“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Cindy,” Brook said.
OMG! She had hung out with me for too long. Brook had just given me a one-word answer, and I completely understood. She might have to turn in her sisterhood card that said girls had to talk everything to death. She wasn’t impressed when I high-fived her.
“You two are weird,” Cassidy opined.
Fritz showed up and sent Manaia and Cassidy to find Chloe’s car, which they found down the street. She had taken her clothes off by the window; that was where he discovered her phone. I was sent in to wake her up and get her pin number to unlock it. Fritz needed her contact list to get her help.
“Guess who her manager is?” Fritz asked. “Kent.”
“Well, get him over here so he can ‘manage’ this,” Brook said.
Fritz called Kent and explained the situation. I was impressed when Kent made it from his office to here in under thirty minutes.
“Where is she?” he asked as he walked in the door.
Fritz pointed, and Kent left to do his job. If anyone could handle out-of-control Hollywood types, it was him. He’d dealt with Craig and had kept him out of trouble for years. I was sure that one small crazy girl was something he could handle.
Kent came out with a frown on his face.
“I think she’s really nuts. What should we do?” he asked, proving me wrong.
“Go get Tracy,” I suggested.
“She and Pam aren’t here,” Brook said.
I called Tracy and filled her in. Why did everyone think that having a crazy stalker was funny? It wasn’t all that funny when you had to deal with it.
“You need to get her somewhere and have her evaluated. It doesn’t sound like she’ll go willingly. I would call the local Community Mental Health Team. I think they have them everywhere,” she suggested.
A quick Internet search showed there was a facility like the one Tracy had been in for her depression, not too far away. Kent called them and made discreet arrangements for them to do a check.
Of course, Chloe didn’t want to go without me, so I rode with Kent. I felt like a complete ass when I left her. She was here, all alone in the US, and not right in her head. When I got back to the house, I had Kent call her parents. They said they would be out on the next flight.
I could see the concerned look on Brook’s face. Seeing Chloe come unhinged had bothered her. I acted on impulse. Before Brook could say anything, I touched the side of her face and lowered my mouth to hers, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. I wanted to send her a message about how I honestly felt about her. I didn’t want her to mistake this for any other time I’d kissed her.
My tongue swept across her soft lips, and she opened her mouth slightly, allowing my tongue to slip inside. I ran my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck. Our lips moved together as our kiss deepened into well-practiced bliss. Everything seemed to fade around us, leaving me feeling she was the only person in my world. She pulled back, breaking the spell as she looked me in the eyes.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Just a reminder that I love you.”
The tension in Brook’s body left her.
“I love you, too.”
◊◊◊
Brook and I were getting the house ready for the party when everyone who’d spent the day with Cindy appeared. They were giddy, and I saw that Sarah and Wolf couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. Tami and Tim weren’t much better.
“What happened to them?” I asked with a straight face.
“Cindy happened.”
“You think she did her magic?”
“Don’t know. I’ll find out,” Brook said.
I just bet she would. There would be a girl confab in the near future where all the details would be discussed. I returned to setting up.
“Dude, you rock,” Wolf announced as he put me in a bear hug from behind.
He put me down, then Tim did the same.
“Get off me,” I grumped. “I take it Cindy was helpful.”
“I’m not embarrassed to admit that I was clueless,” Wolf said. “All I know is that Sarah’s happy.”
I looked at Tim, and he just grinned.
“Cool. Help me finish getting ready for this party,” I said.
I told them about going to the batting cage.
“Normally, I’d be jealous you got to hit some balls,” Tim said.
I had a couple of smart comments leap to mind about ‘balls’ but decided to let them sit for now. I could see they were dying to tell me about their afternoon, but wanted me to ask. The more I thought about it, the more I didn’t need to hear the details. I was confident Cindy handled everything well.
“Da-vid,” Cindy said with a singsong voice.
Cindy has always had one of the top five butts I’d ever seen. Damn, she was in short-shorts that highlighted her best asset. She saw where I was looking and smiled.
“You still into older women?”
“I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to play today. I’ve already had a stalker, and I doubt Brook will let me off the leash,” I said to slow her roll.
“Stalker?” Wolf asked.
