Blowing out a breath, he once again turned away from me. “I can’t tell you that, either,” he said.
“Then what are we even doing here?” I asked and threw my hands in the air with frustration. “If you weren’t planning to tell me anything helpful, why did you insist on meeting today? Why beg me to talk to you when you’re not even talking?”
“It’s complicated, Chloe,” he said, hanging his head. “Believe me, I want to tell you, but I can’t. Not yet.”
“Not yet?” I crossed my arms. “Then when?”
He shrugged.
Talking to him was as productive as beating my head against a brick wall. I was clearly wasting my time.
“Fine,” I said. “If you can’t tell me how I know you and Trent or why I can’t remember either of you, at least tell me why you’re here. Why did you answer my ad? Why have you been pretending to be my friend?”
“I’m not pretending,” he snapped, then his expression softened. “I am your friend, Chloe, and that’s exactly why I’m here. You don’t know it yet, but you’re going to need a friend, someone who can help you through what’s going on.”
“Newsflash, Jaxon. I have a friend,” I said, anger sparking in my chest.
“Who?” He straightened to his full height. “Simon?” He snorted with disgust.
I gave him a dirty look. “Whatever,” I said, exasperated. “If you’re not going to tell me anything useful, just take me back to the bookstore.”
And I was going to demand Trent give me the answers Jaxon wouldn’t. One way or another, I was going to find out the truth.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN:
Answer Me!
I DUMPED A STACK OF PICTURES into the box and replaced the lid. One box down, twelve more to go. This was the definition of a never-ending job. Yawning, I rubbed at my eyes.
I spent most of last night in the office, scanning pictures. Around 3:00 a.m., I crashed, but Little Frank running through the house screeching at 7:00 a.m. woke me up. I’d been hiding in the office ever since.
Hefting another box toward me, I flipped off the lid and groaned. I grabbed a handful of photos and set them on the desk. My stomach rumbled, but I ignored it.
Socializing with Dad, Larissa, and Little Frank was at the very bottom of my “That Sounds Fun” list, despite their insistence I attend some Memorial Day event with them. I’d adamantly refused, and eventually, they left me alone. Thank God.
Placing the first photo on the scanner, I pressed the button and glanced around the room.
There were dozens of framed photographs on the walls. Dad with business associates. Dad and Larissa at various places—the beach, fancy dinners, museums, and vacations.
And, of course, there were pictures of Little Frank. I smiled. He was a cute kid, even if he was annoying. I’d never had a sibling before, and while I wasn’t exactly getting close to my brother, I did love him.
Every day since I’d gotten here, I prayed Dad wouldn’t do to Little Frank what he’d done to me. That boy needed a father. I needed a father. All I’ve ever wanted was a family—a real family that loved and supported each other. I wanted the family movie nights and the stupid family arguments. I wanted all of it.
I’d had a glimpse of that with Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean, but like everything else in my life, it had been mercilessly ripped away from me.
Melancholy settled over me. All my friends in Keene Valley were living their lives, seemingly unaffected by my absence. Not that I expected them to put their lives on hold simply because I wasn’t there, but it was hard not to feel left out.
I could have it all again. Right here. With Dad and Larissa. God knew she was trying so hard, and I kept pushing her away. Maybe if I embraced my life here…
I did kinda have Simon in my life now, so I wasn’t completely lonely. He’d texted late last night to apologize for canceling our plans and asked if we could reschedule. Hearing from him had calmed me. Maybe he wasn’t blowing me off after all.
If I was honest with myself, things here weren’t horrible. They could always be worse. Like Mom always told me: Life is as good as you make it, Chloe, so spend every day making it great.
Still, no matter how comfortable things were getting here, I couldn’t shake the soul-deep need to get home. One way or another, my days in Malibu were numbered. And now that Jaxon and Trent were in my life—in some twisted bizarre way for reasons that I still didn’t understand—I was more eager than ever to get home. I wanted no part of them and whatever game they were playing.
TUESDAY MORNING, I RUMMAGED through my locker. Everything inside of me hummed to life. I slowly straightened and turned around.
Trent stood a few feet away, his gaze trained on me. He was alone, too, so it was now or never. My heart thundered in my chest and ears. I swung my locker door closed, shoved my books into my backpack, flung it over my shoulder, and marched toward him.
“We need to talk,” I said.
He smirked with amusement. “About?”
I glanced around. “Not here.”
He unleashed his full smile on me, and I took an involuntary step forward. What was it about this guy that had me acting so crazy? Was it because Jaxon insisted I knew Trent? Were my reactions a result of whatever repressed memories I had of Trent?
“If you want to be alone with me, just ask.” He closed the distance between us, and I could feel the heat radiating from his chest.
I attempted to roll my eyes, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t have the sarcastic effect I was aiming for. There was no way I was going to be alone with him. Ever.
Licking my lips, I took a deep breath. “Do you… feel it, too?” I asked.
“Feel
