Fic: A Chance at Love, part 3
Chapter 10
If there was a right way to answer a question like that, Chloe didn’t know what it was. She was also fairly confident, in the reverse sort of way, that she had given the wrong answer.
Or if there was no right or wrong answer, then she had given a very bad answer.
An answer that was still plaguing her several hours later as she tried to fall asleep.
**
“Is that outrageous?” Amber had asked, her expression curious.
“Come on, why are you asking such a thing?”
“Because I want to know.” She wouldn’t let it go. “I want to know what you think.”
“You want to know what I think about us being a couple?” Chloe had asked, still finding the whole conversation to be slightly surreal.
“Yes.”
“Why? Are you somehow, you know, interested. I mean, are you interested in me like that?”
“Are you?” Amber had chosen to ask a question with a question. “Are you interested in me like that?”
“I asked you first.”
The conversation was becoming increasingly circular, and Chloe was beginning to wish she had never brought it up, because even though she’d always felt comfortable talking about just about anything with Amber, the particular subject of this conversation was suddenly making her very uncomfortable.
And why was that, exactly?
Did that mean something?
“I don’t think the idea is completely outrageous and ridiculous.”
“Wait. What?” Here she was, thinking the conversation couldn’t possibly get anymore awkward and surely Amber was thinking the same thing, too, that they should just drop it and never mention it again. Except… “What did you say?”
“That I don’t find the idea completely outrageous or ridiculous. You know, us being together. As a couple.”
Her voice was very calm, no hesitation at all. “Really?” Chloe asked, and she knew she was stalling.
“Sure. I mean, I haven’t thought all that much about it. In fact, I hadn’t really thought about it at all until you brought it up. But now that I do think about it, I mean sure, why not? I’ve never really been all that inclined to go that way, but I’m also a person that never says never, at least when it comes to the physical pleasures, so I admit to a little curiosity as to what it might be like. And you’re certainly attractive and everything and---”
“Thanks,” Chloe interrupted.
“For what?”
“For saying I’m attractive.” She didn’t always feel that way. She certainly hadn’t the entire time she was married to Cane and he had lusted after Lily, or the night Billy had come stumbling home after being with Sharon all night.
“Well, it’s true. You’re beautiful,” her friend reassured. “But it’s not just on the outside, either,” she continued, and Chloe wondered if this sudden outpouring had been bottled up inside her for too long. “I feel a certain connection to you that I haven’t felt before. We have fun together. We have things in common. You understand me, you get me, like no one else ever had. I don’t have to pretend with you, and nothing’s a struggle.”
“Wow,” was all Chloe managed to say.
“And you don’t feel it.”
“What? I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say you did, either.”
What the hell? Why did she start this conversation, anyway? Now all Chloe wanted to do was take it back, say that Rafe told her everything would be fine, and just leave it at that and they’d watch a movie just like they had planned. No, instead, she had to bring up Cane’s latest delusional threats, and now Amber was confessing feelings for her.
Talk about everything getting messed up.
“You’re my best friend,” Chloe began, trying to salvage something. “My only friend, really. The one person I know I can count o as bad as things get. So I know exactly what you mean when you say that I understand you, I get you, because I feel that, too. And you’re right that nothing is a struggle and I don’t have to pretend…” She let her voice trail off, not wanting to add the inevitable but.
“But it’s just a friendship. That’s all you feel,” Amber finished for her.
“Yes.” For now, she added silently.
“Yeah, me too. Just friends. We don’t want to mess up a good thing.”
“Right. We don’t,” Chloe was quick to agree.
“Good. So that’s settled.” Amber picked up her coat and her purse. “I need to get going. Daniel is probably wondering where I’m at.”
**
And then she was gone, leaving Chloe alone to wait for sleep to come while she wondered how badly she might have screwed up a really good friendship… and possibly more.
**
Saying Daniel was probably wondering where she was had been wishful thinking on Amber’s part, and more just an excuse to make a fast getaway from an uncomfortable conversation.
One that she figured she had screwed up by saying too much, too fast. Than again, that was the kind of thing she usually did.
The quick exit had helped her to save face, at least a little bit, anyway.
But it had been a lie.
Daniel wasn’t wondering where she was it. In fact, he wasn’t even home.
With Jana, his note said. She’s looking at some of my paintings, trying to put together a portfolio for a show.
Don’t wait up. May be late.
Daniel
That was it. He didn’t even sight it with the word love, she noticed.
And he was definitely being honest when he said he might be home late, since it was now after 1 a.m. and he had still not come home.
Yet as Amber lay in bed, alone, willing sleep to come, her thoughts were not on her boyfriend and why he was still not home and what he might be doing.
No, Amber was thinking about someone else.
She was thinking about Chloe.
Chapter 11
Two days before the custody hearing, Chloe was already a basket case. She didn’t even want to imagine what she would actually be like when the day and time of the hearing came around.
Rafe’s reassurance that the judge’s decision would most likely go in her favor helped, but it wasn’t the guarantee she wanted.
And then there was that other little troubling aspect to the conversation they had had- about her friendship with Amber. She didn’t know if Cane was likely to make a big issue out of it or not, or whether he would succeed if he did.
She didn’t think so, but she was still being cautious. As a result, she had spent less time with Amber ever since Rafe had brought the issue up. If she were to be perfectly honest, though, Chloe had to admit the decision to spend less time with her had less to do with any worries that their friendship might be misconstrued, and more that she just didn’t know what to say to her friend anymore after the awkwardness of their conversation.
Amber must have felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable, too, because she was stopping by less, calling less, and not making efforts to see Chloe.
And Chloe was finding out that she missed her.
As she stood in front of her closet, staring at all of her clothes, trying to decide what to wear to the court hearing, Chloe missed Amber even more.
She missed her laugh, and her enthusiasm and her cheerful sprit. And she really missed her fashion sense. She wanted to pick up the phone, call Amber, and invite her over for a fashion consultation.
She wanted to, but she wasn’t sure she should. And if she did, would the call even be welcome?
Or had she thrown away the friendship by bringing up the subject of more and then acting uncomfortable about discussing it?
She was still pondering that when the doorbell rang, and she rushed to answer it, hoping that it would be Amber.
Instead, Chloe opened the door and found herself face to face with Lily Winters, one of the last people in the world that she wanted to deal with right now. The only saving grace was that she was alone. Another run in with Cane, and especially this close to the custody hearing, was sure to give Chloe a tension headache as well as increase her chances of developing an ulcer.
