by Nic Saint
CHAPTER 27
Chloe was surprised. Looking into his eyes, she knew Josh was being absolutely sincere. He really hadn’t kept this move from her. He’d really forgotten all about it. And he liked her. He really did.
So where did that leave them? If he moved back to Pleasant Springs, where did that leave her? She didn’t feel much for a long distance relationship, especially with someone she just met. And yet, she knew she wanted to explore this thing they had going, find out if what they had together could perhaps some day grow into something real. Something tangible.
For now, she decided to simply enjoy his sweet kisses. As their lips touched, she felt a shiver of delight course through her body, and felt right back to being seventeen and making out with her first boyfriend behind the school gym.
Josh’s kisses made her feel giddy, and she knew that was a good thing.
It was only when she heard the familiar sound of a camera clicking, that she knew the fun was over. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, she looked up, and saw a paparazzo snapping their picture not three feet away.
“Hey!” she yelled, annoyed, but the creep didn’t budge.
It was only when Josh got up and reached for the guy’s camera, that he finally relented, and trotted off, a nasty smirk on his face.
“What was that all about? How did they—”
“I meant to tell you. I got a call this morning from Rupert. He told me you and I are all over the tabloids, pictures and all.”
Chloe groaned, and slumped back onto the bench. “Oh, God. Not again.” When Josh remained silent, studying her intently, she realized Rupert must have told him.
“I thought they were following me around, but Rupert tells me it’s you they’re after.” He gave her a comical grin. “And here I thought I was the famous one.”
“Nope. You’re dating a genuine celebrity, Josh. A real homegrown artiste.” She couldn’t keep the irony out of her voice, and it registered on his face.
“If it’s any consolation, I’d never heard of you.”
She gave a curt laugh. “I figured as much. It’s actually one of the things I like about you. Most men I’ve dated couldn’t shut up about it. As if five minutes of fame translates into a career.”
“Five minutes? Rupert seemed to think you were pretty hot. Said you had several hits and would have made the big time if you hadn’t—”
“If I hadn’t pulled a disappearing act? I had to, Josh. You can’t imagine what a circus that pop thing is. It was driving me up the wall. I mean, I always wanted to be a singer, but that’s not enough these days. To make it big, you have to become like this completely different person. A good voice and a good song are only the beginning. You have to be a phenomenon. You have to be on. Twenty-four seven. I just—” She shook her head. “My career turned into a monster, and it was slowly devouring me, turning me into a person I didn’t even recognize. And then my father died and I just couldn’t do it anymore. So I stepped away before I lost my sanity.”
“But why didn’t you tell me?”
She gave him the sweetest smile. It melted his heart all over again. She was so lovely. So pure. He could just imagine how being in the public eye threatened to destroy her.
“You don’t know how refreshing it was to finally meet someone who didn’t know who I was. Who didn’t associate me with the baggage I’m carrying on my shoulders. You saw me as just another girl, and that’s just the way I liked it.”
“Well, since I never heard of you, I still see you as a regular girl—I hotly contend the ‘just another’ part, though. I’m pretty sure you’re one of a kind, Chloe.”
She touched his cheek, a loving gesture. “That’s so sweet.”
“One thing’s still puzzling me.”
“What’s that?”
“I bet you could have easily afforded a sojourn on Eden Island. Why did you need the contest to get you there?”
She hesitated, the topic of money apparently a delicate one. “Well, for one thing, I’d never heard of Eden Island before. I’m new to this whole writing thing, you know. I’m still learning the ropes. So when Mom entered me into this competition, I had no idea what to expect.”
“Your mom entered you?”
“Yep.”
He grinned. “I’d like to meet your mom.”
“You would?”
“I’d love to. She sounds like a very special person.”
“You have no idea.”
“Besides, it only seems fair that after meeting my mom, I should meet yours.”
She shook her head dubiously. “Deirdre. She’s something else.”
“She is, isn’t she?”
