CHAPTER FOUR

Chloe stood against the doorframe of the kitchen. She was dressed in one of Derek’s long t-shirts and her hair was still wet from the shower. She’d taken out her contacts when he left the room. It was a token she wanted to give him to show him how much she has started to trust him. He hadn’t turned around yet and she was very much enjoying the sight of him in his white t-shirt and plaid pajama pants, fluidly moving back and forth between the refrigerator and the stove.

He had a Tupperware bowl with fish in it. It looked like he had some kind of marinade on it too. He lit the little grill on top of the stove and she licked her lips as she watched the motion of his biceps rippling underneath his white shirt. She had just had him and he had, as usual, satisfied every urge inside of her. But she couldn’t help it; the sight of him always brought them all rushing back. He opened a bottle of wine, his muscles flexing nicely again as he worked the corkscrew and poured two glasses. Then he took some vegetables out of the refrigerator and began to chop them up. Chloe slipped up behind him and wrapped her hands around his waist. She laid her head into the soft cotton that covered the smooth lines of his back and he sat the knife he was holding down and covered her hands with his. She hugged him like that for a few minutes before he turned around to face her. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on the side of her neck and then inhaled deeply with his face in her hair.

“You smell so good,” he said.

She giggled, “It’s your pear body wash.”

“It doesn’t smell that good on me,” he said.

Chloe inhaled his strong masculine scent. Just a hint of pear was noticeable. “I beg to differ,” she said.

He kissed a trail along her jaw and then pulled at her lips with his. Chloe tilted his head and let his tongue in to explore, gliding across the tops of her teeth and the roof of her mouth. He ended the kiss by sucking on her lips and then pulling back slowly to look into her eyes.

“I like the natural brown eyes. They’re sexy.”

Chloe smiled and looked around behind him. “The fish looks yummy. I’m hungry.”

“It’s Mahi Mahi and I’ve had it marinating all day. If you don’t leave me to it though, I’m afraid we’ll never get to eat.”

He reached for a glass of the freshly poured wine and handed it to her. She smiled and took it.

“I suppose I should take this up on the deck and leave you at your work. Unless you want help?”

“Nope, it’s all me tonight. Go enjoy the fresh air.”

Chloe took her wine and made her way up on deck. It was almost ten already and the harbor was quietly filled with sleeping boats. She stood near the railing and looked out across the water. It shone like a mirror, glossy and shiny against the night. It had lost its aqua color when the sun went down, but it had been replaced with the silver reflected off of the moon. It was easy for her to see how Derek loved living here. It was so peaceful, especially at night. Chloe took another sip of her wine and let her eyes take in the other boats as they sat rocking in the gentle waves. Some of them were dark, closed down for the night, and others of them lit up the night.

She turned and looked towards the lot where the cars were parked and suddenly she began to feel uneasy but more alert. The hair on the nape of her neck rose and goosebumps raced down her spine and arms.

Someone was watching.

She looked hard, but she couldn’t see any movement or even a flash of light. She tried convincing herself that it was the compilation of what she had done yesterday. First with Max and then attacking Derek in the dark tonight, but she knew it wasn’t. Every instinct and nerve ending in her body was trying to warn her. She couldn’t see it, but she felt the cold, unwavering gaze of the predator burn into her. She shivered and turned away from the railing. She made her way back down the steps and into the kitchen where Derek was.

He turned to look at her with a smile, but when he saw her face he said, “Chloe, what is it?”

She shivered again and said, “Probably just my paranoia…”

He put down the plate that he was holding and went over to her. Taking her hands in his, he said, “You’re shaking, and you’re pale. What happened up there?”

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. She tried to smile, but she knew that it had to look as false as it felt.

“Nothing happened, but I had this really creepy feeling that someone was watching me.”

Derek suddenly looked as alert as she did. “Did you see anyone?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I looked around; there was no one there. Like I said, I'm probably paranoid.”

Derek looked into her eyes and said, “What does Max tell you about your instincts?”

“To trust them, always,” she said.

“He’s right.”

“I know.” She knew she was right. He had been out there somewhere watching.

“Do you want me to go up and take a look around?” Derek asked her. He was already stepping towards the door.

“No! No, stay with me. Let’s just eat in here,” she said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. If it’s him, he won’t try anything as long as you’re here. He’s a coward. He’ll sit out there in the dark and watch, but he won’t show himself until he thinks he’s facing the weaker person.”

