"You saw Chloe I take it."
"Yeah, I saw her."
"Did she say anything?"
"I just stopped home to fix you some dinner, and then I'm going up to Cars for a beer."
"Matthew, you know you can talk to me, so I don't know why you insist on keeping everything bottled up."
Matthew heated up some soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich for his father without saying another word until he was walking out the door.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours."
Chloe was on her way to the store that evening to pick up some coffee and cleaning supplies for Sherry. She didn't even need to look over to see if Matthew's red pickup was sitting next to her at the traffic light, she could hear it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him turn his head toward her, but Chloe kept facing straight ahead. Matthew revved his engine, and she pretended not to notice. When the light turned green she drove straight, obeying the speed limit. Matthew squealed his tires and turned the corner.
John sat at a table in the bar watching the ball game on television. He spotted Matthew come in, order a beer, and chug down almost the entire thing. John ordered a couple more and then waved his friend over.
"As ticked off as you've been, I can assume you're not celebrating. What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Here we go again, Matt. This is getting pretty old. It's okay to have a bad day now and then, but you're pissed off all the time. Your mood has Chloe written all over it."
"I want her out of the apartment. Everywhere I turn, there she is!"
"Talk to her."
"Look, I just came to relax. I don't want to talk about Chloe," growled Matthew through clenched teeth.
John just nodded his head and sat quietly. He knew if Matthew was left alone, he'd eventually spill what was in his head. Well, some of it, but if you read between the lines, you could usually get the full story. After Matthew finished his second beer, he stared blankly at the television screen. John hoped the silence would help, but it wasn't looking good. After watching him tie five straws in knots, shred a few napkins, and slam his phone down on the table, Matthew began to mumble. Then he got up and headed towards the door.
"Listen, I'm heading home, so why don't you check on your dad and then come downstairs to my apartment and hang out for a bit?"
He ignored John and left.
Matthew tossed and turned in bed. Just thinking about what Chloe had done made his face red and his temper flare. At three in the morning he got up, threw on his clothes, and then slipped quietly outside. The night was chilly, and a slight drizzle had begun. He turned to go back inside but found himself walking down to John's apartment instead. Matthew hesitated before knocking and checked his watch. It was way too late to be popping in. He turned to walk back home when the door opened.
"Sorry, man. Did I wake you up?"
"Come on in. I was just watching some re-runs. Can't seem to sleep." John held the door open and watched Matthew go to the fridge and grab a beer. His concern about his friend is what kept him from sleeping. The last thing he needed was to bail Matthew out of jail from plowing someone in the face. He'd never seen the guy this angry.
"I love her."
"I know you do. There's nothing wrong with trying to work things out. I think you're making a mistake."
"She paid my father's medical bills, did you know that?"
"If she didn't love you, she wouldn't have done it. You're assuming she lied to mock you."
"I was paying the bills just fine on the plan the hospital set up for me. She made me feel like crap. Incompetent."
"She didn't make you feel that way, Matt. You've held a low opinion of yourself ever since Josie decided to be a wench. I don't understand why Chloe has to suffer because of something she had nothing to do with. Let me ask you a question. If you two were married, would you let her help you then?"
Matthew picked at the bottle label. "I'm ticked off she lied to me. She tried to stoop to my level out of pity, that's what hurts the most. Can you imagine the audacity of someone pretending to be poor? That is mocking me."
"You wouldn't have gone near her if you knew how rich she was. You couldn't look past the money, Matt. Maybe it's time to swallow your pride and realize she helped you out of love."
"Love … " Matthew laughed, and out the door he went.
John glanced at the clock and was grateful it was Sunday.
