Just One Moment

by Dena Blake

  * * *

  The gallery was slow this afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and most people were outside enjoying the weather. Chloe had had plenty of time to think about her next move. Too much time. When the door chime rang, Chloe looked up from the desk in the back room and was annoyed to see Erica entering the gallery. When they’d talked over the weekend in St. Augustine, she’d thought she’d made it perfectly clear that any romance between them was over. Surely she wasn’t coming to buy more of her art. Since she didn’t wave or say hello as she entered, she apparently wasn’t there to offer a truce. Chloe got up from the desk and went to the front of the gallery to meet her.

  “Hi.” Chloe forced a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you today.”

  Erica crossed her arms in front of her. “You can be truthful. You didn’t expect to see me again, at all.” Her stare was penetrating.

  Eye contact held, Chloe straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. Honestly, I didn’t really expect to see you again, ever.”

  “What I have to tell you will probably solidify that. I went to see your wife and told her all about our relationship and how it came about.” Erica took a deep breath but wasn’t done yet. “I told her everything, and she claims she doesn’t remember, but I could see that she does. She wasn’t near enough surprised to make me think she didn’t know.”

  The knot in Chloe’s stomach tightened as her life became more complicated. After many sleepless nights, she didn’t have the energy for this encounter today. “I’m busy, Erica. Can I do something for you that doesn’t involve my personal life?”

  “You’re not surprised at all by this news either, are you?”

  “Just get out, Erica.” She went to the door, pulled it opened, and swung her arm in a motion for her to leave. “No matter what happens between Shay and me, this news definitely takes you out of the picture for good.” The emotional roller coaster she’d been on was about to end.

  Erica smiled. “Your loss.” She walked out the door.

  Chloe locked the door behind her and flipped the sign to Closed before she went back to the desk and flopped into the chair. The colorful squares of notepaper peeking out from under the stack of papers on the desk taunted her. Pushing the pile aside, she read her own jagged writing.

  You love her—Shay is the one—your one and only

  Never forget that—EVER

  Drunk Chloe had struck many times over the past few months, and she was right. Even after all that had happened between them, she still loved her with her whole heart.

  It was the middle of the day, but Chloe closed the gallery and drove to the beach house. After heading straight through the house to the back door, she stepped out onto the deck, walked to the railing, and took in the view. She didn’t hold the tears back as she gazed at the beauty of the sand and the ocean. It was a gorgeous sight, but they’d lost so much because of it. Was it really worth it?

  She stepped back inside, went to the bedroom, and took Shay’s newest journal from the drawer of her bedside table. She didn’t read the latest entry, only fished out a pen from the drawer and flipped to the next blank page. She had so much to say, she wasn’t sure she could articulate all her feelings on paper like Shay was able to, but she would try.

  Once she’d written everything she wanted to say, she tossed the pen into the drawer, closed the journal, and clutched it to her chest. The decision hadn’t been an easy one. She had so many things to consider, so many memories to lock away. Life would go on, but it would never be the same. She gathered a few of her paintings and loaded them into the back of her Tahoe before she headed back to Tampa.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Shay had done most of her work on autopilot, just as she had been since Chloe had discovered she knew about what she’d done. The guilt and pain had all come back now, and she didn’t blame Chloe for not forgiving her. She’d given it all she had and hoped for the best of their relationship to come from the worst with minimal damage.

  The knock on her office door broke into her thoughts. “Come in,” she said, and her stomach clenched when Lila walked through the door.

  “You’ve been working nonstop since this morning. Can I get you anything?” Lila smiled and took the seat in front of the desk. “Or help with what you’re working on?”

  She bit back the emotion bubbling in her chest. “No. I’m fine.” Lila had already done enough, and she refused to let her creep back into her life.

  “Seriously, I don’t mind.”

  She picked up a file on her desk. “There is one thing you can assist with.” She leaned forward and dropped the file in front of Lila.

  Lila opened the file and drew her brows together. “This will put me back in the Atlanta office for good.”

  She nodded. “That’s where I need you to stay.” She didn’t intend to go into her memories and the reasons. Lila should already know them.

  “So, there’s nothing at all in Tampa for me?” She swallowed. “For us?”

  “No.” She wasn’t expecting the disappointed look in Lila’s eyes, but she pressed on. “And if you don’t agree to the permanent change, there will be nothing at this company for you either, and we will need to sever that relationship.”

  Lila rolled her lips in and slapped the file closed. “Got it.” She stood up. “I’ll be out of here tomorrow.”

  As soon as Lila left her office, Shay signed off her laptop and packed it into her bag. She was exhausted and had just been spinning her wheels for the past hour. She’d done what she had to do to save her own career and possibly Lila’s. Even though Lila’s work was stellar, if word got out that they’d had an affair before she’d given her the promotion, she’d be done. Maybe she deserved to be, or maybe they both did.

  Shay flopped onto the bed after coming home to the beach house early today. She’d been working nonstop since Chloe found out she knew about the reason they’d split, and she was mentally and physically exhausted. Part of her hoped she’d see Chloe’s car in the driveway when she got home, but that hope might never be fulfilled again.

  She reached into her nightstand drawer and took out her journal to write a new entry. The blank pages had been taunting her lately because she’d had nothing in her heart to express but sadness. She thumbed back to the last entry and stared at the beautiful script. It wasn’t her writing at all, and the message it contained gave her more hope than she’d ever imagined.

  How do you go from something spectacular back to ordinary?

