Page 96 of Through the Storms
“Go ahead.”
“Me and my mom were a complete wreck when my dad came along, but it didn’t scare him away. You’ve lost your confidence, but you aren’t a hot mess, and your issues don’t scare me.”
“But they scare me, and you terrify me. You’re too good for me.”
Riley gently squeezed Chloe’s shoulder. “Why don’t you let me decide that?”
Chloe looked into Riley’s sincere eyes. She wanted to believe. Give in. “I can’t. Please, I need to get some sleep. Clear my head. Go join the others.”
Riley’s face fell. “Is that really what you want?”
Chloe steeled her jaw. “Yes.” She hoped Riley didn’t notice her trembling hands.
“Okay.” Riley shoulder’s slumped, and her gaze dropped to the ground. “You know where to find me if you need me.” Without looking at Chloe, Riley walked away.
CHAPTER 36
“Hey, babe,” Oakley saidwhen Lana picked up the phone. “My bed is cold tonight.”
“My bed is empty tonight,” Lana said with a chuckle.
“You still at the station?”
“Yeah. I’ll likely be here for a while longer.”
“But it’s after ten.”
“I got to work late today.” Lana’s voice held a hint of flirtation.
“Hmm, why?” Oakley said, playing along with their game.
“I wonder.”
“Probably because you were chatting with Chloe.”
“Yeah, that must be it.”
“Hey, speaking of Chloe, her ex-husband is a douche.”
“Okay, that was an interesting transition. What happened?”
Oakley gave Lana the rundown of Chloe’s confrontation with her ex-husband.
As soon as Oakley finished, Lana said, “Dickhead.”
Oakley sat up straighter. Lana wasn’t one for name calling.
“Fucker,” Lana added when Oakley didn’t respond right away.
“Whoa. You’re a little overprotective, aren’t you?”
Lana sighed. “I like her. I like her a lot. You know me, it normally takes me a while to warm to people, but there’s just something about her.”
Oakley grinned. “Should I be worried?”
Lana laughed. “I didn’t say I wanted to get in her pants. Geesh, are you feeling insecure or what?”
Oakley’s stomach churned. She’d been joking about Chloe, but Lana’s words struck a chord.
