“God…yes…take her!” was the collective comment from the women around the table.
“Hey!” Chloe turned and yelled over her shoulder, even as she laughed. “What did I do?”
“Sweetheart, we’ve been sitting here talking for hours, but your attention has been fully on the volleyball court,” Phoebe said and then saluted her with her beer. “Go! And don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!”
“But we do everything,” Hailey said, giggling.
“You know what?” Dylan interrupted, taking Chloe’s hand. “I don’t even want to hear any more of what they might share. I’m afraid I’ll be scarred for life.”
“Don’t forget you’re on kissing booth duty Sunday!” Hailey called after them and Dylan groaned.
“Kissing booth duty, huh?” Chloe asked when they were in the parking lot. “I didn’t know you had signed up for anything.”
He shrugged, feeling a little awkward. “It’s not a big deal. Not really. All the single guys in town volunteer. Hell,” he added with a slightly nervous chuckle, “even some of the married ones volunteer.” He paused while they climbed into the truck. “I can back out, if you want. Really. It wouldn’t be a problem. I can…”
“Dylan,” Chloe said, putting her hand on his arm, “relax. It’s okay. You’re allowed to do things at the festival you want to do. It’s not my place to tell you what you can and can’t do.” Then she shifted and pulled her hand away.
Dylan didn’t take that as a good sign.
“We’ve known each other for barely two weeks.” She shrugged. “I’m sure you committed to this a long time ago and…again…this is something you normally do. And…I’m thinking…you know…if my car is ready…I was going to head out on Sunday. So really, the timing kind of works.”
He felt like there were rocks lodged in his throat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I guess…I wouldn’t want to sit there and watch you kissing a line of women. It would be…awkward.”
Awkward? That’s all she had to say? Awkward? If the roles were reversed, he’d want to punch every guy that was in line to kiss her in the throat! And he’d probably pull her from the booth before even one guy had the chance to get his lips anywhere near her! And all she could say was how it would be awkward? Damn. And for the life of him, Dylan had no idea how he was supposed to respond.
He opted for silence because there was no way he could form a rational thought or put all the crazy shit that was spinning around in his head into words. For her part, Chloe stayed silent as well. And they stayed that way until they were in the house and began to kick off their shoes and wander aimlessly.
This? This was awkward!
“Let me ask you something,” he finally said, unable to stand it any longer. “Were you always planning to leave on Sunday?”
She shrugged but wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“And if I said I would back out of my shift in the booth, would you be staying?” And he hated the needy way he sounded, how he was reduced to almost begging.
She didn’t answer.
“Chloe?”
She took a shuddery breath and let it out slowly as she looked up at him. “I was always going to leave, remember?” But her voice was quiet, weak. As if it wasn’t what she wanted to do.
“But is that what you want?”
Tears filled her eyes. “It’s what I’d planned. The reason I was driving that day…it’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Again, there was no strength behind her words.
Stepping directly in front of her, Dylan gently grasped her shoulders. “Is that really what you want, Chloe?”
“I...I don’t know,” she said sadly. “I thought it was. I had it all worked out.”
In that moment, he felt like a desperate man clinging to a life raft. “What about staying here? In Sapphire Falls? You already have a job,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I know it’s probably not your dream job but…it would be okay as a temporary one, right?”
A lone tear trailed down her cheek and Dylan reached up and cupped her beautiful face. Chloe turned and kissed the palm of his hand. “Dylan…”
He couldn’t bear to hear it. Didn’t want to hear her say it wasn’t enough – that he wasn’t enough – and that she was leaving. So he did the only thing he could. He closed the distance between the two of them and kissed her.
Hard.
He kissed her with all the pent-up passion and frustration he was feeling. He kissed her until they both had to pull apart mainly to breathe. And then he kissed her again. And he just kept on kissing her as they made their way clumsily to his bedroom.
As he stripped her clothes off and then peeled off his own.
As they tumbled onto the bed.
And it was well into the early morning hours before they stopped.
****
Beside her, Dylan was asleep.
Chloe had never been more wide awake in her life.
What about staying here? In Sapphire Falls?
It was beyond tempting. She loved it here. Everything about the town drew her in – the people, the activities, the businesses…and of course, Dylan. But she was a realist. They were living in some sort of fantasy bubble. They had met under unusual circumstances and then were thrust together and living together before they barely knew each other’s names.
What if she stayed and they found out it was just a physical attraction and it fizzled out fast? True, they had spent every day together for almost two weeks and had talked about anything and everything with each other. But that didn’t mean that what they had still wasn’t based on sex.
Even as she thought it, Chloe rejected it.
No, what she felt for Dylan was real.
And it scared the shit out of her.
As for Dylan…everything Chloe had learned about him – both from talking to him and from her interactions with everyone in town – told her that he didn’t take relationships lightly. The fact that she was living in his home and sleeping in his bed meant he trusted her as more than a bed-buddy. She also knew he was hard-working and well-respected by everyone in this town.
