Chloe’s gaze clung to Sean’s. “Are you saying you didn’t know about us?”
“I had no idea you even existed until that article.” Truth rang through in her tone. “I can’t believe I have a brother and sister I didn’t even know about. I’ve been a mess since then. I’m so angry with my parents for keeping this from me.”
Chloe set the phone between them. Tiffany would be about thirty. That was one long-buried secret her parents had kept. “I always wondered if you knew.”
“Does your father know you’re calling?” Sean asked.
“I told him I’d be reaching out to you. I didn’t want another day to pass with silence between us.”
Sean leaned forward. “And...? What did he say?”
There was a long pause. “To be honest... he wasn’t thrilled about it. He’s embarrassed by what he did. Ashamed. But I’m a grown adult with a mind of my own. He made his mistakes, but that doesn’t mean I have to follow in his footsteps.”
Her anger with their father was apparent in her tone. But she seemed nice. Normal. Not the daughter of some bigamist. Then again, Chloe was also the daughter of that bigamist.
“I guess I’d hoped...” Emotion swelled in her voice. “I’d hoped you could tell me a little about yourselves. I’d like to know you better if that’s okay with you guys. I don’t want to be pushy or anything, and I understand if you—you don’t want anything to do with me. I’ll go away quietly if that’s the case. But I’m an only child. I always longed for siblings. I just think... well, we weren’t raised together, but that doesn’t mean we have to be strangers, does it?”
A knot swelled in Chloe’s throat as she searched Sean’s face. This woman seemed like a decent person. She seemed like someone worth getting to know. And she was their sister. Was there room in their lives for a sister?
Sean’s expression softened. He raised his brows in question to Chloe.
He was letting her take the lead here. Chloe’s heart swelled twice over at the thought of another sibling. “I think I’d like that.”
Sean smiled, their gazes holding. “Me too.”
Chapter41
On Saturday the doorbell woke Chloe from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes to the sunshine streaming through her windows. It was almost ten. Lately she seemed to be sleeping the mornings away.
Buttercup peered at her through the bedroom doorway, wearing a judgy look.
“For your information, I haven’t been sleeping well.”
The doorbell pealed again. She threw off the covers and went to see who was here. Her hair was probably sticking up in all directions, and her face no doubt sported pillow creases. Oh well. She reached the sidelight and peeked out.
As Chloe opened the door, Meghan’s gaze swept over her and she frowned. “I thought we were beyond this.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well.”
Meghan’s expression turned solicitous. “Well, never mind. Here.” She shoved a to-go cup at Chloe. “Your favorite. And here’s a few homemade truffles—raspberry and dark chocolate.”
Chloe frowned. Her friend turning up unexpectedly with... “Twogifts? This can’t be good.”
Meghan’s expression fell. “I’m not gonna lie; it’s pretty bad.”
What was it now? Chloe closed her eyes briefly, then turned for the kitchen. Then again, how could it get much worse? She’d already lost the man she loved. And gossip about her had only ramped up over the past couple of days. She’d stopped checking her social media pages after receiving vicious messages and confirmingthat her following had plummeted. She’d officially been canceled by the masses. Oh, and her dissenters now had their own hashtag: #fakedategate.
Chloe offered Meghan a seat at the bar. “Don’t tell me... they’ve pinned JFK’s murder on me. I mean, I wasn’t even alive at the time, but the way my luck’s going...”
“There’s nothing new floating around, and it’s nothing like that. Well, it is, but it’s not.” She grimaced. “Oh man, you’re gonna hate me.”
“Not possible.” Chloe snagged a chocolate. “Anyway, you softened me up with coffee and chocolates. Very wise of you. Just spit it out. You’ll feel much better.”
“It’s my fault everyone knows about your fake relationship,” Meghan blurted. “And I’m indirectly responsible for the scandal about your father too.”
Chloe swallowed the bite of chocolate, which now tasted like sawdust. “What?”
Meghan covered her face. “You’re wrong, I don’t feel better. If anything I feel worse.”
