Brooklyn & Beale (17 page)

“Yup,” Reid laughed.

“Excellent. I think you’ll be most pleased with what we’ve come up with. But first, how about we get the two of you a little lunch?”

“Lunch sounds great. Chloe?”

Chloe nodded, completely dumbfounded by everything happening around her. “Sure. Food sounds great.”

Reid grinned and motioned for Frank to lead the way. Chloe swallowed when she felt Reid’s hand brush against the small of her back. She expected him to move his hand, or at the very least, create a little distance. He did neither. She hated how much she liked that he didn’t.

Once inside the building, they followed Frank up a flight of stairs to a small room overlooking what Chloe assumed was the place where the vodka was distilled. Large copper barrels lined the floor with shiny silver pipes running out of them like vines. It was impressive and intimidating.

“Ms. Chloe, if you would like, I have a seat here for you.” Frank pulled out a chair and swept his hand in front of it in dramatic fashion. Chloe couldn’t help but smile. He was very charismatic. His eyes held a hint of amusement that made Chloe wonder what exactly she’d gotten herself into.

“Thank you.” She moved to the table and eased into the chair as Frank slid it toward the table. Reid sat across from her, his expression a mirror image of Frank’s.

“We have a very nice lunch prepared for you today. It’s a sampling of popular foods in the area.” Frank set to work uncovering the small plates on the table as he rattled off the names of each dish, but Chloe couldn’t remember one from the other. All she knew was that she planned to try them all.

“I’ll leave you two to enjoy your lunch, but I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything. Once you’re done, we’ll get to the fun part.”

“Thank you, Frank. We’ll see you in a bit,” Reid said as Frank slipped out the door and pulled it closed.

“Well, you’ve really outdone yourself.” Chloe grabbed a plate and began spooning food from each plate to her own.

“Do you like it?”

Chloe paused and lifted her eyes to Reid’s, her expression horrified. “Holy shit. I’m such a jerk. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This is amazing, Reid, thank you so much. I think it’s too much, but I’m really glad you did it.”

Reid grinned, his handsome features relaxing. He pushed the sleeves of his signature Henley to his elbows, revealing his colorful tattoos. “It wasn’t any trouble,” he said with a shrug as he pulled off his beanie and brushed his hair from his face.

Chloe swallowed and looked away, not wanting Reid to catch her ogling. Friend or not, she’d be a liar if she said he wasn’t attractive. That she wasn’t attracted to him. “I don’t believe that for a second,” she said, regaining her composure. “But thank you nonetheless.”

“I have an update for you,” Reid commented as he filled his plate.

“Oh, yeah?”

“I talked to a friend of mine back in LA earlier this morning. His name is Will; he’s a talent scout of sorts. He works for my label. Anyway, I told him about you. Asked if he’d pass around some tapes and put out some feelers to see what kind of gigs are up for grabs right now. He’s good. Really good. I wouldn’t doubt that he’d be able to find you more work than you’d know what to do with.”

“Wow,” Chloe exhaled, her eyes wide. “That’s amazing. Like I said, the idea of moving cross-country is exciting, but also terrifying. Not stressing about what I’m going to do once this tour is over, however, far outweighs my fears.”

“Just don’t forget about me when you make it big.”

Chloe blinked as tears rose unexpectedly to the surface. She’d never felt such gratitude toward anyone in her entire life.

“What’s wrong?” Reid asked, his face pinched with worry as Chloe stood and walked to his side of the table. Bending her knees, Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Reid hesitated for a moment before rising to his feet and returning her embrace.

“Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Thank you. Thank you.”

Reid loosened his grip and tipped her chin until their eyes met. “You’re welcome. Just don’t ever give up. Don’t ever let someone take away your music. Even if that someone is you.”

“I won’t,” Chloe said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Just don’t forget the same goes for you.”

Reid motioned for Chloe to sit as he did the same. “You’re like a pit bull.”

“Yeah, well, practice what you preach and all that. Have you managed to write anything?” she asked, her voice gentle.

Reid’s shoulders slumped and his eyes dropped to his plate. “Nothing except what we worked on.”

“I’m sorry. It’ll happen, though—you know that, right? You just need to find the right inspiration.”

