by Debbie Mason
“I know, I was a bully.”
“No, you weren’t a bully. You were aggressive and ambitious. You went after what you wanted, and you weren’t afraid to stick up for yourself.”
She gently pushed her sister’s wispy bangs from her eyes, and smiled. “Thank you for saying that, Kit Kat. And thank you for being here for me now. I don’t like when we fight. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too. And I’m sorry about what you saw and overheard at the ranch the other day. I didn’t know there was anything between you and Easton.” Her shoulders went up around her ears when she drew in a heavy breath. “Not that I should have been kissing him. I still can’t believe that I did.”
“Why did you?”
“I’m not blaming you, Chloe, but all that talk about him being my one…I guess I was scared I was making another mistake. Grayson and I were having problems, and then I invited his dad here, and that made everything worse. I think the man hates me more than Estelle does.”
“Estelle doesn’t hate you. She was just afraid of losing Grayson. He’s the only one who’s ever shown her any affection. They’re kind of a dysfunctional family. I’m sure that’s why you and Grayson are having problems. He has trust issues, and after Michael, so do you. And don’t get mad at me, but when you’re upset, you shut yourself off. You need to be honest with Grayson and let him in.”
“When did you get so smart?”
“I always was, only no one ever took me seriously.”
“Does Easton?”
“I think so.” She wrinkled her nose and looked down at her hands. “Well, he did. I’m not sure how he feels after last night.” She lifted her gaze to meet her sister’s. “I’m falling in love with him, Kit Kat.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.”
She frowned. “How come you’re not rolling your eyes like you usually do when I tell you I’m in love with someone?”
“Chloe, you told me you were in love with Grayson an hour after you met him on the set.”
“Oh, right,” she said, her cheeks heating at the reminder.
“Besides, Easton was always the one for you. And it must be true love because he’s not perfect. He has a damaged leg. And there’s nothing you hate more than imperfection.”
“How can you say that? He’s perfect in every way. He has a little scarring, sure, but the strength in his leg will eventually improve.” She crossed her arms. “I’m very disappointed in you, Kit Kat. You never used to be this shallow.”
Her sister laughed and pulled Chloe to her feet. “Oh yeah, definitely true love. And just so you know, Easton isn’t interested in Brandi. He’s interested in you.”
“Were you not listening to me earlier? Easton is a protector, and Brandi needs protection. I don’t.”
Cat pressed her lips together as though trying not to laugh, then said, “Ah, Chloe, I don’t know how to break it to you. But you’re the type of woman a man will always feel the need to protect. You’re a girly girl.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“No, just telling it like it is.”
“Well, don’t be offended, Kit Kat, but I think you should be more like me. Did you ever think that your macho fiancé might like to feel you need him to protect you every now and again?”
Cat scoffed. “I don’t need anyone to protect me.”
“You will this afternoon when you’re walking down the stage in four-inch heels.” She followed Cat out of the bathroom. “Is Grayson coming to the fashion show?”
“Are you kidding me? I don’t want him to see me looking like an idiot. The only reason I agreed to do this is for Ty.”
Chloe made a show of looking around the salon. “You know, Ty’s really busy. So why don’t I do your hair and makeup for you? “Without giving her sister a chance to respond, Chloe called Estelle over on the pretense of helping with the makeover. It was time to mend some fences. “Now, you just sit down and relax, Kit Kat. Oh, do you happen to know what you’re wearing in the fashion show? That way we can coordinate your makeup to your outfit.”
Cat sighed. “A pair of jeans and a frou-frou top.”
Honestly, her sister had no idea how much she needed her help. “All right. Give me your phone: I want to take before-and-after pics.”
