The Wrong Side of Midnight (9 page)

Chloe opened her eyes and stared at the door. Angrily, she threw back the covers and jumped to her
feet, only to find herself landing back on the bed when the room started to spin. She got up more slowly and made her way to the door.

"Chloe!
Open the dang door!"

Becky stared at her disheveled friend. She was almost in the same condition as when Becky rescued her before. She took Chloe's hand, walked her to the sofa, and then went into the kitchen and came back with water and a slice of toast. The last thing Becky was going to do was
yell
at her.

"You have to drink and eat this."

Chloe nodded her head and did as told. When she was done, she laid her head on Becky's shoulder.

"You stopped answering my
calls. Where's your phone?"

"Over there. It's off. I was making myself crazy checking it every other minute to see if Matthew called. I couldn't stop so I shut it off."

"Sweetie, you have to let Matthew go. You can't destroy yourself over a guy."

"I care so much for him and his dad. I can't let people I love suffer. How do I get them to accept my help?"

"What does his dad say? Is he mad at you?"

"I don't know
,
he won't talk to me."

Becky knew Chloe wasn't going to let this go. To get her home, she'd have to help resolve this dilemma.
The girls sat in silence for a while.

"Do you want me to talk with either of them?"

"No, Matthew's pretty angry at you too I think. You went along with the lies. I'm sure he's told his dad about you. It has to be me."

"You're chasing him."

"All I want is for one of them to listen to me. If Matthew could see that I'm the same girl he fell in love with, he'd let me help him."

"But that isn't what Matthew believes. All he sees is you chasing him."

"So what am I supposed to do, wash my hands of this whole thing? What if Conner dies because Matthew couldn't get him help? What if they go hungry or can't
afford to keep the heat on? What if the roofing company fails or, God forbid, Matthew gets hurt on the job? Becky, I have got to find a way to help them."

"You still love him, don't you?"

"I love him more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life."

"I'll help you, Chloe, but you have to listen to me. If you don't take care of yourself I'll move in permanently just to smack you every morning."

"Tell me your plan, please. I'm completely lost and have no idea what the first step should be."

"Step one is to shower. I love you but you stink…"

While Chloe was in the bathroom, Becky discarded all the
rotting food in the fridge, and started a grocery list. It was very obvious her friend had lost weight and was already thin to begin with. It was important to get Chloe outside in some fresh air, even if it was just a trip to the grocery store, but avoiding the guy causing all the stress was imperative right now. Becky checked her watch and felt some relief, knowing Matthew would still be on someone's roof and not here where he could see her. If he was mean to Chloe in front of Becky, she'd come at the jerk like a crazy woman. That's when it hit her. She knew
exactly
how to help her friend.

Chapter 8

Chloe drove back from the grocery store with bags of fruit, veggies, and microwavable meals that required very little preparation. Even though Becky made sure she got some nutrients in her system, she felt dead. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep her mind off the horrible situation she ended up in. Her fall from grace in Matthew's eyes played over and over in her mind. The good memories of her time with him were tainted. When she would try to think of the happy
days, sorrow overcame her.
If only things could be different. Why won't he let me explain it all to him?
Chloe knew there was no one else to blame; she caused it herself. She lied. Chloe hated liars as much as the next person.
Since when did I become a liar?
Suddenly it dawned on her; she'd been telling lies all her life, and it began with her parents, especially her mother. Hiding her mom's neglect and abandonment became second nature.
I should legally change my name and start over. Maybe move to a new state. My life is so screwed up.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry, Beck. Tell me again."

"Stay away from him. That's
what you have to do. Stop trying to contact Matthew,
stop
knocking on his door, and if you see him, go the opposite way."

"If I do what you're suggesting, he'll forget about me. There'd be no hope of helping him after that." Chloe sighed in frustration as she pulled up in the parking lot at the apartments. "I should knock on their door one last time. Maybe Conner will talk to me."

"No! So help me, Chloe, if you make yourself crazy again, I really will make you come home."

"Okay, okay. I'll try it for a few days and that's it.
Deal?"
Chloe knew that Becky would do exactly what she threatened. Having to go back to square one and live inside that
blasted mansion would be the end of her.

"It's better than nothing. You'll see that I'm right, and when you do, I won't have to convince you of anything. Just don't give up, Chloe. You're worth more than this."

