Love Letters

  “I need to close some deals, baby,” Richard said. “How do you expect me to provide for our future?”

  Chloe frowned. “Aren’t you going to ask me how my day went?”

  “All right, how was your day?” He yawned.

  “Well, aside from finding my ideal wedding gown, there was this strange lady who came to the shop today,” Chloe said, purposefully avoiding any mention of Josh. “She bought a wedding gown for her daughter. Can you imagine that? I would freak out if my mom did that.”

  Richard’s phone rang.

  “Did you hear what I just said?” Chloe said, but Richard held up a hand to silence her.

  “Hang on just a sec.” He turned away from her. “Hello, Dan. Uh-huh, escrow on the fifteenth. We have all the documents. Gotcha thanks.”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “I swear, your phone rings one more time and I’m going to bed.”

  “All right, I’m turning it off.” He twisted a knob. “You see, it’s off.” Richard held up the phone for her to see. Chloe forced a smile. “So you were saying?”

  “I said that this strange lady bought a gown for her daughter who was marrying husband number five. Can you imagine a mother buying her daughter’s gown? That’s supposed to be her special day. She ought to choose her own gown.” Chloe didn’t know why it bothered her so much. Maybe it was because the woman reminded her so much of her own mother. Both were control freaks. Seeing the woman in action gave Chloe more reason not to call her mom.

  Richard shrugged. “Who knows, maybe her daughter’s blind and she can’t see her gown.”

  Chloe hit him with a pillow. “You’re crazy.”

  “And that’s why you love me.” He winked then leaned toward her. Greta barked and jumped on the couch in attack mode.

  “Down, Greta!” he said. “Chloe, do something about your dog.” Greta didn’t budge and growled some more. Greta had hated him from the first time she laid eyes on him. Chloe had thought she would outgrow it, but she hadn’t.

  “Hon, you don’t need to talk to her that way. She’s not going to attack you,” Chloe said, cooing at the French bulldog.

  Richard stood up. “I’m beat. I need to get going. I have an early day tomorrow.”

  “Okay, but will I see you again after work tomorrow?” she asked, hugging her big teddy bear – the one Josh had given her all those years ago. She felt her face flush and hoped Richard hadn’t seen it.

  “We’ll see.” He paused. “By the way, are you forgetting something?”

  “What?”

  “You’ll need to make peace with your mother. Don’t tell me you’re not inviting her to our wedding.” Richard reached over and pulled her to him.

  That was one thing she loved about Richard – the thing that had drawn her to him in the first place. He had a close family. She missed that. Chloe sighed.

  He kissed her on the nose. “I’m looking forward to meeting my future mother-in-law.”

  “All right, all right,” she said, putting some distance between them. “The wedding isn’t until June, so there’s no rush to tell her.”

  Richard shook his head. “Baby, you know my parents want to meet her. You can’t keep making up these lame excuses that she’s traveling around the world.”

  “You don’t know my mother,” she said. “She can really be a pain. Let’s elope instead.”

  “Not a chance!” Richard winked, drawing her close again. How would you feel if our future daughter did that to you? You only have one mother and she deserves your respect.”

  “Okay. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” she said, giving him a peck on the lips then walking him to the door.

  Later, as Chloe lay in bed hugging her teddy bear, she thought about the strange encounter with her customer…but her thoughts soon shifted to Josh. She had thought she would never see him again. Now, seeing him after thirteen years, she wondered why he had come back.

  Was it because of his promise?

  Chapter Two

  A few minutes before ten o’ clock, the doorbell rang. Chloe struggled out of bed and took so long to open the door that Nicole began pounding on it.

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. I thought we were going cake shopping today.” Despite the fog outside, Nicole was dressed in super skinny jeans, a black lacey top and a glimmering set of four-inch high heels.

  Chloe groaned. “Is it ten o’ clock already? After Richard left, I stayed up late watching The Notebook.”

  Nicole shook her head. “Again? How many times have you watched that movie?”

  Chloe laughed and gestured Nicole inside. “More than a hundred times. You know I’m a sucker for a good romance.”