* * *
Chloe sat beside Estelle in the chairs at the sinks with warm towels draped over their faces and wrapped around their heads. Ty was saving them for last. He’d ordered hair and facial treatments for them while they waited. Though the treatments actually felt more invigorating than calming. Her skin and scalp were tingling. But other than that, and despite the incident with Nell and Brandi, Chloe was happy and relaxed. Her sister’s makeover had gone brilliantly. She looked stunning. And best of all, Cat and Estelle had made significant headway in improving their relationship. Chloe was excited to see Grayson’s reaction to both. And there was no doubt he’d be in the park this afternoon after the text Chloe had sent him. Thinking of what she’d promised her sister’s fiancé, she grinned, then grimaced at the twinge the movement caused.
Pushing herself upright, she removed the towel from her face and called out to Ty, who was at the workstation to Chloe’s right, blow-drying her mother’s hair. “I think I’m done, Ty.”
He glanced her way, then did a double-take and dropped the brush. Her hands went to her face. “What’s wrong?”
Estelle sat up and removed her towel. Chloe took one look at the older woman’s beet-red face and screamed. Estelle looked at Chloe and did the same. “Mirror, I need a mirror,” Chloe said, flapping her hands in front of her face. She felt faint.
“No, no mirror,” Ty said as he hurried to her side. He reached for a container on the shelf behind the sink. He unscrewed the cap and sniffed. “Holly, which treatment did you use on Chloe and Estelle?”
Chloe’s nemesis from high school twisted her hands. “I-I thought you wanted me to use the red one.”
“No, I told you to use the gold jar. The red jar is an intensive peel that—”
“Burns the skin!” Chloe shrieked.
Her mother and sister rushed to her side. Instead of telling Chloe to calm down like she expected them to, they stared down Holly. Estelle turned to add her glare to theirs, and her towel slipped off her head. Chloe gasped. “Y-your hair is…red!”
Estelle collapsed in the chair. “Water, get her some water,” Chloe cried, and then brought a trembling hand to her own head. She pointed to the towel and whimpered. “Kit Kat, take it off.”
Her sister did as she asked and grimaced. “Is it red?” Chloe whispered.
“No.” Relieved, Chloe sagged in the chair. “It’s purple.”
Ty buried his face in Cat’s shoulder while her mother stormed to the front of the salon, shutting off the hair-dryer Nell sat beneath. “You have gone too far this time! Look what you’ve done to my daughter. You’ve ruined her face and her hair. Oh no, don’t you try and deny it,” her mother said when Nell opened her mouth. “I know your handiwork when I see it. I’m calling Paul right now.”
“Mommsy’s right. I can’t go out there like this. I’ll be ruined. She blinked back tears as the expression on Ty’s face registered. He was devastated. “This isn’t your fault, Ty. I’m…We’re not blaming you, are we, Estelle?”
“No, it’s that old battle-ax’s fault.”
Ty removed his glasses and swiped at his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I might as well cancel. They’re here to see you, Chloe. The press has come from all over. Even Access Hollywood sent a correspondent.”
She took in Ty’s crushed expression and, despite her heart pounding an erratic beat, rose weakly to her feet. “I guess we better get this show on the road then.”
Chapter Eighteen
Easton searched the rows of chairs in front of the runway for Chance. Movement in an oak tree to the left of the stage drew his attention. A man straddled a branch, aiming a long-lens camera at the white tent set up several yards behind the runway. Another scan o
f the park revealed several more professional photographers. Easton gave his head an irritated shake at the sight of the paparazzi. The negative attention Chloe had received in the tabloids had begun to die down. If Easton had his way, he would have banned the press from the fashion show. No doubt he would have been overruled.
“Easton.” His brother waved him over.
He weaved his way through the crowd to where Chance and Vivi stood to the right of the runway in front of an ice cream truck.
“How did it go? You get the tracking device on the wife’s phone?” Chance asked when Easton reached them.
He nodded. “Yeah, and I added another camera feed from the room where they’re housing the private collection of sculptures.” Getting the device on Tara Martinez’s phone was easy; escaping the woman’s attention, not so much. She was friendly, overly so. Something her husband didn’t fail to notice, and hadn’t been pleased about. If she didn’t stop with the flirting, Easton wouldn’t be surprised if Martinez booted him off the security detail. Which wasn’t something he planned on sharing with his brother right now. The last thing Easton wanted was to be taken off the case. Because Grayson was right; something was going down. And Easton wasn’t about to let Chance and Cat go in blind.
