After the Climb (River Rain #1) - Kristen Ashley Page 0,9
hard about whatever it is you’re doing.”
She already had.
So she felt it wasn’t (exactly) even a fib to say, “I will, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
That was their usual sign off, so she disconnected.
She then drove the rest of the way out of town, eventually turning into a gravel drive.
She hadn’t gone this far when she’d followed Rodney up. She’d driven past, turned around, and waited for their exit.
She didn’t actually need to do this sleuthing stuff; Mary had given her his address.
But she couldn’t track her mom’s movements real-time if she didn’t.
Now, by the time she’d stopped in front of that magnificent house beside that stunning lake she oh-so-totally saw her mom loving, and loving to live there, and she got out of the Range Rover, he was standing at the top of the steps.
She’d Googled the hell out of him when her mom shared all that was going down, so it was not lost on Chloe that Duncan Holloway was a looker.
But even if he wasn’t her type, and he was old enough to be her dad, IRL, he was gorgeous.
She rounded her car and he called, “Can I help you with something?” as she headed toward the steps.
Nice voice too.
She kept going and stopped two steps down from him. “Hi, I’m Chloe Pierce.”
She sensed a pang of not-quite-recognition, maybe because she had some of her mom’s features, maybe because he knew the name Tom Pierce.
But he did not know her.
Beautiful, super-famous Imogen Swan and talented, hot stud tennis player Tom Pierce suffered the paparazzi and fans like the pros they were.
But both morphed straight to feral when it came to their children.
In other words, she, nor Sasha nor Matt, had been paraded around as accessories.
Her parents’ public life was public.
Their private life, especially family, was vehemently private.
To the point the world went apeshit when they broke up, thinking that they were solid and always would be.
But after some time, they got it (or got used to it), when Mom and Dad did it in a way they actually fulfilled the usual lie of “we remain the best of friends.”
They were, to this day, the best of friends.
Chloe had struggled with it at the time of the split. Her relationship with her dad took a hit.
She might be a drama queen, a personality trait she nurtured gleefully.
But she was still her mother’s daughter.
And in that, the lesson of, “People do things for a myriad of reasons, darling. Just because you don’t know what it is, or you do and you don’t like it, doesn’t mean it isn’t valid. But at the end of the day, you have the power to forgive and move on. It’s the most selfish thing you can do, letting go of that weight so you can move forward in life without carrying it. It just happens that it’s the most compassionate thing you can do too.”
Chloe had a feeling she was going to need to count on this.
“I’m Genny Swan’s daughter. And we need to talk,” she finished.
Instantly, he gave her precisely what she needed in order to know she was doing the right thing.
His middle swayed back like she’d delivered a gut punch.
And his handsome face went haggard.
He also did not move to hide this last.
And the kicker?
He drank in her features like he’d been a man straggling through the desert for days and she was his oasis.
And then he asked, “You drink beer?”
“I’d prefer a martini.”
“I’ll see what we got.”
He then moved to the side in invitation.
Chloe proceeded up the steps.
And she did this fighting a smile.
Chapter Three
The Hotel
Imogen
Shaken after the events at Duncan’s home, and because of that, and the necessity to box it up, set it aside, and move forward without falling apart (until I could do that alone), I was going through the motions as I walked into the hotel.
Since Trisha and Scott (my friends who lived in the condo next to mine, but had moved up here permanently three years ago) had shared that this property had been purchased in order for an extensive renovation that would end in it being an exclusive boutique hotel, we’d wondered if the owner was a lunatic, or a visionary.
And I’d wanted to visit since it had its grand opening.
Thus, I decided to take that opportunity on this trip, as well as spend some time with Trish and Scott, not to mention Heddy.
Therefore, after I’d given Corey his final wish for me (and now, the fact I’d done it for that man