He didn't feel like going back inside his apartment. The sound of oxygen hissing made him feel guilty. Matthew knew his father would feel better if he got the care he needed. He walked out to the parking lot, leaned against his old pickup, and looked over at the new red Chevy Silverado underneath the lights. If I ever see that fake salesman again, I'll break his jaw. I wonder how much humor they both got over me acting like an idiot. Memories of running down the hall yelling how he'd won came flooding back, making his face burn. I wish someone would set it on fire. But the old truck was on its last leg, and he feared that one day soon it'd break down and never start again. Then what? Matthew lost track of how long it'd been since he talked with Chloe. He missed her and hated her at the same time. He knew a relationship with that woman would mean being her project. She's probably told all her rich friends about how pathetic my life is, but my life was just fine until she showed up.
At seven in the morning, Matthew went back home, got his father situated and made his breakfast.
"Aren't you going to eat, son?"
"No, I have something to do real quick." Matthew opened up the checkbook and wrote out his first payment to Chloe for two hundred dollars. That was the amount the hospital agreed upon to pay off his father's bills. He wrote on the bottom, "Reimbursement for medical bills," and tore out a sheet of paper from a tablet and wrote a message. "I'll configure the interest and give you back every cent. We were doing just fine until you put your nose where it didn't belong." Matthew sealed the envelope and walked down to Sherry's office. She was just starting a pot of coffee.
"Good morning, sweetie. You're up early for a Sunday. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's all good. Could you give this to Miss Burlington?"
"When are you going to stop this hate crusade you're on? I've gotten to know her, and she told me why she did what she did, and I believe her. You would too if you'd give her the time of day. Honestly, I love you dearly, but you're acting like a-"
"Just make sure she gets it. Thanks, Sherry, I appreciate your concern."
Sherry watched as he walked out of the office.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Chloe awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She ran and grabbed it off the kitchen table, then hurried back to bed and under the blankets before answering it.
"Tell me you're not still sleeping at two in the afternoon."
"No, it's freezing outside. I was just taking a nap."
"Chloe, I'm on my way over. If you've allowed yourself to fall back into that sink hole … "
"I didn't! Look, Beck, I worked until twelve-thirty and then came home for lunch. I had a tuna salad sandwich and scarfed down two brownies. I'm fine. You know I sleep if I get cold. Cleaning the hall with people coming in and out of the door didn't make a very warm environment to work in. I ran in here to get warm and fell asleep. Seriously, stop worrying about me."
"Have you spoken with Matthew? Tell me you're still staying away from him."
"The only communication I've received is a nasty letter with a check enclosed, so he can start paying me back. Your plan isn't working."
"Give it time."
"It's been months, and I can't wait anymore. I'm going to make some lasagna from scratch and take it down the hall. Conner won't be expecting me so maybe he'll open the door. All I need is a chance, Becky. One lousy chance … "
"Uh, you're going to make it?"
"I found a recipe online. I'll get up early tomorrow morning and get my work done for Sherry, and then run home and start cooking. He'll love it."
"He will. One look at your beautiful face and he'll melt right on the spot." Becky didn't even believe that line. She cleared her schedule for tomorrow night, just in case she had to pull Chloe out of the pits of hell, again.
Chloe quickly finished her tasks at work and couldn't wait to get to the store. Her happy mood didn't escape Sherry.
"It's so nice to see you having such a good day, it's long past due."
"I'm going to cook dinner for Matthew and Conner. I need to drop it off while Conner's alone at the apartment, because he'll be more accepting, I think. If I can have the chance to explain to him, he'll help me with Matthew. I want you to take this key for the new truck. If his old one stops working he'll at least have access to transportation."
"I hope your dinner is a huge success, dear." Sherry took the truck key and put it in an envelope for Matthew.
"It has to work. The holidays are just around the corner and I want to make sure theirs isn't miserable. One chance is all I need. Even if Matthew continues to hate me, but Conner forgives me and accepts my help, I can live with that."
"You really aren't doing this just to get Matthew back."
"I would love to be with him. He's the one I was meant to be with, and no one could convince me otherwise. But I love him enough to trade. I'm willing to stay far away from him if it means I could help them have a better life. I'm sure he'll never forgive me for lying and being so deceitful, but I really did have good intentions. I screwed up, Sherry, and I have to pay the consequences."