by Debbie Mason
She opened her mouth, then narrowed her pretty violet eyes at him. “You almost got me that time. We’re not telling you if it’s a boy or a girl, so quit fishing.”
Chance smiled at his wife and gave her baby bump a tender pat. “Easton and I have a couple of things to discuss. You need another s’more before I go inside?”
“No, thanks. I think I’ll go in, too. I’m a little tired.” She fake yawned and stretched.
“Yeah, you look real tired, honey. You go on in and lie down; I won’t be long.”
“But I thought…You’re annoying, McBride. I don’t know what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is that you’re my very pregnant wife who likes to stick her nose where it doesn’t belong, and inevitably that means trouble comes a-knocking.”
“I haven’t…” Chance crossed his arms over his black T-shirt. “Fine,” she said, pushing herself up and off the chair. “Since your brother won’t let me hang out with you, I’ll see you later, Easton. Are you going to the meeting?”
“I was thinking about it,” he said, careful not to give himself away.
“You might want to get there early then. After Chloe’s op-ed, they’re expecting a packed house.” She pressed her lips together, shooting a glance at Chance. “I should be there, but your brother’s being an overprotective pain in the butt.”
“Can’t fault a guy for looking out for his wife and baby girl, honey.”
Easton laughed at the oh-shit look that came over his brother’s face when he realized what he’d just revealed, then said,“Well, hell, I just lost fifty bucks.”
“You share the news, and you’ll lose more than fifty bucks,” Vivi warned Easton as she opened the patio door. She scooped up the Yorkie dancing at her feet, glaring at his brother through the glass door as she slammed it shut.
“Looks like you’re in trouble, big brother. And your wife’s kind of scary.” Easton grinned, then recalled what Vivi had said before the big reveal. “What was that about Chloe writing an op-ed?”
Chance drew his gaze from the patio doors. “Yeah, no doubt I’ll be paying for that. And if you think Vivi’s scary, you should read Chloe’s op-ed piece. Pretty sure it will be standing-room only at the meeting.”
He’d talked to Chloe yesterday, and she hadn’t mentioned anything about her op-ed piece to him. And there was only one reason she’d hold back, because the woman certainly didn’t hold back anything else. “How bad was it?”
Chance took a seat and put his feet up on the ledge of the fire pit. From his brother’s shit-eating grin, Easton figured he’d better sit, too, and took the chair beside him.
“I can get you a copy if you’d rather read it yourself. Vivi has a couple lying around the house,” his brother offered.
“No, just give me the condensed version.”
“You know that her first meeting didn’t go so well, right?”
He nodded. That he’d heard about. Brandi and her friends had given Chloe a hard time. They thought one of them should have been made chair of the committee instead of her. Knowing how difficult it had been for Chloe to attend the meeting, Easton had been tempted to hop in his truck and head back to town. But there’d been a spate of home invasions in Aspen, and every celebrity within a thirty-mile radius had wanted him to advise them on their security systems.
It’d been great for the company’s balance sheet, not so great for taking any personal time. At least Cat, Ty, and Liz had been there for Chloe after the meeting. Annie and the other student reps, along with deputy Jill Flaherty, who’d been assigned to keep the peace, had stood up for her during the two-hour-long session.
“I guess Chloe decided she’d had enough. She basically said how she was the least likely person to champion the school after her experience at Christmas High and in town. But that Annie and her friends and Mrs. Woods had changed her mind.”
Easton relaxed. “So what was with the shit-eating grin? That doesn’t sound—”
“I didn’t get to that part yet. She also listed everyone who’d bullied her past and present, including the little incident at Diva. Aunt Nell got a mention and so did our brother. But you wanted a condensed version, so I skipped over it.”
“So that was the reason for your grin?” he asked hopefully.
“Nope, saved the best part for last. Turnout was low at the last meeting, and she called out the parents for their lack of support. Told them if they weren’t invested enough to fight for the school, why should she.”
Easton didn’t understand what the big deal was. He was proud of Chloe. “Seriously, you’re a little touchy if you think that’s a problem.”
