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Her heart had definitely skipped a beat—maybe two at his touch. It was a brief half second, but it had her mind suddenly filled with images of the two of them walking hand in hand along an empty beach. Across the water, the setting sun lit the sky with gold. As Jordan stopped and pulled her into his embrace for a long toe-curling kiss, one of Chloe’s own power ballads kicked in as the soundtrack.
Sorry, Celine Dion, you got Titanic, this is my moment.
A loud crash from the café’s kitchen broke the spell. Chloe’s senses went on high alert. She looked to Jordan who was gazing back over her shoulder in the direction of the disturbance.
“It’s alright, someone just dropped a stack of plates.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t normally like this around men. HerI’m the world’s biggest pop starprotective armor usually stayed firmly in place. But not tonight. With Jordan, things were different. She was unsettled. The answer was all too obvious.
I want him to like me.
“Chloe?” What had he said before that? Oh, yes, he’d asked about her travel plans. A nice safe question. She could do safe.
“No, I won’t be back in the US for a few more days. Tomorrow we are heading to Paris for the final concert of my mini European tour. The day after, I’m meant to be flying home to LA. And then I have an album to finish and promote. And then my manager wants me to announce a global tour.”
She waved her hand idly about. Theyada yadawas heavily implied.
“I couldn’t begin to imagine how hard you must work to hold it all together, to make it look so seamless. I trust you have an amazing group of people around you.”
Chloe nodded but deep down she knew the next few months were going to be utterly exhausting. She wasn’t looking forward to the moment when her manager Foster spoke the dreaded words, ‘we need to confirm dates for the world tour.’ It all sounded wonderful and glamorous, but tours mostly consisted of hotels, sound checks, mindless press interviews, and very little real interaction with her fans. But with the advent of streaming services, touring was the way artists made most of their money these days.
She paused and mustered a smile.Where are my manners?This conversation shouldn’t be all about her. “So, where do you live, Jordan? I know you mentioned being from the East Coast when we were at the club.”
His answering grin warmed her heart. “New York City born and bred, but I do travel around a bit on company business and to catch up with family. I’m actually going to head out to the West Coast in a couple of weeks for a long work assignment. I’ll be based at Laguna Beach until the end of the year.”
Jordan was coming to California. Chloe sent a prayer to heaven.There is something about this man that has me intrigued. Please don’t let him be a handsome-as-sin stalker.
If they were going to possibly meet up again, she would need to get Martin to do some serious background checks on Jordan just to be safe.
In her coat, Chloe’s cell beeped. She dug her hand into her pocket and after a moment or two of frantic searching, managed to locate her phone, and set it on the table.
Bad. Bad. Chloe. You r buying us 3 bottles of Dom for taking off with that guy.
Reprimand and demand all in one. She shouldn’t be the least bit surprised that Marta was planning to hit the expensive stuff tonight. Every time they went clubbing her number one personal assistant always wanted to drink thetop, top-shelfbooze. Nothing else was good enough for Marta, especially when her boss was paying.
Jordan tapped a finger next to Chloe’s phone. “Tell her she can have one. And if she wants any more, she can damn well pay for it herself.”
Chloe had a sudden flash of how well that would go down with her team. Tears and tantrums. She never saidnoto them. She was so scared that they might decide to leave her, that she didn’t dare. “It’s ok, they’re just having fun. And I did leave without telling them.”
Sorry, I’m selfish. Yes get 3. Enjoy. C U on the jet.
Jordan picked up his knife and fork and after putting a piece of the omelet into his mouth, set his cutlery down. As he sat chewing his food, his finger tapped a frenetic beat on the table right next to Chloe’s phone.
Chloe’s cell pinged again. Jordan’s hand shifted toward it, and for a second, she feared he was going to snatch it away from her. The message was another one from Marta. It was rare for her to only send one.
Stay off the carbs. You have to look fab for France.
It was quickly followed by another.
I love you.
Chloe picked up the phone and quickly typed her reply.
I love you too.
Setting the phone down, she lifted her head. Her gaze settled once more on Jordan. He was staring at the screen of her cell, reading it, taking in that last exchange. His brows were knitted together in undisguised displeasure.
“You think I’m a pushover, don’t you?”
