by Jo Cattell
Finally, she came out of the bathroom dressed in a light-blue mini-dress and fairy wings. She had a little silver crown in her hair.
He smiled at the transformation.
At his stare, she rolled her eyes. “Just follow me and let me do most of the talking.” She pushed the button that opened the door to the children’s ward. She seemed to notice the grin on his face as he stared at her. “Okay, what?”
“You look like the Blue Fairy.” A very sexy Blue Fairy, one that he wouldn’t mind coming to visit him at night. He had to stop himself from thinking of her that way.
“And you look like Pinocchio. That’s the point. I volunteer here once a week and this is how I dress. The kids love it. Now, if you behave yourself, maybe I will turn you into a real boy.”
“Oooh… a real boy?”Nick mimicked her and she hit him on the arm. “Ouch. What was that for?” he asked, surprised at the strength behind the punch.
“To remind you of who is in charge. Come on.” She took his hand and led him into the day room.
He was very impressive with the kids. They seemed to interact with him as well as they did with her.
Chloe seemed happy about that. After they finished, she stopped in the hallway. “We have one more special person I want you to meet. She’s very shy. I try to spend a little more one-on-one time with her because she’s so sick. Hopefully, when I tell her you’re my friend, she’ll warm up to you like the other kids did. Her name is Millie. So, just do what you did in there and you should be okay.”
“Whatever you say; you’re the boss,” Nick sensed something about her feelings for this little girl. She had a hold of Chloe’s heart and he could tell that she was special.
“Yeah, and don’t forget that.” She laughed a little. “I give Millie the extra time, so her mom gets a small break to go and get dinner, while she knows someone is there with Millie. Come on.” She knocked on the door, and then waved her wand in the doorway.
“Princess Chloe!” Nick heard a little voice say.
Chloe smiled and motioned for Nick to follow her.
“Hello, Fairy Princess! I missed you! I brought a friend with me. He wanted to play his guitar for you. Is that okay?” Chloe waved Nick into the room with her.
Millie looked out from under her blanket. She was just a little waif of a child. She looked pale with very little hair left, and deep, sunken eyes of blue. She seemed to study him for a minute, and then she smiled. “What’s your name?”
She reminded Nick of his little brother. “I’m Nick, and Princess Chloe told me so much about you. What was your name? Was it Silly?” he teased her, seeing if she would giggle.
“No, I’m Millicent, and I’m four years old. You can call me Millie if you want. I don’t like Millicent!” she proclaimed loudly.
Her mother laughed at that. “Well, since you have company, Mommy is going to get you some Jell-O. Do you want cherry or orange?”
“Cherry. Orange is gross. Nick, do you want some Jell-0?” Millie asked as she tilted her head to the side.
“No, I’m good. But Cherry is my favorite, too.” He immediately loved this kid. She was so funny. Chloe had been scared he would mess up, but he could now see why Millie was her favorite.
Chloe laughed at how fast Millie had taken to him. “Have a good dinner,” she called to Millie’s mother.
“Thanks. I’ll be back soon. Millie, have fun, honey.”
Nick thought he could see tears forming in the woman’s eyes. He was beginning to understand why Chloe was so attached to this floor.
“Chloe, can I wear your crown?” Millie asked, her little voice sounding shy.
“Of course, you can. Because, I only let sweet little girls like you wear it.” Chloe smiled and then looked at Nick. She leaned in closer to Millie but spoke, so he could hear. “Now what song should we have Nick sing for us?”
Millie seemed to concentrate hard on that one. “Do you know ‘Over the Rainbow’?”
“Are you kidding? That’s one of my favorite songs. Wow, you like a lot of the stuff I do.”
The three of them spent an hour coloring, with Nick playing whatever song the little girl requested.
* * * *
Back on the bus, Nick watched Chloe as she took off the makeup she had put on him. She’d been quiet after they left Millie. “What’s wrong with Millie?”
Chloe didn’t answer right away. She just thought about how Millie had been giggling while they were there. It had been weeks since she had giggled like that. Slowing her movements, she started to put the stuff away. “Cancer. She has been in and out of that place for months. You did a good job today. The kids liked you. I know we go like once a month, so if you think you can handle it, I think we would make a pretty good team. And I try to go once a week, so if you want, you can come with me,” she suggested. She hated to admit he was good with them.
“Does that mean you’re going to give me your number?” he teased her.
“We’ll see. Next month, we do a Halloween party for them. I have just one request. No skeleton costumes. It’s too much like death and they don’t need to see that.” It was the only thing about Halloween she didn’t like.
“I’ll see what I can do. Are you okay?”
“I’m good. It’s just a long day and I’m going home to an empty house.” It was the only thing she hated about these days. No one was home and she usually just went to her room and cried. She knew what was happening with Millie but didn’t want to admit it.
“Do you want some company? We could order a pizza or something.”
“If I say okay, you have to understand it’s not a date,” she replied, not wanting to lead him on or have him turn into the guys who would try anything once they were alone. So far, he had been a really good friend, and she wanted to keep it that way.
“I hardly know you, so why would I think it was a date?”