“Really? I thought you’d be pissed she was making waves.”
“Nope. Happy that she finally stuck up for herself.” And he wanted to tell her that himself. Easton stood up. “I’m going to head out. Whatever you saw on the feed can wait until tomorrow. Or I can check it out after the meeting and call you.”
“No, we need to deal with this now.” He stood and nodded at the computers set up on the glass table under the trellis. When Easton joined him, Chance said, “Five-thirty-two in the kitchen. You’re better at this than me. See if you can zoom in on the screen.” It took Easton a couple of minutes to find what Chance wanted. Tara Martinez was on a laptop.
He looked at his brother. “She’s watching the fashion show in the park, and she’s stopped it twice. First time when Cat’s on the stage and Grayson’s in the picture whistling. You and Vivi show up, too. Second time when I jump on the stage.” Easton played with the feed, getting an angle from the camera across from Tara. “She’s nervous, and the only reason for her to be nervous would be that she knows Grayson is FBI, and they have them under surveillance, and it’s obvious he’s connected to us.”
“Got that. She knows we’re on to them. But here’s the bigger problem.” He nodded at the screen.
“She’s smart. She’s removed the tracking device from her cell phone.” Easton watched as she dug around in her purse and pulled out another phone. “It’s a burner.”
“So we can’t trace who she called. But five minutes later, she’s in Martinez’s office demanding he dismiss us.”
Easton brought up the feed from five-forty in the office and picked up the conversation. “Shit. He’s buying that I made a move on her.”
“Did you?”
He shot his brother an are-you-kidding-me look. “No. She made one on me, and he walked in. I should have told you. Didn’t realize it would come back to bite us. You hear from Martinez yet?”
Chance shook his head. “Last shipment for the exhibit is set to arrive tomorrow at ten. I figure he’ll tell me then. He’s probably trying to line up another security team as we speak.”
“Wanna bet that Tara has one already lined up?”
“Never thought of that, but makes sense.”
“We need to let Martinez know what’s happening. He’s been had. His wife and the artist are having an affair. Once they get the big payout, they’re on the wind. And he’s left holding the bag if things go south. Or worse, she makes sure things go south and gets it all, including the insurance money when he gets popped.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Need a day or two to connect the dots, but I have enough on her to give him something to think about. Arrange a meet with him away from the estate and bring in Grayson. Put the fear of God into Martinez, tell him he’s going down for this, too. Then bring him on board.”
“Sounds good. Show me what you have on her first.”
Once Easton had laid everything out for his brother, he glanced at the time on the screen. He scowled at Chance. “Thanks a lot, there’s no way I’ll make it in time for the meeting now.”
His brother frowned. “You didn’t sound as though you cared if you went or not.” A slow smile creased his tanned face. “Baby bro’s got it bad. Looks good on you, E,” he said and pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Gage, see if it’s worth you making the drive.”
So much for playing it cool. Easton pulled his laptop from his messenger bag and e-mailed Chance a copy of his file on Tara Martinez and cc’d Grayson.
Chance laughed to himself as he typed on his phone. “Chloe just gave Gage hell for texting in the meeting. He figures they’ll be wrapping up in ten minutes, and it’s standing room only. Gage says you shouldn’t bother making the drive.” Chance looked up with a grin. “But I think you should go, baby bro. Ashley Wilkes is there. Saw him hanging out with Chloe a couple times this week. Wouldn’t want him to get a leg up on you.”
That was news to Easton, and not particularly good news. Chloe would already be disappointed that he hadn’t made it to the meeting like he’d promised. He had to think of a way to make it up to her. Something romantic. Her sister might not be a hearts-and-flowers kind of girl, but Chloe was. And what was more romantic than a picnic under the stars at the place they’d first made love? He glanced at his brother, not exactly thrilled he’d give himself away, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.” You mind if I borrow a blanket, a bottle of wine, and some…I don’t know, cheese and grapes or something?”