“She’s the one who told me you were leaving next week.”
“I know. Why don’t you join me?”
“We had a fight, you know. Right there in the restaurant. I’m surprised they didn’t hide the knives and forks.” Suddenly, her jaw dropped as his words registered. “Um, what?”
He smiled, and enjoyed seeing her eyes light up with surprise. “Why don’t you come with me to Pleasant Springs? You can write there just as well as here, and I can promise you that no paparazzo will pop out of the bushes. If he does, the townsfolk will drive him out of town, tarred, feathered and dozens of very pointy pitchforks sticking out of his rear end.”
“I—” She closed her mouth with a click, looking absolutely dumbfounded.
He cupped her chin in his hand, gazing into her eyes earnestly. “I know it’s early days, but I have a feeling we’re onto a really good thing here.”
“I do, too,” she said softly. “I’d hate to miss out on seeing ‘us’.”
“So you think there might be an ‘us’ too, huh?”
“I do.”
“Then come with.”
“Is… Deirdre going to be there?”
His eyebrows shot up, and he barked a surprised laugh. “I’m afraid she is.”
“Package deal, huh? No way out of it?”
He shook his head, amused. “If it’s any consolation, she’s not as bad as she seems. She’s one of those people who grow on you.”
She gazed up at him with those crystal eyes of hers. “She’s a little like you, then, huh?”
Whatever he was going to say next was forgotten when their lips connected once again, all thought of paparazzi, pop princesses, mothers and Pleasant Springs razed from his mind.
There was only Chloe.
CHAPTER 28
“I didn’t think it mattered.”
It wasn’t so much a statement as a question. Did it matter that she hadn’t told him about the five guys she was living with? They were simply roomies, nothing more. And the nice thing was that they were in showbiz. Well, in a way.
“So there’s Kiki, Fifi…”
“Mimi, Chichi and Sissi.”
“But those aren’t their real names.”
“Nope. Kurt is Kiki, Caleb is Chichi, Mike is Mimi, Seth is Sissi and Frank is Fifi.”
Josh massaged his temples. “Only you call them that, right?”
“Yep. And they’re dying to meet you.”
They were back at Chloe’s place, seated in the living room. Chloe figured that now that they were spilling their innermost secrets, it was time for Josh to meet the boys. That, and she really wanted to get their opinion on this moving thing. Should she go to Pleasant Springs or not? That was the big question.
She liked him, she really did. Liked him a lot, in fact. But moving in with him? To some place where everybody knew his name but not hers? All of her warning signals were flashing, and she knew decision time would prove a bitch.
That’s why she needed the boys.
Josh wriggled in his seat, looking nervous as hell.
“Relax,” she told him. “They’re really nice, all five of them. And they’re big, big fans.”
“Great,” he muttered. “I’ll just imagine I’m at a book signing, shall I?”
“That’s the spirit.” She patted him on the back. She cocked her head w
hen she heard the front door open. “And there they are. Right on time.”
She’d called Fifi, asking him to gather up the others. She knew they’d be free around this time, their first rehearsal of the day over with, and prep time for their night show not yet started.
Normally they spent this time in the gym, pumping up, but she figured they could cut their daily workout short for once. She could have asked her mother’s opinion, if it hadn’t been so obvious.
“Move in with Joshua Poole? Of course! Can I come, too?”
That would be her mother’s position on the matter, and nor could she blame her. Josh was a great guy, who’d make any mother-in-law proud. She just didn’t know if his being great was enough for such a big step. Well, not a step, more a giant leap.
She watched Josh shuffle nervously as heavy feet stomped toward them, and jocular voices grew louder. Then the door burst open, and Kiki was the first to enter.
“Lee Child!” he exclaimed. “So great to see you again!”
The big guy strode up to Josh, and practically lifted him off the couch to enclose him in a bear hug.
“So nice… to see you too,” croaked Josh, squashed against Kiki’s broad chest.
