The Look of Love (The Sullivans #1)(14)

Chloe stepped out onto the wide covered porch. Shading her eyes with one hand, without thinking, she carefully scanned the area in front of her to secure her surroundings.

Even though she felt safer than she had in a while, she suddenly felt like trouble could come from anywhere, just when she least expected it. Just like it had last night.

Every time she thought about what had happened, she felt so stupidly naïve. How had she missed the signs that her ex had been on the edge? Thinking about it made her stomach feel like a tight fist was wrapped around it, clenching tighter and tighter.

Normal. She’d been planning to pretend everything was normal.

She took one deep breath and then another as she fought to repress her swirling emotions, her fears. Finally, when she felt steadier, she looked around her with a surprised gasp.

After the rain the previous night, the vineyard sparkled in the sunlight. The leaves on the vines were bright green, almost as if a child had painted the scene in primary colors with fresh crayons.

The vineyard was blissfully quiet, except, she noticed as she walked down between a tall row of vines, for the birds that were calling playfully back and forth to each other. As their cheerful songs filtered into her, she took a deep breath of the fresh air, the clean scent of dirt and growing plants and nature.

Unfortunately, a few moments later, her idyll was interrupted by the fast sound of footsteps and what sounded like a teenage girl sobbing. Chloe barely backed into one of the vines in time to avoid being trampled by a tall, thin girl.

Chloe’s heart thumped hard as she waited—and watched—for someone to come running after the girl. But when the coast was clear a few moments later and she stepped back into the middle of the dirt path, she found the elaborate ties on the girl’s dress had caught on a set of thick vines.

Chloe quickly made her way over to her. “Hold on a second and I’ll get you unstuck.”

The girl’s eyes were wide and still full of tears as Chloe worked on one of the silky threads.

Even though she was wondering what on earth the girl was doing wearing a dress like this—one Chloe knew first-hand must have cost a fortune—in the middle of a vineyard on a weekday morning, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“He’s so mean!”

Chloe’s heartbeat, which had barely slowed, kicked back into overdrive. Feeling incredibly protective, she asked, “Who’s mean? Your boyfriend?”

The girl shook her head, strikingly beautiful even with tear-streaked cheeks and tangled hair. “I wish. He’s so gorgeous,” she finally said, fresh tears falling down her cheeks, “and so mean!”

Why did they all do this to themselves? Chloe wondered. What was the allure of falling for guys who treated them like dirt? Was it some secret part of the kindergarten curriculum for girls?

Chloe had finished untangling the silk threads from the vine, but the girl was still crying—big, wracking, dramatic sobs.

“Thank God, you found her.”

Chase? When had he come upon them? And how could the warm voice that had threaded through all of her dreams last night have her body heating up this quickly?

The girl wrapped her long, slim fingers around Chloe’s wrist and held on tight. Tight enough that any greeting Chloe might have uttered was swallowed up in a gasp of pain as long, perfectly manicured nails dug in between the veins in her wrist.

Chase’s eyes were warm as he scanned Chloe’s face. “How’d you sleep?”

One look into his eyes was all it took for her to immediately forget the sting in her wrist. He looked so concerned. And so ridiculously beautiful that it actually stole her breath away.

Somehow, she managed a way-too-breathy, “Good.”

He smiled, a big, heartfelt smile that immediately turned Chloe’s insides to liquid goo. “Good. I’m glad.”

The girl dug her nails in harder. “It’s him,” she hissed, frowning at the gentle interplay between the two adults.

Chloe tried to shift her wrist from beneath the girl’s talons. “What?”

“He’s the one who made me cry!”

Chloe turned from the girl to Chase. Trying to get everything straight, Chloe said, “You made her cry?”

Rather than answer her question, he addressed the girl directly. “Amanda, we’re losing the proper light. I need you back in place. Now.”

The girl’s pout rivaled that of a three-year-old. “It’s not fair.”

“I don’t have time for your tantrums, Amanda.”

What in heck were they talking about? This pretty young girl couldn’t be his girlfriend, could it? And what did he mean by “getting back in place”?

Still protective of the girl, she moved to put herself between the two of them. “Look, Chase,” she began, “she is really upset about something.”

The girl elbowed her out of the way and Chloe had a strange feeling that she’d just made the mistake of standing in Amanda’s limelight.

“I want to be in the front!” The girl’s big eyes were calculating. “Promise me I’ll be the lead for the rest of the day and I’ll go back.”

Chase’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t laughing. He was simply focused. Determined. Chloe had the distinct sense that he rarely, if ever, didn’t get exactly what he wanted.