Page 37 of The Problem with Playboys

Blue carefully approached Chloe while Parker settled back in, lying on his side and propping his head up with his hand.

Chloe reached out to pet Blue. “He’s adorable. You didn’t tell me you had a dog.”

“Blue’s a she, actually. And she’s a Frenchie. Very low maintenance. She’s basically a dog-shaped cat. Rarely barks. Very affectionate. She was asleep in her crate when we got back last night. I have someone check in on her twice a day. Sometimes I bring her to the office.”

“She sounds like the perfect pet. She also sounds like a lot of work.”

“She’s worth it. It gets lonely living by yourself.”

Yet another moment for Parker to take her by surprise. “I guess I thought you liked being on your own.”

“I’d say that I’m more used to being alone, not that I actually like it.”

“Because of your perpetual bachelorhood?” Chloe asked as Blue butted her hand for more head rubs.

“It’s always been that way for me. The whole time I was growing up. I was an only child, my dad traveled a ton for work and my mom was always sick.”

Chloe had wondered about his mother. He never spoke of her. “The whole time you were growing up?”

“She passed away when I was fourteen. She was diagnosed with cancer when I was little, but she fought like hell for ten years.”

Her heart went out to Parker so much that she felt an actual ache in the center of her chest. “I’m so sorry. My dad died when I was really young, and it was very sudden, so I don’t really remember him. That must have been so hard to watch your mom struggle with her illness. Is that why you’re so involved with the hospital?”

He nodded slowly, looking resigned. “It is. I think I was just old enough when she died that I knew I had to do something about it. And once I got involved, I couldn’t help but want to stay in it.”

“Like I said before, your generosity amazes me.”

“I get something out of it, too. It’s extremely rewarding.”

Chloe needed something like that in her life, too. Her time was consumed by work, her friends and her mom. But she probably spent a little too much time on the first one, and not nearly enough on the last two. Taylor and Alex were always complaining that they didn’t get to see her very often, and come to think of it, her mom often said the same thing. “You mentioned that your dad usually accompanies you to that event. Why not this year?”

“He said something about them only wanting a check from him. I don’t think that’s true, but it’s what he seems to think.”

“How’s he handling the divorce?”

“Fine, I guess. I told him I hired you for the Marcus job, by the way.”

This was a revelation Chloe had not expected. She might have worried that this meant the news would get back to her mom, but she knew that her mom would likely never speak to George again. “What did he say?”

“He was thankful. He’s hoping it might make your mom hate him a little less. I don’t think he’s happy with the way things ended. It didn’t sound good.”

“If it helps at all, my mom already has a new guy. Sounds like she’s moving on from your dad, which I guess is good.”

“Funny that you should mention that. My dad and I talked about the idea of him moving on, too. As in I suggested he not move on and instead spend some time being on his own.”

“Do you think he’ll take your advice?”

“Hard to know. He plays all of that very close to the vest. Maybe that’s why it bothers me so much when he decides to get married again. I never see it coming. And then it’sboom. Wedding bells.”

“I always see it coming. It’s like watching a very slow car crash.”

“Why do you think she’s so ready to fall in love?”

“I don’t know. The whole idea of rushing to get your heart broken seems so foolish to me.” The minute she answered the question, the things Alexandra had said to her the night before began to rifle through her head.

“I’m not going to break your heart, Chloe. Just so you know.”

She drew in a deep breath, thinking about Parker in the context of everything she believed about love and commitment. She really liked spending time with him, but it was hard to envision it ever lasting more than a few days. Either she’d go back to panicking or he’d get distracted by another woman or perhaps they’d both get so wrapped up in their jobs that they’d forget what it was that they saw in each other. So maybe it was a good approach to simply enjoy her time with him and not be so serious about everything. Have some fun. Then leave when it was time to go. “Good. Although I wasn’t going to let you, either.”