Josh wondered briefly if he’d sustained any internal bleeding after the bear hug, but hadn’t time to go into the matter. Four more guys, each bigger and heavier than Kiki, waddled up to him and enveloped him in a bone-crushing embrace.
“Big fan,” muttered the first one, who introduced himself as Frank.
The second giant answered to the name Caleb, the third addressed himself as Mike, and the biggest of them all, a real man mountain, gruffly announced himself as Seth.
Chloe, a glint of mirth in her eyes, pointed from one man to the next, rattling off their nicknames: Kiki, Chichi, Mimi, Sissi and Fifi.
Right.
The next thing on the agenda was for the men to thrust their favorite—and heavily thumbed—Frankie Knox books into his hands. Digging out his fountain pen, he signed each book with his customary flourish, adding the requested inscriptions to the title page: ‘Keeping it real—to my best bud Caleb.’ ‘Homies forever. To Mike.’
“When’s the next one coming out, Mr. Poole?” asked Frank.
“Oh, ah, Fire Storm should be out before the summer, um, Frank.”
There were grumbling noises among the men, so he quickly added, “But I do have an ebook short coming out next week. A novella featuring Jacqueline Spark. A little background story focused on her.”
“I love Jacqueline Spark, Mr. Poole,” gushed Mike. “When are she and Frankie gonna seal the deal?”
“Seal the— Oh. Haha! Of course. Well, I can tell you that at the end of Fire Storm, there’s going to be some real, um…” He nodded, wondering how to put this.
Mike’s face lit up. “Frankie’s finally telling her how he feels about her?”
“Well, not exactly, but—”
Frank clapped his hands. “He’s buying her a ring? Oh, lemme guess. A spring wedding?”
“Um…”
“They can’t get married, Mr. Poole,” opined Seth in a rumbling voice. “Jacqueline’s already married to that lawyer guy, remember? The one who got kidnapped in Sand Storm?”
“She’s still hoping he’ll return one day,” said Caleb, shaking his head sadly.
“Nonsense. She’s moved on,” stated Mike. “In Electric Storm she told Frankie she’s thinking about having her husband declared dead.”
“But she hasn’t done it yet!” countered Caleb. “She still loves him. He saved her from that terror ring. That’s why she can never be with Frankie. Isn’t that right, Mr. Poole?”
All eyes turned to Josh, who wondered for the umpteenth time how two fictional characters he’d created in his head a decade ago could appear so real to his readers. “Look, guys,” he told them. “First of all, I never intended for Frankie and Jacqueline to get together. In keeping them apart, I thought I’d add to the tension these stories invariably need.”
A howl of protest rose, and he had to shout over it. “However! Since I met Chloe, she’s convinced me to make the stories more personal. So at the end of Fire Storm, Frankie and Jacqueline are— And don’t tell this to anyone, you hear!” He grinned, savoring the moment. “They’re going to kiss for the very first time.”
Cheers rang out from his audience of five, and he had to laugh. This was so great! Looking over to Chloe, he saw that she sat gazing at him with shiny eyes. He mouthed ‘Thank you’, and laughed when she mouthed back ‘You’re welcome.’
The only one who didn’t look happy was Kiki. “I’m sorry,” he boomed, his face a mask of confusion, “but do you mean to tell me that you’re not Lee Child?”
They laughed a whole lot more after that.
“So what line of business are you guys in?” he finally asked, deciding to change the topic.
“We’re dancers?” replied Frank. “Normally we’re touring this time of year, but we managed to get a special gig in town? So we’re staying put for the summer?”
“Dancers? Like in a show or something?”
“We’re exotic dancers,” explained Caleb. “Like the Chippendales? Only we go all the way. No holds barred.”
“The Five Riders of the Apocalypse are the real deal, baby,” boomed Seth, pumping his fist.
“They’re really good, too,” Chloe added her two cents.
“Chloe’s been our number one supporter?” added Frank. “She’s got our back, don’t you, sweetie?”