  You wouldn’t just let me walk away from you again, would you? Just let go of the love of my life? God, I hope not. I need you to want me, to fight for us because you’re crazy nuts about me. Letting you into my heart the second time was absolutely terrifying, but fear and uncertainty were running hand in hand with hope. Questions and doubts were clouding my mind, blocking my path. What if this wasn’t about time and attention? What if you don’t like the real me? What if there’s some little something about me you can’t take? An imperfection that turns you away. How can I ever be that beautiful to you that you could ignore all my imperfections once more? My faded heart is glowing again as I never thought it would, and now it’s in your hands.

  So many thoughts rushed through Shay’s mind. When had Chloe come home? How long had the entry been there? Where was she now? The gallery, she must be at the gallery. Shay couldn’t get to the car fast enough. She had to see Chloe now.

  * * *

  Shay fought for breath as she raced down the walkway and into the gallery. Chloe glanced at her but didn’t smile. She was helping a customer, so Shay waited patiently while she finished. As soon as the customer was out the door, Shay rushed to her. “Did you mean what you wrote?”

  Chloe nodded as tears formed in her eyes. “I’m sorry it took me so long to see it.”

  “No. Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. You loved me with your whole heart, and I gave you only a piece of mine.” Tears sprang from Shay’s eyes as well, and she moved closer. “I didn’t believe anyone co
uld love that way. Until now.”

  “Do you love me that way? With all my quirks and imperfections?” Chloe asked.

  “Like the way you pick the raisins out of the raisin bran? The way you can only sleep on the right side of the bed? The way you order pizza with onions on it and then pick them off before you eat your slice because you like the flavor, but not the texture?” She wiped the tears from her eyes and laughed. “And you always eat the crust first.”

  Chloe nodded and let out a snort. “You get me in every way. I shouldn’t, but I still love you.”

  “You do?” Suddenly the rock in Shay’s stomach dissolved, and she had hope.

  Chloe’s voice caught, and she nodded as more tears welled in her eyes. “I finally get it. My heart hurts without you. But we have a lot to work on, you and I. Communication, time, trust.”

  Shay struggled for words as the wave of emotions rushed through her. Chloe wanted to try again. It was exactly the opposite of what she’d expected to happen a few days ago. “A lot of shit has blocked our paths, me being the biggest part of it, but I love you, Chloe.”

  Chloe anchored her hands on her hips and paced the room. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. I can’t stand losing you again.”

  “I mean every word. I really fucked up, but I never stopped loving you.” Shay took Chloe into her arms. “I’m different now—we’re different now. There was a time when I didn’t think our life could get any better, but now it’s exceeded every expectation I’ve ever had for us. I don’t want to live without you ever again. I’m not perfect. I’m probably gonna screw up again.” Chloe’s eyes widened. “Not like that, but when I make little mistakes, I want you to be the one who forgives me.” Shay moved closer and brushed a strand of hair from Chloe’s face. “All I know for certain is, if you let me, I will love you for the rest of my life.”

  Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Third time’s the charm.”

  Shay smiled. “Third time’s the charm,” she repeated, and kissed her with everything she had.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chloe finished helping the newest artist in the gallery hang her last painting, said her goodbyes, and raced to her car. She had a date tonight, and if she didn’t hurry, she might miss the main attraction. She and Shay had mutually decided to bring in a few more artists as partners in the gallery to ease up on the maintenance workload and the hours Chloe spent there. Shay was still chief actuary at the insurance company, but she’d promoted Jackson and Amber and shifted some of the workload to them, as well as to Lila in the Atlanta office.

  It seemed that Lila hadn’t really wanted anything more from Shay than sex. At least she’d never brought it up after the day she’d given her the ultimatum. So Shay was happy to let her think she hadn’t remembered any of it. She still wondered if it had been a move to get ahead in the agency. The work she’d done was competent, so there was no undoing Lila’s promotion now without putting herself in the middle of a huge scandal. Since Shay really didn’t remember much about it still, seeing her on occasion wasn’t as awkward as it could’ve been. She’d eased Chloe’s concerns by communicating with Lila via email and Skype only and making sure she remained in the Atlanta office permanently.

  She hadn’t received a single mirror-message, note, or text from drunk Chloe since she’d decided to make life work with Shay. Hopefully she’d taken the right path, and it seemed that she had because she was the happiest she’d ever been.

  The pizza was half gone, as was the bottle of merlot Chloe had picked up on the way home. She sipped her wine as she gazed across the blanket, watching Shay take in the gorgeous sunset. Her face beamed with hues of red and orange. Chloe loved to paint the sunset, but she would never grow tired of trying to capture the beauty of Shay’s face as the sun reflected upon it.

  They’d planned a weekend away in St. Augustine again, with no event scheduled other than just to be with each other. Jackson and Whitney would be over in the morning to spend the weekend at the beach while they were gone. It was the only getaway they could manage, since the baby’s due date was growing closer. Whitney was ridiculously uncomfortable and refused to travel for more than an hour anywhere at this point.

  She and Shay had planned to leave early in the morning, but right now, Chloe was seriously considering spending most of the night exploring Shay’s body. She pushed the pizza box out of the way, scooted closer to Shay, and took her face in her hands. She would never again question whether she wanted Shay to kiss her. In fact, she would always want so much more.

  About the Author

  Dena Blake grew up in a small town just north of San Francisco where she learned to play softball, ride motorcycles, and grow vegetables. She eventually moved with her family to the Southwest, where she began creating vivid characters in her mind and bringing them to life on paper.

  Dena currently lives in the Southwest with her partner and is constantly amazed at what she learns from her two children. She’s a would-be chef, tech nerd, and occasional auto mechanic who has a weakness for dark chocolate and a good cup of coffee.

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