PrideandPopularity20July11 Read online

  “This way,” the woman instructed.

  She waited for me to follow her further into the house, but I couldn’t. My feet wouldn’t budge. All of a sudden I was indescribably nervous. No thanks, I wanted to say. I think I need to go now. I actually would’ve dropped the bag and fled the house completely had Taylor not shown up at that precise instant.

  “Mrs. Little, was that the doorbell I heard?” his voice came from above me. Dismayed, I froze as I watched his progress down the right set of stairs. First his sock-covered feet, then his jean-clad legs, then his bold-striped chest, then all of him. His steps faltered as he saw me, and our eyes locked.

  “Chloe?” he said in obvious disbelief.

  He looks so good! I forgot how hot he is, even without shoes. I’m going to melt right here, I thought. Except I couldn’t do anything. Speechless and completely paralyzed, I was sure I couldn’t have looked like a bigger freak if I tried.

  Unfortunately, Taylor had no problem moving as he bounded down the last few stairs.

  He’s coming. Yikes. In my embarrassment, I looked away from his incredulous stare and saw the ballet bag in my hands. “Oh. Uh, I, this—this is Georgia’s,” I was able to spit out. “She left it at dance class today.” I offered the bag to Taylor as he stopped a few feet away from me, but he wasn’t looking at it. My heart jumped.

  “You’re here.” His eyes searched my face. “You’re actually here.”

  “Um, yes.” I looked away from him, thinking he probably wished I was anywhere else but in his house. I tried to step back and was amazed at my traitorously stubborn feet, which apparently didn’t want to be anywhere else. Breathe. Take a deep breath and breathe.

  “Mrs. Little, I’ll take care of Chloe, don’t worry,” I heard Taylor say near my ear. With a small tug he gently took my hand. My eyes fluttered back to his. He’s holding my hand!

  “Thanks,” I heard the woman say as Taylor pulled my hand slowly toward him. I realized then that it was still clamped onto Georgia’s bag, and that it was the small tote and not my hand he was really after. I jerked my palm away and released the bag, which fell at Taylor’s feet. Mortified, I mumbled, “Sorry,” and started to bend over and pick it up.

  It was Taylor’s hand on my arm that stopped me. “Wait.” My eyes fluttered up to his and were held captive by their intensity. Slowly his fingers moved down my arm and left a delicious trail of sparks until his hand held mine again. I gulped, unable to look away. “I’ll get the bag,” he said.

  Then I watched in amazement as he bent over with our hands still clasped, picked up the bag, and stood, in one fluid motion. Thankfully, that action allowed me the moment I needed to collect my wits. “Thank you, Taylor. If you could give that to Georgia for me, I’d be really grateful. Anyway, well, I better go.” I would’ve stepped back but my feet still refused to move. And my hand! My hand refused to even think of pulling out of Taylor’s warm hold.

  Taylor looked down at our hands and ruefully smiled before he brought them up in between us. Slowly, his thumb traced a small circle on top of mine, whereupon I let out a tiny gasp at the currents that raced up my elbow. His eyes met mine again. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded his head as if deciding on something. “Do you really have to go this second? Come on. I’ll take you to see Georgia.”

  Another slow, lazy circle was drawn over my thumb, but I heard myself answer, “Uh, yeah, of course. I . . . uh” —I could feel my face turning red— “I would love to see Georgia.”

  “Great.” Instantly, Taylor was all smiles. “She’s up this way.”

  He pulled me along after him, and soon we climbed the elegant staircase side by side. As I floated up the stairs, I had visions of attending a royal ball. Of course, in those visions I wasn’t wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

  “Your house is really big,” I remarked, probably sounding like a complete idiot.

  “Yeah, I know.” He chuckled. “It can get annoying.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, I guess if you like to run then it’s not so bad.”

  “Run?” I couldn’t picture anyone running through a house like this.

  “Thank goodness we have Mrs. Little. It used to be pretty bad when we were in the back of the house and the doorbell rang. Can you imagine my mom sprinting in her high heels to catch the door? Sometimes we wouldn’t even hear the bell ring. People would think we were lying when we said we’d been home all day.”

