“Why does that warrant an apology?” Chloe really didn’t want to know. She was smart enough to realize what he thought. Still, a part of her wanted to know more. Reid had a girlfriend. That certainly wiped away her brewing fantasies.
“When I walked in here and saw you smiling like you were, it was obvious you weren’t reading about gardening. Then I read the article and it was pretty clear what you were thinking about. I owe you an apology because I thought you were having those thoughts knowing Reid has a girlfriend. Apparently it’s not you that’s being inappropriate.”
“No one is being inappropriate,” Chloe defended. “It’s true I didn’t know Reid had a girlfriend, but there was no reason for him to bring it up. He hired me to play violin, not share information about his personal life. It’s really not a big deal.” The words tasted bitter and thick. The lie coated her tongue and tightened her throat. She felt foolish. It didn’t matter that her fantasy only lasted a moment. She knew better.
“Regardless, I’m sorry I thought you would do something like that. We might not know each other very well, but you’ve given me no reason to think so low of you. It won’t happen again.”
There was no doubt in Chloe’s mind about Greer’s sincerity. From the hunch of his shoulders to the apology saddening his light brown eyes, it was obvious he was sorry. He honestly believed Chloe knew about Jess and disregarded her. Not wanting to drag out the moment a second more than necessary, Chloe sighed and dropped her chin to her chest.
“Well, there go my plans for picking out china patterns this afternoon.” She peeked at Greer and placed her hands on his knee, her expression so over-the-top pleading that Scarlett O’Hara would have been impressed. “Would you be willing to help a girl scrape her fragile ego off the floor and escort her around the lovely city of Dublin?”
Greer cracked a grin. “You mean you’re not one of those girls who lock themselves in a room and cry for hours while eating tubs of ice cream?”
“Hell no,” Chloe said, rising to her feet. “Do you know how much I’d have to work out if I did that kind of thing?” She shuddered dramatically and pulled Greer to his feet. “I’d rather not.”
Greer threw his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and led her out of the hotel lobby. “Just to be clear,” he said, his tone suggestive and mischief flashing in his eyes, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Chloe laughed and smacked his chest. “Oh, no. Don’t you start. From this point on, I’m going to be strictly professional.”
“Does that mean I’m going to have to pay . . .?”
Chloe ducked out from under his arm and turned to face him. “You’re going to pay for that,” she warned, fighting back a smile. Before he could respond, Chloe pinched his side and stomped on his foot before taking off in a run, laughter trailing behind her. When he caught her a block later, they called a truce and spent the next hour chatting about music and the tour. He didn’t mention Reid and Chloe was thankful. She would be fine, completely normal. She just needed a bit of time to wrap her head around the fact that not once had Reid mentioned his girlfriend.
When the pair walked past a group of nightclubs, Chloe’s mind drifted to her night out with Josie, Anders, Madison, and Holden. She thought about the conversations the girls had about Reid. No one mentioned a girlfriend then either.
Oh, but wait. Something swirled at the edges of her memory. An unfamiliar face flashed in her mind. She narrowed her eyes, attempting to bring the memory to the surface. She’d met an acquaintance of Anders’s that night. Walker, his name was Walker. When Anders mentioned that Chloe was going on tour with Reid Ryder, Walker had laughed. He knew Reid. They weren’t close friends, for some reason Chloe knew that, but they did know one another.
The fragmented memories nagged at her the rest of the day. Through rehearsal, lunch, and warm-ups. Walker had been more than willing to share his dirty secrets. The details about his relationship with Reid, however, lay hidden under the thick haze of tequila she’d drunk that night.