line kept cutting out. ‘—bad connection—call you—I miss—’
Nate hung up and tossed the phone on to his bed. He was annoyed. Chloe hadn’t even told him where she was.
He contemplated his options for a moment before throwing on an ill-conceived outfit and heading out for some air. He slammed the apartment door loudly behind him.
Chloe closed her phone quietly. Nate had sounded pissed off.
‘Everything OK?’ asked Lana.
The women were cruising through Hollywood in one of Cole’s silver Mercedes, heading back to the Steel mansion–they had just wrapped their scene and Lana had invited Chloe to spend the afternoon.
‘Yeah, sorry.’ Chloe put the phone back in her bag. She looked puzzled. ‘I think he hung up on me, that’s all.’
Lana waved a hand. ‘I’m sure he didn’t.’
Chloe bit her lip. She decided not to let it ruin the rest of her day. This morning on-set had been amazing. Nate could wait.
Minutes later the car arrived at the foot of the drive. It sat purring gently while Cole’s cast-iron gates eased open, before slipping through and beginning its ascent up to the house.
Chloe was agape. ‘You live here?’
Lana nodded as they pulled to a stop next to Cole’s collection of vintage cars. ‘Yes, I live here.’
After giving Chloe a brief, edited tour, Lana fixed some cordial and they sat out on the terrace loungers, enjoying the winter sun.
‘You did a good job today,’ she said, impressed with Chloe’s performance. ‘You’re right for this.’
‘You think?’
‘I think.’
Chloe smiled. ‘Thanks. I had a lucky escape with Sam … he was kind of all over me when I arrived.’
Lana smirked. ‘Join the club. Wait till he sees you with your clothes off.’
‘Oh, I’d never do nudity.’
Lana looked at her sideways. She decided not to comment.
‘You’re so fortunate,’ said Chloe after a while.
Her words seemed a non sequitur and for a moment Lana was confused. She looked around her. ‘It’s a lovely house,’ she said carefully.
‘It’s a stunning house.’ Chloe picked up her glass. ‘It must be nice to have a proper home. A husband you love.’
Lana raised an eyebrow.
‘My parents,’ she went on, ‘well, my dad, actually… he lives in London, the same place I grew up in. I used to love it. But recently it doesn’t feel like home any more.’
There was a moment’s pause before Lana said, ‘Things don’t when you grow up. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.’
‘It isn’t, not really. It’s just sad that all that’s … gone.’ She looked at Lana. ‘My parents are divorced,’ she explained.
Lana’s eyes were kind. ‘That must have been hard.’
Chloe shrugged. She got up and padded over to the infinity pool, where she sat down and trailed a hand in the water. ‘Do you mind if I put my feet in?’
Lana smiled. ‘Sure.’
‘I’d love to have it one day.’
‘What?’
‘You know.’ Chloe took off her sandals. ‘A husband, kids–a family.’
‘I would, too.’
Chloe squinted against the sun. ‘You’re nearly there.’
‘Nearly.’
‘Nate and I haven’t really talked about it.’ She tapped the surface of the pool with one foot. ‘He’s definitely The One, though.’
‘It’s great you’re so sure.’ Lana refilled their glasses.
‘You just know, don’t you?’ Chloe said softly. ‘And that maybe if everything isn’t brilliant, you know, maybe if you have the things that bug you or whatever, you just make it work, because that’s what relationships are about. You can’t just give up. It’s a commitment.’
Lana thought about it. ‘No, you can’t just give up.’ She sat back. ‘I read how you two met, it’s quite a story.’
‘Romantic, huh?’ Chloe grinned, thinking what a heroic tale it would be to tell their grandchildren.
Lana brought over Chloe’s glass and sat down next to her. She took off her own shoes and dangled her toes in. The water was cold.
‘I don’t think Kate diLaurentis likes me much,’ Chloe said. She’d been meaning to sound Lana out about it since the Romans’ wedding.
‘I wouldn’t worry about Kate,’ Lana assured her. ‘She’s just unhappy.’
‘She is?’
Lana didn’t like to gossip, but Kate had been so foul last week that she didn’t feel too concerned about it. ‘Her husband’s fooling around, has been for years.’
Chloe shook her head. ‘Why do people have to cheat? It’s so awful.’
‘Beats me.’
‘I’d never cheat on Nate. You’ve got to trust who you’re with.’
Lana nodded, her thoughts darting guiltily to Parker Troy.
‘They’ve got kids as well,’ she went on, ‘which makes Jimmy even more of an asshole.’
‘I guess he’s handsome in a geeky sort of way,’ Chloe said mischievously.
Lana made a face. ‘Not my type.’
Chloe grinned. ‘Who is?’ she asked, interested. ‘Apart from Cole, obviously.’
God, thought Lana, Cole was not her type at all. And yet he was her husband.
‘Ah, you know,’ she waved the question away, embarrassed, ‘the usual. Strong but sensitive. Handsome … but humble. Serious, but who can make me laugh …’
Chloe’s eyes widened. ‘Some ex-boyfriend, I can tell!’
‘Shh!’ Lana gestured frantically.
Chloe laughed, she hadn’t meant it. She turned to Lana. ‘I’ll bet Cole’s just the best husband ever,’ she said.
Lana slipped her shades on. Memories of Robbie tortured her–she had to let him go. With the premiere fast approaching, she could no longer afford to indulge in the past. And yet it refused to set her free.
The words came easily enough. ‘You got me,’ she said automatically. ‘He’s the best husband ever.’
Belleville, Ohio, 1998-9
‘You know what you’ve got to do,’ Robbie had said that day he’d met Lester. ‘You’ve got to find the courage to face up to him. ‘
But Laura couldn’t. She was too afraid of the consequences.
Over the next twelve months they dated in secret. Laura was still underage and while there were times she wanted to give herself to Robbie completely, times she was desperate to and begged him to take her, he refused. He had waited long enough and he would wait a little while longer–she, he promised, would be worth every second.
At school Laura