Once they got back to Chloe’s house, she dropped her stuff on the stairs and told him to follow her into the kitchen. “We really are not allowed in the living room. It’s only for show. I let them hang in there to make her mad, but tonight we aren’t,” she informed him as she rolled her eyes.
“My mom tried that once. Then, Kevin and I ran through the room full of mud, and that was the end of that.”
“You don’t know how bad I want to take all my paints and just stand in the middle of the room and start throwing them all over the place. I hate my stepmother and her rules. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much because, for the most part, I’m by myself and don’t have to deal with her,” Chloe explained as she leaned on the counter.
“What about your dad? Isn’t he around?” Nick was starting to understand more about her. The more he got to know her, the more it seemed she was alone a lot.
“No, he’s too busy with work to be here. But when he’s free, he is out with her. I get money left on the table like this.” She showed him the $20 on the table. “And I fend for myself. It’s like that for birthdays and holidays. This year, they’re planning to be in Kobo for Christmas, because Shelly is redesigning a singles hotel. They have yet to tell me if I’m going or not.” She said it as if there was nothing surprising about it.
“What if you don’t go?” Nick asked, thinking this was really strange. This couldn’t be her normal life.
Chloe sighed. “I do what I did last year. I have Christmas by myself. People in this town respect my father because of all the work he does here. You saw that at homecoming. People check in on me from time to time. I only have another year of this, and then I’m off to college.” She tried to make light of it. It wasn’t true about people checking on her, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Why don’t you go and stay with Gabbie or Tiff?”
“Have you met Tiff? I spent the night over there a few times, and most of the time, I had to listen to how lucky she was and everything her daddy gives her. And Gabbie, well, her mom thinks I’m a bad influence on her because of my situation. Trust me, if your parents
knew, with your dad being one of the church’s administrators, you wouldn’t be allowed here, either.”
* * * *
Nick wondered about her cryptic remarks. “My parents aren’t like that. They are pretty cool when it comes to our friends. You would have to have a police record for them to even bat an eye.” That was something about his parents that was kind of unique. They always gave their friends a chance no matter what was said about them.
She let out a small laugh.
What was it about her that intrigued me so much? Nick suddenly wondered. “Don’t you have any other family?” Where the hell was her mother and why didn’t she take care of her?
“No, well, I do have my dad’s, but they kinda cut me off because of my mom,” she explained.
“What about your mom? You said she had a room here.” He remembered her saying that when he was after school one day.
“I’m starving. What do you want on the pizza?” Chloe asked, quickly changing the subject.
After the pizza arrived, they sat in the den watching TV and eating. He wanted to know more about her, and this seemed like the perfect time. “So, I have to ask you. I’ve seen your friends and I can see why Tiff is single. And Tabitha, well, from what I have heard, I know she’s busy. Why don’t you have a boyfriend?” He hoped she wouldn’t think that it was out of line.
“I do. Have you not met Josh?” she reminded him.
“I’m serious. I know why you’re not with Josh, but why not anyone else?” He wondered about this since he’d met her. There had to be someone besides Josh who was interested in her. She was beautiful, and someone had to realize that. Slowly and against his better judgment, he realized and knew this for a fact.
“I think it’s because they think I may be high maintenance and I seem to intimidate them. I take a lot of college prep classes and that really bothers some guys. They think I’m egghead or something because I get straight A’s.”
“And Josh isn’t intimidated by that?” Nick was starting to wish there was something that would get rid of the guy.
“No, he likes it. He thinks I’m going to do his papers for him. It’s just so complicated. You would think, since he and Tiffany are like the most popular people in school, they would be together. The problem is that they are too much alike and Josh doesn’t want that. He wants someone who is pretty and quiet that he can show off. For some reason, he thinks that’s me.”
“Can’t you just tell them you don’t like him?” He was confused as to why she wouldn’t stick up for herself. With the way her friends had been pushing, he knew, in the end, they would probably be a couple soon.
“Honestly, I’ve tried. They just don’t get it. He’s like every other guy I meet. In this group, when we’re out, say at a dance or something? There’s a certain way things go. The first one to get picked to dance is Tiffany, one for her money and two because she’s beautiful. Next, is Tabitha, because as you know, she’s a slut and sleeps with anything. Gabbie has Dave, so they stay away from her. And then—there is me. They think I’ll do anything because I’m last to be picked. I end up walking home alone so many times, because some guy thought he could score with me.”
“Wow, I never looked at it that way. That or I’ve never really had a girl I could talk to like this.” He’d never talked so openly with someone like this, and it was kind of refreshing. It also gave him more of an insight on her and her life.
“We could trade secrets on dating with each other. Okay, so really, why the no-dating thing? Why don’t you want a girlfriend?” Chloe seemed to want to turn the tables on him.
“I had one back in Michigan before we moved. Her name is Kelly and she was nice. But when you move like we do, it gets kind of hard to stay in a relationship for long. And after this last move? I just didn’t want to deal with meeting someone and having to say goodbye again.” There was more to Kelly than that, but he didn’t want to get into it. Nick knew it wasn’t fair. He’d asked her all those questions, but the subject of Kelly was a different story.