Meanwhile, she was a hot-mess with no direction.
Did he really need to have her latching on to him and messing up his world? Not that she thought she was going to mess it up a whole lot, but…she was nowhere near getting her shit together the way he had. Hell, she was still struggling with what she wanted to be when she grew up. And while Dylan didn’t mind it right now, Chloe was certain it would start to wear on him. He may be thirty, but he had the maturity and the handle on life of someone much older.
It was pretty damn intimidating.
So where did that leave her? She sighed. Unfortunately, she knew what she should do. If they were meant to be then they’d be able to handle a long-distance relationship, at least for a while. It was painful – just thinking about leaving Dylan and the new friends she’d made. But it was important to her to at least try to get her life in order before she burdened Dylan any more than she already had.
Someday he’d thank her for it.
At least she hoped he would.
Beside her, Dylan rolled over and reached for her, murmuring her name in his sleep. It brought tears to her eyes. She snuggled closer and wrapped herself around him and simply breathed him in. His arms tightened around her and she knew she would miss this. Miss him. Miss being held by him.
“Mmm…” Dylan hummed and softly kissed the top of her head. “So good.”
Chloe sniffled quietly as she squeezed her eyes shut. Placing a light kiss on his chest, she tried to force herself to relax.
Two more nights. That’s all they had. At least for now. If that was all she was going to allow herself then she was going to do her best to enjoy every minute they had together. And that meant…she had to make the most of those minutes.
Shifting slightly, she began to place more tiny kisses on Dylan’s chest and shoulder. He hummed his approval. Th
en her hands began to move over him and she heard his soft hiss of breath when she reached around and gently squeezed his ass.
“If this is a dream,” he whispered, “then I don’t want to wake up.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “What if I said this wasn’t a dream?” she teased.
He chuckled and lazily shifted them until Chloe was on top of him. His hand slowly skimmed down to her hips and he squeezed. “Then I’d ask what I did to deserve someone as incredible as you.”
Emotion clogged her throat. And rather than speak, she simply did her best to show him how incredible she thought he was too.
****
Every inch of Dylan’s body hurt. Between the volleyball and the vigorous sex he and Chloe had had all through the night, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do a whole hell of a lot at the garage on Friday. Fortunately there wasn’t too much to do.
Just Chloe’s car.
Shaking his head, he still couldn’t believe he’d sabotaged it. He’d loosened some wires and knew once she shut the car off, she wouldn’t be able to restart it. He was pathetic. What the hell had he thought he’d accomplish with such a childish act? Eventually the car was going to be fixed and she was going to be free to leave. Thankfully, Chloe knew little to nothing about cars and she’d have no way of knowing he’d been the reason her car had stopped working the other day.
Desperate times, desperate measures. And for what? She was still going. He let out a loud sigh and almost jumped out of his skin when Will came up behind him and clapped him on the back. “Hey.”
“Can I ask you something?”
Dylan nodded and turned to lean against the Mustang. Will sounded serious and normally, that wasn’t the case. “Sure.”
“Why?”
Not sure what exactly the question was, he looked at Will in confusion.
“Chloe just told me she’s leaving Sunday.”
“She is,” Dylan replied lowly.
“So again I have to ask…why?”
“She’s got a life, Will. She never planned on stopping – or staying – here in Sapphire Falls. Her plan was to go to Oregon and do…something. This was a slight detour on the way there.”
Will’s eyes went wide. “A detour? Seriously? That’s what you’re reducing it to?”
“What am I supposed to call it?”
“Um…fate?” And then Will let out a snort of disgust. “Geez, listen to me. I sound like a damn teenage girl.” He sighed loudly. “Look, I know I’m probably the last guy to be giving relationship advice. I haven’t had anything long-term since high school. But…damn, Dylan. You and I have known each other for a long time and the way you’ve been these last two weeks? I’ve never seen you that happy.”
Dylan knew it was the truth because he felt it too. “It’s only been two weeks. Everyone can be happy for two weeks.” It was bullshit and he knew it, but he was trying hard to find ways to justify Chloe’s leaving and convincing himself it was going to be all right.
“Dude, who are you trying to kid? I mean I get it – yeah. The first two weeks of a relationship? It's pretty hard to screw that up and not be happy. But like I said, I know you. You’re not like that. You’re too damn serious and grown up. You don’t play the casual dating game and if you’ve been half as happy as you appear to be, then I know you really feel something for her.”
“Will…”
Will threw up his hands in surrender. “I know, I know. What the hell do I know about this? I can’t even find a girl to pretend to be happy with me for two dates let alone two weeks so…never mind.” He turned to walk away.
“Will wait…”
He turned around and looked at Dylan expectantly.
“What do I do? I asked her to stay but…” He stopped and shrugged. “She’s fairly determined to go.”
“You could dismantle her car so she can’t leave,” Will said, a sly grin crossing his face.
Dylan chuckled. “Already tried that.”