Lily, though? She was unlikely to cause an ulcer. If a visit from Lily upset Chloe's stomach, it would just be because of her sugary sweet personality, hypocritical and disingenuous though it may be. Too much candy had always had that affect her.
“Lily,” Chloe said, opening the door less than halfway. “What brings you here?” And how long are you staying, she added silently. Hopefully not long.
“I want to talk to you.”
"About what?" she asked tersely, dreading the conversation.
"You aren't one of my favorite people, either, so it’s not exactly a trip I wanted to make," her nemesis answered. "I still don't like you Chloe, so believe me, I am not doing this for you. I didn't do this for you."
"Do what for me?" Chloe demanded. "As usual, you are not making any sense." She let out a weary sigh. What was she expecting, exactly? Silly Lily seldom, if ever, made any sense. "So, I repeat, what do you want?"
"Well, you don't have to be a bitch, not that I expected anything different from you,” Lily countered, her tone equally unfriendly. “I guess your lawyer hasn't called you yet?"
At the mention of the word lawyer, Lily suddenly had Chloe's undivided attention. "I've been at the park with Delia. The fresh air always makes it easier to get her down for a nap. I just got back and I haven't had a chance to check my messages. What's going on?" And dare she allow herself to hope it was good news?
"Cane dropped the custody suit. His lawyer is filing the papers this afternoon, so you should be hearing from your lawyer as well. It's over, Chloe. You win."
Over. It was over? Chloe felt an immediate sense of relief, although the news still didn't make any sense to her. "But why? I don't understand. He's been so adamant." In fact, the last time she had seen him, Cane had been almost violent in his rage, and almost delusional in his insistence that Cordelia was his child, and no one else was fit to be near her, much less raise her. Add to that the bullshit about her relationship with Amber that he seemed to be dredging up in the eleventh hour as one last gasp effort at discrediting her, and this really seemed to come out of the blue.
"He is. Rather, he was."
"So what changed his mind?" It was hard to envision Cane suddenly having this change of heart, and it made Chloe a little wary. Was it just a stunt, to make her think everything was over, only to pull out another trick or threat or scare tactic? No, she didn't trust Cane Ashby now. She didn't trust him at all.
"Not what, who,” Lily said. "It was me. I changed his mind. I made him realize how wrong this is, to try to take your child from you. I didn't want any part of it anymore, and I told him that. I told him either he dropped the custody case, or I was leaving him."
"Oh, and since he loves you so much he just couldn't bear the thought of losing you so of course he agreed," Chloe muttered sarcastically, and immediately regretted it. Damn it. She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but Lily just seemed to have that affect on her.
"My God. You are truly a piece of work. A normal person would have just been happy and said thank you. But you? You have to turn it into a personal attack. Do you always have to be so nasty?"
Chloe shook her head, softening her tone. "No, no I don't. And I'm sorry. I'm just a little emotional and uptight these days and you caught me off guard. And I've never said thank you very well. But I'll try this again. Thank you, Lily. Really. I mean that."
"Yeah, well, like I said, I didn't do it for you. I still think you're a manipulative bitch. But in spite of that, I can see how much you love your daughter, and how good you are with her. And it just made me realize that taking her away from you wasn't right. It wasn’t right for Delia. And Cane, even though I know he loves her, too, the whole custody case was partly a reaction to you hurting him. He wanted to hurt you back. And it was also about Billy. He wanted to beat his brother, punish him. And using an innocent baby to do that just wasn't right, and I couldn't support him in that. I couldn't sit back and watch it happen, either,” Lily explained. “It took awhile, but I got him to see it that way, and realize what he was doing was wrong. So it’s all over.”
All over. It was still hard to believe. “Thank you,” Chloe said again, and she hoped this time she came across as sincere. “I know I hurt you, and I don’t expect us to ever be friends, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate this.”
**
The first thing Chloe did as soon as Lilly had left was to go check on her adorable, sleeping daughter and give her a kiss. It was really, finally, over. She didn’t have to worry anymore. She could go ahead and have the mural she wanted painted in the nursery, and she could start making other plans, too.
Plans that involved her and her little baby girl, just being a family.
Perhaps a smaller family than she had originally planned, but a family just the same.
Families, after all, came in all shapes and sizes.
Chloe realized that now, and she was excited about the future that awaited her.
With that out of the way, the second thing Chloe did was call everyone she knew.
She called Rafe, and thanked him for his services even though he hadn’t really done all that much.
She called her mom and they made a lunch date for the next day. The two of them and the baby.
She called Billy, who seemed genuinely happy that it was over, that she was getting custody. They arranged his visitation for the weekend, and Chloe also told him he could come by during the week, as long as he called first.
He promised he would.
There was no talk about their relationship. Never once did he suggest they get back together.
That was fine with Chloe. She was no longer clinging to that ideal.
The last phone call she made was also, perhaps, the most important one.
She called Amber and invited her over to celebrate.
Not surprisingly, her friend quickly accepted.
**
“So that’s it? It’s really over?” Amber asked as soon as she had arrived.
“It’s really over.” Chloe still couldn’t believe it herself. She walked over to the crib, watching her daughter sleep peacefully. She wondered what Cordelia was thinking about. Dreaming about. Did young babies even dream?
Chloe didn’t know. She still had so much to learn, so much to figure out about being a mom. At least now she would have the chance.
She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice her friend come and stand beside her until she felt Amber’s hand come to rest gently on her shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“She looks like you.”
Chloe peered closer into the crib. “Does she? Do you really think so?”
Amber nodded. “I do. And she’ll probably grow up to be just like you.”
“God, poor kid,” Chloe joked, and they both laughed.
“You have your moments,” Amber reassured. “Little Delia could do a whole lot worse than having you as a mom.”
“Do you ever think about your babies? How they would have grown up?” As soon as the words were out, she wanted to take them back. Even before she saw the look of sadness cross her friend’s face. What an absolutely stupid thing to say. Would she ever learn? Apparently not. Of course Amber thought about the children she lost, the ones she would never get to see grow up. Of course she thought about them. Of course she wondered. “I’m sorry,” Chloe said softly. “That came out badly.”
“It’s okay.” Amber turned around and Chloe wondered if she might be crying. When her hand moved up to wipe her eye, she knew. “Everyday. I think about them everyday,” she continued. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of them and wonder what they would be like. I mean, they’d have blonde hair of course.” She let out a slight laugh, which sounded to Chloe like a combination choked sob and laugh. “I picture a little girl in my head, how she’d take after me with her sense of design and her taste and she’d be the coolest little fashion plate in her class.”
