Page 26 of Still Afraid

“Don’t go. We’ve only barely started talking.”

“And that’s all it’s going to be. Thanks for calling.”

“Oh Josh, please don’t go.”

“I’m going to hang up now. Bye, Breana.”

“Fine. Goodbye.”

He hit the end button before she could say anything else, then looked at Chloe.

“What was that?”

“I have no idea.”

“She sounded pretty enamored with you. I mean, I can’t blame her, but you’re taken.” She gave him a big smile.

“You bet. And you have nothing to worry about.”

She opened his car door. “Exactly, so let’s get my junk loaded up and moved to your—our house.”

He closed the window and cut the engine before getting out.

Chloe stood there with her bag in front of her, waiting for him.

He draped his arm across her shoulders. “Let’s get your stuff moved … after lunch.”

Her stiff body relaxed some.

They went inside, and before long Gabe, Jesse, and both of their wives arrived after dropping all the kids off at the horse farm with Grandma and Grandpa.

The six of them chatted and built sandwiches, then stood around the island and ate.

“I remember moving you in here, Chloe,” Gabe reminisced.

“Oh man, let’s not talk about that.” Chloe hid behind her hand.

“I think Josh deserves to know what happened.”

Jesse slapped Gabe’s arm. “Don’t you think he’ll know soon enough?”

Gabe leaned forward onto the island. “The hole, yes.” He looked to Chloe. “I have the supplies to fix it, by the way.” Back to Jesse, he said, “But I’m talking about the reason for the hole.”

“Gabe, seriously?” Chloe’s eyes pleaded with him.

“I doubt he’ll be all that surprised.” Gabe turned his attention to Josh. “You know your dear soon-to-be wife isn’t a normal girl. When she was little, she didn’t have posters of boy bands all over her walls. No, she had a sketchbook filled with her fictional boyfriends. And hearts all around their faces.”

“Gabe!” Chloe yanked on his sleeve.

“The pages also included all their attributes, author described or not.”

Chloe’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

Josh tried to keep his chuckle inside. “I can’t say I’m surprised by this.”

Jesse added, “The part she’s embarrassed by is she’s a terrible artist.”

At this, Chloe’s face went from pink to red. And she dove for her younger brother.