Forcing myself to eat a few bites, my mind drifts and I’m almost startled when my phone rings. It’s still on silent, face down on the counter, and my heart speeds up thinking it could be Chloe, somehow finding out the truth and calling me out on it.
But it’s not, and I answer my mom at the last second after debating letting the call go to voicemail.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Sam! How are you? Did you work today?”
“Yeah, I just got home.”
“Is Chloe there?” Mom wastes no time getting to her point.
“No, she—”
“I know she was there. Rory told me to look at her Instagram things, stories I think she called them? You weren’t in any of them, but I recognized your apartment in the background.”
“Creep,” I tease. “You and Rory both.”
“We’re just happy to see you two finally together. Are things serious?”
“You know I hate that question,” I remind her. “We’ve only been dating for a few weeks.”
“You’re happy, though?”
“No, Mom, I’m miserable dating Chloe.”
“I’m going to take that as a yes then,” she huffs. “When are you two coming back? We need another family dinner! One wasn’t enough to catch up with everything Chloe’s been up to.”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, I was hoping soon. Mason might come by on Saturday on his way to another job that he won’t tell me anything about. Typical, right?” she sighs. “Do you remember Mrs. Clemmons from high school?”
“Uhhh, no,” I say.
“Well, she teaches English and she’s been gushing to everyone how she talked to Chloe about coming in to speak to the class! That’s so sweet of Chloe, isn’t it? You know I like her. I always have. She’s such a nice girl, even with all her fame.”
Of course I agree with Mom, but I know she’s taking a dig at Stacey. Though Stacey never met my family, no one was ever a fan. “Chloe is…” Perfect. Gorgeous. Hot. Sexy. Everything I ever wanted. “…still Chloe. The same, weird, stubborn, amazing girl I was friends with years ago.”
“Like I said, I always thought you two would be good together. Took you long enough,” she adds with a laugh.
“Yeah, it did.”
Too long, and I’d give anything to go back to that night at the party, where Chloe showed up looking like a historically accurate, yet still hot, pirate. I was too drunk, too scared of my own feelings to run after her. I’ve always been confident, but Chloe was on a whole different level.
“Well, you two better get back into town soon. Now that word is going around about Chloe talking to Silver Ridge High, the movie theater is going to host a Nightfall watch party with a costume contest for people to dress up like the characters. To think all of that is based on something little Chloe Fisher wrote…I’m so proud of her.”
“Me too,” I say, smile coming to my face. “She really is amazing.”
“She is.”
“It’s late,” I start, knowing Mom will talk my ear off if I let her, telling me about any and all drama going on in the town. She doesn’t take on as many clients anymore, but as the only seamstress in the town, Mom hears a lot of gossip when she’s doing alterations, especially on wedding dresses. “And I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Did you get takeout again?”
“I did but—”
“When Chloe is there, you should cook for her, not get takeout.”
“Noted,” I say, smiling yet shaking my head.
“I hope she comes back to see you soon, or you go see her. You know I hate the thought of my boys eating dinner alone.”
“I don’t think Mason is alone that often,” I say with a snort of laughter. “And Jacob’s house is always full of animals.”
“That is true. I’ll let you go, then. Love you, Samuel.”
“Love ya too, Mom.” I end the call and put my phone on the counter. Yawning, I lean back and roll my neck. My shoulders have been tense and stiff since this morning. Letting out a breath, I eat half my dinner and go into my bedroom, stripping out of my clothes to take a shower, mind on Chloe. I want to talk to her. I want to see her and be with her more than anything.
But, fuck, I feel like I’m lying to her and I hate it. Not telling someone something isn’t the same thing as lying, I know, but in this case, what I’m not telling her is a big fucking deal. I turn on the water, thinking of how the hell I’m going to tell her.
Hey, by the way, my ex showed up the other day and told me she’s pregnant and I’m the father. But don’t worry, I love you, not Stacey. The sex was meaningless and—fuck. She’s not here now, and I’m not telling her over the phone, so I don’t have to think about it just yet. It’s going to eat away at me, dammit. I like to be prepared, and the uncertainty with everything Stacey said digs into me. I get into the shower only to get back out, walking naked through my apartment to get my phone from the counter.