Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(22)

“Forking?”

Shit. “I couldn’t curse in front of Marko.”

“Look at you going all Disney Channel on me. Cute.”

“Anyway, your plan sucks because even if I wanted to kiss him again, I don’t even have his number or full name.”

“I’m going to light a candle for you.”

“That only works in churches.”

She scoffs. “Nonsense. The power is in the will. That and the highest quality Jesus candle a dollar can buy.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re crazy.”

“Right back at you. So in this whole story, you missed out on a big part.”

I purse my lips considering what I could’ve missed.

Brooke fills in the silence. “Have you introduced yourself to your dad yet?”

“Oh.” Yes, Chloe, the whole damn reason you came here in the first place! “I was a little preoccupied.”

“Right, too busy playing house with Santiago, whose name is unfairly sexy, thank you very much.” Her laugh cackles through the tiny speaker.

“I plan on stopping by Matteo’s house tomorrow since I know Santiago won’t be there.”

“Atta girl! Are you planning on scaling a tree again?”

“No.” I snort. “But seriously, I’m not sure what I’ll do. The idea of speaking to him face-to-face terrifies me.”

“Understandable. But I believe in you and your wishes. This was meant to be.”

The more people say it, the more I believe it. But there’s a reason people say be careful what you wish for. I just haven’t figured out why yet.





I stare at the same gate I walked up to three days ago. This time I don’t see any cars in the driveway or hear any music pounding from the backyard.

I eye the speaker box next to the entrance. No matter how much I yell at my limbs to move toward it, I stay glued in place. Questions flood my head every time I consider speaking to Matteo. How should I introduce myself? What if he says he knew about me this entire time and didn’t care about meeting me? What if he asks me how my life was up until this point, and my honesty scares him away?

My confidence drains with every new question that pops up in my head. I dial Brooke, desperate for support.

She picks up on the second ring. “What’s up, betch? I was wondering where you have been all morning.”

“It’s still nighttime there. What are you even doing awake right now?”

“Finalizing the last details for my project. What are you not doing right now since you called me for a distraction?”

“I can’t do it.”

“You can’t have sex with the hot guy who lives in the creepy castle?”

“No. I can’t find the courage to speak to Matteo. My body tenses up anytime I get the courage to visit his house.”

“Maybe you’re worried it won’t be a natural introduction.”

“I’m not sure how anything along the lines of ‘Hi, I’m the daughter you didn’t know existed’ can ever sound organic.”

“What are you thinking?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on. I know how you are. You tend to be impulsive and I want to see how I can talk you out of whatever new plan you’ve thought up.”

“What if I applied for a job at the coffee shop he owns?”

“How do you know that he owns a coffee shop?”

“Umm… I followed him around yesterday after our phone call.”

Brooke whistles. “Damn, girl. You’re breaking all kinds of laws now. First, you were a peeping tom, then you got accused of some good, old-fashioned breaking and entering, and now you’re stalking someone? Where was this rebellious streak when we were sixteen and I begged you to sneak out to Jack Gibson’s party with me?”

“I didn’t want to get kicked out of another home.”

“Yet now you’re on a path to a more permanent house. The big house, if you get me.”

I laugh. “Well, it’s done. I’m putting my illegal past behind me. I’m not that girl anymore.”

“Wow, you have a quick turnaround time for changing yourself.”

“Brooke…”

“Okay! God, you’re really serious lately. So back to you working at the coffee shop.”

I tap my foot against the ground. “How does that plan sound?”

“Awful. You don’t like coffee.”

“Well, working at a coffee shop doesn’t require ‘liking coffee’ as a prerequisite. All I have to do is sell it.”

“And make it.”

“That’s nothing YouTube can’t fix.”

Brooke giggles. “So I gather that you plan on staying there a lot longer than the original two weeks we planned.”

I bite my lip. “Yes. I can set up an ad for someone to sublease my apartment that way we’re not struggling to pay the rent while I’m gone.”

Brooke clucks her tongue. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can find someone from school who needs a place to crash.”

“Thank you.”

“You can thank me by sharing all the dirty details of this adventure. I seriously can’t wait for future developments of how you try to sneak in your real identity while working for your dad.”