to her brow. The woman would never change.
Yet earlier, he’d thought that maybe she had. She hadn’t made a scene like he’d expected her to. Oh, she’d been about to. He’d seen the flash of temper in her eyes when she turned on Cat, heard it in her voice. And then, just as quickly, she’d turned it around. The spin she’d put on the situation had amused him. Oddly enough, he seemed to be the only one who realized she was faking it. She’d been humiliated, hurt that she’d been played. He underst
ood how she felt. It’s why he’d told her about the sugar pills. And not to embarrass her. In his own way, he was trying to protect her.
Because no matter that she drove him nuts, he couldn’t shake the memory of the painfully shy little girl she’d once been. The one who’d light up when he walked into a room, who’d looked at him like he was her hero. And while he’d tossed the football with his brothers and Grayson, he’d found himself watching her. An uncomfortable tightness building in his chest at the sight of her sitting alone. He didn’t get it. How could a woman as head-turningly beautiful as Chloe be insecure? She was a wealthy, accomplished actress, yet she acted as though she was still that awkward little girl he remembered.
He drew his attention back to his overprotective brother, who muttered, “Knock off the tough-guy act. Take your pain meds and use your goddamn cane.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, taking the cane. He only gave in because he was pretty sure he’d fall on his face if he didn’t. Easton wouldn’t admit it to Chance, but it felt like someone was stabbing his leg with hot pokers. He leaned heavily on the cane and limped toward the blue Adirondack chair under an aspen tree.
“Where’s your meds?” his brother asked.
Easton lowered himself in the chair, briefly closing his eyes as a wave of nausea washed over him. “Just get me an ice pack and a beer, will ya? I’ll be fine.”
Before Chance could respond, they heard Chloe shriek, “If you take my picture, I’ll sue,” and then a splash.
“Jesus, did she fall in again?” Easton asked, leaning to the side to see past his brother.
Chance glanced over his shoulder and laughed. “Nope, looks like she pushed Nell into the pool. Or maybe Estelle did.”
“Aunt Nell can’t swim.”
“I know.” There was another splash. “Grayson just jumped in to save her.”
Easton scrubbed his hand over his face, then looked at his brother. “We have to talk to Grayson and either get him on board with the job or take Cat off the case.”
“Already tried talking to him. The man is as stubborn and ornery as Cat. She won’t give in either.”
“Can we break the contract with Martinez?”
“No, and it wouldn’t look very professional if we tried. Besides, I don’t agree with Grayson on two counts. One, they’ve got the wrong guy. Martinez shouldn’t be on their watch list, and they know it or they would have brought him in for questioning by now. And two, Cat’s a big girl and good at what she does. If they’re going to make their relationship work, he has to find a way to support her.”
“Yeah, well, that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon. Good thing Chloe’s headed back to LA tomorrow.”
“In your dreams. She’s staying for Ty’s grand opening next Saturday.”
* * *
A soft breeze rustled the leaves of the trees overhead, the smell of burgers cooking on the grill drifting past Easton’s nose. His stomach rumbled, and he thought about getting up. Eyes still closed, he tested his leg. Nope, he’d stay there for a while longer.
“Easton.”
He opened his eyes. Chloe stood in front of him with a plate of hamburgers in her hand. She’d changed into a red sundress, the hem fluttering above her knees in the warm breeze. It fit snug at her chest and hips, showing off her curvy figure. Her feet were bare.
He cleared his throat, shifting in the chair. “What’s up?” he asked, drawing his gaze to her face. Determined to keep it there. Only looking at her face did nothing to lessen the flare of heat and desire. She was even more beautiful without the dramatic makeup. And her long, dark hair looked…. Jesus, he needed to get laid if Chloe was turning him on.
She gave him a sickly smile and handed him the paper plate. “Chance said your leg’s bothering you. I thought you might be hungry.”
He was going to kill his brother. Then again, maybe he should be thanking him. The look on Chloe’s face as she glanced at his leg did what he hadn’t been able to—threw a gallon of ice-cold water on his desire. “Thanks.” He raised his eyebrows when she didn’t leave, then sighed. She probably expected an apology. “Like I told you, I didn’t mean to hit you with the ball, and I didn’t know you can’t swim.”
“Is that an apology?”
“Yeah,” he muttered, lifting the burger to his mouth.
“Thank you. But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
He looked up at the leaves fluttering overhead, then lowered the burger. “What?”
She opened her mouth, closed it, and looked away.
“My burgers are getting cold. You going to tell me what’s on your mind, or not?” He was hoping for or not. She was nervous, and that made him nervous.
“Do you promise not to yell at me?” She looked at him from under her lashes, nibbling on her full bottom lip.