  “Yeah, yeah, it’s too cheesy for me.”

  “Why are you so cynical?” Chloe said, as she traipsed to the bedroom and pulled clothes from her closet.

  “I’m a realist.”

  “Let me get cleaned up.” Nicole sat on the bed while Chloe hurried through her shower.

  “I thought all women want to marry their true love,” Chloe called through the closed door.

  “Everybody minus me,” Nicole said.

  “What’s the matter with you, girl? Are you and Matt having problems?” Chloe asked, as she turned off the water and toweled off.

  “No, but we’ve been together like forever. Why get so excited?” she said, speaking loudly so Chloe could hear her. “I told him, if we do get married we’re flying to Vegas.”

  “Nicole, what you need is to spice up your life. How about you two take a vacation or go to some spa. That should add some excitement to your life.”

  “Hey, enough about me, this is your day. Hurry up so we can go plan your wedding,” Nicole said.

  Chloe tied her hair back and put on some comfy jeans, a pull-over jacket and sneakers then came out of the bathroom ready to go. She hardly ever wore any makeup or jewelry. “You’re never going to believe who I bumped into yesterday.”

  “Who?” Nicole asked, raising her eyebrows.

  Chloe told Nicole how she accidentally – literally – bumped into Josh.

  “Josh Goldman, your first love?”

  “You remember him?” Chloe asked, surprised.

  Nicole laughed. “How could I forget? You used to talk about him every day, especially that day you guys kissed.”

  Chloe looked outside the window. “That was my first and last kiss with him.”

  “You were never the same after he left. You cried yourself to sleep, hoping one day he’d return for you.”

  “He promised me he would come back and marry me someday.” She stuffed her clothes into her hamper. “Wait, you don’t think he came ba –”

  “Oh, Chloe! Get real.” Nicole threw up her hands. “Wake up. That was thirteen years ago. You were eleven, for heaven’s sake.”

  Chloe fell silent. Of course Nicole was right, but what if …?

  “Tell me how he looks. Does he still have the same heartthrob boyish face?” Nicole asked, despite all her bluster.

  He hasn’t changed. Take that back, he’s amazing. “He looks pretty much the same except he’s much taller now with long hair.”

  “I bet he’s gorgeous, and you’re just afraid to tell me.”

  Chloe didn’t answer.

  “So what did he say?” Nicole asked, looking at herself from side to side in the mirror.

  “He manages the surf shop at the end of Main Street. His brother is competing in the Maverick competition this March. You remember Phil, don’t you?”

  “Phil Goldman? You mean he’s the one competing? I’d heard the name, but never put the two together,” Nicole said.

  “I said the same thing. Phil and Josh opened Surfing Buddies last week.”

  “Wait ‘til I tell Matt that Josh is back. He’ll be happy to see Josh. He was Matt’s best friend growing up.”

  Chloe thought for a moment. She had dated Josh the same time that Nicole had started dating Matt. Nicole and Matt had dated for thirteen years, and they seemed very happy. After Josh left, C
hloe had one boyfriend named Adam, which lasted two months. She had dated somebody when she was in college, but that hadn’t lasted. Then two years ago she had met Richard, the only serious boyfriend after Josh.

  Nicole grabbed her purse then they left.

  Chloe was running late. “Who’s driving?”

  “You are,” Nicole said, following her down the stairs.

  They got in the Jetta and headed for the first stop, the Ritz Hotel. As they entered, Chloe asked Nicole to wait for her by the table in the lobby, while she spoke to the manager about the menu, fees, date and time.

  “Do you realize how long you took?” Nicole said when Chloe returned to the table nearly an hour later. “I already drank four martinis and I’m buzzed.”

  “Will you relax? I got all the information I need and now I have to decide on my guest list and the food. I reserved the date for June 15th, which is a Saturday, at four p.m. I want my guests to be able to watch the sunset while celebrating,” Chloe said, admiring the ocean view.

  “Whatever,” Nicole said, obviously feeling no pain after the four martinis. “You seem to have it all figured out.”