  “Wow. I never thought of that.”

  “Well, that’s Mrs. Little’s job, really.”

  “Answering the door?”

  “Making sure we don’t miss visitors like you.” He smiled down at me again and winked.

  Wow. He is so hot when he winks.

  We walked into a pretty lavender and white room with a huge Victorian-style dollhouse dominating the center. I couldn’t see Georgia anywhere.

  “Georgia, Miss Chloe’s here to see you,” Taylor announced.

  “What?” the dollhouse answered. Then a mop of golden curls and two happy blue eyes peered around the side. “Miss Chloe! Miss Chloe!” Georgia hollered as she ran around the dollhouse toward me.

  “Hi!” I giggled when she almost knocked me over with her energetic hug. Taylor quickly stepped behind me and steadied my shoulders. Georgia’s bag in his hand gently bobbed against my arm.

  “Sorry. She can get really excited when she sees people she loves,” Taylor murmured near my ear.

  Loves. The word echoed all around me. Breathlessly, I hugged her back.

  “Look what Miss Chloe brought you,” Taylor exclaimed. “You left it at the studio today.” He brought her tote around so she could see it.

  “My ballet bag!” she shouted. “You found-ed it! See, Taylor, I did leave it there!”

  “I thought it was in—” Taylor began.

  “He thought-ed it was in Mom’s car, but it’s not. It’s here!” Georgia did a giddy little dance. I looked up at Taylor and we both started to laugh.

  “Wanna see my dollhouse?” She snatched my hand and began to pull me around to the back of the house.

  “Sure,” I replied as if I had a choice. “Wow. That is so pretty.” I gasped. It was the most beautifully decorated dollhouse I had ever seen. I couldn’t help myself. I sat down on the floor next to her.

  “Diss is my Barbie,” Georgia stated. “Diss one can be yours.” She handed me a pretty, redheaded Barbie. “And diss one is Taylor’s.” She handed it to me, too.

  “Taylor’s? Are you sure?” I grinned at the dark-haired Ken doll as I turned it over in my hands.

  Taylor leaned over the house and smiled down at us. “Yep. That’s my Barbie.”

  I teasingly smirked up at him. “You play with Barbies?”

  “Er, yes.” Taylor lowered his eyes briefly, then looked at me again. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay? I have a reputation to maintain.”

  I laughed. “Reputation? Believe me, I wouldn’t dare repeat this little fact to anyone. They would all think I had gone crazy.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” He laughed too.

  “Come on, Taylor,” Georgia said. “Me an’ Miss Chloe are waitin’ for you.”

  “You are?” Taylor’s eyes questioned mine. “Georgia, I think Miss Chloe’s very busy. I don’t think she can stay and play today.”

  “Oh. You can’t play?” She stared at me pleadingly.

  “Well, I can’t stay very long. But would it be okay if I played for a few minutes?”

  Georgia’s face lit up.

  I glanced up to see if it was okay with Taylor that I stayed. The look he sent me would’ve buckled my knees if I’d been standing.

  TWENTY-TWO

  APRIL'S FOOL

  It was just a couple days after I went to Taylor’s house that my life nearly fell apart. I remember the day distinctly because it was April Fool’s Day. I cannot begin to say how much I wished it was a joke when I received that phone call.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Chloe. This
is Taylor.”

  Taylor? Oh my gosh. He called me. “Hi.”

  “This is going to sound weird, but could you do me a favor?” “Um, sure.”

  “Can you—is there any way you can check on your sister

  for me?”

  “My sister?” Huh?

  “Yeah, Cassidy. I know it’s probably nothing, but I’m—I’m

  . . . okay, look. I pulled up Blake’s profile on Facebook because he’s been kind of acting funny all week. And I came across something—it may not be any big deal—but could you just check for me and see if she’s there at the house?”

  “She’s here. She’s in her room. She went to lie down

  because she wasn’t feeling good.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah, I just talked to her about five minutes ago. So

  what did Blake’s Facebook say? What made you think of Cass?”

  “Um—Chloe, this doesn’t feel right. Will you check her room, please?”

  “Why? I just saw her.”