“I can see that.”
“She’d probably be slightly crazy, a little trouble maker, but she’d have great taste.”
“Just like her mom.”
“Just like your little bean sprout, too.” Amber turned back around to face her, her eyes still red and damp. “Well, except Delia won’t have blond hair.”
“She might.” After all, Billy’s hair was blond.
Amber shook her head. “Nope. This one’s taking after you.”
“You okay?”
Amber nodded, but it seemed to Chloe like a forced reassurance. “I’ll be fine. Just a little mini meltdown.”
“I really am sorry. I have a tendency to sometimes say the worst possible thing.”
“Well, yeah. I’ve noticed that about you before,” her friend concurred. “But we’re cool, don’t worry.”
Chloe wondered if the statement that they were cool related just to her gaffe bringing up the children Amber had lost or to their conversation a few days before.
Maybe both.
“You can have more,” she declared. “You’ll have a baby of your own soon, with the blonde hair and that great fashion sense and the troublemaker genes. And she can be friends with Delia and they can just raise hell together.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Our two little hell raisers. Can you imagine?”
At the thought of that image, Amber smiled. “Poor town.”
“The heck with the town,” Chloe corrected. “Watch out, world.”
They both laughed then, and Chloe relaxed, believing that they really were cool.
Chapter 12
As badly as she had messed up the conversation with Lily, seeking Cane out was not something Chloe relished doing.
It was something she had to do, though. For closure. They all needed to move on.
She suggested neutral territory, and they ended up meeting at a Chinese restaurant on the western edge of town.
“This is an interesting choice,” Cane observed sliding into the opposite side of the booth. “Is this a top-secret meeting? Should I be afraid?”
His tone was joking and she was reminded of the easy times they had shared when they were married. They were never close, they were never in love, but there had been times, before the truth came out, when they had enjoyed each other’s company, at least as friends. Or if not friends, at least something close to it. Maybe now, with the custody issue behind them, they would all be able to start a new chapter. “We’ve never been here before, which seemed appropriate. No memories.”
“A fresh start,” Cane echoed, as if reading her thoughts.
“Exactly.” Chloe picked up the laminated menu, glanced at it, and set it down. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you,” Cane answered. “You sound like you mean that.”
“You don’t have to look so surprised. I can do genuine.”
“I know you can. When you bother to let your guard down.”
“It’s not always easy.” Years of doubt and defensiveness had built a tough outer shell. He nodded, which she took as her invitation to continue. “I don’t want us to be enemies, Cane.”
“I’d also prefer that we aren’t.”
“So that’s a start.”
“I’d like to still see Cordelia.”
Chloe noticed that he used her full name, the name he had given her, rather than the nicknames that she and Billy, and now Amber, too, had bestowed upon her daughter. “I never intended to keep you from her. Even if you aren’t her father, you are family to her. Of course you’ll see her. I want her to know you.”
“Thank you for that.”
She shook her head. “Thank you. For putting me in the position to be able to make that decision. A week ago, I was wondering how things would work out of if you got custody. If you would even let me see my own child.”
“I would have.” There was no hesitation before his answer. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep a child from knowing her mother, Chloe.”
That, too, sounded sincere, and from the conversations they’d had before, she believed him. “Yeah. I don’t think you could.”
“I just got too caught up in my anger at first.”
“That’s understandable. I’d be furious with me, too,” Chloe said dryly. “In fact, I am. As pissed as you were? I think I’ve topped that in inner moments of self-flagellation.”
A half-smile formed on his face. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. We all tell the occasional lie. Sometimes we feel like we have no choice.”
They were curious words, and she wondered if there was a story behind them. If so, this wasn’t the time to ask. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“You left me no choice,” Cane said with a slight laugh. “You were always in the advantage position, Chloe. I had very little to stand on in a custody case. Cordelia belongs with you. I just finally realized that before a judge had to scold me on that.”
His self-deprecating laughter relaxed her, and she let out a little chuckle herself. “Well, now that you mention it, you did seem to be getting pretty desperate at the end. I mean seriously, me and Amber?”
“Oh, that. You heard, huh?”
“Obviously, yeah. My lawyer brought it up. Said you might make an issue of it, try to say we were having some sort of scandalous relationship.”
Cane shook his head in a look of amused denial. “Lawyers.” He rolled his eyes. “I just mentioned to Michael that you two spent a lot of time together. I had no idea he was going to make it an issue or use it for leverage with your lawyer.”
“So you never really took it seriously? Never really thought there was something going on between us?”
“Not really, no.”
“Oh.”
“Why? Is there something going on?’
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “But you gave us a good laugh over how outrageous the allegation was.” Well, except they hadn’t really been laughing.
“And why was it so outrageous?” Cane asked curiously. “You spend every waking moment with her, and you’re so much alike…”
“What? We both conned you into marriage?”
“Please, no reminders of how stupid I can be,” he answered, looking slightly chagrined, and then abruptly switched back to the original subject. “I think it’s more than that. It’s more than just being able to pull off a good con on an unsuspecting guy. You must see it, too, since you’re the one that brought it up. Come to think of it, you seem to be going to a lot of trouble to paint the idea as outrageous.”
“So?”
“So you’ve heard that expression about protesting too much, right?”
“So now you do think there’s something going on, and I just can’t admit?”
“Can’t. Won’t. Whatever.” He shrugged casually. “I just never figured you for the type who was scared to take a chance.”
“Are you done?”
“For now, yes.”
“Good.” She picked up the menu again. “Let’s order lunch.”
**
At the same time Chloe was trying to put the past behind her over Kung Pao Chicken, Amber was having a wrench thrown in her plans for the future.
“Say that again,” she asked Daniel, although she was pretty sure she had heard him correctly the first time.
“I said this isn’t working out anymore.”
“What’s not working out anymore?” She knew that, too, but still asked. Never let it be said that she wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
“This,” Daniel repeated. “You, me, our relationship, us.”
“Don’t say that. It’s working fine.” And who are you trying to convince, she asked herself.
Daniel shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Come on, Amber. Don’t do this. You know that’s true. We hardly even see each other anymore. We hardly even talk. When was the last time we had an evening just to ourselves, just us hanging out? When was the last time we went on a date?”
