Page 12 of Chasing After You
“Stuff.” Vale makes a face at me like I just blew his cover, taking me by the elbow and guiding me toward the door. He looks back over his shoulder at Oliver. “We’ll just be a minute.”
A second later, we’re in his room and he’s shutting the door behind us.
“That was real subtle.” I give him a look in case he doesn’t pick up on the sarcasm based on tone alone. “I’m sure he won’t think anything of us disappearing in here together now.”
“Forget what he thinks.” Vale at least remains loyal to me. “I want to know what you think.”
“About what?” I let out a frustrated laugh while I wander over toward the bed and plop down on it. I notice this room also has a pull-out sofa which is currently being used to lay out all of Vale’s clothes in hopes of undoing the folds from being packed without the use of an iron and ironing board.
A whole second bed no one wants to sleep in. How convenient for him. But I don’t dwell on that now. Instead, I stay on topic. “What do I think about being set up to sharemy vacationand my roomwith a stranger, or my ex-husband showing up – with a date no less - to join the chaos my sisters already set in motion?” I sigh dramatically, falling backward until my head hits a multitude of throw pillows sprawled out across the already cushy comforter. “So much for a fun and carefree sisters trip.”
Vale doesn’t say anything at first. Just walks over to sit next to me on the bed. “Did you say Matti brought a date on his trip too?”
I pull myself into an upright position to meet him at eye level. “Missed that part, huh?”
He shakes his head, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. “Seems I’m missing all sorts of things lately.” He looks at me, getting totally serious. “You know I had no clue they were dragging this guy along for you, right?”
I nod. “I do.”
“Good.” He centers himself again, staring out into the room instead. “Tell me again how Matti fits into this mix. And how you know he brought a woman. Because I sure as shit didn’t see one when I opened the door and saw him standing there.”
“He said her name,Kenley, when he listed off everyone that was coming.” I resort to lying back on the mattress again, looking up at the ceiling, letting the spin of the ceiling fan lull me out of the present and into a space just beyond this moment where I can gain a better perspective of my life again. “She has to be coming for him. Who else would she be joining? Jason is with Cass and Knox isn’t the sort to bring someone even if he is dating again.”
“You don’t know that. She could be coming with Knox. Would explain why she isn’t here yet.”
I shake my head. In all the years I’ve known Knox, he’s always done certain things solo. Like vacations with his friends. He and Emmery were off and on forever, and never once didshe show up on a trip with him that wasn’t focused on them as a couple. It’s just not his style. “I’m not buying it. And frankly, the thought of Matti being here with someone is totally freaking me out.” I won’t admit it to anyone else here. But Vale is on my side. He won’t try to use this against me. Even if Matti hasn’t ever been a favorite of his. “So much so I told him Oliver was my boyfriend.”
“God, I missed that part as well.” He smacks his knee. “It’s Anna’s fault too. She needed me to hoist her heavy-ass suitcase up onto the dresser for her. If the woman could pack a little lighter or hit the gym a little harder, I could be around for all the juicy shit.”
“Wow.”
“I know!”
Things quiet down between us. Mostly, I’m just trying not to laugh at him while he seems caught up in processing all the newest information.
“Did he know you were going to be here?” he asks after a moment.
“Of course. My trip and his tour overlapped. We had to make arrangements for the kids together.” I shrug, my shoulders dragging up and down across the comforter. “But we’ve been going on these trips for years and he’s never randomly shown up to crash the party before.”
“Think he could have found out about Oliver?” Even from behind him, I can still see that he’s back to rubbing his forehead. A habit he’s had since he was a kid. Anytime he can’t work something out for himself, he massages his brow.
“I don’t see how.” I don’t think any of my sisters let it slip. They certainly didn’t seem thrilled to see him here. “Besides, what difference would it make if he did?”
Vale turns to look at me. His hand is gone from his face, and it’s been replaced with a frown. “You don’t think finding outsome other man was moving in on you could possibly prompt him to come running with a fake girlfriend?”
I let out a laugh. “Right. Suddenly overcome with jealousy two years after our divorce, Matti has decided to chase after me.” I snort at the thought. “Get real.”
“Why not. Isn’t that exactly how you reacted to the news?
“Fair point,” I concede. “But no, I don’t think he knew about Oliver. And even if he did, he wasn’t lying about Kenley.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know him. I know when he’s lying. And he was absolutely making things up as he was rambling along, but not that. There wasn’t anything off in how he said her name.”
“Huh.” Vale gets quiet again for a second. Then he shakes his head as if he’s stumbled upon some newfound rations of conviction. “No, I don’t care what you think. That Kenley bit is off. I’m telling you, as a guy, there’s only one reason a man would crash his ex-wife’s vacation. He’s here for you.”
My brow crinkles.
