“How do you get used to that?” Chloe asked.
Reid shrugged and pushed his long hair out of his face. “You don’t. I guess it could be worse, though. I could walk outside and find no one waiting at all.” Not wanting to dwell on his fears that something like that might happen sooner rather than later, he changed the subject. “How do you know about this place?”
When Chloe didn’t answer, Reid looked over to find her studying her hands. Her brows were furrowed and she appeared lost in thought.
“Are you okay?”
Chloe’s head snapped up and she gave him a soft smile. “Yeah. Sorry. I . . . um . . . I spent a couple of weeks abroad before my senior year of high school touring music schools. Dublin was one of my stops. My mom and I stayed in a hotel right down the street from Queen of Tarts. I ate there every day. I’ve only been back twice since then, but I always make the time to get a scone while I’m here.”
Reid replayed her words as they crawled out of the cab and made their way into the restaurant. After they ordered breakfast and found a table near the back, he wasted no time picking up their conversation.
“You toured music schools in Europe? That’s kind of a big deal. And expensive.”
Chloe shrugged and focused on her breakfast. “My mom wanted me to go to the best school in the world. I just wanted to get as far away from her as possible.”
“Can I ask what happened? You don’t have to answer, of course. It just seems like a lot of effort to not go to school at all.”
Chloe smirked and cocked her head to the side. “Who said I didn’t go to school?”
Reid opened and closed his mouth. He worried that he’d stuck his foot in his mouth again before remembering Chloe’s midget prank. With his arms folded on the table, he leaned across the space between them and narrowed his eyes. “Is this going to be like the time you told me your dad was a midget? Because I’m not falling for your tricks this time, Yoda.”
Chloe mimicked his position and leaned forward. “I went to school.”
“Where?”
“Juilliard.”
“Bullshit,” Reid shot back.
Chloe’s mouth fell open, her expression a mix of shock and hurt. “Are you saying I’m not good enough for Juilliard?”
Reid’s stomach dropped. “No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just . . . you’re amazing, but you don’t necessarily have the look of a typical Juilliard student. And you didn’t list it on your resume. Who goes to Juilliard and doesn’t do that?”
Chloe’s expression softened and a wry smile pulled at her mouth. “Okay, I’ll give you that. I really did go to Juilliard, though. I dropped out my first year.”
Reid couldn’t hide his surprise. “Why?”
“Like you said.” Chloe shrugged and tugged at the ends of her purple hair. “I didn’t really fit the mold. Going to school there would have led me down a path I wasn’t interested in. So I quit.”
“Wow. I can’t decide if that’s the dumbest or bravest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“You know,” Chloe said, taking a bite of her scone. “I’d be offended had I not wondered the same thing a billion times.”
“Shit. I keep offending you. I don’t mean to. It’s just that you’re not what I expected.”
“It’s all part of the mystery that comes with being a ninja,” Chloe whispered with a grin.
“So what did you do after you dropped out?” Nothing about Chloe was as Reid imagined, and the more he learned, the more he wanted to know.
“Oh, you know. The usual. Girl drops out of prestigious music school then realizes she’s broke. Girl then sells her soul to the devil to land a gig with a major music star.” With a flippant wave, Chloe dismissed her comment with a coy smile. “It’s all very cliché.”
Reid chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “You’re just full of surprises.”
“What about you?” Chloe asked. “Did you barter your soul to write all those hits, or are you one of those guys who have Lady Luck in their back pocket?”
Reid dropped his chin and looked at his watch. “If I sold my soul to write hit songs, I want a refund.”
“Why on earth would you want a refund? Both of your albums have gone platinum.”
“Checking me out, huh?” Reid joked, not liking the turn in conversation. His inability to write something new wasn’t a topic he wanted to discuss.
“I wasn’t going to sell my soul for just any old music star. I wanted the crème de la crème.”
Reid’s mind flashed to his moment of weakness the night before, and it caused shame to wash over him. He wasn’t the crème de la crème; he was just a guy struggling to get through the day. Balling up the wrapper in front of him, he grabbed his coffee. “Well, if we want to stay on top, we better head back and get ready for tonight. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
Chloe sighed as the two of them stood. “I suppose you’re right. As the saying goes, there’s no rest for the wicked.”