Page 17 of The Challenge

“She called me Judy, actually. That’s how she is.”

“Really…” Man, that hurt. Judy had been like a mother to me, too. When I’d lived with them, she had been sharp as a tack, always so perceptive and insightful. Her presence in my life had been a godsend after my mother got sick. I regretted not visiting her, despite losing touch with the family. I should’ve reconnected with her long before she lost the ability to know who I was.

Chloe leaned against the sink and crossed her arms. “I’m not sure if she calls me by her name because she thinks she’s looking at a younger version of herself or whether she’s generally confused and doesn’t even realize where the name Judy comes from. The only thing I’m sure of is that she doesn’t know who I am.”

“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what else to say about such a horrible situation. Chloe had been close to her mom. While I’d lost mine way too young, this was a different kind of cruelty, to lose someone before they were even physically gone. “I didn’t know how bad it was.”

“It’s as bad as you can imagine.” She looked up at me. “The last time I was home a year ago, it wasn’t like this. She had at least some recognition. She went downhill fast.”

I nodded. “Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

I should’ve checked up on Chloe. But after the letter she’d sent me from school, I’d assumed she wanted nothing to do with me. So I’d stayed out of her life, even when I’d itched to reach out, just to make sure she was okay. There were many times I’d almost done that, only to stop myself.

Her eyes shifted to mine. “It’s not easy being back in town. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t be, but it’s even harder than I imagined.”

“You have no plans to see your father?”

Chloe shook her head and looked down.

“It’s okay to protect your peace for a while,” I said. “But you probably should see him at some point.”

She deflected. “Speaking of protecting your peace… You keep telling me it’s okay that I’m staying in the spare bedroom, but I don’t believe you. I’m trying to get out of your hair because I don’t think me being here is making your life any easier. You’ve got a lot on your plate, too.”

I wanted to tell her that even though I should feel that way, I didn’t. It was actually really damn good to see her, and damn good to have someone else here for Effie’s benefit, too. But the words wouldn’t come out. It was easier to be the sarcastic prick I’d been from the moment she walked in the door. Because feeling anything for this woman would be as dangerous as it always was, just for different reasons this time.

The fact that Chloe would only be in town for a short while was at the top of the list of red flags.

“You can get out of here when you have a safe place to stay,” I insisted. “I’m not letting you stay at some cheap motel. And I’m certainly not letting you sleep in your car.”

“Letting me, huh?” She lifted a brow as she cracked a smile.

She was as feisty as ever. I’d never forget coming home after being discharged from the Army and being shocked to see how much Chloe had grown up. It’d been disconcerting and a little exciting all at once. In some ways, this felt a lot like that time, only tenfold, maybe. Chloe was even more of a woman now, and still as off-limits as ever. I took a moment to really look at her. Goddamn, she was beautiful. She’d always been a stunner, but time had only enhanced her beauty. The same long, sandy-colored hair was painted with more streaks of blond than I’d remembered. The full lips that had always taunted me seemed even fuller. But her bright green eyes, which had always been full of possibility, were more guarded now, undoubtedly due to life experience.

“Well, hopefully I’ll find something else soon,” she said.

“Feel free to say goodbye when you leave this time,” I taunted.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think you know what it means.”

There I go again. Whenever those old feelings bubbled up, my first instinct was to protect myself by being a jerk.

“I never said goodbye to you when I left for school because I was still mad about how things turned out with us. That was just the way I needed to handle it at the time.”

“I’m playing around. I know why you did what you did. And I don’t fault you.”

Chloe tilted her head. “Speaking of goodbyes…” She lowered her voice. “Where is your wife?”

I’d been waiting for her to ask about the elephant in the room. “Ex-wife,” I clarified.

“Well, where is she?”

I sighed. “Katerina didn’t want to be a mother anymore. That’s the short version. But I can’t exactly frame it like that to my daughter because then Effie would think it was about her when it has nothing to do with her. Katerina is selfish and wanted her independence back. So she moved to California—with her boyfriend.” My jaw tightened. “I’m sure you’re wondering what I did to cause her to leave, but it wasn’t like that.”

“I never said it was, Evan.” She looked away, probably to process what I’d tried to downplay. “She cheated on you with that guy?”

“No. She met him after we’d separated but before we were officially divorced. At a certain point, she decided she wanted to move away from here and travel the world. She’s based in California now but is hardly ever in one place for too long.”