“I guess it’s kind of hard moving like that. You must’ve really liked her to feel this way. So let me ask you, if you’re not interested in dating, why do you want my number?”
“Chloe, I think you’re a really interesting person. And we are friends. Actually, I think you’re the only friend I have here right now, and I might want to call you sometime. You know, get those dating secrets? But I’m not asking you anymore. You shot me down three times, so forget it.” He smirked.
She took out her phone and the next thing he knew, his started to ring. He didn’t know the number and she just sat there smiling, waiting for him to answer it. He narrowed his gaze at her and the call went to voice mail.
“Hi Nick, it’s Chloe, you have my number now. Bye.” She laughed and shut her phone.
“How did you get my number?” He laughed as he added hers to his contacts.
“Let’s just say—I have my ways.” She smiled and left it at that.
* * * *
The following Monday brought with it a new family living project, which somehow ended with Chloe and Nick being paired up. It also meant they would be spending a lot of time together.
After school, somehow, Josh, Robyn, Gabbie, and Dave ended up in Nick’s kitchen as they all went over the project.
Josh hadn’t seemed too happy about not being paired with Chloe, but she seemed to make him understand she was taking pity on Nick.
They all sat looking over their paperwork and reading what was to come.
“So I’m in construction. Who picks this stuff? I don’t know how to build anything,” Dave complained.
Gabbie rolled her eyes and pointed out, “At least you get to work outside. I’m a cashier. And this is not our wedding budget. We need more money than this for our wedding.”
“Maybe us being paired up together was the better thing. I like being a trophy bride-to-be. Josh, what do you think of this house?” Robyn asked him.
He just nodded and continued to watch Chloe and Nick look at the computer and laugh at the places they were coming up with.
“Wow, there’s just so much with planning a wedding. Where do you start?” Chloe could not believe everything that went into it.
“The dress! That set the mood for the wedding. Look at this one, Chloe.” Gabbie turned her laptop, so Chloe could see the elegant dress Gabbie had chosen.
Chloe gaped in shock. “It’s $7,000. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“How much do you think your stepmom spent on her wedding? That was an amazing wedding. You should ask her for help,” Robyn suggested.
“I hate to admit it, but her wedding was really great,” Gabbie added.
Chloe looked down at her papers. “I wouldn’t know. I heard it was nice.”
“Didn’t you go?” Nick looked shocked.
“No, I wasn’t invited.” She got quiet and started to flip through sites. The whole town had been invited to the affair, and the morning of the wedding, as Chloe got dressed, her father told her she was not to come. This was not for her. It was their day. It still hurt, but that was what they had wanted.
“How could you not be invited to your dad’s wedding?” Nick couldn’t seem to understand it.
“So, Chloe, what kind of house are you guys looking at?” Gabbie swiftly changed the subject.
Nick’s mom came in to start dinner and smiled as she saw how they all were working. “Chloe, what did your mom say when you told her about this project? Hmm, wait, maybe we should have her over since we are going to be in-laws,” she joked.
“Yeah, Chloe, what did your mom say?” Robyn snickered and leaned forward to hear the answer that was coming.
“Ah, my mom passed away almost six years ago. She would’ve loved it, though. She was a mess when I made my first communion and said she would never make it through my wedding day.” She started twisting a lock of hair in her hands; this was getting to be too much.
As if Gabbie knew what she was thinking, she sug
gested they end for the day.
Robyn kept staring Chloe down and seemed to enjoy that she’d put Chloe on the spot a few times.
Nick walked Chloe home and they took a shortcut through the park.
She stopped at the gazebo by the lake and put her stuff down. “I love this place at night. It’s so clear tonight, too. Look at all the stars,” she said, taking in the cool night air. Fall had arrived and she loved the smells of the leaves and the crunch they made as she walked on them.
“Yeah, it’s great. Can I ask you something?”
“What’s up?” she asked as she sat on one of the benches.
“All that stuff Robyn said about your mom and dad tonight… Why didn’t you tell me she died?”
Chloe got quiet. “I don’t like to talk about it. I would have told you eventually or you would’ve figured it out.” She wasn’t ready for him to know this much about her, but Robyn had to push it, and then when his mom had asked, she didn’t really know what to say.
Nick put his hand on her shoulder. “How did she die?”
Chloe wiped away the tears quickly and faked a smile. “I really don’t want to talk about it. Your mom had fun tonight, looking at all those dresses. It’s a shame she didn’t have a girl,” she chattered, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, she thought I was a girl. She even went so far as to get a dress to bring me home in. She said when I was born, instead of being disappointed it was another boy, she just looked at me and fell in love. I think it was the dark curls.” He laughed.
“Yeah, that’s what Robyn says. She just loves those dark curls of yours and your deep, brown eyes,” Chloe teased him.
“Yeah, and she has put that in every letter she writes. After tonight, though, I saw a side of her I didn’t like. I wonder what Josh thinks about his soon-to-be mock wife writing me letters and stuffing them in my locker.”
“I think he’s still a little miffed I didn’t pick him. But it hasn’t stopped him from asking me out. And judging by the looks I kept getting tonight, he isn’t happy,” she answered, thinking about how he was really going to push her now for a date.