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“Absolutely.” Elsa grinned.
As I glanced around, my eyes snagged on Chloe. Again. Warmth spun around my heart at the way her eyes lit up.
“You’ve got to go, Chloe. It’s fun,” I chimed in.
“Okay, I’m going.” She beamed at me. “What will I need other than a net?” she asked next.
“Chloe, we’re a guiding resort. We have all the stuff you need. We have waders for guests, multiple sizes. You’re going to have a blast,” Haven said.
She bounced up and down on her toes. I shouldn’t know that was something she did when she was excited, but I did. Against my better judgment, I’d absorbed many details about Chloe. I never knew quite what to do with my reaction to her. She had this effect of making me forget to be cynical, which was mildly terrifying.
Tommy came bounding in needing help on a homework assignment, and the group gradually filtered apart.
* * *
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* * *
Staring at the ceiling in my dark bedroom, I let out a sigh. Fuck.
I knew when to give up the fight with sleep, at least for the moment. My thoughts would start spinning like a hamster on a wheel. I kicked the covers back, yanked on a pair of sweatpants and at-shirt, and walked quietly out of the suite I shared with Asher and Grady. My eyes flicked across the hall to the other staff suite, which at the moment was only occupied by Chloe.
I aimed down the hallway toward the kitchen, surprised to see light coming from Chloe’s office. I knew exactly which door led to her office, because … priorities. My footsteps slowed as I reached it, the door open, my brain initially assuming there was no way Chloe was up working.
My body experienced a jolt when I saw her there at the small table in her office, eyes on her computer screen, clearly working on something. Without thinking, I leaned my shoulder on the inside of the doorframe.
“What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
Chloe’s head whipped up, her eyes colliding with mine instantly, her cheeks turning pretty and pink. She blinked for a moment, her shoulders rising with a quick breath. Somehow, even though maybe it was just because I had startled her, it gave me a little relief to think perhaps I wasn’t alone in my reaction.
“Yes, I am working in the middle of the night. What are you doing up wandering the hallways?” Her eyes flicked down. “In your bare feet,” she added.
“Can’t sleep,” I said.
Something passed through her gaze, almost like clouds scudding across the sky on a brisk breeze,.
“I couldn’t either.” She gestured toward the other chair at her small round table. “Have a seat. I made some hot cocoa.”
I eyed the mug resting on the table by her hand. “Are we sharing?”
“I have another mug.” She reached over to a small rolling table where I noticed she had several mugs in a tidy row.
“And your own hot cocoa setup?” I teased.
She rolled her eyes. “It just keeps it warm. I made it in the kitchen. I’m so busy during the day and there’s always so much going on in the kitchen, it’s easier if I just have it in here. Coffee, hot cocoa, all that.” She quickly filled a mug from the warmer and passed it over.
I took a swallow. “Damn, that’s good.”
That pink on her cheeks deepened a little, and my pulse revved. “Your mom taught me how to make it.”
“She did?”
“Of course. You know your mom. She likes to make sure everybody’s taken care of. When I told her I loved her hot cocoa, she showed me exactly how to make it her way with milk and melted chocolate.”
I felt my lips curling into a smile. It was as if Chloe had kicked open a window somewhere inside my heart, sunlight shining through, bright and unmistakable. This one small patch of sunlight s that brought warmth inside.
“That’s my mom for you,” I said. For a split second, tears pressed hot at the backs of my eyes. I took a long swallow of cocoa to will them away and buy myself enough seconds to find my composure. I loved my mom. I loved my whole family. That made the pocket of pain tucked away inside my heart even harder to bear sometimes.
