“Yeah, the rat bastard. And I thought he cared for me back. He said he did. He did,” she said into Summer’s shocked face. “I know he doesn’t say much at work, but we talked. We laughed. We…Well.” She clinked her glass to Summer’s and they both went to take a sip, but Summer was startled to hear the slurping sound of her straw on empty glass. “Guess I was thirsty.”

“No problem.” Chloe poured them both another from the pitcher, then tipped her glass to Summer’s and knocked back a good half of it in one sip.

Summer did the same. Things were beginning to look different under a nice alcoholic buzz. For one thing, she could no longer see the front door clearly, which meant as the place filled up, she didn’t feel the usual sense of growing panic. That was nice. Very nice.

“So.” Chloe grinned. “You getting lucky tonight? I’m going to have to live vicariously through you for now.”

“I’ve told you. Joe and I are just old friends.”

“That’s just a damn shame.”

“Yeah.” Summer held up her glass and Chloe topped them both off again from the pitcher.

“You going to miss him when you go?” Chloe asked.

“Joe?”

“No, the man on the moon. Yes, Joe.”

“Yeah,” Summer admitted. “I’ll miss him.”

“Maybe he could go with you and become a river guide too. You could stay out there in the wilderness until you have kids, and then—”

“Chloe.” Summer laughed. A real one. “Come on. I don’t think about that kind of stuff.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because…I don’t know,” she said honestly.

Chloe grinned. “You know, you act so tough, but I think you’re really just a big chicken.” She flapped her arms and made a clucking noise. “Want to know a secret? I’m chicken too. My dad walked out on my mom, and granted, she got lucky the second time around, but I don’t think I inherited any of the luck at all.”

“If Braden walked, he’s not worthy anyway.”

“Don’t say his name,” Chloe said with a pout.

“He doesn’t deserve you.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Her eyes filled. “Damn it. I fell hard for that jerk. It was the real thing too. True love.” She sighed. “At least for me.”

“You were okay with falling in love?”

“Are you kidding? Yes. Look, I know we both come off so tough and independent, but the truth is, while you’re the real deal, I’m not. I want to share my life.”

Summer had seen how love worked. She’d watched it bloom like a new rose between her mother and father every day of her life. It’d been the can’t-eat can’t-sleep kind, heart-wrenchingly real to the point where for Camille and Tim, little else had been able to penetrate. Little else had mattered.