Chapter Fifteen

Davis didn’t know where he was going or why he was wandering around a giant hotel by himself. There was a beautiful woman in his room. Any other guy would smack him upside the head and tell him to move aside because he was wasting an opportunity.

And yet, he wanted nothing more than to put space between him and Chloe right now. Davis couldn’t believe that she’d actually assumed that he thought he was too good for her. No one at home would have made that mistake. Because everyone else saw him for who he was. The loner. The guy who took everything too seriously.

Had the folks back home ever thought that maybe their jokes weren’t funny? And maybe that was why he didn’t laugh? Had they ever considered that loud music and the constant tourist chatter was painful for him, attacking every nerve in his body? And that the reggae that pumped from Adeline’s shop each morning as she made chocolates, with its sharp percussion beats, was the worst of all?

No, because no one ever listened long enough to know.

Davis had thought it would be nice when his family left, leaving him to run the store. Thought he’d finally have some quiet.

He hadn’t counted on the loneliness that would come with it.

Davis shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way outside into a garden that stretched behind the resort. A long pool sat to one side of it, and a wide river bordered the other two.

Maybe he should go for a swim. He hadn’t brought a swimsuit, but there was probably a shop somewhere inside the resort where he could buy one.

That was the one thing he’d always appreciated about growing up in a coastal town—when all else failed, go for a swim.

Davis wandered back inside and found the small tourist shop. They didn’t have much variety. Good thing he liked elephants, because every swimsuit was covered in them. He bought one that had a bit of an artsy feel to it, a cream elephant against a green background. Davis thought he’d go back to the room to change, but when he got there, he realized he didn’t have a key—he’d left without thinking. And Chloe wasn’t answering.

Swimsuit in hand, he wandered back downstairs to see if the front desk had an extra key they could loan him but paused when passing one of the restaurants. Chloe sat at a table on the far side of the dining room. She was alone and staring out the window that overlooked the garden and river.

Davis walked over to her, not knowing what he was going to say, embarrassed by what had already been said, but also knowing that the more time passed before they spoke again, the more awkward it would become.

“Hi.” He sat down across from Chloe, and she jumped, startled by his sudden presence.

“Oh my gosh, you can’t do that to people,” she said, half-laughing and placing a hand over her heart.

Davis gave her a slight smile, not quite ready for a full one. “Sorry. I thought saying hi was enough to announce my presence.”

Pink tinged Chloe’s cheeks. “I guess I didn’t hear you. Lost in my thoughts.”

Davis wondered if he’d been in any of them. “Mind if I join you?” Even as he asked it, he noticed her empty plate. “It looks like you’re done. I can find a different table.”

“No, no, I could stay a while,” she said, her words escaping quickly. They stopped just as fast, her cheeks now a deeper shade of pink. “What I mean is, it’s a lovely view, and it would be nice to share it with someone. Besides, you must be starving.”

“I could eat,” Davis said with a small shrug, wanting to appear cool and indifferent—that was what the attractive guys all did, right? His stomach grumbled at that moment, betraying him.

Chloe laughed. “I think you better.” She raised a hand, and a waiter came over with a menu.

Davis was surprised by how many dishes they offered, and how many American items were on the menu. He tried to order a burger with fries, but Chloe stopped him with a shake of her head before he could finish.

“You did not come all the way to Thailand to eat a cheeseburger.”

“But it’s a different kind,” he said. “Look, it says it has Thai chili sauce on it.”

Chloe’s lips twitched up at the edges. “I’m sure it does. But you need to eat as much Thai food as you possibly can while here, or you’ll regret it the moment you get back home. Your mom told me there isn’t Thai food within a three-hour drive where you’re from.”

Davis leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t think you’re being a tad dramatic about this?”

The waiter had already started scribbling on his little notepad but now paused and glanced between Davis and Chloe, like he was unsure if he should be crossing out what he’d already written or continue with Davis’s order.

“I’m not being dramatic. That’s how amazing Thai food is, and I need to save you from your American self.”

Chloe was giving him her most serious expression. And it was adorable.

Davis released a long sigh. He didn’t like new things, but he had to admit that the Thai food he’d eaten back at the village had been delicious. They’d been limited on what they had, mostly just meat, vegetables, and rice. But the satay he’d tried from that street vendor had been as close to heaven as he thought he’d ever get. If the food at the restaurant could come even close to that, it would be worth trying.

“All right,” he said. “Thai food it is. But if I don’t like it, I reserve the right to go back to my burgers and fries.”