“Yeah, I know. But I don’t want to talk about that,” he said, his voice stronger. “We’re here to get drunk and have fun. We’ll worry about everything else later.”

Chloe grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

Frank returned a little later wearing the same secret smile he’d left with. “How was everything?”

“Amazing,” Chloe answered.

“Everything was perfect. I’m ready for the main course now.” Reid winked at Frank as he stood.

“Excellent. We’ll take a quick tour through the distilling room and then make our way to the tasting room.”

“Oh, boy,” Chloe mumbled. She had a feeling the tasting room might be her downfall.

Beside her, Reid chuckled. With a nod, he moved to the side for Chloe to follow, and as before, his hand found its way to the small of her back. All throughout the distilling room, Chloe was hyperaware of his proximity. Frank pointed out different parts of the still, mentioning the variety of ingredients used during the process, but it was all white noise in her ears. Reid’s touch affected her in ways it never had. She wasn’t sure what felt so different about today, but by the time they entered the tasting room, Chloe was nearly breathless.

“Are you okay? You’re being weirder than normal.”

Chloe turned to Reid and laughed. “Yeah. I’m just nervous about whatever it is you’ve cooked up.”

“Well, let me set your mind at ease,” Frank said with a smile. “Come. Sit.”

Chloe cut her eyes in Reid’s direction and lifted her brow before doing as Frank asked. Once Reid joined her, taking the stool next to her, Frank walked around to the other side of the bar and pulled out three bottles.

“When I received a call from Mr. Ryder a few weeks ago, he had a very specific request. Never one to turn down a challenge, I decided to give it a shot. Now, it’s my understanding that you have quite the affinity for Starburst.”

Chloe laughed. “I do.”

“Well, Mr. Ryder put me to the task of creating a couple of variations of Starburst vodka.”

“He didn’t.” Chloe turned to Reid, slack-jawed. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” Reid answered with a sly smile.

“He did,” Frank echoed, pulling out a couple of glasses. “I must admit, taste testing for quality was quite enjoyable.”

“I can’t believe you did this.” Chloe pulled in a deep breath, determined to not go full-on girlie twice in one day.

“It was fun,” Frank cut in, pouring vodka into each glass. “Those backstage passes for my daughter and her best friend were well worth the experimentation.”

“Reid,” Chloe whispered. She didn’t know what to say. She had no idea why he’d done all of this for her, but it caused a feeling to bloom in the pit of her stomach that made the world spin.

“Don’t get too choked up. You haven’t tried it yet.” Reid looked at Frank and winked, obviously letting him know the comment was more about keeping Chloe from becoming emotional than insulting Frank.

Frank smiled and pushed the glass in front of Chloe. “Orange.”

Chloe sniffed then took a sip, her eyes going wide the moment the flavor hit her tongue. “Oh my God, this is amazing! And dangerous. This is so very dangerous.”

Reid laughed and took a sip from his glass before nodding in agreement. “Wow. This is amazing, Frank.”

“Wait until you try the others.” Frank set four glasses on the bar and filled each pair from two different bottles. “This one is lemon, and the other is strawberry. Tell me what you think.”

Chloe and Reid sipped from each glass, and as with the first sample, both gave their enthusiastic approval. For the next hour, the three talked about everything from vodka and music to tattoos and bonfires. They drank vodka until the edges of Chloe’s vision began to soften and blur. When they left that afternoon, it was with hugs from Frank and a large bottle of strawberry Starburst-flavored vodka.

“I’m a little drunk,” Chloe giggled in the back of the car.

“
I’m
a little drunk. You’re a lotta drunk,” Reid corrected with a cheeky smile.

Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “Pffttt. Whatever.” For a moment, she remained quiet as she tried to gather her thoughts. Leaning across the seat, she placed her hand on his chest. “Thank you so much for today. It was the best ever.”

“Best ever, huh?” Reid smirked.

Chloe rolled her eyes, not bothering to comment on his cocky attitude. Drunk or not, what Reid did was the most romantic thing a guy had ever done for her. And he wasn’t even hers. He never would be hers. With a sigh, she pulled away and hugged the bottle of vodka to her chest. Reid chuckled beside her but said nothing else. When they returned to the hotel, he walked her to her room, making sure to keep one hand poised at her elbow. Chloe was grateful.

