A squirrel nattering overhead interrupted his thoughts, reminding him they were in public and he was all but mauling her. She made him lose his mind.
Slowly, he ended the kiss.
Chloe gazed up at him. “Please tell me you didn’t see paparazzi in the bushes.”
He chuckled. “All clear.” He couldn’t care less who had seen their display of affection. He’d been so miserable all week, and now he was almost dizzy with relief. “I’m so glad we had that conversation.”
“Apparently communication is key. Who knew?”
“We should definitely do more of that.”
Her eyes twinkled. “I understand communication can come in many forms.”
Of their own volition, his hands found the curve of her waist again. “Is that so?”
“That’s what I hear.”
“I look forward to exploring them all.” And then he kissed her again.
Chapter34
The next three weeks Chloe floated on a cloud. Whenever she wasn’t working or on set, she and Liam were together. They had coffee downtown or donuts at the bakery on the weekend. They had a picnic at the park. When they wanted privacy, they hung out at Liam’s place or took the boat out on the creek.
There was a world of difference between fake dating and real dating. The fluttery feelings he stirred up in her never went away. She thought about him constantly. When she wasn’t with him, she wished she were.
He was attentive and affectionate, always holding her hand or touching her face. Smiling with his eyes and his mouth. Chloe still kept up her end of the bargain, posting photos to her social media accounts. It felt so much different, so much better, now that the emotions behind them were real.
But according to Liam’s manager, the media seemed to have moved on from Chliam. Now that Liam was in a settled relationship, he was no longer top billing. She hoped that wasn’t a bad thing.
Chloe had quickly come clean to Meghan and Sean about the change in their relationship status. Meghan reacted with excitement. But it was no surprise when Sean did not. She told him one night before supper service started when he was prepping salads in the kitchen.
“You should probably know that Liam and I are in an actual relationship now.”
He spared her a look. “As opposed to a fake one? How do you even know his feelings are real? He’s an actor. Faking it is what he does for a living—and apparently he’s pretty good at it.”
Her chest tightened at his words. At the insecurity they stirred up in her. She shoved it into the box where she stuffed all her self-doubts. “He makes me happy, Sean. Maybe you don’t think I’m enough to hold his interest—a big celebrity like him—but he makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the world.”
Sean scowled. “That’s not what I think at all. You’re too good for him, not the other way around.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“And I won’t really have the chance, will I?”
Because yes, the movie would wrap soon. It wasn’t as if the thought didn’t plague her late at night. The feelings his departure conjured reminded her of when she’d been afraid of the dark as a child. She always slept with her bedside lamp on. But one night she awakened and her room was pitch black. Her heart raced and felt as if it would explode. She couldn’t even gather breath to call out for her mom as panic slammed into her like a tidal wave.
She’d overcome that fear as she grew older. But oddly, she still had that same sensation whenever she felt especially vulnerable. Like when she told a boyfriend how she felt. Or the times she’d tried to tell Evan why her father had left. Or when she thought of Liam leaving. That same feeling of panic, of breathlessness, consumed her.
“He’s gonna go back to Hollywood, back to his fancy life and his old ways, Chloe. And then what?”
Geography would be a challenge, but they’d figure it out. Wouldn’t they? She tied her apron strings with more force than necessary. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just support me, Sean.”
“Like you support Meghan and me? Your thoughts on that couldn’t have been clearer.”
She snorted. Meghan was only Sean’s flavor of the month. “Please. That’s hardly the same thing.”
“Sure, Chloe. Whatever.”
Her brother was the farthest thing from her mind as she sat across from Liam over coffee a week later. The shop had emptied of its early morning crowd, so they’d had their pick of tables. Chloe had always loved the eclectic feel of the place with its mismatched furniture and twinkle lights strung across the ceiling.
