Forever Love: A Novella Collection, page 21
“We’ll tag along,” Jackson answered without hesitation.
“Cool. Who’s driving?” I asked.
The looks of disbelief on Jax’s, Caroline’s, and Alec’s faces about how easily I’d given in were priceless.
3
Jackson
As I pulled into Chloe’s driveway and parked behind her white Jetta, I made a mental note to grab Alec a case of beer the next time I went to the store. He’d been the genius who suggested that I follow her home—ostensibly so that I could say hi to my uncle Leo—while he followed Caroline home and took her back to our apartment complex.
The plan was to meet up in the parking lot of the building Alec and I both rented apartments in, after which I’d drive us wherever we were going. Since that meant I’d have Chloe all to myself on the drive from her house to mine, I was all about it.
I was out of my car and at the door of hers before she was unbuckled. She laughed softly as she unlocked the door so that I could open it for her. “In a hurry?” she asked cheekily.
I shrugged and tried to come off cool. “Your appointment is at eight and it’s twenty after seven. Just want to make sure you’re not late.”
She grinned and gestured toward her house with her chin. “If you say hi to my dad while I change real quick we can be out of here in about five minutes.”
Once she led the way into her house and she called out to say hi to her dad, we separated. I found Uncle Leo was in his office sitting at his desk and doing something on his computer.
I chuckled when he looked up at me in clear astonishment as I leaned against the doorjamb. “No date tonight?” I asked. Leo had dated a few women here and there over the years but with his priority being Chloe he’d never looked for anything serious. He’d been more open about it for the last few years but since he hadn’t had any luck meeting someone without help, he’d signed up with an online dating service.
“Never mind my dating life,” he chortled, “let’s talk about the fact that you’re here with Chloe and it’s not because there’s a family event taking place. Am I even awake right now?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re awake, Uncle Leo. We ran into each other at Olive Garden and decided to hang out for the night. We’re meeting Caroline and Alec back at my apartment complex and then we’ll probably head to the Bliss Grill to play pool.”
“And things are… calm?”
“Things are good. I don’t know why you’re so surprised since I’ve been telling you for years that someday we’d work everything out.”
Even though I’d said it dozens of times to Leo and to my parents, I’d said it to myself at least a million. Through every argument and temper tantrum, I’d kept the faith in what Madam Aria had seen in that crystal ball. Was that crazy as hell? Of course it was. But where Chloe was concerned, I did whatever I had to do to keep the faith. Back before Aria had made her predictions, I’d always hoped the day would come that Chloe would look at me without hostility.
“Well your father has been telling me he’s going to win the lottery since we were ten years old and that hasn’t happened yet. You know me, kid. I don’t believe anything until I see it with my own two eyes.”
“See what with your own two eyes?” Chloe asked.
I bit back a curse when she brushed against my side as she bounded past me into Leo’s office.
“You and Jax getting along.”
Chloe made a dismissive noise as she crossed the room and dropped a kiss on Leo’s cheek. She’d changed into a black tank top, white jean shorts, a well-loved pair of black Chucks, and had also put her hair up in a messy bun. I swallowed back a groan as she turned back to me and I took in how damn sexy she looked. It didn’t matter what she wore, either. Had she changed into a chaste dress, she still would have been my walking wet dream.
“Sorry to drop and run but we can’t stay,” she said as she hurried back to where I stood at the door. “I’m leaving my car here because Jax is driving but I’ll be back later.”
Uncle Leo’s eyes ping-ponged between us like he could hardly believe what he was seeing. I was one hundred percent positive he’d be on the phone with my parents before my car pulled out of the driveway.
After saying quick goodbyes, we headed off. Once we were in the driveway I opened the car door for Chloe to get into my passenger seat before I walked around and got into the driver’s seat.
“Nice whip,” she teased.
Turning, I gave her a wry look. “Are you talking shit about the Volvo?”
Her giggle made my heartbeat speed up. Holding her thumb and index finger so that they were barely parted, she grinned. “I’m just saying that it’s crazy that not only have you kept your grandma’s gold station wagon for six years, you’ve also left her furry scented dice hanging from the mirror.”
“They don’t have that weird tropical smell anymore. Plus, she says the dice bring good car luck.”
Chloe didn’t respond for several seconds, and I felt tension building. “Getting lucky in the car is a big thing for you?” she asked in a stiff-sounding voice.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Unless Grandma Birdie was getting frisky in the car with her gentleman callers before she gave it to me, it’s never seen any action. Good car luck means no accidents, Chloe.”
The smile that spread across her face confirmed what I’d long hoped—Chloe cared. A lot.
“Well, I thought for sure you’d trade it in once you knew you got your first real job,” she said, changing the subject.
“You heard about that?”
I was surprised since I’d only found out the day before that I’d gotten a job in the communications and social media department at an online-based retail company just outside of Boston. It would be a thirty-minute commute each way, but I was excited to start.
“Of course I heard about it,” she laughed. “Aunt Maddie was practically singing it from the mountain tops. That doesn’t answer my question about why you’re still driving this dad car, though. It completely clashes with your image.”
