Chapter 3:
'So this was Chloe,' he thought to himself, as he looked her over. He remembered meeting her all those years ago but for some reason hadn't remembered what she looked like. She was beautiful. There was no doubting that. Even with her messy, tangled hair and those puffy, red eyes, any fool could see that she was definitely an attractive woman. But what a shrew.
Realization dawned on Chloe, and she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. This was Brady: Belle's brother. How could she have not seen it before? That tousled blonde hair? That six foot tall, broad frame? He was gorgeous in all of the pictures that she had seen of him and the reality was no different. She faintly remembered seeing him at Belle and Shawn's wedding five years ago but hadn't really paid much attention. He looked ridiculous standing there, a pink towel draped around his shoulders trying to stare her down. What a pill.
"You two know each other?" Belle asked, clearly confused.
"You could say that." Brady sat across the table from Chloe.
"This is the imbecile that hit my car," Chloe pointed to him.
"You hit me!" Brady couldn't believe she was still going on about this. "And it was a measly dent anyway!"
"Measly dent. That measly dent is going to cost me at least five-hundred dollars to fix."
"Please," he scoffed.
"You know, I'm mistaken. It's not going to cost me a damn thing because you're going to fix it!" She rose from her chair ands walked out of the kitchen but not before muttering "fool" in his general direction under her breath.
Having heard the aside, he stood and followed her out of the kitchen, Belle hot on their trails. "Oh so I'm a fool now huh?"
"Yes," she whirled around on him.
"How so? Look-Chloe-I barely know you so I will try and give you the benefit of the doubt seeing as my sister's insane enough to be best friends with you but there's something I've just been dying to know since I met you this morning?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and remained quiet, silently giving him the go ahead.
"What could have possibly crawled up your ass and died?"
"Brady," Belle screamed. "Dammit, cut her a break!"
"Cut her a break? Her? Are you serious," his eyes widened in incredulity. "Oh, Jesus, she's crying now?"
"Yes," Belle walked over to a now sobbing Chloe and hugged her reassuringly. "She's having a really bad day. Philip--," she stopped herself, not sure she should be discussing Chloe's business just yet.
"Ahhh.so this is who Philip's cajoled into agreeing to marry him, hmm? Dumb and Dumber. Perfect match if I do say so myself. Dry those crocodile tears Diva. I'm not buying it."
"Brady-," Belle started.
"No, Belle," Chloe pushed herself from Belle's embrace. "No, he's right. I'm nothing but a melodramatic, self-centered, self-seeking diva, isn't that right?" She looked to Brady and saw him nod positively in response.
"If the shoe fits," Brady said simply.
"Bye, Belle," she kissed her friend on the cheek and tried to pull herself together. "I'll call you later. I've got things I've got to take care of anyway. I'll call you. I'll call."
"Chloe. Chloe don't leave," Belle pleaded but Chloe shook her head and made her way to the door, leaving promptly. Belle shot a menacing glare at her brother before following Chloe out the door to apologize.
"Good riddance," Brady said under his breath as he made his way to the kitchen.
As he poured himself a cup of tea, a furious Belle entered the kitchen. "Dammit Brady, that is my best friend."
"Keyword: 'your.' That is 'your' best friend Belle, not mine. So I don't have to pretend to like her. She's a spoiled brat."
"You think so hmm?"
"I know so," he took a sip of tea. "Why else would she completely wig out on me for no reason?"
"Oh, I dunno," Belle sighed. "Could be the fact that this morning when she went to visit her fiancé Philip that this self-centered, self-serving-"
"Self-seeking," he corrected her. "And don't forget melodramatic."
"Melodramatic Diva walked in on him having sex with his secretary Cynthia."
"What," Brady's jaw dropped in shock. He was suddenly feeling incredibly foolish. He'd acted like such a jackass. God, he never did know when to keep his mouth shut.
"'What'? Is that all you have to say Brady?"