∞  ∞  ∞  ∞

Becky stayed for a couple more days, and when she left, the challenge of keeping away from Matthew became greater. It was easy to do with someone breathing down her back all the time, but now the conscious decision lay on Chloe's lap. She couldn't believe how much
of her day revolved around finding an opportunity to talk to him. Every time she spent money, she pictured Conner and his lack of medical care, Matthew's worried face, their empty
refrigerator,
his old truck…Chloe wished she could go talk to Lois, but the fear of security not allowing her to leave the estate again kept her away.

Each day was blending into the next. She was forcing herself to stay out of bed, forcing herself to eat and drink. After Chloe found herself struggling to fill all the hours in the day, she went to visit Sherry after her shift. She'd been refusing the paychecks the older woman tried to give her, which made her question why the young, wealthy woman
wanted to clean up such unpleasant messes for free. But Chloe desperately needed to keep busy, even if it meant cleaning up those unpleasant messes several hours a day.

"You're already working for free. Why do you want to pick up extra days?"

"I like it here, plus I live in the building. Just think of it as me cleaning my home." Chloe smiled. Sherry stared at her.

"Is this because you're trying to run into Matthew?"

"No, it's the opposite. I really need to stay busy, Sherry. If he ever wants to talk to me, he can come to me. Matthew knows where I live."

Sherry nodded her head and
returned the smile, but couldn't hide the concern in her eyes. "Here's the spare key for the supply closet. When you find yourself with time on your hands, you can clean anytime you want. But if I hear that vacuum running at three in the morning…" Sherry got up and wrapped her arms around Chloe. "You don't have to clean, sweetie. You're allowed to come down here and just sit and chat if you want." Sherry felt so bad for her. She wished the stubborn man would give her a chance to explain and stop being so hard headed.

Chloe thanked her and took the key. She had to get out of Sherry's office because Matthew was due home any second. Her strong urge to go out to the parking lot to wait, and
hopefully talk to him, was almost overwhelming.
Keep walking,
she chanted over and over again. Just as she was ready to climb the stairs, she saw Matthew out of the corner of her eye. She pretended to be looking for something in her bag and was surprised to see him stop and stare at her. After about three minutes, she climbed the stairs without letting him know she was aware of his presence. Matthew was still standing in the same place, watching her every step.

Matthew slammed the door when he got inside his apartment. Conner looked up with a questioning look. His son had been on edge ever since he broke up with Chloe, but he
knew he'd just set Matthew off if he approached the subject. When he heard the cupboard slam shut, then the refrigerator door close loudly he couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!"

"So you slam things around for no reason now?"

"Why is she still living here? I don't know why Sherry hasn't thrown her out."

"You saw Chloe I take it."

"Yeah, I saw her."

"Did she say anything?"

"I just stopped home to fix you some dinner, and then I'm going up to Cars for a beer."

"Matthew, you know you can talk to me, so I don't know why you
insist on keeping everything bottled up."

Matthew heated up some soup and made a grilled cheese sandwich for his father without saying another word until he was walking out the door.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Chloe was on her way to the store that evening to pick up some coffee and cleaning supplies for Sherry. She didn't even need to look over to see if Matthew's red pickup was sitting next to her at the traffic light, she could hear it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him turn his head toward her, but Chloe kept
facing straight ahead. Matthew revved his engine, and she pretended not to notice. When the light turned green she drove straight, obeying the speed limit. Matthew squealed his tires and turned the corner.

John sat at a table in the bar watching the ball game on television. He spotted Matthew come in, order a beer, and chug down almost the entire thing. John ordered a couple more and then waved his friend over.

"As ticked off as you've been, I can assume you're not celebrating. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Here we go again, Matt. This is getting pretty old. It's okay to have a
bad day now and then, but you're pissed off all the time. Your mood has Chloe written all over it."

"I want her out of the apartment. Everywhere I turn, there she is!"

"Talk to her."

"Look, I just came to relax. I
don't
want to talk about Chloe," growled Matthew through clenched teeth.

