A Symptom of Love (GERI Labs #1)

Chapter 2

A Birthday Party

M rs. Georgia Allentown lives in one of those enormous mansion-looking houses on the way to Sugarloaf Mountain. The huge front grassy area that has been turned into extra parking space for the event is now almost full. Jimmy parks his old sedan next to a red car.

“Look at this Ferrari!” is Jimmy’s admiring reaction to the car as he turns the wheel. Chloe takes a quick look in the mirror. Despite the emotional ride, her makeup still looks intact.

“Do I look okay?” she asks Jimmy, winning herself a scoff of disapproval.

“I told you, Chloe, don’t ask a question if you can’t deal with the answer.”

That bad?

She picks up the wrapped box for Georgia from the back seat and nervously shuts the door behind her. This last hour has been so draining, she just wants to turn around, go home, curl into her side of the bed, and go to sleep. But she promised Georgia she’d be there. Georgia has been nothing but supportive ever since she walked through those glass doors of the studio for the first time a little over a year ago, asking if they had room for one more without an ounce of cynicism, even though the room was completely empty. Class had been canceled that day due to snow, but Chloe showed up anyway, hoping someone would come. She really needed the money and the company. Georgia had arrived with her driver, who was waiting outside by the door, making sure his employer made it safely through the unplowed sidewalk.

“I’m Georgia,” she said warmly as she approached to shake Chloe’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Georgia. I’m Chloe. Come on in,” she said as she took her hand. Georgia’s strong handshake was almost a contradiction to her soft skin, her eyes earnest and kind. “Class got canceled due to snow, but I’m here and happy to teach a class!” Chloe said with a smile.

“I read you have the best Pilates class in town, I had to give it a try,” Georgia had said, and the rest was history. Georgia became her favorite and most loyal client, taking every possible class combination Chloe would teach; reformer classes, TRX, jump board, yoga classes, private classes, group classes, bringing her positive spirit and attitude with her every time, making Chloe forget about the world outside and think … even if just for an hour at a time … that maybe life had more in store for her somewhere on the horizon.

Jimmy takes Chloe’s hand, shaking her off her journey down memory lane and slapping on his public smirk. They walk slowly to the front entrance, then ring the doorbell. A man dressed in all black holding a tray of champagne flutes opens the massive door and welcomes them politely.

“Welcome! Welcome!” Georgia’s voice appears quickly behind him. “My dear Chloe, you look glorious!” she says, pulling her into her arms for a hug.

“Oh, Georgia, you are too kind.” She smiles, feeling her insecurities slowly melting away. “Please meet Jimmy Miller, my boyfriend. Jimmy, this is Mrs. Georgia Allentown, my favorite customer.”

Jimmy shakes Georgia’s hand politely. “Pleased to finally meet you, Mrs. Allentown,” he says, gathering all his charms. He definitely knows how to be that Prince Charming when he wants.

“Oh, please, call me Georgia.” She smiles and leads them to a gigantic room decorated with flowers and candles and multiple tables covered in soft golden fabrics, all perfectly placed. The center of the space has been designed as a large dance floor, giving it a fancy ballroom look, making Chloe feel somewhat out of place.

They are shown to a table with an older couple and a young woman who is introduced as the couple’s daughter, draped in a bright red tube dress that reveals generous cleavage, the kind that Jimmy can never get enough of.

“I’m Jennifer.” She smiles politely, giving Jimmy a quick once-over. Jimmy, of course, takes that as an invitation, introducing himself eagerly and positioning himself on the seat closest to her. Jennifer seems pleased with the attention, and the two of them carry the conversation away from Chloe, who scans the place around, desperately looking for familiar faces.

“Please, let me introduce you to my closest friends.” Georgia reappears to her rescue. She links her arm with Chloe’s and steals her away, an understanding look on her face. They walk together from table to table. Georgia introduces her as “the amazing Chloe,” and “the most talented trainer on the planet.” They each get up to greet her politely and respectfully, then go back to their conversations. “One more,” Georgia squeals with excitement. “You haven’t met my nephew William, have you?” She pulls Chloe excitedly across the room, making a beeline to one of the more central tables, stopping by a young man who may have been following Chloe with his eyes since she walked in – or perhaps it was her wishful imaginative self.

The man rises immediately as their steps become committed enough to show their direction, looking handsome and approachable.

“Chloe, I’d like you to meet William Allentown, my favorite nephew,” Georgia says in a celebratory voice. “William, this is Chloe Barrett, the amazing,” she announces, and as her nephew takes Chloe’s hand, Georgia disappears, leaving them on their own.

“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Barrett,” he says formally, his baritone voice wrapping itself around her. His hand is strong and warm, and the touch of it does something to the tiny hairs on her skin.

“Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Allentown,” she plays along, his formality makes her smile – or maybe it’s just her being shy. “Please, call me Chloe.” Something in his composure and bearing makes it hard to look away.

“Please, call me Will.” He smiles back, holding her gaze. His eyes are dark and captivating, his black hair carefully cut. He looks slightly too handsome to be real. His charcoal suit is tailored perfectly to his build. This guy definitely knows how to rock a suit… “Georgia talks about you all the time,” Will says, and Chloe realizes he’s still holding her hand. She pulls it back gently, along with her eyes, stealing a quick glimpse at her table. Jimmy is still in deep conversation with that girl. Chloe looks back at Will, who seems to follow the trail of her eyes. An understanding look appears on his face. “There’s a spare seat next to me if you’d like to join our table,” he offers, pulling a chair for her.

