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“Oh.” She lifted the other one to her ear and fitted it in place, her eyes not meeting his while she concentrated on the task. Her cheeks had a betraying flush of pink. “They were a present.”
He made a sound of understanding but didn’t let the matter drop. “I presumed as much. From whom?”
Chloe scanned her appearance in the reflection. She’d found the suit at a thrift shop and it fit her perfectly – the pencil skirt, blouse and jacket all in almost-new condition. She toyed with her necklace, while the nerves she’d been feeling all morning jangled even more intently in her gut.
“From whom?” Hendrix repeated darkly.
“William,” she said finally.
Hendrix bit back on the curse that was at the tip of his tongue. They had been married a long time, and William had a trust fund the size of the Grand Canyon. Of course he’d bought her expensive gifts. But the fact she still wore them made his chest hurt now.
And she was wearing them to this meeting.
The meeting William would be at.
He moved away from the mirror. He didn’t want to see the emotions on his own face. And he certainly didn’t want her to, either. This was about making William suffer. He wanted William to feel jealous. Enraged. Angry. Impotent. Hurt. Hendrix had no business feeling any of those emotions. Not about Chloe, and the fact she’d once been married to the man.
With effort, he smoothed his expression, and fixed a bland smile to his face. “Clint will be with you this morning. And I’ll meet you afterwards. Okay?”
She nodded jerkily. “It’s just …”
“What? What is it?”
I’d feel better if you were with me. She bit down on the statement. She didn’t want to admit to him just how badly she needed him. Nor did she want him to know how totally he gave her strength and courage. “Nothing.” Her smile was distracted. “I guess I just feel weird about seeing William again. You know. It’s been a long time.”
Hendrix couldn’t have put into words how much he hated the idea of William seeing her, either. Of seeing her like this, so gorgeous and desirable. Of looking at her and mentally stripping away her clothing; of indulging his memories of their marriage.
Worse. Would William threaten her? Would William scare her?
“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him, as though she understood that he was having doubts about the wisdom of leaving the meeting to Clint to handle. “I’ll have Clint. And your big security guys are right outside, right?” Her smile was brave. So brave it broke his heart. “I’ve dealt with him before, Hen.”
Hen. The shortened version of his name that only his sister had ever used. It was the perfect reminder of why he was doing this. What he needed to do, to honour the woman William had callously killed. “You can call me if you need me,” he softened, knowing she wouldn’t.
“I know.” She scooped up her bag, sliding it over her shoulder. “Let’s go. There’s no time like the present, as they say.”
Hendrix watched as Chloe
cuddled Ellie in farewell, hugging the sweet little girl tight to her chest and planting kisses on the mop of fine fair hair. Ellie smiled against Chloe, and then pushed her arms out to Hendrix. He reached down and tussled her hair.
Chloe watched the interaction with mixed feelings. Ellie’s affection for Hendrix was obvious. And Hendrix was wonderful with her. But Chloe had the distinct impression that she’d been rash in welcoming him into their lives so completely. He’d overpowered all of her defences and every single bit of her rational thought. She’d spent the last two years making decisions with Ellie in mind, and now she’d brought someone into their lives who may not have planned to be around for very long.
The very idea chilled her heart, but she had to acknowledge it. She squeezed Ellie a little tighter, hoping with all the hope in her heart, that she wasn’t being completely selfish by indulging her own needs, just this once.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised, her voice thick as she handed Ellie to Georgia.
“No rush. We’re going to have a great day,” Georgia reassured Chloe. Her eyes lifted to Hendrix’s face. “Just take care of things. We need to know it’s all sorted, once and for all.”
They trusted him. Chloe, and now Georgia. They both looked at him as though he was going to wave a magic wand and make everything perfect. A muscle worked overtime in his jaw.
He didn’t want them to be wrong. He wanted to fix this. By the time his driver pulled up out the front of the high rise that housed his offices, he could see that Chloe was a bundle of nerves. And despite the plan he had to throw his relationship with Mrs Ansell-Johns in William’s face at the opportune moment, he heard himself offer, “I can cancel my meeting and come with you.” And it wasn’t an empty promise, either. He would have done it in an instant.
But Chloe shook her heads. There was a steely determination in her eyes. “No. I think it’s better if you don’t.”
So did he, and yet again, he offered, “It’s fine. Nothing I can’t make up another time.” His frown was borne out of genuine confusion. “I want to be there for you.”
Her smile was distracted. “Thank you.” Her blue eyes met his. They were fearless now, but also sort of cold. Unemotional. Distant. “I need to do it on my own.” She squared her shoulders.
The pit in his stomach was growing bigger. He hadn’t wanted to go to her meeting; at least not initially. But now, the thought of Chloe facing off against William filled him with a strange lurching sensation. The ground was no longer completely steady beneath his feet.