I chuckled as I put the car into gear and pulled out of her driveway. “Volvos are dependable cars and I don’t want to spend the money on something new until this one is officially on its last leg.”
She laughed. “You have no idea how much shit my dad has given me over the years about how I need to be more like you when it comes to money. Ever since you got your first job the summer we were fourteen, you’ve basically saved every penny you’ve ever earned.”
“Not quite every penny,” I countered, thinking of the heart necklace I’d bought her years before. “It’s true that while I lived at home I didn’t see any reason to use most of what I earned because my parents paid for all my needs. When I moved out at the start of my junior year of college, I had to dip into what I’d saved working for the previous years.”
“Whereas I blew all the money I earned on my car,” she sighed. “Even with Dad matching the funds I had and paying for half, I was still left with almost nothing. In retrospect I realized I should’ve gotten a cheaper car.”
“Nah, with a cheap car you might’ve gotten stuck with a ton of repair bills. Keep it for a few more years and it’ll be well worth what you spent.”
Her sweet laugh filled the car. “If someone told me this morning that I’d be talking to you about cars and finances right now, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
“Something has changed,” I said. I was fishing to see what she would say in response.
“Yeah,” she agreed, “it has.”
I waited for her to say what that something was, but she didn’t and I didn’t have time to press her on it since we were pulling into the parking lot of my apartment building. As I neared the spot where Alec’s car was, Chloe and I simultaneously started laughing. This was due to the fact that Alec and Caroline were up against his car making out like they were somewhere private.
“I knew she liked him!”
“That’s good because he more than likes her,” I answered as I pulled my car up behind Alec’s car. The two idiots making out didn’t even notice that we were there.
“I’m glad he likes her because the way she was talking earlier was making me want to go full psycho on him,” she whispered.
I wrinkled my forehead as I turned her way. “Full psycho?”
Chloe slashed her hand through the air. “Full Norman Bates Psycho,” she murmured. “Caroline told me she thought she was too heavy to catch Alec’s eye and that made me want to cut a bitch. Him being the bitch, obviously.”
“Obviously,” I said dryly. “Good news though, you have no reason to. He’s been into her since they started talking a few months ago. I kept telling him to ball up and make a move, but he said she was giving off some weird vibes that made him question if she was even interested.”
Chloe’s expression was contemplative as she nodded. “Some things can’t be rushed. They can only happen on the timeline they’re meant to,” she said.
My head reared back in surprise and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Madam Aria had said nearly the same exact thing to me the year before about Chloe and me.
Before I could say anything else Chloe reached her hand out and pressed my horn. I turned from looking at her just in time to see the tail end of Alec and Caroline springing apart. They then hurriedly got into my back seat like two kids who’d been caught wandering off on a field trip.
“Glad the horn worked because the next step was hosing you off,” Chloe teased.
They told us to shut up in unison, which just made Chloe and me laugh. It was contagious, and we were all chuckling right up until Chloe yelled out, “Shit, if we don’t get this show on the road we’re going to be late. I’ve heard horror stories about how she reacts to tardiness and I’m so not into that. We’ve got to go, go, go. Slip this baby into drive and head for the high school.”
I nodded and did as she instructed. Pulling out of my parking lot I turned and asked, “Why the high school?”
“Don’t be a dick and start laughing,” she ordered.
“You know saying that guarantees we’re going to laugh?” Alec joked from the back seat.
Chloe turned and gave Alec the finger. “I wouldn’t if I were you. My appointment is with Madam Aria and I won’t hesitate to ask her to cast some kind of spell on you.”
I was so surprised by who her appointment was with that I took my foot off the gas and turned to her in shock.
“I’m taking you to see Aria?”
She shrugged like it was no big deal. “It’s the end-of-year carnival so that’s where she’s seeing people this weekend. I promised her months ago that I’d come see her as soon as I got home. She was the one who gave me a specific time.”
If Aria wanted Chloe there at eight, I’d have her there at eight. Putting my foot back on the gas, I sped up so we could get to our destination quicker.
4
Chloe
I’d been to so many carnivals at the high school that I swear in a pinch I could set it up myself. I smiled as I basked in the scents of caramel corn, funnel cake, and cotton candy wafting through the warm summer air. If there were a carnival-scented candle, I’d burn it all the time.
Caroline and Alec immediately split off and went to play some of the carnival games. I thought Jax would go with them, but instead he stayed with me. After so many years of petty arguments (both of us), outlandish pranks (him), and over-the-top tantrums (mine), it would’ve made perfect sense for there to be tension or discomfort between us, but that wasn’t the case at all. For whatever reason, I felt more comfortable and in tune with him than I ever had with anyone.
My steps faltered as we rounded the corner to Aria’s tent and I saw that she was standing there holding the flap to the tent as if she’d known precisely when to expect me.
Her eyes lit up with satisfaction when she saw Jax and me. “Right on schedule,” she said, as if she were proud of me.
After saying hello to Aria, Jackson gestured toward the series of plastic benches that were about thirty feet from Aria’s tent. “I’m going to go wait there and leave you two to it,” he said.
“You’ll do no such thing,” Aria snorted. “I was expecting you, Jackson. Both of you are needed.”