  “I would feel a whole lot better if you did. Please?”

  Sheez. “All right.” I got up off the couch and walked through the kitchen.

  “Are you there yet?”

  “Hang on.” I chuckled as I began to jog down the hallway. “Okay, I’m here. Cass?” I knocked on the door and waited. Taylor’s impatient sigh caused me to worry a bit.

  “Knock again,” he demanded after a couple of seconds.

  “Okay, okay.” I knocked. “Cassidy? Hey, can you open up?”

  “She’s not there, is she?”

  “Taylor, will you stop. You’re beginning to scare me.” I tried the handle. It was locked.

  “Sorry, I’m just—”

  I began to pound on the door. “Cass? Cassidy! Are you asleep? Open the door!” I waited a few more seconds. Nothing. My hand shook as I placed the phone to my other ear. “Taylor, I don’t think she’s there—”

  “Get in that room now! I don’t care if you have to break the door down. Get in there. Make sure she’s gone.”

  Frantically, I stood on tiptoe and began to search for the small screwdriver we had above the door. “What happens if she’s gone? What does it mean?”

  “Don’t worry, I’m coming over right now.”

  “Don’t you dare hang up, Taylor.”

  I heard the engine of his sports car roar to life. “Chloe Hart, wanting to stay on the phone with me—imagine that.”

  “Very funny.” I went to my bedroom door and searched above it. “I found the key.”

  “Is she there?”

  “Hang on.” My hands were having the hardest time just trying to get the screwdriver in the door handle. She better be in there. I swear if she isn’t, I’ll— The door unlocked. In an instant, I flung the door open and walked into the room. It was empty. Creepily, eerily, empty.

  “Chloe?”

  I took a breath to calm my nerves before I answered, “She’s gone, Taylor.”

  “Ah, I knew it. Look, I’m about five minutes from your house. I want you to look all around outside, okay? You’re sure you talked to her a few minutes ago?”

  “Yeah, I’m positive.”

  “Okay, good. She may still be close by.”

  I dashed out the back door and ran around to the side of house to Cassidy’s bedroom window. It was shut, but I noticed the side gate was open.

  “Do you see anything?” Taylor’s loud voice in my ear caused me to jump. I had forgotten I was still holding the phone.

  “Not out back. I’m going through to the front right now. So are you going to tell me what you saw on Facebook, or what?”

  “Or what.”

  “For crying out loud, you better tell me, Taylor. I have a right to know what your cousin is planning to do to my sister.” I rushed to the driveway and looked around. Where is she?

  “Look, all I saw was that he was planning on meeting some girl somewhere. Most of it was in code on their comments back and forth. I only realized it may be your sister when I saw your profile on her top friends list.”

  I ran to the end of the street and looked toward my friends’ houses. “Holy cow, Taylor. She’s fifteen. If he lays one finger on her, I’ll—”

  “He won’t. I promise you that much. And if he does—”

  “I don’t see her anywhere. I’ve looked down both sides of the street and nothing. What do I do?” I asked him frantically.

  “Hang on. I’ll be there in less than two minutes.”

  I brushed the curls off my face and looked across to the park. “Cassidy!” She was sitting on one of the swings. I started to run across the street and shrieked at the loud, blaring horn of a car. “Ahh!” It careened out of the way, missing me by inches.

  Taylor’s voice in my ear only confused me more. “Do you see her, Chloe? What’s going on? Are you all right? What happened?”

  I was so scared, I couldn’t answer. With my heart in my throat, I hesitantly looked both ways and walked the rest of the way up to the sidewalk. I glanced back just in time to see Cassidy stand up and look behind her toward the baseball field. My shoes squished in the soft sand as I saw what had caught her attention. “No!” I gasped. I could just make out Blake’s blond hair as he came across the grassy field about fifty yards from me.

  “Chloe, what—?”

  I didn’t even answer Taylor as I lowered the phone and ran straight toward Blake. He is not taking my sister anywhere. Mr. Blake Wilder has messed with the wrong redhead! All at once everything I had ever felt toward Blake and the ruined relationship I had with Taylor and every other disgusted and mean and scared feeling I had held back, hit me with full force. All I fully remember was a bright flash of red light temporarily blinding me and then oomph! I collided into his tall form. “You stay away from her!”

