Page 95 of The Arrangement

The doorbell rings, and I march to the foyer. I hand the delivery person all the cash in my pocket, which is probably enough for a day’s worth of coffee deliveries but fuck it, take the coffee, and close the door.

“I need to go,” I say, heading for the bedroom. “I’ll call you later this week.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

I slide my phone across the table as I walk by and enter the bedroom. Chloe’s sitting on the edge of the bed in a long white and pink dress. Her brows lift warily as I approach her.

“Is everything okay?” she asks. “I tried not to listen, but when your voice is that loud, it’s hard not to hear.”

“Nothing new. Nothing for you to worry about.” I hand her a vanilla iced latte and kiss the top of her head. “You look beautiful this morning.”

She smiles. “You say that so often that I’m starting to think it’s just a line.”

“I should’ve known. You do like creativity.”

Her smile darkens as we share a memory of last night after dinner.

She stands and presses a sweet kiss to my lips. “Thank you for the coffee. I was going to say I can’t believe you remembered, but that’s untrue. I’m not the least bit surprised.”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“You should expect your coffee in the morning. Maybe we are making progress.”

She rolls her eyes before her attention settles over my shoulder—at the ringing phone I’m trying to ignore.

Chloe’s words last night regarding returning to reality, about how this weekend has been amazing, and she didn’t want to leave it, come drifting back to me. Suddenly, I understand what she was saying. I don’t want to go back, either.

“I bet Renn would sell me this place,” I say, only half-kidding. “We could move here, bring Mimi, and just live out the rest of our lives.”

She smacks my chest, sipping her coffee as she heads for the closet. “You’d be bored out of your mind.”

“I think you could keep me entertained.”

She pauses in the doorway and giggles. “I could for a while. It might be a fun experiment for a few months.”

“Wanna try it?”

She shakes her head and rummages around in her bags, the sound crinkling through the room. “Be a good little CEO and check your phone. Make sure the office isn’t burning down. I just need a few more minutes to gather the rest of the store you bought for me yesterday, and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“I know you’re being sarcastic, but thanks for the reminder.”

“Of my frustration with you?” she calls.

“No. Of the way you looked in that skimpy black thing last night. I think we’ll try the white one when we get home.”

Her head pops around the corner, grinning. She holds my gaze for a few moments and then ducks back inside.

“Fine,” I say, groaning. “I’ll be out here when you’re ready.”

“Good boy.”

I chuckle, walking out of the bedroom. Has she ever not handled me?

Leave it to Chloe to make me laugh, even when I’m in a terrible mood.