“Really? Man, that’s awesome!”
“I don’t think I could do it again. I’m not good at lying and I don’t want Chloe to stay if she really wants to go.”
“Sometimes you’re too noble.”
He shrugged again. “What good would it be to force her to stay?”
“What good is going to come out of letting her go?” Will countered.
Hanging his head, Dylan let out a weary sigh. When he looked up, Will was still standing there watching him. “So what am I supposed to do?”
Will considered him for a moment. “And you’re sure we can’t dismantle her car again?”
Dylan shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“And you’ve asked her to stay?”
“I even reminded her she had a job here already to hold her over until she found one she really wanted.”
“Well damn…”
“Believe me. I know.”
“Has she told anyone else other than us that she’s leaving Sunday?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. If she has, I haven’t been around to hear it.”
That slow, sly grin was back on Will’s face.
“What? What’s that look about?” Dylan asked, his curiosity piqued. “What are you thinking?”
“There are things about this town that are a blessing and a curse. And growing up here was a real pain in the ass sometimes because of it.”
“You’ve lost me.”
“Gossips, busybodies, the never-ending parade of people butting into your business!” Will exclaimed, but Dylan was still confused. Finally, Will rolled his eyes and slapped Dylan upside the head. “You know what? Never mind. Leave it to me.”
“Leave what to you? What are you going to do?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with just yet. But when the time comes, you need to follow my lead and not question it,” he said, rubbing his palms together.
“I don’t know, Will. Shouldn’t we just…?”
“What? Let her leave? Let the best thing that’s ever happened to you just drive away?”
“If it’s what she wants…”
“I don’t think it is,” Will said firmly. “You know it. I know it. For whatever reason, she thinks it’s the right thing to do but she’s miserable about it. Don’t tell me you don’t see it or hear it in her voice.”
He did but he had no idea how to go about changing her mind. From everything she’d shared with him over the last few weeks, she was used to picking up and moving. It was kind of her thing. How could he possibly expect her to suddenly change?
“You know what, Will? I don’t think…”
Will held up a hand to cut him off. “Do you love her?”
“It’s only been two weeks.”
Shaking his head, Will repeated the question.
“It’s crazy,” Dylan said quietly. “It’s not supposed to be like this. This fast.” Then he looked up. “Is it?”
“Sometimes you just know,” Will replied with a helpless shrug. “So? Are you in?”
For a minute, Dylan thought his heart just might pound right out of his chest. Was he? Was he really going to let the perfect girl for him simply drive out of his life?
Looking at Will, he held out his hand. “I’m in.”
Nine
“Is that everything?”
Chloe nodded. “It is.” And the sad part was, the contents of her car represented her entire life. Everything. She sighed. They were standing in Dylan’s driveway Sunday morning and she had been waiting for him to stop her, to ask her to stay again. But he hadn’t mentioned it since Thursday night after the volleyball games.
And that left her completely confused. Why? Because he showed her in a dozen different ways that he cared about her. They had spent every minute together for the last two days laughing and talking and having mind-blowing sex. They’d watched the mud run on Friday and sat through the play yesterday and all that time she kept waiting.
And it wasn’t as if people weren’t nudging him along. It seeme
d as if the entire population of Sapphire Falls had either stopped in at the shop or stopped them on the streets during the festival to inquire about when Chloe was leaving. And every time she said Sunday, they all just smiled and wished her luck.
And Dylan had remained quiet.
Damn him.
So here she was, standing in a driveway preparing to leave the first place she had ever really felt connected to in her entire life.
The Mustang drove like a dream – they had even taken it out for a long drive yesterday as Dylan showed her all of the sights of Sapphire Falls she hadn’t been able to see during her stay. She knew he’d done more work on it than they’d agreed upon and when she’d argued it, all he said was “Just say thank you, Chloe.” So she did. It didn’t make her feel any better though. The man had done nothing but give since the moment she met him and what had she done? Nothing. Well…actually…she took. A lot. Time and time again. Maybe that was why she’d felt so strongly about needing to leave – so she’d have something to contribute when she came back.
Something more than a carful of her lifelong possessions.
Turning to face him, she sighed but tried to put a smile on her face. “So…”
“So…” he replied, a smile on his face. With his hands in his pockets and relaxed posture, Chloe was pretty sure he wasn’t feeling any of the turmoil she was.
Swallowing hard, she said, “So I guess it probably won’t hurt to hit the road now. I know we talked about waiting until the afternoon, but…”
“I thought you promised Hailey you’d help her with the decorations for the dance tonight?”
Had she? She vaguely remembered having a conversation with Hailey about the dance, but for the life of her, Chloe didn’t remember volunteering to do any decorations. “I…I don’t think so.”
“Well then you better call her. I know she was a little panicked about not having enough people around to help this morning. You know, because it’s Sunday and church and all. She was real excited about you lending a hand.”
Sapphire Falls: Going My Way? (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 9