AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s all good.” I smiled too bright and looked down at the ground for a split second. “Yeah. He’s okay.”
“Perfect.” Chloe took my hand. “That’s what you are. Now, introduce me to my niece.”
Chloe was the one who was perfect, in my opinion. Everything about his sister glowed, from her blond hair, smiling face, to crystal clear blue eyes. Esmé fell in love with her in an instant too. It just took one smile and a few neck kisses. I left the two of them alone to get acquainted. I didn’t want to intrude on their moment.
I checked out my hair and eye makeup one more time. I’d lined my eyes in dark brown and used a similar color of shadow on my lids to make them appear smoky. I skipped the Golly That’s Red lipstick for a nude shade, letting my eyes be the main attraction.
My stomach fluttered with butterflies, so I poured a glass of wine to calm my nerves. I didn’t remember the last time I was this nervous meeting someone via a dating app. I began to wonder if the meet-up with Thomas wasn’t the issue, especially after what Chloe said. I couldn’t bail on Thomas again, but I felt myself friend-zoning him before I even left the apartment.
I slipped on my tallest stilettos, which meant I would be taking an Uber to the restaurant. Sitting down at the dining room table, I finished the rest of my wine. Chloe carried Esmé out of the nursery and sat down at the table with me.
“I changed her diaper. Has Lucas attempted this yet?” Chloe asked with a saucy smirk.
“He tried to with a lifelike doll I bought. On the seventh attempt, he asked me to get him some duct tape out of the kitchen drawer.” We both laughed, and Chloe rolled her eyes. “Until he does it right on an inanimate object, I’m not allowing him to even try it on Esmé.”
“Good call.” Chloe looked down at Esmé, who was sucking the life out of her thumb.
“I think she’s ready for another bottle.” I got up from the table and prepared some formula. “Do you want to feed her?”
“I would love that.” Chloe took the bottle from me, and Esmé’s little arms began to fly in the air. Once she’d latched onto the nipple, her hands balled in tight near her chest, her barely-there eyebrows scrunched in concentration.
“Pardon me for being nosy, but you’re rather dressed up for a Wednesday night. Do you have special plans?”
I hadn’t sat back down, and Chloe glanced at my heels. They weren’t Louboutins, but they could pass for a designer knockoff. How was I going to tell her I had a date, though?
“Well, I’m meeting someone for dinner.”
“Oh. Like a date?” I nodded, and Chloe shook her head. “Does Lucas know this?”
“We discussed it this morning.”
“That explains his text to me before I arrived. He said he wouldn’t be here until you left for the evening. I don’t think he relished the idea of seeing you walk out the door to meet another man.”
“I’ve kind of given up on him and me.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, then stupid tears started to form in my eyes.
“Oh, Maggie. I’m sorry if he’s hurt you, but please don’t give up on my brother just yet. He’s never been the same since my mother’s snowmobile accident. He was riding in it with her when it happened. Something died in him that day. He was only seventeen.”
A few drops spilled from my eyes, and I grabbed a clean cloth diaper off the dining room table before my eye makeup was ruined. But I’d finally found out the hurt Lucas was hiding and wanted more details.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” I sniffled, wiping my eyes again.
“My mother veered off the snowmobile path and hit a mound of snow hiding a tree stump. She was thrown into the air from the impact. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. She’s the twelve-year-old version of herself.” Chloe’s eyes reflected my cloudy ones.
“I’m so sorry. Lucas never said a thing.”
“He doesn’t like to talk about it. Never has. I was only seven when it happened. My father treats Lucas like he’s to blame. I’ve been caught in the middle of their mutual hatred ever since.”
“God, Chloe. You were so young. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you.”
“Lucas said you were Tessa’s best friend, the one dating Barclay, right?”
“Yes. Since our first day of kindergarten.”
“We lived next door to Barclay’s family. His mother pretty much raised me.”
“Where’s your mother now?”
“She hasn’t left her house in Greenwich in years. Even her doctors make house calls to see her. She spends her day playing with her cats and sketching on an art pad.”
“It’s so horrible and sad. I’m sorry for all of you.”