“Oh, I … am here with my boyfriend,” Chloe responds in the most polite manner she can gather, gesturing toward her table, where Jimmy clearly has his eyes fixed on Jennifer’s cleavage again. The thought of returning to her spot near Jimmy for a close-up presentation of him drooling all over Jennifer makes her queasy, but she can’t see any other way around it.

“I’m sorry,” Will says, and from his gaze, she’s not sure whether he is sorry that she has a boyfriend, sorry for assuming she didn’t, or sorry for her that this is her boyfriend. Perhaps all of the above? She’s not sure how to respond to it either. “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” he frowns lightly, “and it’s probably none of my business … but you deserve more than that,” he says, earnest eyes looking at her carefully. “This is … not how one should treat their—”

“Girlfriend.” The word escapes her mouth before Will has a chance to finish his sentence. As if hearing it from someone else would make it any worse. Her eyes fall to the floor.

“I made you uncomfortable... I’m sorry,” he says quickly, although his voice is still filled with intention. But it’s Jimmy who’s making her uncomfortable. The way he strips this Jennifer girl with his eyes does not leave much room for guessing.

“Can you blame him? Look how beautiful she is.”

Is she actually trying to defend Jimmy, or is it the last bit of her remaining self-dignity she’s guarding?

Will’s lips curve up to a dimpled smile. He’s about to say something, but their attention shifts when the music changes, and everyone is called into the dance floor for some slow dancing. Her eyes bounce back to her table, where Jimmy gets up and pulls Jennifer behind him. “Seriously?!” she hears herself blurt.

Oh gosh, did she just say it out loud?

“I do, in fact.” Will’s deep baritone voice brings her back.

“You do, in fact, what?” Her eyes meet Will’s again, puzzled, tilting her head in response to him still bearing that smile.

“Blame him,” he says. “He’s here with you. And he is totally messing it up.”

“You have to admit, she is beautiful,” Chloe can’t take her eyes off them dancing with each other, Jimmy’s hands on the small of Jennifer’s back. And it’s true, Jennifer is beautiful, with her long-nurtured blond just-spent-hundreds-of-dollars-at-a-torturing-hair-place hair, her turquoise blue eyes, looking like a supermodel in that dress… She’s probably also the proud owner of numerous sets of fancy lingerie. In fact, Chloe wouldn’t be surprised if she’s wearing one of those uncomfortable sets right now, a dream come true for Jimmy. Jennifer is everything Chloe is not.

“ You are beautiful,” Will says, making her snort. This brings a puzzled look to his face, as if he’s surprised by Chloe’s lack of awareness of her own looks.

That’s what a few years with Jimmy will do to you.

“Dance with me.” Will offers a rebuttal, and somehow getting back at Jimmy feels like a good idea. She takes his hand and finds herself in the spotlight as they make their way to the dance floor. Heads turn, all eyes are on them, probably wondering what a breathtaking guy like him has to do with an ordinary gal like her, but Georgia… She’s there too, and her eyes look encouraging, pleased. Will stops to face Chloe. She reaches for his shoulders, noticing how broad and tall he is. His suit jacket feels nice, a sort of fabric her fingers haven’t felt before.

“This okay?” he asks softly as his hands come to touch her hips, warm and reassuring. She nods, smiling to herself. No one has ever cared whether she was comfortable during a dance. She moves a tad closer to him almost reflexively. His scent wraps around her, a mix of fresh soap and some alluring bergamot cologne she can’t quite recognize. She’s pretty good with guessing cologne brands, but this one is probably above the Macy’s price range. She takes in the scent with her inhale, relishing it secretly. He must notice that little hitch in her breath, because his smile curves upward a little more, revealing his adorable dimples and perfect teeth. His eyes are focused on her as if she’s the only person in this entire huge ballroom. She must be imagining things because that’s impossible with so many beautiful women surrounding them, dressed in their fancy gowns … yet it feels like they are alone.

Something flutters in her lower belly.

Gosh! What has gotten into her?

Is it the wine? No, she hasn’t even had a chance to take a single sip.

It must be hunger; she hasn’t had anything to eat since lunch.

“I need to free you up, I’m sure,” she offers. “There’s already a line.” She gestures with her head toward the bar where two meticulously groomed blondes in glamorous designer dresses are staring Will up and down from a distance, and Chloe is clearly not a worthy competition.

Not that she’s trying…

“There’s no one in this room I’d rather dance with,” Will says simply, still holding her gaze.

Wow …

Her mind escapes for a second before she catches a glimpse of Jimmy, who is enjoying the proximity to his dance partner a tad too much. The pace of the music changes to salsa, and the scene heats up. It’s her favorite kind of dancing, which Jimmy usually refuses to take part in. Will, however, seems quite well-versed with the moves – twisting and turning her, her hips swaying with the music, and she can’t help the big smile that makes its way across her face.

She’s actually having fun. At a rich people's party.

What. Is. Up. With. Her?

But existing in a bubble can’t possibly last long for her… Chloe feels a tap on her shoulder, and it’s Jimmy, claiming her back, stretching his neck, and inflating his chest to look larger … but to no avail. Next to Will, Jimmy looks … well … small. Will just nods politely and lets Chloe go, leaving an imaginary imprint where he touched her. She pulls herself away from him into Jimmy’s arms, and to her disappointment, they return to the table, skipping the last part of the dance. Jimmy brings his face closer to whisper something in her ear.

“You need to move your hips more when you dance,” is all he has to say.