  “C’mon, Nic. At least I have one of my tasks down. What do you think I should serve: braised beef or grilled chicken?”

  “How about a martini,” Nicole said, her face flushed and her eyes glazed.

  “There will be lots of martinis, but you better stay sober because you’ll be doing our makeup, including my mother’s.”

  Nicole laughed. “You’ve spoken to Suzanne?”

  “Not yet. That’s last on my list,” Chloe said, looking down at what she had written.

  Nicole raised her perfectly waxed eyebrows. “Suzanne will make sure she’s the fairest of all.”

  “She better not. This is my special day, not hers,” Chloe said, remembering her childhood. Mom hosted parties at home for Dad’s work and for their friends and often commented about how tacky the wives of Dad’s employees dressed.

  Suzanne, on the other hand, would always dress with matching purse and shoes. She made sure her nails were neatly manicured, her hair freshly blow-dried, and her makeup perfect. At times, she seemed overdressed for the occasion, but she always said, “It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.” Chloe had to admit, she had learned a lot about quality back then.

  “If you buy a cheap purse,” her mother had insisted, “you’ll end up spending more because it doesn’t last long. Better to buy an expensive one that you’re sure will last a lifetime.” Mom’s goal was to be number one all the time.

  Nicole patted Chloe’s arm. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Huh?”

  “I was asking about your color.” Nicole nudged her friend playfully. “What color are you going for?”

  “I’ve decided my motif is going to be white with a touch of blue like the ocean.”

  “Ooh! Sounds pretty.”

  “Speaking of color, c’mon.” Chloe stood up and pulled Nicole’s arm. “Time for step two. Flowers!”

  Fifteen minutes later, with Nicole staggering beside her into the flower shop, Chloe rushed over to examine the arrangements. She tapped her chin and frowned. In the end, she chose a simple floral arrangement for the tables. Blue hydrangeas with white gardenias. The florist advised her to add a small touch of pink ginestras as filler. The same arrangement would be used for her bouquet.

  “Two places down. How many do we have left?” Chloe asked, checking her list.

  “We need to eat. My stomach is growling,” Nicole said, touching her midsection.

  “All right, we can discuss the rest over lunch.”

  “Haven’t you had enough for one day?” Nicole groused.

  “You don’t sound happy for me, Nic. If this were your wedding, I would be enthusiastic about it,” Chloe said as she opened the door to her car. Nicole sighed.

  They were silent on the way to the restaurant. Nicole sighed again.

  “What’s wrong?” Chloe asked as they arrived at Pasta Moon, one of their favorite restaurants. Nicole shook her head.

  They entered the restaurant and took a seat. A waitress brought the menu then left, returning five minutes later.

  Chloe ordered her usual Wood-Oven Roasted Pork Loin Panini, while Nicole ordered the Baked Eggplant Parmesan. They both requested fresh lemonade.

  “Will you please tell me what’s wrong? You’re my best friend and I don’t want you keeping secrets from me,” Chloe begged.

  Nicole ran her fingers along the edge of the table. “Are you sure you want to marry Richard?”

  Chloe put her menu down. “I know how you feel about Richard, but I love him and he loves me.”

  “He’s so different from you. I can’t picture the two of you together.”

  “So what if Richard is different from me? Isn’t that what makes a relationship exciting?” Chloe said, taking a bite of her Panini that the waitress delivered.

  Nicole tapped her long red nails on the table.

  “Nicole, Richard and I have been together for two years.”

  “Yes, but you’re like night and day,” she said, stirring her lemonade slowly.

  “How about you and me? We’re different yet we’re friends,” Chloe said.

  Nicole laughed. “Now that wasn’t by choice.” Chloe pinched her friend. “All right, you win. Whatever makes you happy.” Nicole set her spoon aside.

  “Thanks,” Chloe said.

  They sat and talked for a while. Then, when they were finished with lunch, Chloe ordered a Mascarpone Cheesecake, while Nicole ordered a Meyer Lemon Parfait for dessert.

