“Not you,” Julia clarified. “And not all men. But some men are very stupid when it comes to relationships. Even vampires.”
“I’m sorry I said I liked him,” Harriet said fiercely. “I’m going to hate him forever!”
Chloe managed a tiny laugh. “No, you don’t need to do that. He’s not a bad person. He just doesn’t like me as much as I like him, so it would never have worked out. He’s not the settling down kind of guy.”
“I just thought he’d be different with you,” Julia said. “But what do I know? The only boyfriends I have are in books.”
“Yuck,” Jude said, giving the book on the coffee table a look of disgust. From the cover, Chloe guessed it was a military romance if the hunky man wearing only camouflage pants and war paint was any indication.
“Thanks,” Chloe said. “For letting me come and cry on your sofa.”
“What are friends for?” Julia said. “We support each other. When you’re feeling better, we’ll go to the Three Bears and talk about how stupid men are with Kelly. Sorry, Jude.”
Jude, now happily eating a bowl of ice-cream, merely grunted at the insult to his gender.
“I should go,” Chloe said. “You guys probably have stuff to do and—”
“No, you’re staying,” Julia said firmly. “Not a chance I’m letting you leave. We can watch a movie. What are you in the mood for?”
“Anything,” Chloe said. “Except Casino or Legally Blonde.”
Chloe was doing an excellent job of pretending to be just fine when she returned to her office the next day. She wasn’t, of course she wasn’t, but she had always been a fan of the ‘fake it till you make it’ mantra.
She looked at her to-do list (ever-growing) and picked up her phone.
“Hello, Cecil?”
“Chloe!” Cecil sounded delighted. “Well, if it isn’t my very favourite realtor. You’re much nicer than those women on Selling Sunset, you know.”
“And yet,” Jim cut in drily. “You’ve watched every episode.”
“Can’t resist a well-dressed bitch!” Cecil was unrepentant. “Now, what can we do for you, Miss Chloe?”
“The first showing of that house on Tumble Ridge is this weekend, and I need a bit of help with the staging,” Chloe said. “The owners have…very particular tastes. It needs to be more market-friendly.” The owners of the house on Tumble Ridge certainly had particular taste; taxidermied animals adorned every surface, and there was more crushed velvet than Chloe had seen since the nineties.
“So you’d like to borrow a few pieces?” Cecil asked. “I’d be delighted! So long as you take me to see what I’m working with.”
“He never can resist the opportunity to look into other people’s houses,” Jim said. “He should have gone into real estate.”
“I’d be amazing!” Cecil said. “Not as good as you, obviously.”
“Thanks,” Chloe said, grateful. “Well, I’m free this evening if you’ve got time—”
“This evening?” Cecil was aghast. “Aren’t you doing all sorts of delicious couple-y things with that handsome Maxwell? Dinner and dancing at Thelema, perhaps?”
“Actually,” Chloe said, swallowing against the lump in her throat. “He’s leaving town.”
“Leaving? But he only just got here!” Cecil sounded appalled. “And I thought you two were so happy.”
“It was just a casual thing,” Chloe said quickly, wanting to end the call before she started crying again. “It’s fine, really. I mean, I’ll miss him, but it’s okay.”
“You don’t sound fine, Chloe,” Jim said in his serious voice. “Would you like to come over and talk about it? Cecil will make his ghastly cocktails.”
“I will!” Cecil didn’t even take umbrage at the insult to his mixology skills. “Come over, Chloe!”
“It’s fine, really,” Chloe said. “Just a shame you guys will lose a good customer.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Cecil said. “I mean, yes, it is, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is you.”
“I’m fine,” Chloe said again. Maybe if she repeated it often enough, it would become true. “So, this evening?”
“I’ll be there,” Cecil promised. “Just send me the address.”
“I will,” Chloe said. “Thanks again for your help.”
She ended the call and covered her face with her hands. She would not cry. She would not cry. She was too busy to cry.