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He’d let his social ties slide after the divorce.
A couple of weeks ago, Barton had gone to dinner at another teacher’s house where he’d met her husband and kids. While pleasant, it was awkward for a single man to spend time with a married couple. Still, it was a start. His brother was right. If he didn’t start coming out of his post-divorce fog, he’d miss out on a lot.
CHAPTER FIVE
LATE IN THE afternoon Jordan stood and told Nicole he’d be back at seven thirty, ready for the second trip to the high school. Though he dreaded sitting through the same performance again, he respected her for wanting to give the kids a second look.
He went around to the entrance of the garage apartment and knocked. Chelsea was pale and shaky when she answered the door and he mentally castigated Moonlight Ventures for the hard day she must have had. He wasn’t being reasonable and knew it, but she was his sister and he didn’t want her upset.
“Ready for dinner?” he asked.
“Uh, sure.”
“What kind of food appeals tonight?” he asked, as she locked the door and followed him downstairs.
“Whatever is good for you.”
“Really, what would you like?” he persisted. When was Chelsea going to learn that she had a right to have what she wanted some of the time?
“Anything is fine.”
He sighed. “How about Mexican? There’s a place at the mall.”
“I like Mexican.”
Jordan knew she did, which was why he’d suggested it. Food choices weren’t as important as not taking crap from a boyfriend, but it was a start. He wanted her to stick up for herself.
“How did your first day at the agency go?” he asked, trying to make it a casual query.
“Fine. Nicole is awfully nice and so is Adam. I wish he could stay, but he has a string of modeling jobs over the next several weeks.”
Chelsea sounded sincere. After all, it wasn’t necessarily the job that had gotten her upset. It might have been a phone call—no, scratch that. Terri had mentioned Chelsea’s cell phone getting lost in the accident, unless she’d located it before leaving.
“Have you found your cell phone yet?” he asked.
“No.”
“Might as well replace it. If we don’t linger over dinner, there’s a place near the restaurant where we can get one. I’d like to be able to reach you more easily.”
“You don’t need to take the time. I can manage.”
Jordan shook his head. “Nonsense. I just have to be back here by seven thirty to shadow more of Nicole’s work. She’s attending a play to see if anyone involved with it has talent.”
“Oh, right. She told me about that.”
It was tempting to question Chelsea and see what she thought of the agency and the work they were doing. But it wouldn’t be fair to his sister, or to Nicole.
At the restaurant, Chelsea seemed to relax. “Terri called. She’s already on the road, bringing my car up here. I’ll buy her a plane ticket to fly home.”
“I talked to her, too. I’ve already bought her a ticket.”
“Oh, I… I’m the one who should do it. She’s coming as a favor to me. I’ll pay you back.”
“There’s nothing to pay back. I’ve got more frequent flyer miles than I know what to do with.”
Chelsea grew quiet again and Jordan wondered if she was brooding over her first day at the agency.
“So, do you think you’ll like working at Moonlight Ventures?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“What did you do today?”
“Just got used to everything.”
“I see.” Jordan felt as if he was slogging through an especially unproductive interview. “Did they tell you not to talk with me about the agency?”
Chelsea drew her head up, looking surprised. “Not at all. It would hardly be necessary, anyway. I wouldn’t tell anyone my employer’s private information. That wouldn’t be right.”
“I’m not pumping you for information, just trying to find out how your day went.”
“And I told you it was fine.”
Jordan wasn’t sure what was wrong, just that something seemed to be off. Later, when he tried to buy her a phone at the mall, Chelsea got upset and shoved her credit card at the saleswoman. Yet she seemed to get over it quickly; back at the guesthouse she waved and went up the stairs.
