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“You were little more than a child when you married his father. Oh and I do believe you married the great Martin Shawcross for his money and his status.” Chloe lowered her face to Lila’s. “So don’t speak to me like you’re better than me. At least I did it for my child.”
Lila’s huge blue eyes went even wider. Both of them had their hands fisted.
Nick placed his hand on Lila’s shoulder. “Not that I wouldn’t like to see this play out into a fist fight—girl fights are hot—but let’s step back a minute here, huh?”
Lila shook him off and stood until she and Chloe were toe-to-toe. “You are not going to ruin his life because of one stupid moment in Vegas.”
Nick’s phone bleated out an annoying crash of notes before he must have hit ignore to cut it off.
Chloe stepped back. “Finally we can agree on one thing. You figure out a way to make this go away and I’ll sign whatever you want me to.”
“Fine.” Lila’s shoulders heaved. “At least you can be sensible about one thing.”
Nick’s phone went off again. Both women turned to him.
Chloe bunched her fists around her purse. “Are you serious right now?”
Nick shrugged. “Speak of the devil.” He answered the phone. “Not a good time, buddy. I have two women here that aren’t happy with you. One might even be contemplating putting hit on you.”
Lila held out her hand. “Is that Michael.”
Nick shook his head. “Yeah, he doesn’t want to talk to you, Li.”
“What?” Lila flipped her hair over her shoulder. Agitation showing for the first time since Chloe could remember.
Chloe reached across and plucked the phone out of Nick’s hand.
“Hey!” Nick tried to grab it back. “That’s mine.”
Chloe marched down the aisle past a shocked Harper and Deacon and a smiling Simon with a bag of M&M’s in his hand.
“Stop calling Nick, stop trying to call me. I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to have anything to do with you Michael Shawcross.”
“Well that’s too bad Mrs. Shawcross. We have plenty to discuss.”
His deep voice sent a thrill down her spine. The same feeling she remembered the night before in a flash. Had he done the same over her shoulder when she’d been dancing at the Foundation Room? Smokey and sultry with a hint of playfulness.
A sudden and consuming anger burned through her. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that is never, ever my name.”
“I do love when you snarl at me. Must be the red hair.”
Her jaw literally dropped open. “This isn’t funny. Stop making jokes.”
“Of course it’s not.” His voice instantly turned serious. “That’s why we need to talk.”
“We don’t need to talk at all unless it’s across from a lawyer where I’m signing on the dotted line on annulment or divorce papers.” She hit the end button before he could talk.
She couldn’t even see through the rage blurring her vision.
“Okay, sweetie. Breathe.”
Chloe’s eyes burned as Jazz’s soft voice came from behind her. Jazz laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and dislodged Nick’s phone from Chloe’s hand. She really couldn’t handle someone being kind to her right now. She’d just burst into a million pieces and cry until she couldn’t be put back together again.
“Chloe, wait.”
But she couldn’t. She broke free and to the front of the plane where the bathrooms were. She opened the door and slammed it closed, pulling over the lock lever. No way, no how could she face anyone. Not after she’d freaked out like that. Embarrassment didn’t even cover it.
She had no idea how long she’d been in there. People walked by and voices picked up after a few minutes. She turned on the water and let the tap water flow over her wrists. Being in the service industry, and the mother to a toddler, left her rattled some days. Sometimes a little cool water over a pulse point kept her from completely losing her shit.