Because she couldn’t immediately recall, she reverted to old habits. She made excuses and she cast blame. “You’re always working. Or you’re always with Jana.”
“Because you’re never here,” he counter-accused. “You’re always with Chloe.”
“She’s been through a lot. She doesn’t have a lot of friends. And now she’s raising the baby on her own.”
“Completely her choice.”
“Yes, and it was the right one. But it’s still hard,” Amber protested. “So I’ve been helping her out sometimes. But you’re right. I’ll spend more time at home,” she promised. “With you.”
He shook his head again and sighed. “It’s not going to work, Amber. I think we need to face it. We want different things. We’re going different places. You want a family. You want kids. You want to settle down.”
“And you don’t want any of those things.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, and she now offered no protests. She was becoming resigned that Daniel was right.
“Not right now, no. I told you that already. Maybe someday I will. But I’m not ready. I’m only twenty-four. My career is just starting to take off. That’s what I want to focus on now,” he explained. “And you- you want the family. The kids. You’re ready for it now. We’re just in different places right now. We’re going different places.”
**
Gong different places. The words echoed in her head as she walked.
Not surprisingly, she ended up where she always seemed to when something went wrong or she just needed a friendly voice and a shoulder to cry on.
In front of Chloe’s apartment.
**
She had just cracked open the fortune cookie when her phone rang. “Chloe Mitchell,” she answered without checking the caller ID.
“It’s me. Are you busy?”
Chloe glanced at the fortune. ‘Love asks me no questions, and gives me endless support. Shakespeare.’ “I was just finishing lunch. Why?”
“I’m standing in front of your apartment, and you’re obviously not home and…”
“Is something wrong?”
“Daniel and I broke up.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Chapter 13
In the weeks that followed, everything in Chloe’s life seemed to be back on track. Her job at Restless Style was going well. The apartment was decorated the way she wanted it, including Delia’s nursery, with her colorful mural of unicorns, hearts and rainbows.
She and Billy had worked out a visitation arrangement than benefited both of them and their daughter, too.
So far, agreeing to just be friends had proven to be exactly what their relationship needed. Chloe had accepted that while Billy cared about her- and she knew that he did- she also knew that he was still not ready to fully grow up and be in a committed relationship.
All in all, things had definitely turned around for Chloe over the past few months.
There was only one problem.
Amber.
Her best friend wasn’t herself lately, and Chloe figured her break up with Daniel was to blame.
Chloe had taken it upon herself to try to fix things, so she had invited her friend over for dinner, figuring either she could cheer her up, or playing with Delia could.
She was hoping it would be the former.
Amber had protested, insisting she was not in the mood, although in the mood for what had never been specified.
Still, she had come, just as Chloe had known she would, and over take out lasagna from the Genoa City Athletic Club, Chloe laid out her plan of cheering up her friend and getting her back in the game.
“I think I know what your problem is,” she began.
“Yeah, I’m alone and miserable and unhappy.”
Exactly what she had expected Amber to say. “Being without a man doesn’t have to mean being miserable and unhappy,” Chloe pointed out. “Just look at me. Case in point. I wasn’t sure I could do it. There were days when I thought that breaking up with Billy would prove to be the biggest mistake of my life. Instead, it may end up being the best decision I have ever made.”
“It’s not the same thing,” Amber protested. “You were never really alone. You’ve always had your daughter.”
Chloe nodded. She took a bite of her Caesar salad and washed it down with a swallow of water before continuing. “Yes, I had Delia,” she said. “But that wasn’t all I had. I had you, too.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I had us. Our friendship. Your support. You helped get me through all of this. You were the one that was always there.”
At that, Amber smiled, the first genuine smile Chloe had seen from her since the break up. It helped reassure her that she was doing the right thing. “I’d be there for you again,” Amber answered. “If you need me, I’m here for you. I think you know that already.”
“I do. I appreciate that,” Chloe said. “And I want to try to return the favor, by being there for you and helping you.”
“You already have.”
Chloe shook her head. “It’s not enough, though. There’s more.”
“What?”
She hesitated and then just blurted it out. “I think maybe it’s time for you to start dating,” she suggested.
Amber’s response was quick, and exactly she had expected. “No!” She blurted out. “No, no, no and no,” she continued protesting. “You are not setting me up on a blind date. I do not do blind dates. I think I might have even told you that once before.”
She had, of course, and Chloe remembered the conversation well. “Yes, you did.”
“See, then you remember. I don’t do blind dates. So don’t be getting any crazy ideas about setting me up on a blind date, Chloe.”
“I didn’t say anything about a blind date. I’m not setting you up on a blind date.”
Amber looked at her, confused. “But you just said---”
At that, Chloe smiled. “I just said that I think maybe it’s time for you to start dating again,” she reiterated. “And yes, I have someone in mind for that part. It wouldn’t exactly be a blind date, though, because you already know the person I think you should go out with.”
“I do?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Chloe stared at her plate for a second and then across the table at Amber. She had rehearsed this, standing in front of the mirror, determined to get it right.
Or at least not screw it up as royally as she had the last time the conversation had been brought up.
“Me,” she said.
“What?” Amber just stared at her.
“Me, I said. I think you should go out with me.”
“Like on a date?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Chloe said, and decided to just keep on going before she lost her nerve. “This may seem like it’s coming out of left field, or right field or center field or whatever the hell the analogy is, I mean I have no clue. I’m not a sports fan. Anyway, it shouldn’t be that unexpected, since we sort of talked about it before. But of course, I totally and completely messed up that conversation, and I probably made you all self-conscious, thinking I wasn’t interested or something. And at the time, I wasn’t sure that I was. My feelings were all new. They’re still new. But if there’s one thing I have figured out over the past few months, it’s that I can count on you when I can’t count on other people. Well, that and you’re one of the funniest people I know, which I guess is two things. And we have so much in common, which is three. And I like my life a lot more with you in. That makes four. Oh, and I’ve also realized how much I miss you when you’re not around. Five. That’s five. Six things I have actually figured out. So I know what I’m doing. And yes, I expect people to talk. But hell, I don’t care. It’s Genoa City, Wisconsin. So people might be closed minded here. I’ve lived in New York. I’ve lived in L.A. So I do know about this sort of thing. I mean, I’ve known lots of bisexual people in my life and---”
“Chloe?” Amber interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Are you asking me out on a date? Is that what you’re doing?”
“Yes. Yes, that is exactly what I am doing.”
“Then I accept.”
