I stood up and put myself back in my pants. Right as I was zipping up my fly, the door opened and one of the women that I’d seen the very first day I’d come here stuck her head in.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but can I just borrow one of those easels?” She nodded to the corner of the room.
“Of course!” Chloe said. She wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Thanks,” the woman said as she walked out of the room with one of the easels. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”
“Not at all,” Chloe said with a grin.
*****
As I walked back out to my truck, I thought about what my mother had said about Chloe earlier, about her being too much of a goody-goody. Would a goody-goody have just done that? Not that I’d ever discuss details of my sex life with my mother, but there was a part of me that was just dying to ask her that, just so she’d have to admit she was wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chloe
I got home later, feeling decidedly pleased with myself, and not just because I’d actually made some progress with the sculpture. The look on his face! He’d been so surprised that I was going to do it, and then once I’d done it, at how good it had actually been. I smiled to myself as I walked into the house.
“Chloe!” My mother’s voice rang out right as I stepped into the entranceway. “Is that you?”
“It’s me,” I said.
“I’m in the living room—come here! I have exciting news.”
I left my bag on the table by the stairs and went out to the living room.
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “So what’s this news of yours?”
She had a big smile on her face. “So, I hope you don’t mind, but I gave your number to someone, who’s probably going to be getting in touch with you soon.”
“Who?” I asked, immediately suspicious. “And don’t tell me that it was another guy, because I’m just really not interested!”
“You and Riley have really hit it off!” she said.
“Yeah, because he’s gay. Is that it? Did you give my number to another fabulous gay guy? Maybe I can set him and Riley up.”
“I did not,” Mom said, wagging her finger at me. “But I think you’re going to be more than pleased when I tell you who I gave your number to.”
“Who?” I asked, even though I didn’t want to know. The sooner she told me, the sooner we could get this conversation over with.
“His name’s Parker. You know him. You were talking with his father the other night at the party, actually.”
Parker. That was the guy I saw Dad talking to, I remembered now. He was undeniably handsome, and Tara would probably shit a brick if he did end up texting me.
“I really can’t believe someone like him doesn’t already have a girlfriend,” I said.
“Well, you better believe it. And he was more than interested when I gave him your phone number.”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t he just come up to me the other night? We were both there. That seems like a slightly more respectable way than having your mother give out your phone number.”
“Oh, stop it, Chloe. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with me wanting to be helpful. And did you ever think that maybe he was nervous? Maybe that’s why he didn’t come up to you.”
I stifled my laughter. Parker was one of those kids I knew of, because our parents knew each other and traveled in the same social circle, but we’d never had an actual conversation. I wouldn’t even know what to say if he came up to me, but now it sounded like I would have to think of something. Thanks, Mom.
“Anyway, Parker’s a good kid, from a good family, and he’s keen on taking you out. He rides bikes, you know. Maybe you two could go on a bike ride. Out on Martha’s Vineyard or something. You could make a day of it.”
“Maybe you should just go on the date for me,” I said. “Since it sounds like you’ve got it all planned out.”