“We are?” Jackson asked. His expression spoke his confusion.
“Yes,” Aria answered firmly. “Now come inside so we can get started.”
Jax and I immediately responded to the demanding tone of Aria’s voice, dutifully moving forward to follow along behind her. We exchanged a glance of confusion along the way, but no words were spoken.
The scent of citrus and clove tickled my nose as the flap of the tent closed behind us. The interior was the same as ever, the focal point of the space being a round table covered in silk scarves. Aria’s purple crystal ball sat to the side, while a well-loved set of tarot cards sat in the center.
One side of the table had a single elaborate wood seat with intricate carved detailing on the back and an indigo-colored silk pillow on the seat. On the side there were two plain wooden chairs. Aria flicked her wrist toward them to indicate that we should sit. Jax held one out and waited for me to sit down before he did. All the while my head spun as I wondered why Aria wanted to see us together.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she announced once we were all seated.
“You do?” I squeaked.
“Don’t panic—I don’t mean the exact thoughts. I’m merely saying it’s obvious that you’re both wondering why I said I was expecting you both here just now.”
I let out a soft giggle. “That’s a good guess.”
“It wasn’t random that I told you to be here at this time. Weeks ago my ball showed me that you two would come together at this specific time. I knew it was time for you to know everything, Chloe, and I wanted Jackson to be here so you wouldn’t be able to tell yourself that it’s not possible. Your feelings are real.”
“Real?” I parroted.
Aria nodded but didn’t expound on her statement. I definitely felt something, but I couldn’t imagine telling Jax that. At least not yet. Surely there was a better time than my first night back in town for me to confess my feelings for him.
“Even when you fought it, Chloe, the connection between the two of you has always been strong. That said, your souls want that connection to deepen. Being apart has only stoked that need. Now that you’re back in the same town, things are going to escalate rather quickly. Jackson has known for many years what you two are, so he’s ready. It’s time for you to understand everything in order to be on the same page with him.”
When I looked over, I found Jax watching me with a cautious expression.
I mouthed what’s going on but he didn’t get a chance to answer since Aria chose that moment to tap three times on the table. “Chloe, you came here tonight for me to read your cards. Let’s consult the deck so we can confirm the things my ball has shown me.”
I nodded, but I’d never been more confused. She reached across the table to hand the deck over to me, then set her hands over mine once I had a grip on the cards.
“Close your eyes, clear your mind of all things, and silently ask the cards one question. You may take a moment to figure your question out if you haven’t already got it in your mind.”
Oddly, the instant she told me to ask the cards a question, I knew exactly what I would ask. Closing my eyes I focused on what I wanted to know.
Will anything ever happen between Jackson and me, or did I ruin any chance by being a petulant brat for too long?
Once I’d asked the question I opened my eyes and set the cards down in front of me.
“Keep that question in the forefront of your mind and shuffle the deck,” Aria instructed. “When you feel your answer, pull that card and set it facedown on the table.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Just one card?”
I was confused because she normally told me to choose three.
“One is all you need today,” she assured me.
Realizing it was probably best not to do a whole reading with Jax sitting right there, I nodded and began shuffling. The two previous times I’d held Aria’s deck during readings, I’d questioned whether I was pulling cards because I really felt them, or if it was just random.
That wasn’t the case right then, though. I felt a buzz when I touched the right card, a jolt that worked its way up my arm. Pulling it out, I set it facedown on the table and then set the rest of the deck to the left of it.
Aria hummed something as she reached forward and picked up my single card. Turning it over, she made a triumphant sound.
“It’s just as I thought,” she murmured.
Looking down, I saw the wheel of fortune card. A wave of disappointment washed through me because I’d been hoping for a love card.
“Turn that frown upside down immediately,” Aria ordered. “This isn’t a bad card, Chloe. In fact, it’s perfect. I hoped this would be the one you would pick. This confirms what I already knew, dear. By taking that time away, you grew up and were able to reset yourself, which changed everything. Fortune is now at your side instead of miles ahead of you. That which your soul has craved all these years is finally ready to unfold.”
I felt wired and my senses were on hyper-alert. I didn’t realize my right leg was going a million miles an hour until Jax set his hand just above my knee. I stopped moving as the heat of his palm against my leg soothed me while at the same time it sent a totally different but far more potent sensation through my body.
“Now I’m going to tell you what you and Jackson are. Open your mind and listen with your heart. I promise all will make sense soon.”
5
Jackson
By the time Madam Aria was finished explaining about us being devoted souls, Chloe looked shell shocked.
She looked over at me as if in a daze. “You believe this?”
At some point during Aria’s explanation I’d taken Chloe’s right hand into mine and linked our fingers together. I gently squeezed to comfort her as I nodded. “After the reading with Aria when I was thirteen, I started paying attention, and when I did things got a lot clearer. I’d always known that I tried to get your attention and approval, but other than understanding that I had a crush on you, I didn’t fully get why I felt so strongly about it. The harder I tried, the more spectacularly I failed. Alec started insisting that I must’ve been repeatedly dropped on the head as a child because when it came to you I refused to give up.
