Page 96 of The Heartbreaker (Chandler Brothers 3)
“And are you?”
“No.” Sloane laughed. “Not in the least.”
“Then come visit. I still have those letters of Jacqueline’s I promised to show you, and of course your sisters want to see for themselves that you’re okay. Hold on.”
Sloane heard some static and then Madeline’s voice. “Girls, bare backs are fine, but that much cleavage is not. Different dresses,” she ordered.
Sloane chuckled. “Christmas fund-raiser?” Sloane asked knowingly. She’d attended enough of those to figure out what the twins were shopping for.
“Of course,” Madeline said. “And you can’t imagine the slinky getups Eden and Dawne just tried to get me to agree to let them wear.”
Sloane rolled her eyes. “They figured you were distracted and would just nod. Then when you yelled at home later, they could blame you.”
“Exactly. Now, would you come home? We can discuss your attending that fund-raiser then. There are many new men I can introduce you to who’ll help you get over what’s-his-name in no time,” Madeline said.
Sloane stiffened in her seat. “His name is Chase Chandler, which you very well know.” Chase was unforgettable.
He’d never lied to her, never given her less than what he’d promised, and had always delivered more. She loved him even more for that.
“I know his name, honey. I just wasn’t sure how you were feeling about him these days.”
Great, Sloane thought. Patronized by her own mother. “We’re better off not going there. It wouldn’t do any good.”
“Did you know Charlotte had her baby?” Madeline asked softly. “A little girl?”
Sloane shook her head. No, she hadn’t known. She’d missed the occasion, missed seeing Chase’s expression when he saw his niece for the first time. And she’d missed it all because she’d let him go. He’d offered her a future and she didn’t trust that it was what he really wanted.
Had she been wrong, after all?
“Sloane? Are you there?”
She wiped a tear that began dripping down her cheek. “I’m here. And no, I didn’t know about Charlotte.” She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I’ll have to send a gift.”
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“Yeah. Me too.” She gripped her phone harder in her hand.
“Come home and let me take care of you. I thought you should take a few more days off to recuperate anyway.”
Sloane smiled, suddenly finding the thought of Madeline’s care and her sisters’ chatter appealing. But the notion of Yorkshire Falls was even more inviting. “Let me think about it, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay. Either you call for a flight or I’ll schedule one for you. I don’t want you alone. You still need family around you.”
Sloane groaned. “You’re determined. But it wouldn’t work unless I wanted to come. I’ll call and schedule a flight. I can be home tonight.” And in Yorkshire Falls tomorrow, if she chose to be.
“We’re not going to be home tonight. Your father and I have plans and your sisters are sleeping at a friend’s house, but you have the key, right?”
“Yes.” She jangled the key chain that held all her keys. “I’ll just see you in the morning.”
“Wonderful! Don’t forget to text your flight information so I have it,” Madeline instructed. “Well, I have to go. The girls are coming back with armloads of dresses. Let me go weed out the trashy from the trashier. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sloane hung up, feeling better than she had since leaving Yorkshire Falls. Tomorrow she’d be home with her family. Okay, so it wasn’t the same as being with Chase, but it was a start.
* * *
Sloane stepped off the plane and walked down the runway. Albany Airport wasn’t busy, and since she had only a carry-on bag, she walked straight outside to grab a taxicab. A cold wind whipped through the night air and she shivered.
Before she could wind her way through to the taxi line, a dark truck pulled up beside her, passenger window open. “Need a lift?”
Sloane recognized Chase’s deep, rumbling voice and her stomach flipped over in surprise. “How’d you find me?”
“Madeline called and said you needed a ride home from the airport.”
Sloane narrowed her gaze. “That matchmaking, lying, sneaky—”
“Those used to be my sentiments exactly, back when my mother used to exercise her skills. But that was before you came along.” He laughed. “Come on and get in. It’s freezing outside.”
Without waiting for a reply, he opened his door and stepped into the street. Ignoring her protests and questions, he walked around to put her suitcase into the back of the truck.
Sloane rubbed her now free hand over her shoulder and eyed him warily. She could take a taxi anyway, but he’d driven half an hour to the airport to pick her up, and Yorkshire Falls was in the opposite direction from her parents’ house, so he’d gone out of his way. Just to see her.
And it was so good to see him. Even if Madeline had obviously set her up. But why had Chase been willing to go along? She wouldn’t get answers unless she joined him, so when he opened the door, she slid inside without hesitation.