Chance blew on his knuckles, then rubbed them on his chest. “Good to know you were paying attention to your big brother. But you forgot a couple of things. You gonna do this right, you need chocolate and flowers. While you’re getting the stuff from inside the house, I’ll make you up a couple of s’mores to go. You can pick some tulips from the flower bed at the side of the house.” He grinned when Easton raised his eyebrows. “What can I say, I’m good at the romance shit.”
By the time Easton collected what he needed from inside the cabin, with some romantic advice from Vivi as well, Chance was wrapping four s’mores in tinfoil. “You didn’t put any pickles on them, did you?”
“Please, I told you I’m a pro at…Wait a minute, there’s no reason Chloe would be craving pickles, is there?”
“No, of course not. We haven’t…” he began without thinking, then shut his mouth and took the s’mores from his brother.
“Whoa, really? Guess you don’t take after me. Maybe you’re more like Dad. Ah, hi, honey,” he said sheepishly to Vivi, who stood behind the screen door with her arms crossed.
Just as he opened his mouth to give Chance a much-deserved shot, Easton’s cell rang. He checked caller ID. “Hey, Dallas. Yeah? That’s great. I’ll tell her. I’m sure she’ll be in touch. Thanks.”
Easton no longer had to worry that his plan to romance Chloe wouldn’t be enough to sweep her off her feet. He’d gotten her a job.
* * *
Chloe got up from the black fold-up chair behind the table and searched the auditorium for Easton. With the parents and students beginning to file out the doors, she was hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But there was no sign him of sitting in the emptying bleachers or standing against the wall. As several parents approached, along with Vera Woods and the principal, Chloe covered her disappointment, accepting their thanks with a smile. “You’re welcome. Yes, I think the meeting went really well,” she said, then continued chatting with them for a few minutes. Mr. Lowry, the principal, shook her hand, and Vera gave her a warm hug before making way for a petite brunette and her daughter.
The woman offered Chloe a tentative smile. “I’m not sure if you remember me, Chloe. I’m Jenny Ryan, and this is my daughter Lindsey.”
“Of course I do.” She didn’t have a clue who the woman was. “It’s lovely to see you again. I met Lindsey the other day. You have a talented daughter, Jenny.” Chloe smiled at the young girl, who blushed.
Jenny smiled at her daughter, too, then returned her attention to Chloe. “You’re all she’s talked about for the past few days. We appreciate what you’re doing. If they close the school, I don’t know how I’ll manage to get Lindsey to drama club. I’m a single parent now. Dave passed away three years ago.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Chloe said. At the mention of Dave, she remembered Jenny. She’d been a member of Brandi’s posse. But Easton was right, life hadn’t been easy for some of the women who’d tortured Chloe in high school, and it was time for her to move on. And while she wasn’t entirely confident their case was strong enough to sway the board, at least not yet, Jenny didn’t need the added stress of hearing that. “We have a strong case to bring before the board. I’m hopeful for a positive outcome.”
Chloe sensed someone watching her and, thinking it was Easton, turned. It wasn’t. Gage stood a couple feet away, looking like he was fighting back a smile, which was an improvement over how he’d looked at her lately. “Hi Jenny, Lindsey,” he said as he closed the distance between them. “Great meeting, Chloe. Seems like you have everything well in hand.”
“Yes, although some people chose to ignore my no-cell-phone rule.”
“We better be going. Thanks again, Chloe. Sheriff.” Jenny smiled and moved away. Lindsey hung back. “Chloe, are you coming to help out the prom committee with the decorations tomorrow?”
“Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t miss it.” Since she hadn’t attended her own prom, she’d enjoyed helping out the last couple of days. For the juniors’ sake, she hoped this wouldn’t be the last one held at the school.
“Great.” Lindsey smiled and ran off to join her mother.
“Prom, too? When you do something you go all in, don’t you?” Gage said.
She shrugged. “I have the time. And they’re nice kids.”
