“I can’t wait,” Jess snarked with a grin.
Silence filled the room once Jess’s and Greer’s voices faded down the hall. Chloe’s eyes were downcast as she fumbled with the hat in her hands. It was the most awkward she’d felt around Reid in a long time. She hated it. She peeked up at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his shoulders hunched, and his eyes moving over everything in the room except Chloe. It was maddening.
“So what did you want to talk about?” Chloe asked, unable to stand the uncomfortable silence anymore.
After several seconds, Reid looked at her. His hair was more disheveled than usual, and dark circles Chloe hadn’t noticed before rimmed his eyes. All of Chloe’s apprehension faded in an instant as concern crashed over her. Without hesitation, she stood and closed the distance between them.
“Are you okay?” she whispered, her thumb tracing the purple line under his eye.
Reid blew out a heavy breath and covered Chloe’s hand with his own, holding her in place. “I’m sorry I missed your birthday.” The soft, remorseful tone of his voice made Chloe’s heart ache. She hated that he felt so bad about not going to the cemetery, especially given the reason. She also hated that she didn’t hate it nearly as much as she should have.
“You didn’t miss my birthday,” she said with a smile. “You’re here now.”
Reid leaned into her hand and his eyes fell shut. “You know what I mean.”
A throat cleared and Chloe jerked her hand away as if she’d been burned. Tom stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable. “I saw Greer in the hall. He said you two were talking about the show tonight. I wanted to see if there were any changes you planned on making.” His gaze drifted to Reid, his eyes challenging. “Are you making any changes, Reid?”
Reid’s face hardened and his hands balled into fists at his side. “No. Everything is exactly as it should be.” His tone was clipped, angry. Chloe suddenly got the feeling they weren’t talking about the show.
Tom’s eyes flickered to Chloe. He must have seen the confusion on her face because his aggressive stance disappeared immediately. “Sometimes change is the right thing. Happy birthday, Chloe. You guys are gonna kill it tonight.” With a nod, he turned and left the room.
“What the hell is going on?” Chloe blurted out, her eyes fixed on Reid. “Why is everyone acting so weird?”
“What are you talking about?” Reid countered, averting his gaze.
Chloe exhaled heavily. “Never mind.” She didn’t need to hear him say it. Just like the fans and the media, Tom and Greer thought something was going on between Chloe and Reid. It didn’t matter that they were around them every single day and saw that nothing other than friendship existed; they were suspicious. It made Chloe feel dirty. As much as she cared for Reid, as much as she found him attractive, she would never cross that line. That wasn’t her. She would never be that girl.
Reid nudged her foot and smiled when she met his eyes. “I brought you something.”
Chloe mimicked his smile and clasped her hands in front of her. “Oh, yeah? It wouldn’t happen to be a cupcake, would it?”
Reid smirked and pulled the bag from his shoulder. “Maybe.”
Chloe bounced on her toes, forgetting about her dark thoughts. It was her birthday. A happy day. And if she was lucky, Reid was about to give her a cupcake. “Give it to me,” she demanded with her arm extended.
Reid grinned and pulled out a small glass bottle. Chloe’s brows pinched with confusion as she reached for the bottle. “This isn’t a cupcake.”
“Are you certain?” he asked with a cocky smirk and a raised brow.
Chloe twisted the lid off and lifted the bottle to her nose, her eyes widening as soon as the smell hit her senses. “It smells like a cupcake!”
Reid chuckled. “It does.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Frank gave it to me. It’s their special brand of cake vodka. He asked me to give it to you on your birthday.”
Chloe’s chest warmed with gratitude. “I wish I could thank him.”
Reid laughed again and pulled the last cupcake of Chloe’s from his bag. “Don’t worry,” he said, handing it to her. “He was thanked several thousand times.”
Chloe’s eyes widened as she pulled the cupcake from his grasp. “Please tell me that’s a figure of speech.”
Reid pulled a candle from the bag and pushed it into the creamy icing atop the cupcake. Using a lighter, he held it to the wick until it burst to life. “Make a wish, Chloe.”
“Reid . . .” Chloe warned.
Reid rolled his eyes. “I have more money than I can ever spend. It was nice to use it on something that wasn’t destroying my life. Now, please,” he implored, his voice strained, “make a wish.”
Chloe’s eyes fell shut, and with a heavy sigh, she wished for the one thing she wanted more than anything.
Please don’t let me fall for him.