If there was a right way to answer a question like that, Chloe didn’t know what it was. She was also fairly confident, in the reverse sort of way, that she had given the wrong answer.
Or if there was no right or wrong answer, then she had given a very bad answer.
An answer that was still plaguing her several hours later as she tried to fall asleep.
**
“Is that outrageous?” Amber had asked, her expression curious.
“Come on, why are you asking such a thing?”
“Because I want to know.” She wouldn’t let it go. “I want to know what you think.”
“You want to know what I think about us being a couple?” Chloe had asked, still finding the whole conversation to be slightly surreal.
“Yes.”
“Why? Are you somehow, you know, interested. I mean, are you interested in me like that?”
“Are you?” Amber had chosen to ask a question with a question. “Are you interested in me like that?”
“I asked you first.”
The conversation was becoming increasingly circular, and Chloe was beginning to wish she had never brought it up, because even though she’d always felt comfortable talking about just about anything with Amber, the particular subject of this conversation was suddenly making her very uncomfortable.
And why was that, exactly?
Did that mean something?
“I don’t think the idea is completely outrageous and ridiculous.”
“Wait. What?” Here she was, thinking the conversation couldn’t possibly get anymore awkward and surely Amber was thinking the same thing, too, that they should just drop it and never mention it again. Except… “What did you say?”
“That I don’t find the idea completely outrageous or ridiculous. You know, us being together. As a couple.”
Her voice was very calm, no hesitation at all. “Really?” Chloe asked, and she knew she was stalling.
“Sure. I mean, I haven’t thought all that much about it. In fact, I hadn’t really thought about it at all until you brought it up. But now that I do think about it, I mean sure, why not? I’ve never really been all that inclined to go that way, but I’m also a person that never says never, at least when it comes to the physical pleasures, so I admit to a little curiosity as to what it might be like. And you’re certainly attractive and everything and---”
“Thanks,” Chloe interrupted.
“For what?”
“For saying I’m attractive.” She didn’t always feel that way. She certainly hadn’t the entire time she was married to Cane and he had lusted after Lily, or the night Billy had come stumbling home after being with Sharon all night.
“Well, it’s true. You’re beautiful,” her friend reassured. “But it’s not just on the outside, either,” she continued, and Chloe wondered if this sudden outpouring had been bottled up inside her for too long. “I feel a certain connection to you that I haven’t felt before. We have fun together. We have things in common. You understand me, you get me, like no one else ever had. I don’t have to pretend with you, and nothing’s a struggle.”
“Wow,” was all Chloe managed to say.
“And you don’t feel it.”
“What? I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say you did, either.”
What the hell? Why did she start this conversation, anyway? Now all Chloe wanted to do was take it back, say that Rafe told her everything would be fine, and just leave it at that and they’d watch a movie just like they had planned. No, instead, she had to bring up Cane’s latest delusional threats, and now Amber was confessing feelings for her.
Talk about everything getting messed up.
“You’re my best friend,” Chloe began, trying to salvage something. “My only friend, really. The one person I know I can count o as bad as things get. So I know exactly what you mean when you say that I understand you, I get you, because I feel that, too. And you’re right that nothing is a struggle and I don’t have to pretend…” She let her voice trail off, not wanting to add the inevitable but.
“But it’s just a friendship. That’s all you feel,” Amber finished for her.
“Yes.” For now, she added silently.
“Yeah, me too. Just friends. We don’t want to mess up a good thing.”
“Right. We don’t,” Chloe was quick to agree.
“Good. So that’s settled.” Amber picked up her coat and her purse. “I need to get going. Daniel is probably wondering where I’m at.”
**
And then she was gone, leaving Chloe alone to wait for sleep to come while she wondered how badly she might have screwed up a really good friendship… and possibly more.
**
Saying Daniel was probably wondering where she was had been wishful thinking on Amber’s part, and more just an excuse to make a fast getaway from an uncomfortable conversation.
One that she figured she had screwed up by saying too much, too fast. Than again, that was the kind of thing she usually did.
The quick exit had helped her to save face, at least a little bit, anyway.
But it had been a lie.
Daniel wasn’t wondering where she was it. In fact, he wasn’t even home.
With Jana, his note said. She’s looking at some of my paintings, trying to put together a portfolio for a show.
Don’t wait up. May be late.
Daniel
That was it. He didn’t even sight it with the word love, she noticed.
And he was definitely being honest when he said he might be home late, since it was now after 1 a.m. and he had still not come home.
Yet as Amber lay in bed, alone, willing sleep to come, her thoughts were not on her boyfriend and why he was still not home and what he might be doing.
No, Amber was thinking about someone else.
She was thinking about Chloe.
Chapter 11
Two days before the custody hearing, Chloe was already a basket case. She didn’t even want to imagine what she would actually be like when the day and time of the hearing came around.
Rafe’s reassurance that the judge’s decision would most likely go in her favor helped, but it wasn’t the guarantee she wanted.
And then there was that other little troubling aspect to the conversation they had had- about her friendship with Amber. She didn’t know if Cane was likely to make a big issue out of it or not, or whether he would succeed if he did.
She didn’t think so, but she was still being cautious. As a result, she had spent less time with Amber ever since Rafe had brought the issue up. If she were to be perfectly honest, though, Chloe had to admit the decision to spend less time with her had less to do with any worries that their friendship might be misconstrued, and more that she just didn’t know what to say to her friend anymore after the awkwardness of their conversation.
Amber must have felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable, too, because she was stopping by less, calling less, and not making efforts to see Chloe.
And Chloe was finding out that she missed her.
As she stood in front of her closet, staring at all of her clothes, trying to decide what to wear to the court hearing, Chloe missed Amber even more.
She missed her laugh, and her enthusiasm and her cheerful sprit. And she really missed her fashion sense. She wanted to pick up the phone, call Amber, and invite her over for a fashion consultation.
She wanted to, but she wasn’t sure she should. And if she did, would the call even be welcome?
Or had she thrown away the friendship by bringing up the subject of more and then acting uncomfortable about discussing it?
She was still pondering that when the doorbell rang, and she rushed to answer it, hoping that it would be Amber.
Instead, Chloe opened the door and found herself face to face with Lily Winters, one of the last people in the world that she wanted to deal with right now. The only saving grace was that she was alone. Another run in with Cane, and especially this close to the custody hearing, was sure to give Chloe a tension headache as well as increase her chances of developing an ulcer.
