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"Perfect. I'll see you soon."
He smiled to himself, happy that things were back to a good place with Chloe. He would not do something stupid like kiss her again. He needed to keep things on a friendship level, a working-together level. That was the best scenario. Chloe was still with Joel, as far as he knew, although he didn't know how Joel's extended absence would affect their relationship. But he didn't want to be the one to ruin their relationship, not when he'd be gone before summer.
ChapterSeventeen
Decker gotto Chloe's house a little before six. When he stepped into the living room, he felt immediately warmed and welcome. Leo had headphones on and was watching a video on a tablet while a fire in the gas fireplace blazed brightly behind him.
"I know it's not that cold, but both Leo and I love a fire," Chloe said.
"Me, too," he replied, as he carried the pizzas over to the dining room table.
"I have some wine," Chloe said. "Would you like some?"
"Sure."
"It's nothing fancy, just a cabernet that was on sale at the grocery store."
He smiled. "Sounds like my kind of wine."
"Mine, too. I wouldn't dare offer it to Joel. He's clearly a wine connoisseur."
"Joel knows his wine," he agreed. "His father has the most incredible wine cellar you've ever seen. He has wines from every important wine-making region in the world."
"So, you've been to Joel's parents' home?" she asked curiously.
"The Christmas after my father died, Joel invited me to spend the holidays in New York with his family. They were very good to me."
"They're nice people then? Because when Joel talks about his father, I can't quite figure out if he loves his dad or hates him," she said as she filled two wineglasses.
"It's a little of both, I think. His father is a hard man to please. He's smart, sharp-edged, and can be ruthless in business, although he can also be charming to family and friends. But even through the charm, you can see his hard edges. He put a lot of pressure on Joel to carry on his legacy, and he made him work his way up through the company, doing all the low-level jobs so he'd know exactly how the company was run from the ground up. Now that Joel is trying to do the job he earned, his father is complaining about everything."
"Joel told me that his dad has been stirring up trouble with some of the older employees, and Joel is losing support at the company for some of his ideas. I think one of those ideas is about him making Whisper Lake an office location for Joel and possibly others."
"He mentioned that to me. Joel's father still wields tremendous influence at the company. Joel has his work cut out for him, which is probably why he's not back yet."
"He keeps saying soon, but I think it's already too late to be soon. It has been almost a week since he left." She handed him his wine. "But I wish him well. I hope he can get what he wants. It sounds like he has earned the right to run the company the way he wants."
"I think so, but I suspect his father has a different opinion."
Chloe sipped her wine, her gaze thoughtful. "What's Joel's mother like?"
"Sweet woman, seems intelligent, but is not particularly forthright when her husband is in the room. When I was around, she let him do the talking. I know Joel gets a little frustrated that she doesn't always speak up for herself."
"He said he has a younger sister, too, but she's not in the business."
"I think she's an artist or something. She's eight or nine years younger than Joel, so I don't know much about her. When I visited that Christmas, she was probably about twelve."
"Hi, Decker," Leo said, interrupting their conversation as he came running over to the table with a miniature horse in each hand. "Do you want to play horses with me?"
"I think we're ready to eat," he said. "How about after dinner?"
"Okay." Leo said, climbing onto his chair where a bright purple plastic plate was already waiting with an array of strawberries, sliced bananas, and carrots. Leo immediately dug in, picking up a bright red berry and popping it into his mouth.
"I'll get you a piece of pizza, too," Chloe said, opening the smaller box to slip a slice onto Leo's plate. "It's hot, so let it cool for a few minutes."
He sat down across from Leo while Chloe grabbed plates and silverware for them. As she dished out salad for both of them, he opened the other pizza box and offered her two slices of the meat and veggie lovers' pizza, which she was happy to get. Then he filled his own plate.
"Thanks for picking this up," she said. "I love this pizza. I meant to tell you the best place in town, but you figured it out."
