Page 61 of Vitamin Sea
Chloe smiled in reply.
“My next trip is to an igloo resort in Finland—you’re welcome to tag along.”
Shai’s face scrunched up in disgust.
“Not for all of the La Mer in Sephora.”
She had left Costa Rica with the promise of seeing Jack when they were both back in Toronto, and while Chloe had hoped that would be the case, she hadn’t been entirely sure if it would happen. On her part, the intentions were there, but she also knew that the best of intentions and the greatest of connections sometimes couldn’t withstand the rigours of actual, everyday life.
Vacation life was one thing—wait staff there to do your every bidding, maid service, gourmet meals, sand, sun, and cocktails. Reality was another.
And while she wanted to continue seeing Jack, it was without a specific goal in mind. Just enjoy his company, really. Which she had in Costa Rica, immensely. Still, there had been no way to know if Jack, upon returning to Toronto, felt the same. So, it was a pleasant surprise when, two days after she had arrived back, Jack sent her a text with an invitation for dinner.
Over a meal at a downtown bistro, she was even more pleasantly surprised to find that their easy banter and conversation hadn’t just been a vacation thing. On some level, their dinner together felt even better in Toronto. It felt more like a real date and not a romance-novel vacation fantasy. Which,if Chloe was honest, was kind of what her trip had felt like the entire time. Although, while Jack had a toned body and a handsome face, there hadn’t been any open-shirt oiled-up abs, and the Fabio-esque long, golden locks hadn’t been Jack’s, they had been Chloe’s.
Jack was actually coming over for dinner that evening. It would be his first time seeing her place and she wondered whether he might feel uncomfortable being in her home. Granted, Liam hadn’t lived there for seven months, but it was still his condo and some of his belongings were still there.
As for all the things that had made her and Liam’s condo a home—smiling photos on the fridge, cute mementos of their time and travels together—she had removed all of it and put it into the building’s storage locker. Other things, like his ugly Kansas City Chiefs blanket, she had stuffed in the back of the closet. Horribleness—from being punted to the curb by her long-term boyfriend—aside, she was grateful that he at least hadn’t done it at the start of the football season. The Chiefs were one of the top teams in the NFL and she wouldn’t have been able to turn on the T.V. or even glance at a newspaper without being smacked in the face with a reminder of her ex.
As for Liam, she hadn’t seen or heard from him since the day he had told her he was coming over to pick up some of his things. All other communication had been through his friend Karam. Lala, at one point, after a pitcher of Aperol Spritz, had encouraged her to stop paying Liam rent and start squatting on his property.
“Would serve the fucker right!” she declared while swirling her glass of orange liquid in the air.
Chloe had chuckled. While thoughts of revenge were fun fuel to ponder, revenge wasn’t her style. Sometimes she wished she had more fight in her, like her friend. Lala didn’ttake shit from anyone and there was never a man who had crossed her who had come out on top.
But that wasn’t Chloe. Her method of dealing with things included curling into herself, licking her wounds, and suffering in silence.
One thing her travel assignment had brought her, aside from a new love interest and a sense of peace, was the knowledge that she needed to move out. Liam’s place was in a better location than her old condo, but she needed a fresh start. Even if that fresh start was back there. And so, one week after she arrived back in Toronto, she issued an N12 to her tenant and prepared to move back in.
A knock at her door alerted her that Jack was there, and when she opened it, she was greeted with a kiss and a bottle of wine.
Soft Jazzplayed in the background and the lights were dimmed for the evening. Above the chit-chat about their days, Chloe poured them both a glass of wine. She loved how easy it was—conversation with Jack. It flowed like they were longtime friends.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked, eyeing the assorted pots on the stove.
“Roasted veggies, saffron rice, and salmon,” she said proudly. “Oh, and French bread,” she added. “I made apple pie for dessert.”
“Sounds great,” he said, looking impressed.
Chloe beamed.
“We’ll see how well my cooking skills stack up against yours,” she teased.
“My cooking skills? You mean my ability to order in from Uber Eats?” he teased back. The night he had had Chloe over for dinner he had realized too late that he had forgotten to pick up the main ingredient for beef Wellington—the beef—and had ordered in takeout instead.
She giggled.
“I think you can probably outdo Pizzaiolo, but if not, I still appreciate the effort.”
Jack helped set the table and they had dinner and companionable conversation. Afterwards, they headed for the couch with dessert.
Chloe was just laughing at a story about work Jack told her when there was a knock at her door.
Her face scrunched up in confusion.
“Are you expecting anyone?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head as she got up and went to answer the door. “It’s probably just a newspaper salesman. One came by a few weeks ago after someone let them into the building.”