“Good job. You’ve got the estate covered from all angles now,” his brother said, then glanced at the entrance to the park and chuckled. “Looks like Ashley plans to give you some competition.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, then spotted Beau and the rest of the crew who’d worked on his house near the back. It was standing room only now. The Southerner nodded. Easton gave him a chin lift, wondering if Chance knew something he didn’t. But if he asked, his brother would put two and two together and ride him for the rest of the afternoon, so he changed the subject. “Thought the fashion show was supposed to start at two; it’s twenty after.”
He’d busted his hump to get here on time. Along with protecting Chloe from the press, he was worried the guys from the Penalty Box might show up to cause trouble. So far, he hadn’t spotted them in the crowd.
“You didn’t hear?” Chance asked.
His brother’s question made him nervous. He had an uneasy feeling the reason for the delay had to do with Chloe. The woman had an unerring ability to both cause and attract trouble. And after her reaction to his being on a date last night, the last thing he wanted her to discover was that he’d been out with Brandi. “Hear what?”
“Aunt Nell was up to her tricks again.” Chance looked down at his wife. “What was that stuff she put on their faces?”
As soon as Vivi finished filling Easton in on what happened at the salon, he turned to walk away. He planned to tear a strip off his great-aunt, but first he wanted to check on Chloe.
His brother grabbed him by the arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To the apartment to see Chloe.”
“She’s not there.”
“She left town?” After the last few days, he supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. But he didn’t think it was too much to expect a good-bye call. Though she obviously felt he didn’t deserve one since he’d been out with another woman. She hadn’t given him a chance to explain last night. He’d planned to make her listen to him today. From the expressions on his sister-in-law’s and brother’s faces, if they didn’t know how Easton felt about Chloe before, they did now.
“Nope, she’ll be hitting the runway in about fifteen minutes,” his brother said.
“There’s no way she’ll take part in the fashion show. Not with all the press…Wait, did Ty manage to fix her face and hair?”
His brother’s cell rang, and Vivi answered Easton’s question. “No, and you guys are a little too quick to judge Chloe if you ask me. She’s loyal to Ty. She wouldn’t let him down.”
His brother took his phone from his ear and scanned the screen. He grimaced, then said to whoever he was on with, “Thanks for the heads-up. Yeah, I’ll tell her. Hopefully she isn’t pulled over before she gets…That fast?” His brother let out a low whistle. “Okay. Thanks again, Jake.”
“What’s going on?” Easton and Vivi asked at almost the same time.
“Found out the reason for the delay. Chloe and Estelle hit the tanning salon.”
“Chloe wouldn’t go to a tanning salon,” Easton said. The way the woman hid from the sun, it was like she was a vampire.
“There’s a salon in the same strip mall as Jake’s automotive shop that does spray tans. They’re probably trying to match the color of their faces to their arms and legs so it’s less noticeable. Not a bad idea actually,” Vivi said.
“Wouldn’t have been if she stopped at that, but she didn’t. Cab didn’t show up, and Chloe was in a panic that she’d be late for the fashion show. But unlike most normal people, she doesn’t just ask for a ride, she buys a Mustang. And from what Jake said, she was driving hell for leather out of the lot. He didn’t get a chance to give her the paperwork.”
“Jesus, where’s Gage?” Easton had to make sure his brother didn’t find out or he’d arrest her on the spot.
“At home. Maddie’s…under the weather,” Vivi said.
His brother grinned. “Is that what they’re calling it now?”
Vivi nudged her husband with her elbow, and Easton had a feeling he was out of the loop. As long as Gage wasn’t around, he was fine with that.
Grayson strode toward them. “Where is she?” he asked.
“Cat?” Easton said, hoping to hell that’s who the man was looking for and not…
“No, Chloe.” He leaned to his left, looking in the direction of the tent. At that exact moment, two women crept out of a back alley and fast-walked across the grass to the tent’s entrance. Oversize rainbow-colored golf umbrellas hid them from view so it was hard to tell who they were.
