Page 38 of A Crane Family New Year

He refused to allow tonight to be the last time he and Chloe saw each other.

“Thank you,” Chloe told the bartender as she palmed the glass of pink champagne.

She hadn’t seen Zander reenter the party, which was…concerning. What if he’d left? She supposed it’d serve her right for ghosting him, but he didn’t strike her as the revenge type.

On the other hand, his leaving without telling her would be par for the course when it came to the men she’d dated in the past.

But Zander wasn’t a rando off the street. He was Reese, Tag, and Eli Crane’s cousin, for goodness’ sake. He couldn’t come with a bigger seal of approval. If he was a creeper, he’d hidden it well over the last three months they’d messaged. They’d gone beyond mere small talk. The anonymity of the internet had allowed them to share personal stories and genuine fears. She’d fostered a real connection with HopperFan02.

At least she’d thought so.

Doubt simmered in her chest like a potion in a bubbling cauldron. Her sex-warmed body had cooled, and the man she’d slept with minutes ago had gone missing. That made bolstering her own confidence a challenge.

She meandered through the crowd sipping her champagne. She’d be smart to accept the possibility that Zander and Jaylyn had left early. At least then Chloe could prepare to be alone for the ball drop, to receive a pity kiss on the cheek from Tag—which, honestly, wouldn’t be a bad way to end an evening. She could certainly do worse.

But no matter how much she tried to prepare herself, her chest grew heavier and heavier. Being left by the man she’d had amazing sex with was a crappy way to start the new year no matter how she tried to justify it.

Then her hopes were buoyed when she scanned the crowd and spotted Jaylyn. She was standing amidst the crowd chatting with Eli, but Chloe couldn’t hear what she was saying. She’d have to sneak closer.

Chloe sidled up behind Zander’s sister, facing the opposite direction. Practically back-to-back, she could hear Jaylyn perfectly. Especially now that the bulk of the party guests had abandoned this room for the dance floor.

“Emily told him to what?” came Eli’s low baritone.

“She made him promise to kiss a woman at midnight on New Year’s Eve!” The words burst from Jaylyn’s lips. “She wanted to make sure Zander didn’t stay stuck after she passed. She was selfless like that. Anyway, he didn’t do it last year. He’s been a monk for nearly two years. It’s not healthy.”

“Grief takes as long as it takes, Jaylyn,” Eli said pragmatically. “You can’t rush him.”

“I didn’t rush him. He already went all in, if you know what I mean.”

Chloe suppressed a gasp. He’d told his sister?

Eli said nothing. Chloe was dying to see the expression on his face. Was he shocked? Mortified? It was hard to imagine him smiling.

“Zander thought he’d be with Emily until he died, you know?” Jaylyn was saying. “I can’t imagine how he feels after fulfilling his promise to her. He told me he wasn’t built for a casual relationship. He’s in the kitchen, trying to figure out what to say to Chloe.”

“That’s understandable,” Eli said.

Chloe winced. It was completely understandable. From what Jaylyn was saying, Zander had been carried away and was regretting the time he’d spent with Chloe. Or, if he wasn’t regretting it, he was at least devising a way to break the bad news.

Ugh. This was a nightmare.

Chloe downed her champagne in one gulp and dropped the glass off at the bar. She tried not to think about what tonight would bring for everyone else. Dancing, counting down to the new year, and then the kiss for good luck as confetti rained from the ceiling.

Tears pooled on her lower lashes, but she blinked them back. She’d had no idea what to expect tonight and refused to regret what had happened. In her heart, she knew there was a silver lining. She just couldn’t see it yet. She had to get out of here; collect herself somewhere away from prying eyes. And she refused to corner Zander. He didn’t owe her anything—whether he’d been planning to offer an excuse or an explanation.

She’d connected with him, but that feeling hadn’t been mutual. If he was already lamenting a “casual” relationship, Chloe’s question of whether or not to expect more had been well and truly answered.

The connection between them was one-sided—on her side.

While she’d been talking to her friends about feeling more than she had bargained for, Zander had been reeling that he’d crossed a line. Chloe couldn’t be angry at him for it. They’d been caught up in the magic of the evening—and the massive coincidence of knowing each other.

Maybe there’d been no avoiding sleeping together.

Eyes misted over—yeah, there was no way to avoid crying—she clipped toward the exit as fast as her silver sparkly heels would carry her. She’d grab her coat from coat check, call an Uber, and text Isa on her way home. Maybe she’d use the excuse of not feeling well—it would be the truth.

She didn’t want to see the look of regret on Zander’s face, or feel the crack in her chest grow wider when he felt the need to explain that sex between them hadn’t rocked the foundation of his world. She didn’t want weak promises that they could remain friendly and continue to chat online. Even if that’s where they ended up, she just couldn’t hear it tonight.

In the hallway, she clumsily opened her clutch. The ticket was there, next to her compact, right behind the pocket where she’d stashed the lone condom in case a miracle occurred tonight. She grabbed the ticket, thrust it to the attendant, and pushed past the lump in her throat to ask, “Do you have a tissue?”

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