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She gets to her feet and brushes off her jeans. ‘And organise a dinner or a party or something special. C’mon, you don’t have time to be sitting on the beach staring at the sea. It’s the first birthday with you as a couple. It has to be special.’
‘Great. Thanks. No pressure then.’
∞
Chloe straightens the hem of her top and makes a face at her reflection. Her sister is due to pick her up in half an hour and take her for a birthday dinner with the family. She hasn’t seen Steph for a few months and is looking forward to a proper catch up. Someone will be missing from the evening and that’s the part that’s making her a little less enthusiastic.
It’s her fault for not telling Tate it’s her birthday. The event had completely slipped her mind until a few days ago then he’d gotten drunk and any thoughts of her birthday were pushed to the back of her mind.
She wants to see her family again, but she wants Tate there too. By the time she plucked up the courage to tell him earlier today, he had already arranged to spend the evening in the studio. He’ll be less than happy when she does tell him, but she didn’t know what else to do.
An hour later, she’s still kicking herself for not coming clean with Tate. Although after being asked the millionth question about him by Steph it’s probably a good idea he’s not coming tonight. It didn’t help that she was a fairly big fan of his and knew more about his music than Chloe herself did.
Chloe manages to dodge yet another probing question about Tate as Steph drives up the gravel driveway and parks her car in a vacant spot beside all the other patrons. The country house is spectacular. Dozens of trees lining the driveway are covered in white fairy lights. The place is beautiful.
‘Wow. I’m impressed.’
‘I found it on the net. It gets brilliant reviews.’
‘I’ll give it five stars for the outside alone.’
‘Good start. Come on. Mum and Dad are probably waiting.’
Steph leads the way through the stone archway into a medieval style entranceway. A well-dressed attendant smiles as they approach.
‘We have a table booked under the name Quinn.’
He disappears down the corridor and around the corner. Chloe’s stomach rumbles as the enticing aroma of dinner hits her. It’s a shame Tate can’t be here to see this place, but she is still going to enjoy her evening.
He comes back and gestures for them to follow. He opens a set of heavy, wooden double doors into a breath-taking dining room. The ceiling stretches high above them, supported by exposed beams. Wrought iron chandeliers hang from the beams, each one filled with dozens of candles. Chloe sits on the chair he pulls out and smiles at her parents.
‘Oh my God. This place is gorgeous.’
Her mother looks around the room and smiles. ‘It is, isn’t it? So, how has your day been so far?’
‘Not too bad. This is certainly the highlight.’
Her parents laugh and Steph joins in. They sit back in their chairs and look at her, each one with a ridiculous smile on their faces.
‘Okay, what’s with the cheesy grins?’
‘Have you looked around you?’ Steph asks.
‘Of course I have.’ Chloe is seriously confused. Her family is acting like she’s missing something glaringly obvious. The room suddenly falls silent. She glances to her left and sees a familiar face at the table next to her. And the one next to that. And the one next to that. She knows everyone in the room. They’re all her friends, family or work colleagues. ‘Oh God. What’s going on?’
Steph points to the doorframe behind her. Chloe looks over her shoulder and sees an enormous banner. Happy Birthday, Chloe.
The applause starts and builds as everyone stands and claps. ‘You did this?’ she asks her family. Her mother shakes her head and points to her right. Chloe follows her direction and spots Bria sitting at a table on the far side of the room. Right behind her is Tate. She gets up and walks over to him, hugging him tightly as he stands.
‘You did this for me?’
‘Happy birthday.’ He kisses her and the room erupts in clapping and caterwauling. ‘This okay?’
‘Are you freaking kidding me? I can’t believe you organised this.’
‘Well I had a fair bit of help from Bria and your folks.’ He takes a step back and looks her up and down. ‘You are fucking gorgeous.’
Chloe smiles at him. She’s never had someone say that to her the way he does. People throw that compliment around quite a bit but every single time he tells her she knows it’s the truth. He thinks she’s gorgeous. Then again, in his navy suit, white shirt, and navy tie, he’s rather impressive himself.
