Page 84 of Chasing the Sun

God, I hope so! “Um-hmm.”

“With Bryce?”

“If he asks me.”

Jamie sat up straighter. “Here’s an idea—why don’t you ask him?”

Her eyes went wide, and she questioned his enthusiasm.

“I mean, he loves the game.”

“True.”

“And did you know his birthday’s coming up?”

“You don’t say?” She was genuinely smiling now as an idea started coming together in her mind.

“He doesn’t like to make a big deal about it, but it’s next Saturday, in case you’re interested.”

Oh, I’m interested. “Thanks for telling me.”

“You’ll be here tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, until around dinnertime. Why?”

“If you want to practice hitting some balls, I’d be glad to go to the range with you.”

“I could use some more practice.” She was getting more excited by the second, but for her plan to work, she’d have to clue Jamie in.

“Hey. If I were to surprise Bryce with a golf outing for his birthday, would you be willing to play a part in it?”

“Absolutely!”

“Great! I’ll fill you in once I figure out all the details. Oh, and don’t breathe a word about this. I want it to be a surprise.”

“Sure thing.”

Just then, Elle poked her head into the lanai. “Dinner is served,” she said with great fanfare.

The three of them sat down to a scrumptious meal followed by a decadent dessert. They bounced from one topic to the next, and Chloe felt better than she had in days. She was with her friends, who felt like family, and she had a renewed sense of energy and hope.

Throughout the evening, and with Jamie’s help, she devised a plan for getting Bryce alone next weekend. She’d have to make some phone calls and take care of some logistical details, but she felt certain it would work.

The only thing she was unsure of was his reaction. Recently, they’d been tiptoeing around each other again, polite yet distant, and it was killing her. At times, even with Molly present, she’d look over to find him gazing at her. When their eyes had met, she’d tried to read them, but he was an expert at masking his emotions.

Sometimes she’d thought he’d looked sad, but then Molly would say or do something to make him laugh, and the moment would pass. He’d stopped telling her his schedule and sending her text messages throughout the day. If she was just “the nanny,” she’d have taken that as a sign of trust, but she wanted to be thought of as more than Molly’s caregiver. Not long ago, they’d seemed to be moving in that direction, but then she’d screwed up.

Now what she wanted more than anything was to undo the damage she’d done. She wanted to feel his arms around her again and see his smile when he looked at her with amusement. She wanted to go golfing with him, sit in the hot tub together, and walk on the beach (even if he hated the sand). She wanted to share meals in his kitchen and watch the sunset from the lanai.

She wanted to be there for Molly’s first day of kindergarten and other important milestones. She wanted to watch Molly change and grow into the young lady Chloe imagined she’d become.

She also wanted to get to know his family better, including Seb and Victoria. She’d never imagined she’d become friends with his ex-wife, but now she could envision it happening.

She’d had plenty of time to think about what she wanted. The question was, did he want the same things?

Chapter 28

The dreaded day had arrived—his birthday. He’d always thought birthday parties were meant for kids and people who made it to some big milestone, like one hundred. Since he was somewhere in between, he didn’t feel the need to celebrate. His mom, however, had insisted on making lunch for him, so he and Molly were driving over, and Chloe was following him in the Mercedes. His parents had invited her too, and she’d graciously accepted.