Page 69 of Through the Storms

“I was wondering the same thing.” Chloe playfully bumped her hip into Riley’s and began walking again, but Riley didn’t follow. “What’s the matter?”

There was an unreadable expression on Riley’s face. “Um, nothing.”

“Oh, no, you don’t. Talk.”

Riley played with the buttons on her denim shirt and looked toward the sky. “Most times, all the poets and songs talk about the sun in someone’s hair.”

“Okay? Did I miss part of this conversation?” Chloe was almost certain she hadn’t, but she had no idea what Riley was talking about.

“They’re always talking about how a woman’s hair looks with the sunlight shining through it.” Riley continued to pull on her buttons. If she pulled any harder, she might yank one off. “But right then, when you turned, I swear the moonlight did something really weird to your hair.”

“Weird? Like bad weird?”

“No!” Riley practically lunged at Chloe, but at least she stopped pulling on her buttons when she took Chloe’s arm. “When you turned, the moonlight hit your hair, and it…it, like, glowed.” Riley shook her head. “No, glowed sounds bizarre. It shimmered. It was gorgeous.” Riley’s eyes widened, and she bit her bottom lip.

God.She was adorable when she was embarrassed. Chloe gave Riley a smile. “Thank you. Are you sure you’re not experiencing the side effects of seeing Lana breeze into the room?”

“She was impressive, but no, this was all you and the moonlight.”

Chloe leaned in toward Riley and could feel the heat coming off her.Damn.It was probably a bad idea, but it was too late to pull back abruptly without making Riley feel bad. She needed to say something. “I should let you in on a little secret,” Chloe whispered. “I don’t think it was the moonlight.” Chloe pointed up. “We’re right under the streetlight.”

Riley glanced up and laughed. “Maybe that’s why the poets don’t talk about it.”

Chloe laughed, too. “Yeah, your hair looks beautiful in the glare of the streetlight isn’t poetic, but thank you just the same.” A sharp pain gripped Chloe’s chest.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Come on.” Chloe started down the sidewalk.

Riley jogged a few steps to catch up. “Hey. Not fair. You made me tell you what I was thinking.”

They walked in silence for several steps as Chloe wrestled with her response. It was true that it wasn’t fair, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit her pathetic thoughts.

Riley put her hand against Chloe’s back. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Chloe turned and looked up into Riley’s kind eyes. Chloe had never met someone like Riley, who exuded such physical power and strength, while at the same time there was always a gentle softness in her eyes. It made Chloe want to be open.

“Fair is fair. You told your embarrassing thoughts,” Chloe said after a few more steps. “I realized that it’s been a long time since anyone has said that anything about me is beautiful.”

“I can’t believe that.” Riley met Chloe’s gaze. “Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Stop.” Chloe lightly slapped Riley’s arm as they continued to walk toward the hotel.

“I’m serious,” Riley persisted. “I’m sorry that someone who was supposed to make you feel beautiful made you feel the opposite.”

Chloe shrugged. “Isn’t that what marriage is all about?” She tried to put a joking tone in her voice but likely failed.

“Never. And I hope you didn’t mean it.”

Chloe sighed. “It’s been a rough year. I’ve taken a few hits to my self-esteem, but I’ll recover. It just takes time.”

“No doubt.” Riley put her hand on Chloe’s back again. Her touch was warm and comforting. “Take all the time you need, but never forget your worth.”

Chloe blinked back tears. When had she become someone who teared up from a kind word, and how had she allowed herself to get so low? “Enough of this.” Chloe waved her hand. “I’m not going to take the joy and excitement from the day.”

Riley opened her mouth to speak but then snapped it shut and nodded. They strolled through the intersection in silence.

When they reached the other side, Riley said, “I hope someone got pictures of when Lana showed up. The look on Oakley’s face was priceless.”