John just nodded his head and sat quietly. He knew if Matthew was left alone, he'd eventually spill what was in his head. Well, some of it, but if you read between the lines, you could usually get the full story. After Matthew finished his second beer, he stared blankly at the television screen. John hoped the silence would help, but it wasn't looking good.
After watching him tie five straws in knots, shred a few napkins, and slam his phone down on the table, Matthew began to mumble. Then he got up and headed towards the door.

"Listen, I'm heading home, so why don't you check on your dad and then come downstairs to my apartment and hang out for a bit?"

He ignored John and left.

Matthew tossed and turned in bed. Just thinking about what Chloe had done made his face red and his temper flare. At three in the morning he got up, threw on his clothes, and then slipped quietly outside. The night was chilly, and a slight drizzle had begun. He turned to go back inside but found himself walking
down to John's apartment instead. Matthew hesitated before knocking and checked his watch. It was way too late to be popping in. He turned to walk back home when the door opened.

"Sorry, man. Did I wake you up?"

"Come on in. I was just watching some re-runs.
Can't seem to sleep."
John held the door open and watched Matthew go to the fridge and grab a beer. His concern about his friend is what kept him from sleeping. The last thing he needed was to bail Matthew out of jail from plowing someone in the face. He'd never seen the guy this angry.

"I love her."

"I know you do. There's nothing wrong with trying to work things out. I think you're making a mistake."

"She paid my father's medical bills, did you know that?"

"If she didn't love you, she wouldn't have done it. You're assuming she lied to mock you."

"I was paying the bills just fine on the plan the hospital set up for me. She made me feel like crap. Incompetent."

"She didn't make you feel that way, Matt. You've held a low opinion of yourself ever since Josie decided to be a wench. I don't understand why Chloe has to suffer because of something she had nothing to do with. Let me ask you a
question. If you two were married, would you let her help you then?"

Matthew picked at the bottle label. "I'm ticked off she lied to me. She tried to stoop to my level out of pity, that's what hurts the most. Can you imagine the audacity of someone pretending to be poor? That
is
mocking me."

"You wouldn't have gone near her if you knew how rich she was. You couldn't look past the money, Matt. Maybe it's time to swallow your pride and realize she helped you out of love."

"Love…" Matthew laughed, and out the door he went.

John glanced at the clock and was grateful it was Sunday.

He didn't feel like going back inside his apartment. The sound of oxygen hissing made him feel guilty. Matthew knew his father would feel better if he got the care he needed. He walked out to the parking lot, leaned against his old pickup, and looked over at the new red Chevy Silverado underneath the lights.
If I ever see that fake salesman again, I'll break his jaw. I wonder how much humor they both got over me acting like an idiot.
Memories of running down the hall yelling how he'd won came flooding back, making his face burn.
I wish someone would set it on fire.
But the old truck was on its last leg, and he feared that one day soon it'd break
down and never start again.
Then what
? Matthew lost track of how long it'd been since he talked with Chloe. He missed her and hated her at the same time. He knew a relationship with that woman would mean being her project.
She's probably told all her rich friends about how pathetic my life is, but my life was just fine until she showed up.

At seven in the morning, Matthew went back home, got his father situated and made his breakfast.

"Aren't you going to eat, son?"

"No, I have something to do real
quick
." Matthew opened up the checkbook and wrote out his first payment to Chloe for two hundred dollars. That was the amount the
hospital agreed upon to pay off his father's bills. He wrote on the bottom, "Reimbursement for medical bills," and tore out a sheet of paper from a tablet and wrote a message. "I'll configure the interest and give you back every cent. We were doing just fine until you put your nose where it didn't belong." Matthew sealed the envelope and walked down to Sherry's office. She was just starting a pot of coffee.

"Good morning, sweetie. You're up early for a Sunday. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's all good. Could you give this to Miss Burlington?"

"When are you going to stop this hate crusade you're on? I've gotten to know her, and she told me why she
did what she did, and I believe her. You would too if you'd give her the time of day. Honestly, I love you dearly, but you're acting like a—"

"Just make sure she gets it. Thanks, Sherry, I appreciate your concern."

Sherry watched as he walked out of the office.

∞  ∞  ∞  ∞

Chloe awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. She ran and grabbed it off the kitchen table, then hurried back to bed and under the blankets before answering it.

"Tell me you're not still sleeping
at two in the afternoon."

"No, it's freezing outside. I was just taking a nap."