Lily, though? She was unlikely to cause an ulcer. If a visit from Lily upset Chloe's stomach, it would just be because of her sugary sweet personality, hypocritical and disingenuous though it may be. Too much candy had always had that affect her.
“Lily,” Chloe said, opening the door less than halfway. “What brings you here?” And how long are you staying, she added silently. Hopefully not long.
“I want to talk to you.”
"About what?" she asked tersely, dreading the conversation.
"You aren't one of my favorite people, either, so it’s not exactly a trip I wanted to make," her nemesis answered. "I still don't like you Chloe, so believe me, I am not doing this for you. I didn't do this for you."
"Do what for me?" Chloe demanded. "As usual, you are not making any sense." She let out a weary sigh. What was she expecting, exactly? Silly Lily seldom, if ever, made any sense. "So, I repeat, what do you want?"
"Well, you don't have to be a bitch, not that I expected anything different from you,” Lily countered, her tone equally unfriendly. “I guess your lawyer hasn't called you yet?"
At the mention of the word lawyer, Lily suddenly had Chloe's undivided attention. "I've been at the park with Delia. The fresh air always makes it easier to get her down for a nap. I just got back and I haven't had a chance to check my messages. What's going on?" And dare she allow herself to hope it was good news?
"Cane dropped the custody suit. His lawyer is filing the papers this afternoon, so you should be hearing from your lawyer as well. It's over, Chloe. You win."
Over. It was over? Chloe felt an immediate sense of relief, although the news still didn't make any sense to her. "But why? I don't understand. He's been so adamant." In fact, the last time she had seen him, Cane had been almost violent in his rage, and almost delusional in his insistence that Cordelia was his child, and no one else was fit to be near her, much less raise her. Add to that the bullshit about her relationship with Amber that he seemed to be dredging up in the eleventh hour as one last gasp effort at discrediting her, and this really seemed to come out of the blue.
"He is. Rather, he was."
"So what changed his mind?" It was hard to envision Cane suddenly having this change of heart, and it made Chloe a little wary. Was it just a stunt, to make her think everything was over, only to pull out another trick or threat or scare tactic? No, she didn't trust Cane Ashby now. She didn't trust him at all.
"Not what, who,” Lily said. "It was me. I changed his mind. I made him realize how wrong this is, to try to take your child from you. I didn't want any part of it anymore, and I told him that. I told him either he dropped the custody case, or I was leaving him."
"Oh, and since he loves you so much he just couldn't bear the thought of losing you so of course he agreed," Chloe muttered sarcastically, and immediately regretted it. Damn it. She knew it was the wrong thing to say, but Lily just seemed to have that affect on her.
"My God. You are truly a piece of work. A normal person would have just been happy and said thank you. But you? You have to turn it into a personal attack. Do you always have to be so nasty?"
Chloe shook her head, softening her tone. "No, no I don't. And I'm sorry. I'm just a little emotional and uptight these days and you caught me off guard. And I've never said thank you very well. But I'll try this again. Thank you, Lily. Really. I mean that."
"Yeah, well, like I said, I didn't do it for you. I still think you're a manipulative bitch. But in spite of that, I can see how much you love your daughter, and how good you are with her. And it just made me realize that taking her away from you wasn't right. It wasn’t right for Delia. And Cane, even though I know he loves her, too, the whole custody case was partly a reaction to you hurting him. He wanted to hurt you back. And it was also about Billy. He wanted to beat his brother, punish him. And using an innocent baby to do that just wasn't right, and I couldn't support him in that. I couldn't sit back and watch it happen, either,” Lily explained. “It took awhile, but I got him to see it that way, and realize what he was doing was wrong. So it’s all over.”
All over. It was still hard to believe. “Thank you,” Chloe said again, and she hoped this time she came across as sincere. “I know I hurt you, and I don’t expect us to ever be friends, but I want you to know that I really do appreciate this.”
**
The first thing Chloe did as soon as Lilly had left was to go check on her adorable, sleeping daughter and give her a kiss. It was really, finally, over. She didn’t have to worry anymore. She could go ahead and have the mural she wanted painted in the nursery, and she could start making other plans, too.
Plans that involved her and her little baby girl, just being a family.
Perhaps a smaller family than she had originally planned, but a family just the same.
Families, after all, came in all shapes and sizes.
Chloe realized that now, and she was excited about the future that awaited her.
With that out of the way, the second thing Chloe did was call everyone she knew.
She called Rafe, and thanked him for his services even though he hadn’t really done all that much.
She called her mom and they made a lunch date for the next day. The two of them and the baby.
She called Billy, who seemed genuinely happy that it was over, that she was getting custody. They arranged his visitation for the weekend, and Chloe also told him he could come by during the week, as long as he called first.
He promised he would.
There was no talk about their relationship. Never once did he suggest they get back together.
That was fine with Chloe. She was no longer clinging to that ideal.
The last phone call she made was also, perhaps, the most important one.
She called Amber and invited her over to celebrate.
Not surprisingly, her friend quickly accepted.
**
“So that’s it? It’s really over?” Amber asked as soon as she had arrived.
“It’s really over.” Chloe still couldn’t believe it herself. She walked over to the crib, watching her daughter sleep peacefully. She wondered what Cordelia was thinking about. Dreaming about. Did young babies even dream?
Chloe didn’t know. She still had so much to learn, so much to figure out about being a mom. At least now she would have the chance.
She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice her friend come and stand beside her until she felt Amber’s hand come to rest gently on her shoulder. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“She looks like you.”
Chloe peered closer into the crib. “Does she? Do you really think so?”
Amber nodded. “I do. And she’ll probably grow up to be just like you.”
“God, poor kid,” Chloe joked, and they both laughed.
“You have your moments,” Amber reassured. “Little Delia could do a whole lot worse than having you as a mom.”
“Do you ever think about your babies? How they would have grown up?” As soon as the words were out, she wanted to take them back. Even before she saw the look of sadness cross her friend’s face. What an absolutely stupid thing to say. Would she ever learn? Apparently not. Of course Amber thought about the children she lost, the ones she would never get to see grow up. Of course she thought about them. Of course she wondered. “I’m sorry,” Chloe said softly. “That came out badly.”
“It’s okay.” Amber turned around and Chloe wondered if she might be crying. When her hand moved up to wipe her eye, she knew. “Everyday. I think about them everyday,” she continued. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think of them and wonder what they would be like. I mean, they’d have blonde hair of course.” She let out a slight laugh, which sounded to Chloe like a combination choked sob and laugh. “I picture a little girl in my head, how she’d take after me with her sense of design and her taste and she’d be the coolest little fashion plate in her class.”