  “I’m not having any dinner tonight. I think I’ve gained five pounds,” Nicole complained, rubbing her stomach.

  “Oh, Nic, you have the most perfect figure. How can you be worried about your weight?” Chloe scolded.

  Nicole changed the subject. “Is Richard looking forward to moving to your big house?”

  “Actually, he wants me to put my house on the market before the wedding. We’ll be staying at his condo in the city,” Chloe said, twisting her hair.

  “You’re joking, right?” Nicole asked, sipping her lemonade.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Why would you want to sell your house? It belongs to you. Your parents gave you that house.”

  “Yeah, but Richard thinks it is too big for us. I mean it’s just the two of us,” Chloe said.

  Nicole raised her eyebrows. “How about Greta?”

  Chloe shrugged. “Richard hates dogs, and he and Greta have an awful relationship.”

  “You mean you’re going to give up Greta? Greta, who you’ve had for eight years?” She fell back in her seat, shaking her head. “I say ditch the man and keep the dog.”

  Chloe moved closer and whispered, “Easy, girlfriend. I didn’t say I was going to ditch Greta. I said I haven’t thought about that yet.”

  “First your house, now your dog. What’s next – your best friend?” Nicole fumed, arms crossed. “I knew he had something up his sleeve.”

  “Calm down, Nicole. Richard likes you,” Chloe said, raising her voice.

  Nicole rolled her eyes. “How about your job? It’s going to be a commute from the city.”

  “Well –” Chloe paused, cringing at the thought of telling her the truth. “Richard wants me to stay home and be a housewife. He thinks what I do isn’t a real job.”

  Nicole’s eyes flew wide. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you crazy? A housewife? Are you a hundred percent sure you want to marry this guy?”

  “Of course I do. He’s my one and only true love.” Her face grew warm because she knew she wasn’t being entirely truthful. Her one and only true love had left thirteen years ago, but Richard was a good guy. He provided the stability that had been missing in her life with her father gone and her mother not speaking to her. Nicole just wasn’t giving him a chance.

  “Chloe, you know you’re not the housewife type,” Nicole exclaimed.

  “How can you say t
hat, when I haven’t even tried? I bought a book – gourmet cooking – serving your man gourmet breakfast in bed.”

  “Ugh! You’ve been reading too many romance novels lately,” Nicole said, trying a slice of Chloe’s cheesecake.

  Chloe laughed. “I do have my favorites … Danielle Steele, Nicholas Sparks, not to mention all the Nora Roberts shows on the Lifetime Channel.”

  “Chloe, you’re too idealistic. That’s why those books are called fiction, because they’re not real.” Nicole dipped into her lemon parfait then pointed her fork at Chloe. “Richard is always busy. He might not even have time for gourmet breakfast in bed. Besides, you don’t know how to cook.”

  “That’s not the point. What’s so wrong about marrying the man I love?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with marrying the man you love. The question remains, does he love you as much as you love him?”

  “I am not having this conversation with you.” Angry at the analysis, Chloe bit into Nicole’s lemon parfait, but as soon as she tasted it she forgot her anger and let out a low moan of delight.

  “C’mon, Chloe, I’m your best friend. I’m not going to lie to you,” she said, setting her fork down just a tad too hard. “If a man loves you he’s not going to ask you to give up the things you love.”

  “That’s what you call sacrifice. The problem with you, Nicole, is that you expect people to cater to you,” Chloe said, raising her voice.

  People were turning their heads, so Chloe stood up and paid the bill, then walked outside and waited inside her Jetta. Nicole followed moments later, slamming the car door behind her.

  Chloe saw Nicole’s eyes moisten and realized she had been too harsh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean –”

  “Of course you did,” Nicole interrupted.

  “All I’m asking is that you give Richard a chance,” Chloe begged while starting the engine.

  “What if I’m right?” Nicole pursed her lips.

  Chloe said, “You can’t be right. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with compromise.”

  “Compromise? Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Nicole closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them again. “It just bothers me that you’re willing to give up everything for him.”