“Yes, that I picked up on my own.”
Her gaze flicked to his. He had?
“You can see why we at the office are protective of her,” Jessica said. “She’s part of our family.”
Chloe blinked. She’d worked at the office for several decades, but in that time, staff and clients had come and gone. She hadn’t really thought of it as being part of anything other than a team.
Though Jessica was oblivious to the effect of her words, the intensity of Kieran’s gaze proved that he wasn’t. To cover her moment of shock, she reached again for her wineglass.
By the time the food arrived, Chloe was embracing her decision to use alcohol to cover her embarrassment. Jessica was regaling Kieran with yet another story that prominently featured Chloe. He was getting a crash course on her past, which wouldn’t be a problem if they’d actually been going out for a year and he had some frame of reference for these stories. As it was, he was either getting the inside scoop on her most embarrassing moments or having to sidestep questions that had the potential to reveal how little he really knew about her.
“Jessie, you should tell him more about your succubus gifts. I’m sure that’s a topic everyone is interested in.”
Jessica sliced a bite of steak and popped it into her mouth. “Trust me, Kieran is far more interested in the stories I can tell him about you,” she said when she finished chewing.
“Just you wait until I’m isolated in the woods with your family,” Chloe hissed in warning to her date.
He tossed her an unrepentant grin. “Jessica, why don’t you tell me what Chloe was like when you first met her.”
Jessica took another bite as she thought about her answer.
Chloe sighed and spun some pasta onto her fork. Her friend would no doubt launch into yet another tale about her chipper personality.
“Sad,” Jessica said at last.
They both turned to stare at the succubus, who shrugged. “Fated Match didn’t have many staff members that stuck around long in those days. All Chloe had was Vivian, and she’s about as cuddly as a sea witch.”
“I’m never sad,” Chloe scoffed.
This time she was the recipient of two stares.
“But,” Jessica said, ignoring Chloe’s protest. “In the time since you’ve officially come into her life I’ve noticed her being far more content than she has been in years.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Chloe said.
“Is it?” Jessica shrugged. “You always wanted stability. A real home. What else do you call finding your mate?”
She looked at her plate. Jessica wasn’t saying anything wrong—not if her audience really were a couple in love, planning on forever. But Kieran wasn’t that. Instead he was a man paying for her time, and humiliation scalded her. She knew good and well she wasn’t the kind of girl he normally wanted, and Jessica’s talk of her need for commitment was just underscoring that fact. As if she needed a reminder Kieran would never be hers.
“Excuse me,” she said, pushing back her chair. “Too much wine. I’ll be right back.”
Not meeting either of their gazes, she pushed to her feet and quickly navigated the path to the ladies’ room.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped out of the main dining area and into the long washroom, with its dark wood doors on one side, and glass trough sink and massive mirror on the other.
Walking to the sink, she leaned on the glass and looked into the mirror. Pink colored her cheeks, thanks to the wine she’d consumed. But her eyes looked different. Less sparkle. Less hope.
Jessica had said she was sad when they first met and maybe she was right. So much of the time she focused on being cheerful, being happy, and maybe the reason was that if she didn’t look for the positives, the negatives would drown her.
“Chloe?”
Her breath caught when Jessica stepped into the bathroom with her.
“Hey,” she greeted, straightening from the mirror.
“I’m sorry,” her best friend said without any further urging.
“For what?” As far as she could tell, Jessica had been a delight tonight. She was the one dragging the mood down.
“You obviously don’t want me sharing so much with him. I’m sorry. I just thought these were things a mate should know.”
“You’re right,” Chloe agreed. “A mate should hear all these stories.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Jessica walked closer. “Are things not working out between you two?”
Chloe hesitated, wanting so much to confide in the one person who had never betrayed her. Never lied to her. Never treated her the way she was treating Jessica right now.