“This sucks. I feel like you just got here and you’re already leaving.”
Reid’s brows furrowed as he looked between Chloe and the vaguely familiar girl speaking to her. “Hey, Chloe,” Greer said, moving to stand next to her. “Who are your friends?”
Reid grinned when Chloe rolled her eyes. “Cool it, Casanova. These are my friends Josie and Maddie. They’re spoken for.”
“Oh, good. I’d hate for them to feel jealous when you tell them stories about how awesome I am once we start touring.”
“As opposed to how awesome you are now?” Madison asked with a smirk.
Reid laughed as Greer grinned and said, “Touché.”
“Josie, Maddie, meet Greer.”
“Hi,” Madison and Josie said in unison.
“And this is Reid,” Chloe said, flashing a smile in his direction. “Also known as Padawan.”
Reid barked out a laugh and dropped his head as his laughter quieted. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I see Chloe hasn’t gotten over her Star Wars fixation. That makes me so happy.” Josie stepped closer to Chloe and slid her arm around her waist. “We didn’t even get a chance to watch any movies while you were here.”
“Movies,” Greer muttered just loud enough to catch Reid’s attention.
“What?”
Greer’s head shot up, his eyes darting across the group before settling on Reid. “Nothing. We better get inside. Ladies, it was nice meeting you. We promise to take good care of Chloe.”
Madison laughed. “Clearly you don’t know Chloe. She is quite capable of taking care of herself.” Madison stepped to the other side of Chloe and winked. “You’ll see. Take care and stay in touch. We promise to stalk you like proper friends, okay?”
“You better,” Chloe said, her voice thick with emotion as she hugged Josie and Madison. “I’ll see you both this summer!”
“We’ll be waiting with breakfast and booze.”
“My favorite.”
Reid reached for Chloe’s duffle bag and Greer grabbed her violin case as the girls said their final good-byes. “I know her,” Greer whispered when they got out of earshot.
“Who?”
“Josie. Although the redhead looks familiar, too. I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Maybe that’s where you remember them from,” Reid joked. “You tried to put your fingers on them and they turned your sorry ass down.”
“Ha-ha.” Greer used his free hand to flip Reid off before picking up his pace and leaving Reid to wait for Chloe.
“What’s up with Greer?” Chloe asked.
“Nothing. He’s just being ridiculous as usual.” Reid cut his eyes to Chloe and gave her a mischievous smile. “You look better today.”
Chloe dropped her head in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about that. Believe me, I suffered for my mistakes. All afternoon and twice after dinner.”
Reid winced. “I suppose you did.” Murmurs started to build around them as they approached the sliding glass doors. “Shit. Chloe, let’s move it. The paps are coming.”
With Chloe’s bag over his shoulder, Reid moved in front of her and pushed through the sea of travelers. Tension filled his body when the camera flashes started firing in rapid succession. Memories of the last time he rushed through LAX to escape to Memphis came to the forefront of his mind. Sweat broke out across his forehead and his steps faltered as the image of flat, lifeless green eyes stared vacantly up at him. He pulled in a gasp of air, a chill running down his spine when Chloe pressed her hand against the middle of his back.
“You okay?”
Reid looked over his shoulder and felt the tightness in his jaw relax. “Yeah, thanks.” He wasn’t sure why her small gesture of concern made him feel better, but he wasn’t going to question it. After security, the others found seats at the gate, but Reid lingered off to the side. He kept his eyes on the floor and his back to the passing travelers.
“Mr. Ryder, you’re welcome to relax in the first-class lounge until we begin boarding.”
Reid looked at the airline employee and shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m fine.” The truth was, he didn’t want to separate himself from the group. He cast a glance over to where Chloe and the others were sitting around chatting. Almost like she could feel his gaze, Chloe looked in his direction. Her brows pulled together as she mouthed, “Are you okay?” He nodded and gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to the airline employee.
“There is something I would like. Could you upgrade Chloe Bennett’s ticket from business to first class? The seat next to mine? I know it’s available because it was secured when my seat was booked.”
“Of course. I’ll take care of it now. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything else.”
Once alone, Reid pulled out his phone to text Jess. He stared at her picture, the soft edges of her smile and her dark hair and blue eyes. Before he could type out a message, he was distracted by the sound of Greer yelling.