“Always!” exclaimed Chloe.
“Say, why don’t you come watch our performance, Mr. Poole?” suggested Caleb. “You could call it research.”
Chloe nodded. “You really have to see them, Josh. They’ve got a great show.”
Looking into six pairs of eager eyes, Josh didn’t have to think twice. “Of course I’ll come. But only if you’ll come with me.”
Chloe grinned happily. “I’ve got tickets for tonight. I was going with Mom, but I can always get one more.” Then it hit her, and she beamed, excitement making her glow. “That way we’ll kill two birds with one stone! You can see the guys and you can meet my mom.”
Josh watched her face run the gamut of emotions, and thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.
CHAPTER 29
The show was a great success. Though Josh had never heard of the Five Riders of the Apocalypse, he cheered and jeered along with the rest of them like he’d been their biggest fans since they started touring.
And what was more, Chloe found that her mom liked him, too. Actually liked him as a person, not the nebulous celebrity she’d created in her mind. Though initially intimidated by his so-called fame, she quickly forgot who he was after they’d drank a couple of beers after the show.
The guys dropped by to show their appreciation for Josh’s support, but then returned home for their beauty sleep. Only a regular diet of rest, proper nutrition and workouts kept them in the kind of shape they were in. They were athletes working their way through the season, with not much time for leisure.
“How did you get to live with those guys?” asked Josh, after they’d said their goodbyes to the five musclemen. “I mean, there must be a great story there, right?”
“There is,” assured Mom, sipping her beer. “But I’ll let Chloe tell it herself.”
“It was after I quit singing. I made my big announcement, changed the color of my hair—”
“Wait. You weren’t always a blonde?”
“Nope. The Phenom was a perky brunette.”
“Well, you’re still perky.” He then became aware of her mother’s presence and had the decency to give her a bashful grin. “Sorry. That was the beer talking.”
“That’s all right, Josh. If you can’t compliment my daughter in front of me, what kind of a mother would I be?”
“I’m sure you’re a fine mother, Mrs. Thomson.”
“Grace. Please. Only my worst enemies call me Mrs. Thomson.”
�
��Of which I’m sure you have none.”
With a girlish giggle, she turned to Chloe. “Is he always this charming?”
“Always,” confirmed Chloe dryly. “Now if I could tell you my story?”
“Sorry. I won’t interrupt again,” stated Josh, holding up his hands in apology.
“If it’s to dole out compliments, interrupt all you want, young man.”
“Mom!”
“Sorry. Carry on, dear. Josh and I are all ears, aren’t we, Josh?”
“We sure are, Grace.”
“Anyway,” repeated Chloe, rolling her eyes. “Like I said, when I walked away from the stage, I needed a place to lay low for a while, figuring out what I wanted to do next. I’d known Kiki all my life. We were Cub Scouts together.”
“Cub Scouts? You were a Cub Scout? How cute!”
“Thanks. I guess.”
“Do you have pictures?”
“I do not!”
“I have pictures.” Mom took out her phone and started flipping through the set, trying to locate what Chloe simply knew would be a most unflattering picture of her in pigtails.
“Mom!”
“Sorry, hon. Don’t mind me.”
“Well, I knew that Kiki was bunking with some friends down here on Long Island, so I called him up and asked if he had a room to spare. He talked to the landlady and that’s how I ended up living here.”
“Did you know he’d joined a troupe of male strippers?”
She grinned at the recollection of her first meeting with the boys. “I didn’t. They’ve been nothing but nice to me, though. They’re like the big brothers I never had.”
Mom purred, “Aww. That’s so sweet.”
“You’re an only child?”
“I am. After Mom and Dad created me, they knew they’d achieved perfection, so they left it at that.”
“Ha! Those are my words, honey. Imagine you quoting my own words back to me.”
“Imagine that. Now could you please put those pictures away? You’re embarrassing me!”
“This was before the braces,” pointed Mom. “She had quite an overbite.”