Page 40 of Tempting Fire

“I love you Trenda.”

“I love you too, Baby Girl.”

***

All Zarek thought about for the next twelve days was that last kiss. Chloe was keeping him at arm’s length, and he hated it. He didn’t understand it. Was it because he’d admitted that he had feelings for her? Here he was in the waiting room again, and it seemed apropos since he’d been in a holding pattern.

Cut it out Post. Give the woman some room. She had enough on her damn plate without you hounding her.

He picked up a magazine and then realized it was about golf and threw it back down on the coffee table. For God’s sake, didn’t they have something about cars or something good? He pulled out his phone. It was déjà vu all over again. The damn Avery family was going to be the death of him.

He had forty-five minutes until Chloe was due out of her appointment. He’d give Zoe a call, since yesterday she threatened to fly out to Dallas. He got up and left the waiting room and walked out into the hallway.

“You’re an asshole,” Zoe said when she answered the phone.

“It’s nice talking to you too,” he responded.

“I bought a ticket. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

He knew her too well. She was lying. Zoe would have just shown up. There was no way she would have told him her plans.

“Back off Zoe. Give her more time. She’s getting better.”

“Bullshit. She hasn’t called any of us. She hasn’t even returned a text.”

That surprised him. She’d been in Dallas for over three weeks. He would have thought she would have contacted her family by now.

“Seriously Zoe, you have to believe me, she’s doing better. She even cooked.”

He could almost hear her thinking. “What did she cook? Mac ‘n Cheese? Because if all she did was boil water and squeeze cheese out of a packet that isn’t progress.”

“She made spaghetti, but before you bitch, she actually browned hamburger and cut up onions and celery and seasoned the meat to go into the sauce.”

“No way,” he heard the awe in Zoe’s voice. He didn’t tell her that Chloe had been supervised by a fourteen-year-old girl.

“She did.”

“Was there cheese?”

“Cheese garlic bread. It was burnt,” he admitted.

Zoe laughed. “That’s amazing. How did you get her to do that?”

He didn’t want to tell her about the therapist and the meds, that was Chloe’s story to tell.

“I think she needed some time.”

“We need to see her Zarek. Especially Evie.”

“Why Evie?”

“I told her that Chloe said she hated me―”

“She didn’t mean it.” Zarek interrupted.

“When I was able to step away I knew that. Chloe will always love me. But part of her really does hate me for that day. We need to have a ‘Come to Jesus’. Evie figures Chloe needs to see her too.”

“What are you talking about? Evie saved her life.”

“Evie watched while Chloe was beaten to unconsciousness,” Zoe said softly. The last four words he barely heard. “She let it happen.”

“Chloe doesn’t think that.” Or did she?

“Expect a visit soon. You’re good for Chloe, she’s going to need you beside her.”

“You can depend on it.”