“I can see that.”
“She’d probably be slightly crazy, a little trouble maker, but she’d have great taste.”
“Just like her mom.”
“Just like your little bean sprout, too.” Amber turned back around to face her, her eyes still red and damp. “Well, except Delia won’t have blond hair.”
“She might.” After all, Billy’s hair was blond.
Amber shook her head. “Nope. This one’s taking after you.”
“You okay?”
Amber nodded, but it seemed to Chloe like a forced reassurance. “I’ll be fine. Just a little mini meltdown.”
“I really am sorry. I have a tendency to sometimes say the worst possible thing.”
“Well, yeah. I’ve noticed that about you before,” her friend concurred. “But we’re cool, don’t worry.”
Chloe wondered if the statement that they were cool related just to her gaffe bringing up the children Amber had lost or to their conversation a few days before.
Maybe both.
“You can have more,” she declared. “You’ll have a baby of your own soon, with the blonde hair and that great fashion sense and the troublemaker genes. And she can be friends with Delia and they can just raise hell together.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Our two little hell raisers. Can you imagine?”
At the thought of that image, Amber smiled. “Poor town.”
“The heck with the town,” Chloe corrected. “Watch out, world.”
They both laughed then, and Chloe relaxed, believing that they really were cool.
Chapter 12
As badly as she had messed up the conversation with Lily, seeking Cane out was not something Chloe relished doing.
It was something she had to do, though. For closure. They all needed to move on.
She suggested neutral territory, and they ended up meeting at a Chinese restaurant on the western edge of town.
“This is an interesting choice,” Cane observed sliding into the opposite side of the booth. “Is this a top-secret meeting? Should I be afraid?”
His tone was joking and she was reminded of the easy times they had shared when they were married. They were never close, they were never in love, but there had been times, before the truth came out, when they had enjoyed each other’s company, at least as friends. Or if not friends, at least something close to it. Maybe now, with the custody issue behind them, they would all be able to start a new chapter. “We’ve never been here before, which seemed appropriate. No memories.”
“A fresh start,” Cane echoed, as if reading her thoughts.
“Exactly.” Chloe picked up the laminated menu, glanced at it, and set it down. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you,” Cane answered. “You sound like you mean that.”
“You don’t have to look so surprised. I can do genuine.”
“I know you can. When you bother to let your guard down.”
“It’s not always easy.” Years of doubt and defensiveness had built a tough outer shell. He nodded, which she took as her invitation to continue. “I don’t want us to be enemies, Cane.”
“I’d also prefer that we aren’t.”
“So that’s a start.”
“I’d like to still see Cordelia.”
Chloe noticed that he used her full name, the name he had given her, rather than the nicknames that she and Billy, and now Amber, too, had bestowed upon her daughter. “I never intended to keep you from her. Even if you aren’t her father, you are family to her. Of course you’ll see her. I want her to know you.”
“Thank you for that.”
She shook her head. “Thank you. For putting me in the position to be able to make that decision. A week ago, I was wondering how things would work out of if you got custody. If you would even let me see my own child.”
“I would have.” There was no hesitation before his answer. “I wouldn’t have been able to keep a child from knowing her mother, Chloe.”
That, too, sounded sincere, and from the conversations they’d had before, she believed him. “Yeah. I don’t think you could.”
“I just got too caught up in my anger at first.”
“That’s understandable. I’d be furious with me, too,” Chloe said dryly. “In fact, I am. As pissed as you were? I think I’ve topped that in inner moments of self-flagellation.”
A half-smile formed on his face. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. We all tell the occasional lie. Sometimes we feel like we have no choice.”
They were curious words, and she wondered if there was a story behind them. If so, this wasn’t the time to ask. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“You left me no choice,” Cane said with a slight laugh. “You were always in the advantage position, Chloe. I had very little to stand on in a custody case. Cordelia belongs with you. I just finally realized that before a judge had to scold me on that.”
His self-deprecating laughter relaxed her, and she let out a little chuckle herself. “Well, now that you mention it, you did seem to be getting pretty desperate at the end. I mean seriously, me and Amber?”
“Oh, that. You heard, huh?”
“Obviously, yeah. My lawyer brought it up. Said you might make an issue of it, try to say we were having some sort of scandalous relationship.”
Cane shook his head in a look of amused denial. “Lawyers.” He rolled his eyes. “I just mentioned to Michael that you two spent a lot of time together. I had no idea he was going to make it an issue or use it for leverage with your lawyer.”
“So you never really took it seriously? Never really thought there was something going on between us?”
“Not really, no.”
“Oh.”
“Why? Is there something going on?’
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “But you gave us a good laugh over how outrageous the allegation was.” Well, except they hadn’t really been laughing.
“And why was it so outrageous?” Cane asked curiously. “You spend every waking moment with her, and you’re so much alike…”
“What? We both conned you into marriage?”
“Please, no reminders of how stupid I can be,” he answered, looking slightly chagrined, and then abruptly switched back to the original subject. “I think it’s more than that. It’s more than just being able to pull off a good con on an unsuspecting guy. You must see it, too, since you’re the one that brought it up. Come to think of it, you seem to be going to a lot of trouble to paint the idea as outrageous.”
“So?”
“So you’ve heard that expression about protesting too much, right?”
“So now you do think there’s something going on, and I just can’t admit?”
“Can’t. Won’t. Whatever.” He shrugged casually. “I just never figured you for the type who was scared to take a chance.”
“Are you done?”
“For now, yes.”
“Good.” She picked up the menu again. “Let’s order lunch.”
**
At the same time Chloe was trying to put the past behind her over Kung Pao Chicken, Amber was having a wrench thrown in her plans for the future.
“Say that again,” she asked Daniel, although she was pretty sure she had heard him correctly the first time.
“I said this isn’t working out anymore.”
“What’s not working out anymore?” She knew that, too, but still asked. Never let it be said that she wasn’t a glutton for punishment.
“This,” Daniel repeated. “You, me, our relationship, us.”
“Don’t say that. It’s working fine.” And who are you trying to convince, she asked herself.
Daniel shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Come on, Amber. Don’t do this. You know that’s true. We hardly even see each other anymore. We hardly even talk. When was the last time we had an evening just to ourselves, just us hanging out? When was the last time we went on a date?”