He gave his head a slight shake, dragging his gaze from her mouth to her eyes. “What did you do?”
“Nothing…yet. And it’s more you and me doing something.”
He stared at her, stunned. He thought he’d killed her feelings for him their last year of high school. The night he’d discovered he’d been spending time with Chloe and not his girlfriend Cat. For weeks Chloe had pretended to be her sister, and he hadn’t had a clue. That wasn’t entirely true. There’d been a difference. Cat, who’d actually been Chloe impersonating her sister, had seemed softer, more open with her feelings, more demonstrative. He’d liked the changes, and since they’d recently taken their relationship to the next level, he’d attributed the differences he saw in Cat to that. But he’d been in for another shock; he’d made love to Chloe, not Cat, his girlfriend of two years. The girlfriend he’d planned to propose to the night of their high school prom.
It took a long time for him to forgive Chloe, and Cat. The night he found out he’d been played Cat had admitted to being in on the act. Years later, she confessed she’d lied because she’d been hurt he couldn’t tell them apart. She’d had no idea what her sister had been up to.
Just as Easton pushed back the long-ago memories, he remembered he’d kissed the hell out of Chloe when she’d been home last fall for their parents’ wedding. So he supposed he shouldn’t be entirely surprised she still had feelings for him. But he’d only kissed her because he thought she was Cat. They’d traded places. Again.
The thought reignited his anger, and he released a harsh laugh. “You and I won’t be doing anything together, Scarlett. Not now, not ever. So you just get those thoughts out of your head.”
“I didn’t mean that.” She cast a nervous glance over her shoulder, then looked back at him and lowered her voice. “You and Cat were meant to be together. It’s what your mother would want for you, and I know you do, too. I’ve been watching you. You’re in pain. It comes out as anger, but I know it’s because you’re sad. I don’t blame you. It’s my fault you’re not together. If not for me, you’d be married by now. But I’m going to fix everything. Cat isn’t happy either, and she deserves to be. We just have to come up with a plan to show her you’re the one she wants, not…” She frowned. “…Easton, what’s wrong? Are you choking on your burger?”
He pushed himself up off the chair and towered over her. “You do one thing, just one thing to mess up what your sister and Grayson have, and I’m going to tell everyone what you’re up to. And that includes your mother and your sister. Do us all a favor, yourself included, and head back to LA.”
“Why are you pretending this isn’t exactly what you want? You told me this afternoon that you love her.”
“Chloe, Easton, what’s going on?” Cat walked across the lawn with a frown on her face.
“Nothing. Nothing’s going on,” Chloe said, giving her sister a bright smile. “You promised to show me your wedding dress. Why don’t we go do that now?” She tugged on Cat’s arm.
Cat looked confused. “Ah, because my dress won’t be in for at least a month. I told you that.”
“Oh, silly me. Of course you did.” She released
a phony little-girl laugh that irritated the hell out of him. “But you can show me a picture, can’t you?”
“Sure. Just let me talk to Easton for a minute.” Cat glanced from him to Chloe. “It’s about a case. I need to speak to him in private.”
“Oh, right…a case.” Chloe winked, then gave Easton a smug smile before heading off. She made a beeline for Grayson.
Easton bowed his head. He didn’t want to tell Cat, but she had to know.
“Are you going to tell me what she’s up to or should I guess?”
He shouldn’t be surprised by her question. No one knew Chloe as well as her identical twin. Once he finished laying out what her sister had said, Cat pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really didn’t need to deal with this on top of everything else. Grayson and I are having enough problems without throwing Chloe into the mix.”
“So send her packing. Tell Ty to withdraw his invitation to the grand opening.”
“I can’t do that. She’d be devastated.” When Easton crossed his arms and gave her an are-you-shitting-me look, she held up a hand. “I know how you feel about her, but despite what you think, she’s not doing this to hurt me. The past few months have been difficult for Chloe. She’s putting on a brave face, but her career means everything to her. They killed her off As the Sun Sets, and Ty told me she hasn’t had any offers. I’m worried about her. I just have to figure…” She trailed off, casting Easton a speculative glance that made him uneasy.
“No. Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”
“All you have to do is play along with her until next weekend. Please, Easton, you can keep an eye on her. She can stay with you at the cabin—”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“She can’t stay at the lodge. We’ll never know what she’s up to. And I can’t have her stay with me and Grayson.”
“She can stay here.”
“No, Chloe and Mom’s relationship is just getting back on track. My mother will figure out what she’s up to, and I won’t have this come between them. It’s my fault, Easton. George wouldn’t have tried to kill me if Michael hadn’t stolen his money, and Chloe would still have a job.”