"'Fraid so, Belle." He sighed and leaned against the counter. "My foot is just taking up way too much room in my mouth." ******************** The next day.Basic Black.
"So how do you like being back son?" John took a seat behind his desk as Brady sat across from him.
"I like it fine dad," Brady lied.
"I thought you might. I knew being back home with your family and friends is exactly what you'd need."
"You think so?"
"That's a fact." John eyed his son carefully. "Brady, I know that the idea of living in Salem doesn't exactly excite you."
"No, you're wrong dad. It's great being back." He lied again.
"Brady, for G-d sakes, I am your father and I can tell when you lie. You always do that little thing with your eyes."
"Thing with my." he sighed. "Okay," he conceded. "Okay, being back in Salem doesn't exactly thrill me but I'll get over it."
"Brady-" John started when the buzz of his intercom interrupted him.
"Mr. Black?"
"Uh, yes Jamie. What is it?"
"Ms. Lane is here."
"Oh, send her in please." John stood anticipating Chloe's entrance.
"Lane?" Brady asked, concerned. "As in Chloe Lane? Phil's fiancé?"
"Uh yeah. You know her?"
Brady shrugged. "Kind of." He smiled uneasily as he waited for Chloe to enter. He played with the cuff of his black suit jacket he wore over a solid, blue shirt. He would've pulled at his tie, a nervous habit he had but he wasn't wearing one so his just ran a hand through his hair instead.
"Mr. Black," Chloe entered the room and unaware of Brady's presence went straight to John.
"Chloe. Hey sweetie. How are you?" He pulled her into a hug, Belle having told him what happened to her yesterday concerning Philip's infidelity. Chloe was like another daughter to him.
"I'm good. I am. I'm doing good." She gave him a small smile.
'Yeah, right,' Brady thought to himself. 'She's breaking up inside.' He sat back in his chair that creaked slightly, alerting Chloe to his presence.
She turned to him. "You." She breathed out and wiped a tear from her cheek.
'So this was Chloe,' he thought to himself, as he looked her over. He remembered meeting her all those years ago but for some reason hadn't remembered what she looked like. She was beautiful. There was no doubting that. Even with her messy, tangled hair and those puffy, red eyes, any fool could see that she was definitely an attractive woman. But what a shrew.
Realization dawned on Chloe, and she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. This was Brady: Belle's brother. How could she have not seen it before? That tousled blonde hair? That six foot tall, broad frame? He was gorgeous in all of the pictures that she had seen of him and the reality was no different. She faintly remembered seeing him at Belle and Shawn's wedding five years ago but hadn't really paid much attention. He looked ridiculous standing there, a pink towel draped around his shoulders trying to stare her down. What a pill.
"You two know each other?" Belle asked, clearly confused.
"You could say that." Brady sat across the table from Chloe.
"This is the imbecile that hit my car," Chloe pointed to him.
"You hit me!" Brady couldn't believe she was still going on about this. "And it was a measly dent anyway!"
"Measly dent. That measly dent is going to cost me at least five-hundred dollars to fix."
"Please," he scoffed.
"You know, I'm mistaken. It's not going to cost me a damn thing because you're going to fix it!" She rose from her chair ands walked out of the kitchen but not before muttering "fool" in his general direction under her breath.
Having heard the aside, he stood and followed her out of the kitchen, Belle hot on their trails. "Oh so I'm a fool now huh?"
"Yes," she whirled around on him.
"How so? Look-Chloe-I barely know you so I will try and give you the benefit of the doubt seeing as my sister's insane enough to be best friends with you but there's something I've just been dying to know since I met you this morning?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and remained quiet, silently giving him the go ahead.
"What could have possibly crawled up your ass and died?"
"Brady," Belle screamed. "Dammit, cut her a break!"
"Cut her a break? Her? Are you serious," his eyes widened in incredulity. "Oh, Jesus, she's crying now?"
