“I prefer asshole. Maddie favors prick. Jerk seems too PG for Anders,” Josie said, her eyes lit with mirth.
“Keep it up, you two,” Anders warned, his lips pursed with annoyance. “But you can’t argue that everything I said was true. This apartment is too fucking small. Not moving to LA where you have dozens of job offers because of a guy you’ve known less than a year would make you a fucking idiot. And if everything I’ve heard about your mother is true, making her less able to be a bitch wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen. Just because people don’t agree with my delivery doesn’t mean my thoughts aren’t on fucking point.”
Chloe dragged her hand down her face. “I both love and hate that you’re completely right.”
Anders straightened his posture and clapped his hands, causing both Chloe and Josie to jump in surprise. “Finally,” he sighed dramatically. “You have a friend who appreciates my input. When we get home, we’re replacing Maddie with Chloe.”
Josie laughed. “When Maddie hears what you just said . . .,” She turned and wrapped her arms around Anders’s neck, her eyes filled with pity. “She’s going to make you pay.”
Anders smirked and dropped his forehead to Josie’s. “You do that, and I’ll invite Owen and Walker over every time we make plans with Maddie and Holden. You know how much Holden loves them.”
Josie’s face twisted with distaste. “Fine. You win. Now, stop being a dick.”
Anders kissed the tip of Josie’s nose and straightened his back. “Chloe, do you need help with anything else because I’m ready to take Josie back to the hotel and do dirty fucking things to her.”
Chloe’s hands once again found their way to her face as Josie’s skin flushed. “Nope. I’m all set. Thanks for everything.”
Josie stepped away from Anders and wrapped her arms around Chloe. “I’ll be back in LA in a few days. I’ll let the movers in when they arrive. Send me your flight info and I’ll pick you up at the airport, then we’ll go to the house and get you settled. I’m so happy you’re going to be so close,” she added with a whisper.
“Me too,” Chloe said, her voice thick. “Thank you for everything. I’m terrified, but knowing you’ll be there makes everything a little less scary.”
“Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.” With a final hug, Josie stepped back and slipped her hand in Anders’s. “However, if you don’t show up next week, I’ll assume your mother has you locked in her basement and I’ll send help accordingly.”
Chloe laughed and crossed her arms, hugging herself. “She’ll have no option but to accept it once she realizes I’ve moved out of my apartment and shipped all my things to LA.”
Josie’s eyes widened in understanding. “Ah, now it all makes sense. You were waiting until everything was already done so she couldn’t talk you out of it.”
“Exactly.”
“All right, you two will have all the time you want to chitchat soon enough. Right now, I’m going back to my five-star hotel and scrubbing away the grime of manual labor. Later, Chloe.” Anders tugged a giggling Josie into the hallway before disappearing around the corner and leaving Chloe alone once more.
With a tired sigh, Chloe grabbed a blanket and stretched out across the sofa. She looked around the room with bleary eyes. The bare walls and stacks of boxes littering the floor caused her stomach to flutter with nerves as they confirmed once again that, when the sun rose in the morning, everything would be different.
Reid groaned and rolled onto his back. Using his arm to shield against the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, he looked around the room, freezing when a figure came into view. He sat up quickly, the room spinning until he was able to focus his vision.
“Greer?” Reid’s voice was thick with sleep and his throat burned like he’d swallowed fire.
“Well, well, well. Good afternoon, fuckface.” Greer’s voice was loud, chipper, and a little bit smug.
“What time is it?” Reid kicked his legs over the side of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. He felt like shit. Like, beat-up, put through a meat grinder, and run over by a stampede of wild horses shit.
“Almost four.”
The remaining traces of sleep vanished when Reid realized what that meant. “Shit,” he swore, jumping to his feet. “Fuck.”
“You missed your flight. There’s no point in busting your ass to get to the airport. It’s not like they’re holding the plane for you.”
Reid dropped his shirt to the floor and threaded his hands through his hair. His stomach rolled and a sheen of sweat broke out across his skin. Saliva filled his mouth and with it came a surge of nausea. With his eyes closed, Reid swallowed and willed his heart to slow.