Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(43)
I grab onto her hand, indulging in the energy crackling between us. “Who can resist showing her off to the world?”
She shakes her head. “Well, maybe skip the ‘prancing me around in public’ part. I don’t do well in the spotlight.”
“How would you know?” I quirk a brow.
“I threw up on stage during my part in a middle school play.”
“It’s normal to be nervous during those kinds of things,” my sister offers.
“I was a tree. I didn’t even have to speak.” Chloe’s cheeks flood with color.
I pull Chloe into me, relishing in the feel of her. Might as well enjoy her nearness under the guise of pleasing my family. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure you’ll get used to the attention after the first hundred paparazzi questions.”
“What are you doing?” she whispers under her breath.
“Having fun for once.” I wink, brushing aside a loose strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear.
Mami and Maya whisper to each other, creating a peanut gallery of two behind us.
Her eyes narrow. “Consider us even after this trip. That is if I survive the heart attack I’m bound to have.”
I owe her for more than a weekend outing with my family. She revives a part of me I’ve neglected over the years, pushing me to be a better version of myself.
Chloe Carter has me hooked, and I can’t exactly say I’m sorry about it.
19
Chloe
“Are you serious? You can’t be serious.” Brooke stares wide-eyed into the video chat camera.
I bob my head up and down. “I’m about to be announced to the world as Santiago’s girlfriend next weekend.”
The thought alone has my stomach churning like a washing machine. Why did I agree to this? Because he did you a solid, and you owe him one back.
“OH MY GOD!”
“I know. I KNOW!”
Brooke smirks. “You’re going from privately pretending in front of each other’s families to the red carpet real quick, my dear. Now that’s what I call a glow up.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“How do you plan on surviving something like that? They don’t exactly have garbage cans lining the velvet ropes for you to throw up in when you get nervous.”
Glow up and throw up are becoming synonymous in my head right about now.
My eyes narrow. “That happened one time.”
“Only because you magically became sick every time we had a school play after! Some people thought you hated Christmas because you never were a part of the production.”
What kind of monster did my classmates take me for? “I plan on taking a shot before I even get to the event. That should cure any stage fright.”
Brooke nods. “Moving along to my next question about this train wreck of a plan. How nervous do you think he feels about returning? If you’re scared, I’m sure he’s shitting bricks.”
It’s all I can think about. How will Santiago handle that kind of pressure? What will it be like for him to return to the one place he swore he would never be a part of again? Will he crumble under the pressure? My list of questions grows as the days tick by.
“Trust me, I do think about him. I still can’t believe he agreed to do it in the first place. I mean, he’s only going for Noah, but still.”
“There’s nothing I love more than a good old-fashioned sacrifice.”
“That came out very wrong, just so you’re aware.”
Brooke cackles. “All right. Walk me through your plan for the weekend. And if it doesn’t include touching his dick, I’m unfriending you and selling all your shit on Facebook Marketplace.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.” She smirks.
“Chloe, I hope you don’t mind me asking this question, but I can’t hold off anymore.” Matteo closes the drawer to the cash register.
I pause my swiping of the glass window. “Yes?” Somehow my voice remains calm despite my escalating heart rate.
What could he possibly want to ask me? Is it too much to hope he recognizes me finally after working around each other for this long? We have the same hair color and both agree the eighties was the best decade ever. It’s not exactly twinning, but it’s close enough.
“Why are you working here if you’re dating Santiago? Not that I’m not grateful for your help, but...”
Disappointment taints my excitement. Rather than stew in my negativity, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I’m interested in opening a coffee shop myself, so I thought the best way to learn was from someone who has one.”
Nice. A+ response. I swear, I’ll stop lying once I reveal my identity to Matteo. Until then, I plan on weaving a web of lies with my hypocritical fingers because I can’t bear facing the truth.
I hate myself a bit more each day I work here. It’s draining to pretend I’m not dying to learn everything personal about him and give our relationship a real chance.
He purses his lips. “Ahh. I didn’t know you were interested in that.”
Yeah, neither did I. “I’ve spent time visiting different shops and learning about them.” Okay, that’s true. I tend to visit a Starbucks from time to time when I run out of coffee for the week.