"Yes," Belle walked over to a now sobbing Chloe and hugged her reassuringly. "She's having a really bad day. Philip--," she stopped herself, not sure she should be discussing Chloe's business just yet.
"Ahhh.so this is who Philip's cajoled into agreeing to marry him, hmm? Dumb and Dumber. Perfect match if I do say so myself. Dry those crocodile tears Diva. I'm not buying it."
"Brady-," Belle started.
"No, Belle," Chloe pushed herself from Belle's embrace. "No, he's right. I'm nothing but a melodramatic, self-centered, self-seeking diva, isn't that right?" She looked to Brady and saw him nod positively in response.
"If the shoe fits," Brady said simply.
"Bye, Belle," she kissed her friend on the cheek and tried to pull herself together. "I'll call you later. I've got things I've got to take care of anyway. I'll call you. I'll call."
"Chloe. Chloe don't leave," Belle pleaded but Chloe shook her head and made her way to the door, leaving promptly. Belle shot a menacing glare at her brother before following Chloe out the door to apologize.
"Good riddance," Brady said under his breath as he made his way to the kitchen.
As he poured himself a cup of tea, a furious Belle entered the kitchen. "Dammit Brady, that is my best friend."
"Keyword: 'your.' That is 'your' best friend Belle, not mine. So I don't have to pretend to like her. She's a spoiled brat."
"You think so hmm?"
"I know so," he took a sip of tea. "Why else would she completely wig out on me for no reason?"
"Oh, I dunno," Belle sighed. "Could be the fact that this morning when she went to visit her fiancé Philip that this self-centered, self-serving-"
"Self-seeking," he corrected her. "And don't forget melodramatic."
"Melodramatic Diva walked in on him having sex with his secretary Cynthia."
"What," Brady's jaw dropped in shock. He was suddenly feeling incredibly foolish. He'd acted like such a jackass. God, he never did know when to keep his mouth shut.
"'What'? Is that all you have to say Brady?"
"'Fraid so, Belle." He sighed and leaned against the counter. "My foot is just taking up way too much room in my mouth." ******************** The next day.Basic Black.
"So how do you like being back son?" John took a seat behind his desk as Brady sat across from him.
"I like it fine dad," Brady lied.
"I thought you might. I knew being back home with your family and friends is exactly what you'd need."
"You think so?"
"That's a fact." John eyed his son carefully. "Brady, I know that the idea of living in Salem doesn't exactly excite you."
"No, you're wrong dad. It's great being back." He lied again.
"Brady, for G-d sakes, I am your father and I can tell when you lie. You always do that little thing with your eyes."
"Thing with my." he sighed. "Okay," he conceded. "Okay, being back in Salem doesn't exactly thrill me but I'll get over it."
"Brady-" John started when the buzz of his intercom interrupted him.
"Mr. Black?"
"Uh, yes Jamie. What is it?"
"Ms. Lane is here."
"Oh, send her in please." John stood anticipating Chloe's entrance.
"Lane?" Brady asked, concerned. "As in Chloe Lane? Phil's fiancé?"
"Uh yeah. You know her?"
Brady shrugged. "Kind of." He smiled uneasily as he waited for Chloe to enter. He played with the cuff of his black suit jacket he wore over a solid, blue shirt. He would've pulled at his tie, a nervous habit he had but he wasn't wearing one so his just ran a hand through his hair instead.
"Mr. Black," Chloe entered the room and unaware of Brady's presence went straight to John.
"Chloe. Hey sweetie. How are you?" He pulled her into a hug, Belle having told him what happened to her yesterday concerning Philip's infidelity. Chloe was like another daughter to him.
"I'm good. I am. I'm doing good." She gave him a small smile.
'Yeah, right,' Brady thought to himself. 'She's breaking up inside.' He sat back in his chair that creaked slightly, alerting Chloe to his presence.
She turned to him. "You." She breathed out and wiped a tear from her cheek.