“Drink some water and don’t sleep all day. You need to have dinner.”

Chloe straightened her stance the best she could and gave him a silly salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”

Reid brushed the hair out of her face and smiled, his eyes soft. “I’ll see you in the morning. Remember, no more free passes. So don’t go in there and mistake that vodka for Starbursts.”

Chloe laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. I need to make up for the sleep I was robbed of this morning.”

“It wasn’t an ungodly hour,” he argued, his smile widening.

“Yeah, yeah.” Without giving herself a chance to overthink was she was doing, Chloe popped up on her toes and gave Reid a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks again for today.” She spun around and unlocked her door, the sight of Reid’s shocked expression burned into her mind.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered as the door fell shut behind her.

Setting the bottle on the table, Chloe fell onto the bed and closed her eyes. She could feel what was happening, and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up completely heartbroken. The problem was, she had no idea how to stop it.

Reid grinned at Chloe. He loved how easy it was to rile her up. The last few weeks, since they’d left Berlin, things had felt different. But not in a bad way. Usually, at this point in a tour, after being stuck in confined spaces with a group of people for three months, tension tended to grow, not lessen. He credited Chloe for the change in dynamics. After all, she was the only new member. Inky had settled down, Greer was banging the merch girl of their new opening act, and Drew tended to stay blitzed and play video games with the others while they were traveling from one city to the next. It left Reid with a lot of uninterrupted time with Chloe.

His phone buzzed, and when he looked at the screen, an overwhelming surge of guilt rolled over him. His finger hovered over the answer button, but when he caught sight of Chloe kicking her leg out across the bench, he ignored the call. Just like he’d done earlier. Like he’d done far too many times. Swallowing, he shoved his phone into his pocket and turned his attention back to Chloe.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been to Paris.”

Chloe laughed. “You do realize there are more people in the world who haven’t seen Paris than those who have, right?”

“Whatever,” Reid answered with an eye-roll. “You know what I mean. You’ve been all over Europe. It just surprises me that you’ve somehow missed Paris every single time.”

“One of the downsides to being a session musician. We have zero input on tour schedules.”

Reid nodded and stretched out on the couch. “So what’s the first thing you want to do when we get there? It is your birthday, after all.”

“I want cupcakes. Delicious, gourmet cupcakes. I know they might not be the easiest to find, but I want them.”

Reid sighed and rubbed his stomach. “I like the way you think.”

“Of course you do,” Chloe laughed.

“What else do you want to do today? Since we have a show tomorrow on your birthday, we should fit in as much as we can today.”

“Well, after cupcakes, I want to visit Père Lachaise.”

Reid’s face twisted with confusion. “The cemetery?”

“Yes. The cemetery. If you ask me why, I’ll literally jump off this bus while we’re going down the road.” The expression on her face made Reid question if she was actually kidding.

“I see you’ve turned up the dramatics for your birthday,” he joked, ducking when Chloe threw a Starburst at him. Ripping off the wrapper, he popped the candy into his mouth before she could steal it back. With a satisfied smile, he tossed the wrapper in the trash. “I know why you want to go there; I just didn’t expect it to be one of the first things you wanted to do. Most people want to see the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower, go shopping, that sort of thing.”

“Honestly, I would love to do all of those things, but I’m not here for vacation and we won’t have a lot of time. I want to hit the highest priority places first. Everything else is just gravy.”

“Do you guys ever sleep?” Inky asked with a yawn as she slid onto the bench beside Chloe.

Chloe tugged the end of Inky’s hair. “Of course we do, but unlike the rest of you, we sleep at night like normal people.”

“I sleep at night,” Tom corrected, ducking down the stairs. “But I can only handle you guys for so long before I need some time for myself.”

“It’s okay, Tom, you don’t have to be shy. There’s nothing wrong with a little one-on-one time with yourself. I have me-time three or four times a day,” Greer laughed as he joined the others.

Tom shook his head. “Thank you for proving my point, Greer.”

“How much longer?” Drew asked with a yawn.

Reid glanced at his watch. It was just after noon. “We should be there any minute now. Once we check in to the hotel, I’m going to show Chloe around a bit, then we can meet back up for dinner if you guys are up for it.” His tone made it clear that no one was invited to their outing. The bus slowed to a stop and Reid jumped to his feet to peer out the windshield. “The hotel is coming up. I’m going to grab my stuff.”