“So maybe I’m not the big, bad bullying sheriff after all? Come on, admit it. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Fine. I admit it ended up being a good idea. But you were a bit of a bully. All you had to do was ask nicely, Gage, and I would have agreed to chair the committee.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right.” When she opened her mouth to object, he said. “Did you forget who your shadow was the first day? Annie told me everything. And my brother called to give me hell.” He shoved his hands in the front pockets of his tan uniform pants. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I should have realized this would be difficult for you. I was around enough to know you didn’t have an easy time of it here. But I figured…” He gave an apologetic shrug. “I didn’t know about the panic attacks.”
And she wished he still didn’t. Embarrassed, she waved her hand. “That was in the past, Gage. So let’s leave it there, shall we? And next meeting, do me a favor and turn off your cell phone.”
He gave her a smile that indicated he knew she was trying to change the subject. “I’m the sheriff; I can’t turn my phone off. But you can blame Easton for me breaking your rule.”
“He’s not back from Aspen?” she asked, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice. She understood Easton was busy with his job, but this was the second promise he’d broken to her. And she was beginning to wonder if he was using work as an excuse not to see her.
“He’s back, but he got tied up with my brother on a case. Chance texted to see if it was worth Easton heading over for the meeting. I told him it wasn’t.”
“Why did you do that?” Chloe asked with a touch of censure in her voice. At Gage’s grin, she realized she should have been more careful. She’d just given away how much she wanted to see his brother. Something she didn’t want everyone in their respective families to know. She wasn’t even secure enough in her relationship with Easton to want him to know.
“Don’t worry, I’m expecting him to show up any minute now.”
“But you just said—”
“I told Chance to let Easton know Ashley Wilkes was here.” He nodded at Beau, who sat at a table signing up volunteers. She noticed Nell in the long line. As a former electrical engineer, the older woman would provide valuable help, even if she was a pain in the behind. Beau and the volunteers were the most important piece of Chloe’s plan. The board’s argument for closure of Christmas High was not based on low enrollment, but the expense of expanding the school.
As though he sensed their attention, Beau looked over and smiled, then gave Chloe a thumbs-up. She returned the gesture
and looked at Gage. “His name isn’t Ashley Wilkes, it’s Beau…” She trailed off as she recalled the character from Gone With the Wind. So they thought Easton was her Rhett, did they? Well that had to be a good…No, she was done with signs. “Development” was a much better word.
“I know.” Gage waggled his eyebrows, then said, “Looks like Beau is going to be at it awhile. I’ll stick around until he’s done, and you can head out. Jill will walk you to your car.”
Chloe looked to where Jill leaned against the far wall and followed the direction of the deputy’s narrowed gaze. She was watching Sawyer and Brandi, who were chatting on the upper row of the blue bleachers.
“You’re not concerned that Brandi will pull something, are you?”
“No. Why would you think that?” Gage said.
Chloe gathered her files and notes from the table, then shoved them in her black hobo bag. “So why’s Jill following me to my car then?”
Gage helped her into her leather jacket. “We’ve heard that students and parents from the other two schools on the chopping block were coming tonight. They have a lot to gain if you can’t make a good case for keeping Christmas High open. If you do, one of their schools will close.”
“I wish you would have told me, Gage. I wouldn’t have revealed our four-prong strategy.”
“I didn’t know until I arrived for the meeting. Annie saw it on Facebook. Don’t worry, I’m not overly concerned. But I can’t take chances with my brother’s girl.”
She glanced at him. He’d called her Easton’s girl, and hadn’t said it like it was the biggest mistake his brother had ever made. And she couldn’t deny that made her happy, and being thought of as Easton’s girl made her happy, too. But she had to play it cool. If things didn’t work out between them, she didn’t want everyone feeling sorry for her. It would be hard enough seeing him at family gatherings without the added stress of pretending she was fine.
“I’m not really his girl, you know.” Gage’s eyes narrowed at her. “I mean, we’re dating, but it isn’t serious.” He crossed his arms. “Well, it could be serious if we actually spent some time together…Never mind. It’s none of your business anyway.” She hooked the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “Thanks for coming…Oh, I nearly forgot to ask, can you investigate the board members for me?”