Grayson straightened and turned to Easton. “That woman is a menace on the road. What were you thinking letting her drive a souped-up Mustang? I clocked her doing eighty miles per hour around a hairpin curve. She drove me off the road.”
Easton rubbed his jaw. “Didn’t happen to be any law enforcement on the road at the time, did there? Other than you, I mean.” At the sound of sirens in the distance, Grayson cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. As Easton was trying to figure out how to cover for Chloe, Ty and Sophia, the owner of Naughty and Nice, took their places behind the podium and welcomed everyone to the show.
“Is that why you’re here or did it have something to do with the Martinez case?” Chance asked Grayson. The audience was clapping so he didn’t have to lower his voice.
“Cat asked me to come.” He shrugged at Easton’s disbelieving glance. “I know, I was surprised, too. But she texted me this morning, and no way was I missing this.”
There was something about the man’s grin that made Easton study him closer. “What exactly did she say in her text?”
Grayson laughed. “No way I’m sharing that with you, mate. But I will say our relationship appears to have taken a turn for the better.”
“Seriously, Cat O’Connor was sexting you?” Chance laughed. “Doesn’t sound like the woman we know and love.”
“No, it sounds like Chloe,” Easton muttered.
Grayson’s jaw dropped, and he reached in the pocket of his black suit for his phone. He thumbed through his messages and stared at the screen.
“Check for winky faces and exclamation marks. You find them, you’ve been had,” Easton said.
“Bloody hell,” Grayson clipped out. “I’m going to strangle the woman.”
“I don’t know, buddy. I think Chloe did you a favor. You might want to look at the stage,” Chance said.
Easton looked up at the same time as Grayson. Cat stood by the podium wearing thigh-high black leather boots and a short black leather skirt and matching bustier. Grayson stared at her and swallowed hard. Cat looked smoking hot, but it was the woman in a white robe with a hood hiding her face who held Easton’s attention. She crept alongside the stage. Cat loo
ked down at her. The woman, who Easton was pretty sure was Chloe, made a walking sign with two fingers. Cat’s lips flattened, and she started to walk—clomp might have been a better word for it—when Ty introduced her, talking about her hair and makeup.
“You’re not John Wayne,” Easton heard the woman stage-whisper and recognized her voice. He was right; it was Chloe. “Pretend you’re me.”
Chloe’s instruction seemed to do the trick, and while Sophia described the outfit, Cat walked the stage like a pro. When she turned at the end of the red-carpeted runway, Cat caught sight of Grayson. The agent smiled at his fiancée, then put his fingers to his lips and whistled.
Cat blushed, but she smiled, too. If Chloe’s plan had been to heat up the action between the couple, it looked like it may have worked. Distracted by Cat and Grayson’s interaction, Chloe had disappeared before Easton could warn her she had a few things to answer for. And so did the older woman now taking her turn on the runway in a bright blue dress. When Ty started his spiel, Nell fluffed her hair and batted her eyes to the amusement of the audience.
Easton didn’t realize his father had joined them until he saw his great-aunt look their way. She quickly turned her head and made a show of waving to the crowd. Ted and Fred encouraged her when she swiveled her hips in what Easton imagined was her version of twerking.
“Good Lord,” his father said, “I didn’t need to see that.” But when Liz took to the stage wearing a tight red dress and high heels, a lovesick smile replaced his dad’s previous look of horror.
Chance looked at Easton and rolled his eyes. Easton grinned.
A few minutes after the last woman left the stage, the crowd got antsy. People started whispering Chloe’s name, and Ty cast a nervous glance at the tent. The stylist visibly relaxed when the flap opened to reveal Chloe. Even with her long, lush mane a dark shade of purple and her overly tanned face, there was no denying she was the star of the show. But as she walked toward the stage, Easton sensed there was something wrong. Instead of her usual graceful stride, she was…shuffling. The hot pink dress she wore appeared to be several sizes too small.