Because she couldn’t immediately recall, she reverted to old habits. She made excuses and she cast blame. “You’re always working. Or you’re always with Jana.”
“Because you’re never here,” he counter-accused. “You’re always with Chloe.”
“She’s been through a lot. She doesn’t have a lot of friends. And now she’s raising the baby on her own.”
“Completely her choice.”
“Yes, and it was the right one. But it’s still hard,” Amber protested. “So I’ve been helping her out sometimes. But you’re right. I’ll spend more time at home,” she promised. “With you.”
He shook his head again and sighed. “It’s not going to work, Amber. I think we need to face it. We want different things. We’re going different places. You want a family. You want kids. You want to settle down.”
“And you don’t want any of those things.” It wasn’t phrased as a question, and she now offered no protests. She was becoming resigned that Daniel was right.
“Not right now, no. I told you that already. Maybe someday I will. But I’m not ready. I’m only twenty-four. My career is just starting to take off. That’s what I want to focus on now,” he explained. “And you- you want the family. The kids. You’re ready for it now. We’re just in different places right now. We’re going different places.”
**
Gong different places. The words echoed in her head as she walked.
Not surprisingly, she ended up where she always seemed to when something went wrong or she just needed a friendly voice and a shoulder to cry on.
In front of Chloe’s apartment.
**
She had just cracked open the fortune cookie when her phone rang. “Chloe Mitchell,” she answered without checking the caller ID.
“It’s me. Are you busy?”
Chloe glanced at the fortune. ‘Love asks me no questions, and gives me endless support. Shakespeare.’ “I was just finishing lunch. Why?”
“I’m standing in front of your apartment, and you’re obviously not home and…”
“Is something wrong?”
“Daniel and I broke up.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Chapter 13
In the weeks that followed, everything in Chloe’s life seemed to be back on track. Her job at Restless Style was going well. The apartment was decorated the way she wanted it, including Delia’s nursery, with her colorful mural of unicorns, hearts and rainbows.
She and Billy had worked out a visitation arrangement than benefited both of them and their daughter, too.
So far, agreeing to just be friends had proven to be exactly what their relationship needed. Chloe had accepted that while Billy cared about her- and she knew that he did- she also knew that he was still not ready to fully grow up and be in a committed relationship.
All in all, things had definitely turned around for Chloe over the past few months.
There was only one problem.
Amber.
Her best friend wasn’t herself lately, and Chloe figured her break up with Daniel was to blame.
Chloe had taken it upon herself to try to fix things, so she had invited her friend over for dinner, figuring either she could cheer her up, or playing with Delia could.
She was hoping it would be the former.
Amber had protested, insisting she was not in the mood, although in the mood for what had never been specified.
Still, she had come, just as Chloe had known she would, and over take out lasagna from the Genoa City Athletic Club, Chloe laid out her plan of cheering up her friend and getting her back in the game.
“I think I know what your problem is,” she began.
“Yeah, I’m alone and miserable and unhappy.”
Exactly what she had expected Amber to say. “Being without a man doesn’t have to mean being miserable and unhappy,” Chloe pointed out. “Just look at me. Case in point. I wasn’t sure I could do it. There were days when I thought that breaking up with Billy would prove to be the biggest mistake of my life. Instead, it may end up being the best decision I have ever made.”
“It’s not the same thing,” Amber protested. “You were never really alone. You’ve always had your daughter.”
Chloe nodded. She took a bite of her Caesar salad and washed it down with a swallow of water before continuing. “Yes, I had Delia,” she said. “But that wasn’t all I had. I had you, too.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I had us. Our friendship. Your support. You helped get me through all of this. You were the one that was always there.”
At that, Amber smiled, the first genuine smile Chloe had seen from her since the break up. It helped reassure her that she was doing the right thing. “I’d be there for you again,” Amber answered. “If you need me, I’m here for you. I think you know that already.”
“I do. I appreciate that,” Chloe said. “And I want to try to return the favor, by being there for you and helping you.”
“You already have.”
Chloe shook her head. “It’s not enough, though. There’s more.”
“What?”
She hesitated and then just blurted it out. “I think maybe it’s time for you to start dating,” she suggested.
Amber’s response was quick, and exactly she had expected. “No!” She blurted out. “No, no, no and no,” she continued protesting. “You are not setting me up on a blind date. I do not do blind dates. I think I might have even told you that once before.”
She had, of course, and Chloe remembered the conversation well. “Yes, you did.”
“See, then you remember. I don’t do blind dates. So don’t be getting any crazy ideas about setting me up on a blind date, Chloe.”
“I didn’t say anything about a blind date. I’m not setting you up on a blind date.”
Amber looked at her, confused. “But you just said---”
At that, Chloe smiled. “I just said that I think maybe it’s time for you to start dating again,” she reiterated. “And yes, I have someone in mind for that part. It wouldn’t exactly be a blind date, though, because you already know the person I think you should go out with.”
“I do?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Chloe stared at her plate for a second and then across the table at Amber. She had rehearsed this, standing in front of the mirror, determined to get it right.
Or at least not screw it up as royally as she had the last time the conversation had been brought up.
“Me,” she said.
“What?” Amber just stared at her.
“Me, I said. I think you should go out with me.”
“Like on a date?”
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Chloe said, and decided to just keep on going before she lost her nerve. “This may seem like it’s coming out of left field, or right field or center field or whatever the hell the analogy is, I mean I have no clue. I’m not a sports fan. Anyway, it shouldn’t be that unexpected, since we sort of talked about it before. But of course, I totally and completely messed up that conversation, and I probably made you all self-conscious, thinking I wasn’t interested or something. And at the time, I wasn’t sure that I was. My feelings were all new. They’re still new. But if there’s one thing I have figured out over the past few months, it’s that I can count on you when I can’t count on other people. Well, that and you’re one of the funniest people I know, which I guess is two things. And we have so much in common, which is three. And I like my life a lot more with you in. That makes four. Oh, and I’ve also realized how much I miss you when you’re not around. Five. That’s five. Six things I have actually figured out. So I know what I’m doing. And yes, I expect people to talk. But hell, I don’t care. It’s Genoa City, Wisconsin. So people might be closed minded here. I’ve lived in New York. I’ve lived in L.A. So I do know about this sort of thing. I mean, I’ve known lots of bisexual people in my life and---”
“Chloe?” Amber interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Are you asking me out on a date? Is that what you’re doing?”
“Yes. Yes, that is exactly what I am doing.”
“Then I accept.”