CHAPTER 20

Lana sighed loudly, brushing a hand through long dark hair. The house had been thoroughly cleaned and sorted, the FOR SALE sign on the front lawn striking her emotions harder than she had really expected it to. This had been her home too, after all, and Gabe had, in a way, been her family. It broke her heart to know that his corny jokes and terrible attempts at cooking dinner were things of the past, and it hurt her even more that Chloe hadn't even thought to tell her he was sick in the first place. And now here she was, on call from Chloe with no apology in sight, to help sell the house before Gabe Sullivan had even been buried. And Chloe had locked herself in the bathroom.

"Chloe!" She shouted, leaning against the door. "Come on, open the door."

"Please just leave me alone for a second." She snapped from the bathroom, her voice muffled by the sound of running water. "I'm meditating."

"You are not. You're the one who called and asked for my help."

"If you don't want to be here then go!" Chloe swung the door open and Lana gasped slightly at her appearance. She was soaking wet in dripping clothes, her eyes wild and aggressive.

"Chloe..."

"Yes?" She challenged, with a trademark eyebrow quirked. For a moment, Chloe looked so...normal, that Lana was tempted to forget that she had obviously been standing in the shower fully dressed. But this was not healthy behavior, and Chloe was her friend...mostly. She had sworn to be there in her time of need, if not to ease Chloe's pain, then to ease her own guilt over her absence throughout Gabe's illness. She tugged gently at Chloe's arm, guiding her out of the bathroom before reaching behind her to turn off the shower faucet.

"Let's get you some dry clothes."

Chloe's face softened a bit as she relaxed. "I packed everything." She mumbled quietly.

"Well, I'll look and see if I can find anything of mine left laying around." As Chloe's noise scrunched up in distaste, Lana scowled. "I'll try to find something not pink." She grumbled as she turned to begin her search. Chloe grabbed her by the sleeve so she faced her.

"Thank you, Lana." She said with quiet sincerity. Lana smiled and wandered off to the bedroom, leaving Chloe shivering and wet in the hallway.