Page 24 of The Challenge

She looked me up and down. “Who are you?”

“I’m Chloe. Who are you?”

She straightened. “Naomi. Evan’s girlfriend.”

Chapter 9

EVAN

I set up my laptop in the room outside Effie’s dance class. It had a large window so parents could see their kids practicing without getting in the way. There was a vending machine nearby and a coffee maker. I’d typically use this time to brew an afternoon coffee and catch up on emails while also appreciating glimpses of my little girl dancing away.

But today, all I wanted to do was sit and decompress without Effie sensing that something was off. The storage unit visit with Chloe had taken more of a mental toll than I’d thought it would. It had really solidified that the Cavanaughs—the strong family unit who’d once rescued me from the depths of despair—had been reduced to a small room of material things. It felt like another loss, though I could hardly make this situation about myself. But I’d had my head in the sand for far too long. I wouldn’t dare tell Chloe how down I felt after this afternoon. She was going through enough right now.

My phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts.

Naomi.

I picked up. “Hey, I’m—”

“I just met Chloe,” she snapped.

What? My eyes widened. “You’re here? I thought you were in Minneapolis until the end of the week.”

“Well, my last couple of meetings got rescheduled, so I thought I’d come back and surprise you. Turns out I was the one surprised.”

I quickly explained the rental mix-up and that Chloe was an old family friend. That didn’t seem to diffuse the situation, though.

“Why was your family friend wearing your sweatshirt?”

Fuck. “I’ve been keeping the house cold.” I rubbed my temples.

“She doesn’t have her own sweaters?”

“Don’t read into it, Naomi,” I warned, even though I’d thought the same thing when I saw Chloe wearing my sweatshirt. Not that I minded—just the opposite. But the fact that she’d kept wearing it all day? That did seem intentional.

“So…this strange woman with a French braid who likes to wear your clothes is going to be living with you and Effie indefinitely? And I’m supposed to just accept that?”

“Only until something else opens up in town for her,” I answered, laughing a little as I thought about the fact that Chloe still hadn’t taken out the French braid.

“Well, how about if she stays at my place, and I move in with you guys? Problem solved.”

My mouth opened and closed a few times as I found myself at a loss for words. That might’ve seemed like a logical solution. But I didn’t want that. And I wasn’t ready to delve into my psyche to figure out why. All I knew was that telling Chloe she had to leave to go to my girlfriend’s house after I’d just told her she could stay as long as she needed to wasn’t going to happen. Naomi was testing me. I never let her spend the night because of Effie. Now that Chloe was staying with us, I couldn’t blame Naomi for trying to make a point. But I also wasn’t going to take the bait.

“Having you move in would send a message to Effie that I’m not ready for,” I finally said.

“What message? That you’re serious about me and not wasting my time?”

“We’ve talked about this, Naomi. I’m not ready to have a woman move in with us.”

“Last I fucking checked, you’re living with one right now!”

Fair point. “It’s different because she and I aren’t romantically involved.”

“So, she gets to live with you and I don’t? Make it make sense.”

“I’m not sure how to better explain it.”

I knew this was unfair to her, but at this point, I was willing to let the situation unravel without putting up a fight. I didn’t have it in me to give Naomi what she really needed. Or maybe she didn’t have what I needed.