AllFreeNovel
Share Us
20
Chloe sits in the backof the car and pulls down the sleeve of her jacket again. She feels sick. Nerves had taken hold last night and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t distract herself.
Bria reaches across and squeezes her arm. ‘Relax. Just think of it as going on a date with him. It’s no big deal.’
Chloe tries to smile but she knows it comes across as a grimace. She’s just grateful Bria offered to come to the pick up point with her. Tate couldn’t get away from work in time to come back to collect her, so he was going to meet her there. Chloe hasn’t seen him for four days and can’t wait, but the whole date, as Bria called it, is terrifying her. The fact they’re meeting the helicopter in a field is just another bizarre detail in this already bizarre date.
As the Land Rover pulls off the main road and heads down a dirt track between two high hedges, Bria hands her a business card decorated in gold and purple. ‘This is Dani. She’s the hair and make-up expert I was telling you about. She’ll give you a ring when she’s on the way. She’ll also be able to help you get dressed. Ellen booked a suite so there’ll be plenty of room for you to get ready without Tate pacing while looking at his watch. Relax, Chloe. You’ll have a blast. Trust me. You’ll be pampered and spoilt rotten.’
Chloe smiles feeling a little more at ease. Bria is right. This is the experience of a lifetime. She should be excited. It’s the celebrity thing that keeps rearing its head.
Since she first found out who he was, it was never that part of Tate that gave her hesitation. When she made that stupid statement about famous people, she honestly hadn’t thought of him that way. But that’s exactly what he is. As soon as she steps out of the car with him, the cameras will be going.
The car slows and turns through a double gate into a field. The helicopter is sitting in the middle of the field and her nervousness jumps to excitement when she spots Tate leaning against the bonnet of another Land Rover.
As soon as Chloe steps out of the car, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close. He pushes his sunglasses up his head and kisses her like he hadn’t seen her for weeks. When he finally breaks contact he smiles down at her.
‘Hey.’
‘Hey yourself. What was that for?’
‘I might have missed you. Did you sort out the dishes in the cupboard?’
She makes a face. ‘Eventually. Cornflakes are surprisingly resilient.’
‘I’m not even going to ask,’ Bria says as she gets out of the car.
Tate and Bria look at each other, neither one saying anything for a few minutes.
Tate eventually breaks the awkward silence. ‘Thanks for everything, Bria. I really appreciate it.’
‘I did it for Chloe.’
His face drops and he nods once. ‘Got it. I’ll leave you to it. We’re scheduled to leave in the next ten minutes.’
‘Sure.’
He lowers his glasses and walks back to the other car. Bria watches him leave and wraps her arms around herself. ‘Yeah, that was bitchy.’
‘I’m sure he understands. It’s not easy for any of you.’
‘I’m hate that I’m hurting him, but every time I look at him I just think about what he did to himself. It won’t go away.’
Bria looks across the field to Tate, propped up against the bonnet of the car again with his arms crossed. ‘I always looked up to him. He’s my big brother. Shane is amazing, but Tate was the one I grew up with. He was the one who threatened anyone who looked at me sideways. Typical over protective big brother stuff. But I kind of liked it. I knew I could always depend on him. No matter what.’
‘He made a mistake, Bria. A really serious one and I’m not taking away from that, but he’s still your big brother. He really misses you.’
‘I miss him too. Do you think I’m being too hard on him?’
‘It’s absolutely none of my business, Bria. You’ve known him a lot longer than I have. There’s no right or wrong way to deal with it.’
Bria nods and signals to one of the men standing by the helicopter. He comes over and takes Chloe’s bag from the boot and loads it inside. ‘You better go. Have fun. I can’t wait to hear all about it.’
Chloe hugs Bria then walks over to the other car where Tate is waiting. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the curt brush-off from Bria had hit him badly. Even from this distance she can see him playing with the ring on his thumb as he stares down at the grass in front of him. He’s so deep in his thoughts he doesn’t realise she’s come to a stop in front of him.
‘Tate? You okay?’
