Page 6 of Chasing the Sun

Chloe closed her eyes and said a silent prayer as the plane descended into the Fort Myers airport. She didn’t fly often, and it made her a bit nervous, but she was excited too. After emailing back and forth with Bryce, she’d decided to fly in the Saturday before her official start date on Monday. This way, he and Molly could meet her at the airport, and she’d have the weekend to get acclimated.

Soon the plane had landed, and she opened her eyes and peered out the window.

“Welcome to Florida, ladies and gentlemen. Today’s forecast is sunny and eighty-seven degrees,” said the pilot.

Chloe immediately peeled off her zip-up hoodie and tied it around her waist. When she’d left Michigan a few hours earlier, it had been cool and cloudy. She’d worn cropped yoga pants, a T-shirt, and hoodie for traveling, thinking she would change into shorts once she got to Bryce’s house.

Bryce’s house. It felt strange that for the next three months, she’d be living with a man she’d never met! The reality struck hard, and her stomach balled up in a knot.

What if they didn’t like each other? What if Molly didn’t like her? What if she hated it there? Like he’d said, she could cancel their contract at any time. All he’d asked was that she give him a few days’ notice so he could find a replacement.

Taking a deep breath, she debarked the plane, dragging her small roller bag behind her. Bryce and Molly would be meeting her at baggage claim so he could help with her luggage. That gave her a few minutes to compose herself before she met them.

She made a pit stop at the first restroom she came to. After using the facilities, she ran a brush through her hair and swiped on some lip balm. Then she stuffed the hoodie into her bag and followed the stream of passengers to baggage claim.

Having already met Bryce and Molly on FaceTime, she scanned the area for them. Then she spotted Molly jumping up and down and waving a colorful sign that read: Welcome to Florida, Miss Chloe!

Chloe let out a breath, relieved that Molly seemed excited to greet her. Then her eyes shifted to Bryce, who was standing behind Molly with his hands on her shoulders as if he were trying to contain her enthusiasm. He gave Chloe a brief smile as she approached and then stepped out from behind his daughter.

Ohmigod. Bryce in the flesh was even hotter than Bryce on camera! His dark hair and eyes were even more striking, and his physique was incredible. He was wearing a purple golf shirt, khaki shorts, running shoes, and a chunky watch on his left wrist. His skin was bronzed from the sun, and he looked healthier and more vibrant than he had on her laptop screen. Naturally—everyone looked better in the Sunshine State!

“It’s nice to meet you, Chloe,” he said, extending his hand.

She gave it a shake and willed herself to speak clearly. “It’s nice to meet you both,” she managed.

When he let go of her hand, Molly stepped forward and stuck her hand out. “I’m Molly!”

Squatting down, Chloe took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Hello, Molly. Did you make that sign?”

The girl nodded, looking immensely proud of herself.

“Well, I love it! Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Let’s get your bags,” Bryce said.

The three of them walked over to the carousel and watched as it went around. Bryce stood between Chloe and Molly, and Chloe tried not to stare at his profile, but she couldn’t help it. Unlike most people, the man didn’t have a bad angle!

“Oh. There’s one,” she said, pointing to her large red bag.

She started to move forward, but Bryce said, “I’ll get it.” He pulled the bag off the conveyor belt with ease even though Chloe knew it weighed a ton (not really, but close).

“There’s another one,” she said as the medium red bag came around.

Bryce hauled it off too and then gave her a funny look. “How many are there?”

She shrugged. “A couple more. Three months is a long time.”

His lips quirked up, but he didn’t grant her a full smile. She got the impression he reserved those for Molly and special occasions.

Once they’d collected all her bags, the three of them rolled them out of the airport and across the street to the short-term parking area. They’d given Molly the smallest bag, and she seemed happy to help. On the other hand, Bryce looked pained by the time they got to his SUV.

He drove a black Cadillac Escalade that looked like it had been freshly washed and waxed. Chloe cringed, recalling her dirty white Malibu at home. In her defense, Michigan’s weather made it nearly impossible to keep a car clean.

“You and Molly can get inside while I load the bags,” Bryce said.

She noticed his forehead was glistening, and she felt bad about making him sweat, although it was eighty-seven degrees according to the pilot.