  Blake stumbled and we landed with a thud on the soft grass. “W–what?” he gasped.

  “Chloe!” Cassidy’s shocked cry ricocheted in my ears as she ran up to us.

  I jumped to my knees and pointed my finger in his face. “If you so much as touch my sister, you will pay.” He crawled away from me on his backside and hands. I had never seen anyone look so genuinely terrified before. It was almost humorous, and he would’ve gained a bit of mercy from me, but in confusion he lurched into Cassidy’s legs. I freaked. “GET AWAY FROM HER NOW!”

  I don’t know what my face looked like as I sprung up and grabbed Blake’s collar, jerking him with me, but he was certainly petrified. “Get up!” I screamed at him while he scrabbled to his feet.

  “I—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” was all he could mutter.

  “You will be sorry, you little—!”

  “Chloe!”

  It was Taylor. He had parked at an angle in the middle of the road and left his car door wide open. As he approached us at a run, I went from raving mad to giddy with joy. “Finally.” I smiled as Taylor seized Blake’s arms. I was so thankful I would’ve kissed him if I wasn’t holding Blake.

  “It’s okay, Chloe, I’ve got him now.” I hadn’t realized how much larger Taylor was until I saw the two cousins side by side. He gently eased my fingers’vise-like grip on Blake. “What’s wrong, Blake? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Taylor shook his head. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you rule number one? Don’t mess with a redhead.”

  I glared at Blake. “Or her family.”

  “Chloe, do me a favor and pull Blake’s keys out of his jacket pocket. He isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

  My eyes bored into Blake’s as I jammed my hands into his jacket pocket. One dimple appeared, and Blake no longer looked afraid. In fact, he looked downright happy that I was this close to him. I thought I was going to hurl.

  Blake’s eyes smoldered as he smiled at me. “You eighteen yet?”

  Taylor lost it. He jerked Blake back from me just as my hands closed around the keys. “You talk to her again and I’ll kill you,” he growled. “Then I’ll let Chloe have what’s left.”

  The fe
ar was back.

  I went to hand the keys to Taylor, but he shook his head. “I’ll come by later tonight with my dad. I’m sure your parents are going to want to talk to him anyway. One of us will drive this pervert’s truck home then.”

  “Okay.”

  “Come on, Blake, let’s make a trip to the hotel. Dad’s there at the moment, and I think he’d like to see you.” Taylor jerked on Blake’s arms and headed back toward his car. Wisely, Blake remained silent.

  And then it hit me. Cassidy. I spun around and saw her standing there, her eyes huge. I took a step toward her and she flinched. “What’s going on, Chloe? I’ve never seen you so mad before.”

  “Are you okay?”

  She shakily walked up to me and asked, “Is—is Blake in trouble?”

  “Come here.” I put my arm around her. “Cass, are you gonna tell me where he said you were going to go?”

  “Just to a movie. Honest.”

  “On a date?” I watched as Taylor loaded Blake into his car. I could tell he was aggravated and barely containing his temper. He walked around the front and waved to us briefly before climbing in.

  “Yeah, but I didn’t want you to know, because you’d tell Mom. I’m sixteen in like three weeks. It’s so not fair I can’t date now.”

  Taylor’s car revved to life. Bemused, I watched as the sun glinted off its sleek blue roof before it sped away. Cassidy and I headed back toward the house. “Believe me, Blake is not the type of guy you want to be dating.”

  “Why? Because you like him?” she defensively asked.

  “No. I did like him, Cassidy, but I don’t now. Blake’s not my type.” Our feet sunk into the sand as we passed the playground equipment. “Seriously, he’s not yours, either. You’ve got it all wrong. Blake was in court last year for drugging a fifteen-year-old and taking advantage of her.”

  “No way.” Cassidy glanced up.

  “Yes.” I nodded my head. “I think he was planning to do it again with you. Thank goodness Taylor checked out his Facebook profile and warned me.”

  “Oh my gosh.” Cass stumbled a bit as we headed onto the sidewalk.