“No one warned me, but it wouldn’t have done any good,” she said. “He was mysoul mate, and anyone who declared otherwise was no friend of mine.”
By the music of the season, the twist of the Southern California December breeze, and the glow of the tree, Jesse and Chloe wove their stories together. Like a well-rehearsed play. Jesse wasn’t sure he’d have gotten his out otherwise. He loved the rhythm of their unusual conversation.
“Spring break came,” he said. “And she invited us all to her uncle’s in Melbourne Beach, Florida.”
“We were coming up on our third anniversary. Surely he was going to propose.”
“Loxley wanted me to propose. Even took me ring shopping a month before spring break. But I was twenty years old. Book smart, yes, but extremely immature. Suddenly, the girl I thought I loved was choking me.”
“Twenty?” she said, a fork full of chicken and rice suspended in front of her mouth. “You got your bachelor’s from MIT at twenty?”
“No.” He sipped his tea. “My master’s.”
“OMG,” she whispered. “Now I’m intimidated.”
“Don’t be... you’ve not heard the rest of my story. W-what about you? What happened next?”
“I was twenty-six, fixed on finding my true love, and Haden, at least in my mind, wastheguy. And I was also determined to have a meaningful career.” She mimed an explosion. “Boom!”
“But you do have a meaningful career, Chloe.”
“You’ve not heard the rest of my story either. What happened next with you?”
“My brother and I had already started a tech company. DiamondBros. Most of it was on paper, design ideas, where wewanted to put our efforts. Mom helped us incorporate, and Dad introduced us to a couple of investors.”
“For me, I was a twenty-year veteran in the business, but I’d gone no further than supporting characters and cinematic death. Haden was up for the part in—”
“Haden.” Reality dawned. “Stuart. You dated the star ofSpace Avengers?”
“Don’t judge me.”
Jesse sat back, hands up. “I’m not. I love that franchise. But Haden Stuart—” He’d met the actor a few times. He was a world-class jerk.
“Tell me about it. But I was in love. And supposed to play Twist, his kick-butt sidekick and occasional girlfriend.”
“Really? You would’ve been an amazing Twist.”
“But I blew it.”
Jesse frowned. “How did you—”
“You go. Last I heard, young genius Jesse Gates was in Florida for spring break.”
“Right, so, on our last night there, Loxley kept hinting...”
“About the ring?Thequestion?”
“Yep, but I knew one thing. I didn’t love her. Not like a man should love a woman he’s about to marry. Again, I was justtwenty. I wasn’t ready for marriage. But Lox was a list maker and a goal setter. Grad school and engagement were next on her to-dos. But I didn’t feel like being someone’s check box. Even if she...” He shook his head, the sharpness of his dark confession disrupting his peace. “Let’s just say being book smart doesn’t make you heart smart.”
“Oh, trust me, I know. I’m not a genius like some folks sitting on this sofa—”
“Stop.”
“But I was an A student. Even in math and science.”
Jesse popped Chloe a high five. “Go on. Last time in our story, our heroine was hot and heavy with Captain Steel Jones.”
“Ha! Very funny. Okay, well, a girlfriend invited me to dinnerat E.P. & L.P. We had a rooftop view of the city at sunset. Perfect setup for a proposal.Haden’s behind this, I thought.He’s lured me up here for a surprise engagement party.” She arched her brow. “I’m nothing if not a dreamer. I imagined this whole scene, Kathy and I arriving to find the deck reserved for a special occasion. She’d pretend to sneak up to see what was going on, begging me to go with her. Of course, Haden would be waiting for me on one knee, holding up a big, fat diamond ring.”
