Page 89 of Chasing the Sun

“I hope they didn’t overwhelm you with all that talk about staying here.”

She shook her head. “It was nice knowing they want me to stay.” But do you?

“Chloe, I…”

“I hate to interrupt, but I really have to go. I told Elle I’d meet her at four, and if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”

“Right. Okay. Well, thanks for celebrating my birthday with me.”

She smiled. “It was fun, but your celebration isn’t over yet.”

“Huh?”

She quickly covered up her mistake. “You still get to play golf with Jamie.”

“Oh. Right.”

She glanced at her watch. “I really need to go. Happy Birthday, Bryce.”

He leaned in like he was going to kiss her, but instead, he opened the car door for her. She felt a flicker of disappointment as she slid into the leather seat.

“Have fun with Elle,” he said, though he didn’t look happy to see her go.

“Thanks.”

With that, he shut the door, shoved his hands in his pockets, and watched her back out of the driveway.

She glanced in her rearview mirror as she drove away and saw him still standing there. It wasn’t until she’d turned onto another street that she let out a heavy sigh, feeling relieved that she’d made it through the party without giving away the surprise. When everyone had been giving him gifts, she’d felt bad that she didn’t have anything tangible to give him, but soon he’d find out why.

At various times throughout the afternoon, she’d questioned her plan, but then he’d smile at her or touch her hand when they were passing the food, and she’d feel confident again.

At the end, when Molly had given him the card she’d made, Chloe had fought back tears. She’d known Molly was making something for her dad, but Molly hadn’t let her see it beforehand. She was touched that Molly had included her in the drawing, and it seemed like Bryce had been too.

Hopefully, she hadn’t misread him or was seeing things that weren’t there, but when he’d walked her out and looked sad to see her go, she’d felt another boost of confidence.

Still, she was about to take a big risk, the biggest she’d taken since deciding to come to Naples in the first place. It was crazy how much had changed since then. In the beginning, she’d been hesitant about taking the job. She’d never imagined that she’d fall in love with Molly and her boss.

She arrived at the Naples Beach Resort and Golf Club right at four o’clock, as she’d been assured that their room would be available by then. She handed the keys to the Mercedes to the valet, and a porter removed her bags from the trunk and loaded them onto a luggage cart.

She checked in at the front desk, and ten minutes later, she’d changed into the golf clothes that she’d bought the last time she’d gone shopping with Elle. At first, she hadn’t been sure what to choose, but she’d gone with a khaki skort that was both practical and cute and a pale purple polo shirt. She and Elle had laughed uproariously in the fitting room when Chloe had challenged her to say “pale purple polo shirt” five times fast.

By the time she’d gone up to the register to pay, everyone in the store had been staring at them, but she’d been having too much fun to care. She’d even bought a matching purple visor and ankle socks to complete the look, and she was happy with the result. Even if she wasn’t a great golfer, at least she looked the part!

She took one last glance in the mirror and said, “This is it,” before grabbing the bag with her golf shoes and heading out the door.

She took the resort path to the golf course and used the time to collect her thoughts. The resort grounds were so beautiful that it was almost impossible to be uptight. It was another perfectly sunny day, and she didn’t even mind the heat due to the gentle breeze blowing in off the ocean.

Soon she reached the clubhouse and went up to the counter to check in. “I have a reservation for Chloe Miller.”

The clerk typed on the computer and said, “You’re renting clubs too. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“What about your guest?”

“He has his own.”

“Okay. Be right back.”