Reid ignored the knowing looks from the others as he turned to move down the hall. Pausing before he slipped inside his room, he ducked around the corner and smiled at Chloe. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in a half hour.”

Reid gathered his toiletries and clothes strewn around the tiny room and tried to shut out the chatter coming from the front of the bus. An unwelcome feeling of anxiety bloomed in his chest. The room felt smaller than before, the air stifling. Greer’s loud, obnoxious laugh followed by Chloe’s giggles caused his jaw to flex and his teeth to grind. He didn’t need to guess what the growing feeling trickling under his skin was; he already knew. It was an emotion he had no right to feel, but it gnawed at him nonetheless.

The ringing of his phone pulled him from his darkening thoughts as the bus crawled to a stop and the rumble of the engine faded. He looked at the screen, his stomach dropping when Jess’s name flashed across the screen again. His gaze darted from the phone to the door, indecision making his pulse quicken. When Chloe laughed again, he blinked once before shoving his phone into the pocket of his jeans and opening the door.

By the door, everyone waited their turn to file out of the bus. Tom moved to Reid’s side and cleared his throat. “I need to tell you something.”

Reid shook his head and moved forward. “Can we talk later? I’m starving, and I promised Chloe a cupcake.”

Tom gripped the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that—”

“Reid,” Chloe yelled, only her head visible as she spoke from outside the bus. “Inky is going to take care of my bags. Give yours to Tom and let’s go get my birthday cupcakes.” The wide smile and excitement dancing in her eyes caused Reid’s throat to bob when he swallowed.

“I’ll be right there.” He smiled and offered his bag to Tom with a sheepish smile. “Do you mind? We can talk when I get back.”

A look of concern crossed Tom’s face before it was replaced with what Reid could have sworn was pity. “I’ll take care of it. You guys go have fun. Take your time.”

Reid hesitated for only a moment before disappearing into the warm June air. The sun glinted off water puddles trapped in the dips of the cobblestone road, the air fresh from the recent rain.

“Wow,” Chloe whispered, her voice laced with awe. “This is beautiful.”

“It is,” Reid echoed, tearing his eyes away from Chloe to see what had captured her attention. Clearing his throat, he looked around, noticing the curious glances from passersby. “Come on, let’s go find those cupcakes.”

Side by side, Chloe and Reid strolled down the streets of Paris. The smell of fresh baked bread and sweet confections hung thick in the air. People bustled along the sidewalks, only sparing the briefest of glances at what they assumed was a beautiful couple covered in colorful tattoos. Reid knew how they appeared. Smiling and laughing, their hands moving animatedly in the air as they discussed music and food and cultures. His chest tightened and something akin to pride swelled inside him. It was a new and exciting feeling, almost manic.

“I want one of everything,” Chloe sighed as she peered through the glass case protecting the rows of delectable cupcakes.

Reid chuckled. “And exactly where do you plan on putting them? There are more than twenty cupcakes. After two, you’d be stuffed.”

“Don’t underestimate the side pocket.”

“The what?”

Chloe laughed. “It’s something Josie and I used to joke about as kids. We’d eat until we felt sick, but there was always room for sweets. We called it our side pocket. She tried to tell Anders about it once, and he asked her if she had compartments like a cow. I’m telling you this now so you don’t make the same mistake.” She glared at him playfully. Reid’s eyes widened and his lips parted when he processed her words.

“He didn’t.”

“He did.”

“Poor bastard,” Reid laughed. “I bet that didn’t work out how he’d planned.”

Chloe shook her head but didn’t say anything more. Understanding that the conversation was over, Reid turned his attention back to the cupcakes. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“Oh?”

“You pick out one for now, one to have at midnight when it’s your birthday, and one for after the show tomorrow night.”

“I can totally do that.”

Reid narrowed his eyes. Her expression was too innocent. Too agreeable. “However,” he added. “I’m keeping them with me. You’ll get them just as planned, but they will come from me.”

“What?” she nearly shouted. “That’s so not fair.”

“I knew you were up to something,” he teased. “I’m putting you on cupcake rations.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. Reid was impressed with her restraint from stomping her foot. After choosing her three cupcakes, Reid ordered the same for himself and the pair resumed their leisurely pace back to the hotel.

