Bronson
I’mquestioningmydecisionto show up at Chloe’s place right now. She’s staring at me like she sees a spider, not so much like she sees a beloved, former coworker. Also, she’s wearing a wetsuit. I’ve never seen her in anything resembling casual clothes.
“Chloe,” I say as I walk toward her and give her a hug.
She stiffens. I lower my voice. “I want to apologize. Brittany told me that you thought I didn’t know your name. It’s a long story, but I thought it was an inside joke…I’ve always known your name is Chloe.”
She blinks at me. I reach a hand behind my neck, trying to rub some sense into this situation. “I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m doing here.”
Chloe’s aunt walks over and guides her toward a barstool. “Bronson told me ya’ll worked together in Denver. Him and his grandpa were visiting, and he decided to stop by to say hi. Isn’t that sweet?”
Chloe tilts her head to the right, breathes in and gives a small nod. “Yeah…I just…didn’t know you were in town.”
“Hence the surprise,” Aunt Val says with a chuckle.
“Right,” Chloe says, eyeing me.
“Chloe, have you met Bronson’s grandfather, Kenneth?” Aunt Val motions to my grandpa who is enjoying his cup of coffee. I can tell because he’s got a light, easy smile that I haven’t seen much of since my grandma passed away.
“Nice to meet you,” Chloe says.
Gramps raises his cup and says hello.
I turn to Chloe and quietly whisper, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
She responds with a nod, and I still can’t read the expression on her face beyond bewilderment.
Turning to her aunt, she says, “I’m going to show Bronson the view from the pool.”
“Okay, have fun.” Valerie smiles wide, and then jumps back into conversation with my grandpa.
I had to talk Gramps in to coming along on this trip. He said he was doing fine, and maybe he was, but I feel better seeing how he’s holding up for myself. I told him I was having a hard time with work and could use some company. The fact that he would be helping me seemed to be what pushed him over the edge to finally agree to come. I flew to Arizona, picked him up and brought him to the airport. Then we drove from Orlando to Sunshine Shores. We got settled into our Airbnb last night. Gramps couldn’t believe we had the whole house to ourselves.
After brunch, we left to find Chloe at the address on her Aunt’s postcard. I felt a twinge of guilt ambushing her. But, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to be strategic in my line of work. Usually, I’m more subtle, and it’s at a restaurant or event. For example, if I know a potential client or VIP will be in attendance, I make a point to casually run into them. One thing leads to another, and then I invite them out to dinner or for drinks or to a sporting event.
I knew the Chloe situation would be more delicate, though. I was hopeful my grandpa’s presence would be a nice buffer, and so far, it’s working.
Chloe and I only know each other in a polite professional setting, so I figured she would be surprised to see me. However, I was trusting that once I explained why I came, she’d be flattered.
Now it’s showtime, and I’m suddenly feeling a giant lump in my throat. My m.o. is cool, calm and collected. I wish someone would tell my sweat glands that because my arm pits currently feel like Niagara Falls.
If I don’t get Chloe to agree to the proposal Mitch and I came up with, I can kiss my top client goodbye and roll out the red carpet for a PR nightmare.
Chloe opens the sliding glass door, and I follow her out to a patio next to a pool with an impressive beach view. She sits in a chair at a small glass table and motions for me to do the same. Her silence is throwing me off.
I swallow and soften my face into a smile. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. Your aunt seems really nice.”
Finally Chloe’s mouth turns from a straight line to the smallest curve. “How did you find me?”
Clearing my throat, I pull the postcard from my back pocket. “Brittany gave it to me.”
Chloe lets out a puff of air and scrunches her nose.
Better to keep this conversation moving. “I’ll get right to it. Mitch Landry was very…” I try to use a word that doesn't paint Mitch to be a screaming toddler, “disappointed that you would no longer be his editor. So much so that he wants to hire you himself.”
Chloe’s eyebrows shoot up. “He…wants to hire me as his editor?”
“Yes, but to sweeten the deal, he wants to offer you the opportunity to co-write his next book with him.”
