Tell Me You Need Me (Search and Seduce #1)(45)

And I told him I couldn’t take this…

Someone knocked on the door, and she bit back the sob. She ran to the door and opened it, unable to snuff out the spark of hope that it might be Gage.

It wasn’t. Why would it be? He was gone. She’d made sure of that.

“Hey,” Natalie said.

“Hi,” Chloe whispered back.

“Everything okay?”

“Nope,” she answered honestly. “I still can’t make these right.”

Natalie pulled her into a hug. “You know, the food is covered and everything is all ready to go. The chef nailed all of your mom’s other appetizers, and the new menu items are set. If you don’t have the crab cakes, no one will notice.”

“That’s not the point,” she whispered.

“I know.”

Natalie was trying to help, but Chloe just felt worse. She wanted to make something, feel that connection again with her mother, but she couldn’t. The dish had beaten her. The reality was Chloe didn’t have anything in common with her mother other than getting too attached to people who didn’t want her back.

“This was going to be my one thing,” she said against Natalie’s shoulder.

“I know.”

Chloe shook her head, wiped her eyes, and stepped back. “I’m going to go down there. Everyone is waiting.”

She also needed a break from thinking. And failing. And reality.

“I just need a sec to freshen my makeup.”

“Okay,” Natalie whispered. “I’ll be right down there with you if you need me.”

She nodded and shut the door behind her friend. Everything was geared up to go without a problem. Except Chloe was still alone and had accomplished nothing.





Chapter Thirteen


Gage went through the back door of the restaurant and snuck around to the kitchen. He’d technically committed robbery tonight. Though he was calling it “borrowing a set of clean scrubs that were left out at the hospital.” But he’d been dirty and his pants were muddy and ripped, and he couldn’t show up to Chloe’s restaurant like that. He also couldn’t spare much time. So blue scrubs it was! He didn’t exactly look the part of “the good doctor,” but at least he was clean.

He’d come as quickly as he could. Tonight was important to Chloe. Not only would he be here, he’d set right what he should have two weeks ago.

He hoped he wasn’t too late since he’d made a stop on the way, but he needed to do something big if he wanted to make up for confirming every one of Chloe’s worst fears. Better to be late and get it right than on time and ruin it forever.

Everyone looked to be having a good time and chatting. Technically the place had been open for the event for the past hour, so maybe fashionably late would be okay. Point was, he’d made it. And the stop beforehand would be worth it…he hoped.

He stayed in the shadows between the bar and kitchen. Everyone was on the main floor, and that’s when he spotted her.

Chloe.

She was beautiful. Her dress, hair, face—she was the loveliest woman he’d ever seen. She spoke with everyone, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. In fact, her gaze looked a little glossy.

And it was his fault.

She moved through the crowd so gracefully it made his heart jump, but she didn’t see him. Not yet.

Didn’t matter. She was his—always had been. And he had to make this work.

Finally, she headed toward the kitchen…

“Sweetheart,” he said as soon as she stepped inside.

Chloe jumped. “What are you doing here?”

He slid the small covered dish he’d brought toward her. “This is for you.”

She frowned at the dish and shook her head. “Are you okay?” She covered her mouth. “Is the family okay? Did you find her parents?”

“The parents are fine. They’re all together again.”

She nodded. “So you did your job.”

“Actually, I didn’t go back out. The team I trained found the parents.”

He watched her chest rise and fall on a heavy breath. She cared about him. Worried about him. And he’d made her worry more.

She frowned and her eyes ran the length of him. “Um, Gage…what are you wearing?”

He glanced down the front of himself. “Scrubs.”

“Uh-huh.” She looked him over again.

“What? You’re not into the doctor look?”

A small smile broke her lips. “You look like a GI Joe dressed up to play doctor, right after you jump out of a helicopter and meet the A-Team for a rendezvous at headquarters.”

Well, that was better than her telling him he looked like a jackass. Because he felt like one.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I would have dressed up. I really am so sorry, and I just needed to get here. I would have been here sooner, but I—”

“Have a job. People to save. I know. I get it. And I’m not mad about it.”

“Actually, I was going to say I had to make this…” He slid the dish toward her again, and she opened it.

“Crab cakes?” she asked.

“A few days ago Natalie said you were struggling, so she gave me the recipe. I don’t know if they’re exactly like your mom’s, but maybe they’re close?”