“Thanks for the cupcakes,” Chloe said as she took another bite.

“You’re welcome.” Reid looked at her, a smile stretching across his face when he noticed icing smeared on her lips. Without thinking, he gently wiped the creamy, sweet topping from the corner of her mouth. Chloe’s lips parted and her eyes widened when he sucked the icing from his thumb.

“You ate my icing.”

Reid’s expression was unapologetic. “I did.”

“But it was mine.”

“Don’t be such a messy eater next time.” He laughed when she smacked his shoulder. “Do you want to head to the cemetery now?”

“Yes,” Chloe answered with an excited nod. “I have a map in my bag of the places I want to see. From what I’ve heard, this place is insanely large and easy to get turned around in. I want to make sure I have the chance to see everything on the list before they close.”

“Where are we going first?”

“To see Jim Morrison, of course.”

“You’ll be happy to know that even though I’ve been here before, this will be my first visit to Père Lachaise.”

Chloe bounced on her toes a little and grabbed Reid’s free hand, pulling him along behind her. “Well, hurry up, then. We can drop the cupcakes off and grab my map from the hotel before we go.”

Reid laughed and stumbled forward. “You got it, boss.”

Chloe turned to face him and eyed the box. “I can carry that if you need a hand.”

Reid lifted the box above his head, one-handed. “Nope.” Chloe dropped his other hand and narrowed her eyes at the box. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned. “You’ll never reach it. As a matter of fact, you’re more likely to knock it from my hands and to the ground than actually taking it from me.”

“Fine,” she mumbled. “But you better have a cupcake for me at midnight.”

“You have my word.” Reaching out, he tugged the end of her hair, his grin firmly in place as they entered the lobby of the hotel.

“Reid!”

Reid froze, the smile slipping from his face. He looked at Chloe with furrowed brows before scanning the hotel lobby. He lowered the box of cupcakes, his stomach dropping when his eyes locked on Jess. She stood next to Tom, a smile stretched across her face. Only a moment passed before she sprinted across the lobby and leaped into his arms. His grip tightened on the box, his free arm wrapping around her waist.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, confused and off-balance.

“Surprise,” Jess whispered, pressing her lips to his neck and inhaling as she hugged him tighter. “God, I’ve missed you.”

The smell of her skin and the feel of her body were familiar, like coming home. Only this time, home didn’t make his shoulders sag and his body flood with relief. This time, it caused his pulse to quicken and his muscles to tighten. He cleared his throat and released her slowly, working to school his features before looking her in the eye. The moment he saw her dark blue eyes, a wave of guilt crashed over him.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

Jess leaned away, leaving her hands clasped around his neck as her eyes roamed over his face. He was on edge, hyperaware of Chloe’s close proximity. When he cut his eyes toward her, he frowned at the soft smile she wore. “Jess,” he said, shifting their bodies to face Chloe. “This is Chloe. Chloe, this is Jess.”

Jess released him and stepped forward, wrapping Chloe in a hug. “It’s so great to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Chloe laughed breathlessly and returned Jess’s embrace. “I swear, whatever he told you, it’s not true.”

Jess pulled away and reached into her purse, a huge smile on her face. “Well then, I have no idea what I’m going to do with this,” she said revealing a brightly colored see-through box filled with Starbursts.

Chloe’s eyes widened and a sly smile pulled at the corner of her mouth as she accepted the box from Jess. “Okay, well, maybe at least one thing was true. I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but thank you.”

Jess looked over her shoulder at Reid, her eyes shimmering with happiness. “Consider it a thank-you for taking care of my guy.”

A look of understanding crossed Chloe’s face when she met Reid’s gaze. “You’re welcome,” she murmured, breaking away from his intense stare.

An unbidden surge of anger caused Reid’s neck to heat. He didn’t like the way Chloe looked away from him. He didn’t like the way Jess demeaned the time he spent with Chloe as nothing more than a babysitting gig. But most of all, he didn’t like that he felt angry at all. For months, all he’d wanted was for Jess to be with him. To be at his side and see all of Europe with him. Now, all he could think about was that he wouldn’t be going with Chloe to Père Lachaise.