Page 54 of The Risks of Reuniting

He rolls his eyes at me in the mirror. "You are pretty, amigo. She will agree."

I shake my head and chuckle. "Thank you, but what about this?" I run my fingers over my jawline.

"You have hair like a man. Can we go? You have enough mirror time?" he teases, backing out of the tiny space.

I nod and slap his back as we head toward the gate where we'll meet the women. "Vamos."

Doesn't mean I'm not still wondering about neck beard versus no neck beard. I vowto trim it up tonight.

Chloe and Rachelle are waiting at the gate, and I do my best not to stare awkwardly. I mostly see Chloe in scrubs, which is not a bad look for her, but in her slim-fit joggers and a light athletic shirt, with an unzipped jacket over the top, she looks so much like the college girl I met that it makes me smile. Her gold necklaces catch the light, her earrings match, and she smiles a little shyly when she sees us walking toward them.

I remember her voice sayingIwant thislast night, and the feel of holding her, and I have to take a quick breath to keep from walking straight up to her and doing it all over again in front of our friends.

"Good morning, gentlemen," Rachelle greets with her southern accent, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Your dates await." She cocks out a hip.

"Dates?" Chloe asks with a smirk, and Rachelle elbows her.

"Yes. I can't go home saying I didn't go on a single date while I was in Peru. My reputation couldn't handle it. I'm considered a catch back home, you know," Rachelle bats her eyelashes playfully. "So, this is now a date. I'm with Holt and you can have Cesar."

I can see in her expression that she's baiting Chloe and I'm curious if it'll work. Chloe's nostrils flare and she opens her mouth to say something, but catches on to the game before words actually leave her mouth. Her initial reaction is enough to have Rachelle wink at me over Chloe's head, and I give her a little eyebrow wiggle.

Chloe scoots toward Cesar and hooks her arm through his. "That sounds good to me."

Cesar smiles at her and hugs her arm to his side. "My lady," he says in a fake low voice that has all four of us cracking up. "Let us go."

We step through the gate and into the alleyway that will take us down the hill to a paved area where we can meet up with the taxi I ordered last night. I don't know why I was worried about the weather – it's a beautifulmorning. I'm following Chloe down the hill, watching her smile as she keeps her arm through Cesar's, chatting lightly and happily. She's relaxed and I'm relieved. If she'd been tense I'd take that as a sign that she was regretting things. This is good.

"What's your move today?" Rachelle asks, hooking her arm through mine.

I catch her eyes, and am surprised to find that she doesn't seem to be aware of the kiss. Chloe is kind of private, but I'd have expected her to tell Rachelle. Not sure how to feel about that. For now, I shrug and grin.

"Be charming?" I answer.

She pinches my forearm and I frown. "Be serious, Holt. Time is short. She said you're going back to Salt Lake after this for a month, but she could disappear on you there if you don't make your intentions clear this week. So, what's your move?"

I rub at my arm and pinch my lips together. "I need one-on-one time with her."

She gives one firm nod. "Done. Cesar and I can disappear. We'll accidentally get lost in the market."

"Okay. I like that."

"You need to at least hold her hand today. Kiss her if possible."

I scoff. "You don't have to tell me how to go about it."

She scoffs back. "Well, it doesn't sound like you took advantage of the gift I gave you last night, so I can't assume you'll pull today off without clear instructions. Last time you tried something on your own, you ended up telling her you'd marry her before God in that yellow church. Try not to mess up today."

I tamp down on admitting that last night went even better than she'd hoped.

"Does she talk to you about me?" I ask, sort of hating myself for it.

"No."

My chest constricts. "That's what I thought."

She pats my arm. "She talks about everythingbutyou, you dummy. And that's significant."

"How?"

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