Derek rubbed his side and said, “I think he’s way off base on that one,” he said.

She smiled. “He sure is.”

**

They sat down and ate together; enjoying the meal, Derek had made for them and another glass of wine. After dinner, he tried to feed her cheesecake for dessert, but she passed.

“Dinner was amazing. You’ll have to give me the recipe for the fish.”

He smiled. “Thank you. Dinner company was amazing. I got the recipe from Samantha. She loves to cook and she’s really good at it.”

Chloe felt a wave of regret pass through her at the mention of Samantha’s name. She wondered again what it would have been like to grow up as the Whitemore’s daughter. She wondered how much of a different person she would have been.

“Did Sarah like to cook?”

Derek got that far away look in his eyes that he got sometimes when they talked about Sarah. He recovered quickly and smiled as he said, “She liked to, but she was terrible at it.”

“Seriously? You didn’t tell her that did you?”

He laughed, “No. I didn’t have to though, she knew it. I would be choking down a piece of steak that tasted like the leather off the bottom of my boots and she would refuse to eat it and tell me to do the same.”

Smiling, Chloe asked him, “So why did you eat it?” she knew the answer, but she genuinely loved the way his eyes looked when he talked about Sarah.

“To keep from hurting her feelings,” he said.

“She was very lucky to have you,” Chloe told him.

Derek reached over and took her hand and said, “Does it make you uncomfortable for us to talk about her?”

She felt a pang of appreciation for him. “No. I think if she had been just some other woman it would, but because it feels like she was a part of me I’m not bothered by it. I’m curious about her though, very much so.”

He squeezed her hand. “She was like you in so many ways and much different in others. She grew up as an only child, so she had a very vivid imagination. She loved to make up stories, and they were so good that I thought she should become a writer. She said she only liked making them up to tell her parents, or me. I wish now that I would have at least recorded some of them, or written them down myself. It would be nice to have them now.”

“What did she tell stories about?”

He smiled again, “Everything. She had this incredibly vivid imagination and when she told you a story whether it was a pirate on a ship or a fairy in the woods— you felt like you were right there.”

“Samantha and Trevor probably read to her a lot when she was little too, I imagine. In my classes, we learned that children who are read to at a young age often develop a really healthy imagination later in life.”

“Yes, I imagine they did. Sarah never had anything to say about them that wasn’t positive.”

“Did Sarah want kids?”

A look of sadness washed over his face and she said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be asking you these things.”

“It’s okay, really. Yes, it makes me sad to talk about her, but it also makes me happy. I know that’s a complete contradiction, but the only way to keep any part of her alive is to remember it. It’s something that Samantha and Trevor and I have learned to do. Talking about her with you is new but, I want to do it. I wish you could have known her.”

“Me too,” Chloe said, this time squeezing his hand.

“She did want kids. She was amazing with them. I have a friend in New York and Sarah and I spent a lot of time with their family. They have three. She loved those kids and they loved her. She had a quiet way about her, but she had your adventurous spirit.”

Chloe laughed. “Me? Adventurous?”

“Yes. It’s one of the first things I noticed about you.”

“Other than running away from my crazy boyfriend I haven’t had a single adventure in my life.”

“You will Chloe,” he told her in a soft voice. “You’re going to have an amazing, adventurous life.”

Derek’s phone began to ring before either of them went any further. Derek looked at the face and said, “It’s Trevor.” He pushed accept and said, “Hey there, Trevor! How are you?”

Derek hit the speaker button and Chloe heard him say, “I’m good, really good. How are you? How is Chloe?”

Chloe was touched that he would ask about her.

“I’m doing well. I’ll let Chloe tell you how she’s doing.”

“I’m well too, Trevor, thank you,” Chloe said.

“Great! I’m so glad you’re both there. I have news.”

Chloe held her breath as he continued to speak.

“Samantha and I were wondering if you two might be available to come out and spend the weekend with us. We have the results and Samantha and I won’t open the envelope until you’re here, Chloe.”

Chloe wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Her stomach was full of butterflies and her heart, surprisingly to her, was full of hope. After several seconds, she looked at Derek and he nodded and with his hand, indicated to her that it was her decision. “That sounds great Trevor, thank you.”

“Thank you, Chloe.” Trevor sounded so happy that the tears returned to her eyes. This time she let them come.