“And the reason you decided to snort a bag of coke?”
The moment Tom spoke, Chloe froze. She struggled to breathe as the words bounced around inside her head. Reid had relapsed. Taking a shaky step away from the door, she crept back the way she came and slipped into the empty bathroom. With her arms braced on the sink, she pulled in a deep breath and closed her eyes. A part of her felt guilty she hadn’t been there to help, the other part of her wanted to kick his ass.
Chloe straightened her shoulders and stared at her reflection. This was the exact kind of situation she couldn’t become emotionally involved with. It wasn’t that Chloe didn’t care about his well-being, she did. The problem was, when it came to Reid, her feelings for him caused lines that should be bold and black to fade and blur. Her feelings went far beyond those of a concerned friend.
After a quick pep talk, Chloe grabbed her things and walked back to the recording room. With a smile on her lips, she rounded the corner. “Hey, guys,” she said, making sure both men were aware of her presence.
Reid fell silent and Tom gave her an uneasy smile before clearing his throat and standing. “Hey, Chloe. How are you?”
“I’m good.” She set her case down and clasped her hands to keep from fidgeting under Reid’s intense gaze. He had yet to speak and it was making her increasingly nervous. It was like the first time they met all over again. She hated it.
“When did you get in? I was surprised when I received your email about not needing flight arrangements.”
It was Chloe’s turn to feel uneasy as her gaze darted to Reid then back to Tom. “I’ve actually been here for almost a week. I’m staying at my friend Josie’s place.”
Tom hummed and looked from Reid to Chloe, suspicion coloring his features. “I see. So you won’t be requiring hotel accommodations, then?”
Chloe tugged on the metal piercing in her lip and shook her head. She wasn’t sure exactly what kinds of thoughts were racing through Tom’s head, but she was certain none of them was good. Reid cleared his throat, causing Chloe to look in his direction. With a meaningful nod, he made it understood he was going to clear the air.
“Chloe, maybe you should give Tom your new mailing address in case he needs to send you any paperwork. You wouldn’t want it going to your old address in Brooklyn.”
Tom’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. “What are you talking about? Did you move?”
Chloe blew out a heavy breath and plastered a smile across her face. “I did. I’m renting Josie’s house.”
A look of understanding crossed Tom’s face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Here?” he asked needlessly. “In LA?”
“Yeah. There are a lot more opportunities. I’m sure you remember I wasn’t in the best of situations in New York.”
Tom nodded. “Well, if you need any help lining up gigs, let me know. I’d be happy to help in any way I can, Chloe.”
The genuine smile on his face caused Chloe’s shoulders to relax. “Thanks. I’d really like that.” After she rattled off her address, Tom gave her a hug and moved to the door.
“I’ve got a few calls I need to make. Everyone should be arriving any minute, so Reid can bring you guys up to speed on the changes for the awards show. Welcome to LA, Chloe. I really think you’ll be happy living here.”
“Whoa, what?” Greer yelled as he shoved past a stunned Tom. “You moved to LA? When? How? Why the hell didn’t I know about this?”
Chloe laughed at Greer’s outraged expression. “Surprise,” she muttered with a shy shrug.
Greer wrapped his arms around her waist and spun in a circle, causing Chloe to yelp in surprise. With a cocky grin, he set her back on the ground and winked. “Surprised? Nah. It was only a matter of time before you realized you were madly in love with me and decided to move across the country to pursue me properly.”
“Oh my God,” Chloe giggled, smacking his chest. “You’re a mess.”
Greer lifted his brow and grinned. “Mildly infatuated?”
“Rehearsals haven’t even started yet and you’re already hitting on Chloe. This must be some kind of record,” Drew commented, moving next to Reid and bumping fists.
“How’s it going?” Drew asked Reid, his voice low. Chloe looked in their direction, not missing the meaningful look that passed between them. It caused her stomach to drop. Cutting her eyes to Greer, she noticed that his playful mood had deflated as he looked from Drew to Reid. The exchange made it clear they knew about Reid’s relapse. A million questions flooded her mind. Were they with him when it happened? Did they encourage it? Try to stop him? What else had they done? Nothing had surfaced in the papers, but that didn’t mean anything. Chloe dropped her eyes to the floor as the feeling of awkwardness washed over her once more. She felt like an outsider all over again.