Chloe stuck her hand out across the table, like she wanted to shake on it. Davis hesitated just briefly before taking her hand. It was small compared to his, but it fit perfectly. And he didn’t want to let go. Which he didn’t, and he held her hand a moment too long. As soon as he realized it, he quickly released her hand, and his arm shot back toward him across the table. Unfortunately, his elbow knocked over his water cup in the process, drenching his pants and everything around him.

The waiter didn’t say a thing but merely disappeared and then reappeared a moment later, towel in hand.

“I’m sorry,” Davis said, but the waiter said it was no problem and led them to another, much drier, table and made another attempt at getting Davis’s order. But because he was no longer getting a burger and fries, Davis no longer knew what to ask for. He stared at the menu so long that Chloe ended up rattling off something to the waiter. The waiter seemed grateful that she had taken charge and hurried off before Davis could intervene.

Davis stared. “You just ordered for me.”

Chloe’s lips quirked up. “Yes, I did.”

Normally Davis was so particular about everything he said and did and ate that no one would ever dare do something like that. But Chloe didn’t know that about him, and he realized this was a chance to start over. Yes, she already had some less-than-desirable first impressions of him. But she didn’t know everything about him. She didn’t know the depth to which his obsessive qualities ran.

The real question was, could he keep that side of him at bay long enough for her to get to know the real him?

“Thank you,” he finally said, though inside he was freaking out. Davis didn’t think Chloe would steer him wrong. But really, what was she thinking ordering for another person, not knowing his preferences? What if it had mushrooms in it? He hated mushrooms. Or what if he had an allergy? She’d have no idea. The fact that he didn’t actually have any food allergies didn’t make her actions any less risky.

Davis stilled, his heart racing, warning him. Maybe that freaking-out person was the real him. Maybe he was just an obsessive person who liked to be alone.

And was meant to be alone.

But then Chloe smiled. “Tell me about Starlight Ridge.”

The panic melted away. And there was only her.

Davis looked at Chloe—really looked at her. He took in the shape of her nose—it had a slight crook in it—and the way her eyes danced as she watched him, awaiting his answer. He couldn’t help but compare her to Bridgette. They were very similar in a lot of ways. They both had a carefree style that drew him in and made him do things very unlike himself.

Davis shifted his gaze to the window. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue on the river. It reminded him of home. “Starlight Ridge is beautiful. Everything, and everyone, centers around the ocean. It’s the one thing that is predictable—constant.” He pulled in a long breath and tried to smile. “Tourist season is the definition of insanity, but not many people on vacation feel the need to come to the hardware store, so as long as I stay inside, it’s not too bad. Though it does mean a lot of work for me, with all those extra people running around, breaking things.”

Chloe was quiet for a moment, and when Davis glanced back at her, he saw she was watching him, a curious look on her face. “You don’t have a high opinion of people, do you?”

“They’re chaotic and loud.” Even Davis could hear the bitterness in his voice. So much for trying to show Chloe a different person. He was who he was, and there was no changing it. He at least tried to soften his tone.

“People don’t realize how loud they speak, especially when they are in a crowd, all competing to be heard. But I’ve always been extra sensitive to it. Even as a child, when we’d go to an event or the movie theater in the next town over, I had to bring headphones. I couldn’t handle the noise. Of course, if you’re at a party and you’re wearing headphones, people think you’re being rude, that you don’t want to talk to them. My headphones only dampen the noise, I can still hear just fine, but people think I’m making that up. They don’t believe me.”

Davis’s voice shook at the end. He hadn’t meant to say so much.

Chloe leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “You didn’t wear your headphones in Chiang Mai.”

“I almost pulled them out,” Davis admitted. What he didn’t tell her was that he had put them back in his satchel at the last second, not wanting her to see him wearing them. Wearing headphones as an adult was different than when you were a child. He’d tried earplugs, and they always fell out or blocked out so much noise that he couldn’t hear anyone at all, so he’d gone back to the headphones.

Chloe seemed to have a way of understanding what he wasn’t saying out loud, and she said, “Pull them out anytime you need to.” Reaching forward, she placed a hand on his. “I’m serious. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

He nodded slowly. Chloe seemed to mean what she was saying rather than just trying to be nice.

“Okay.”

“Your mom chose well,” Chloe said, leaning back in her chair. “Chiang Rai is the perfect place for you to spend the remainder of your vacation. It’s very low key, and I think you’ll like it here. I was thinking that tomorrow we could just walk the city, take in what Thailand is without all the tourist attractions. Though I do have to warn you that there are more people here than usual. And you might want to wear that swimsuit of yours when we go out. Just in case.” Chloe nodded at his new swimsuit that sat on the table next to him.

Davis looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Why would he wear that if they were just going to be exploring the city? The thought left him just as quickly as it arrived, though, because their waiter had appeared with his food.

Chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce. Rice on the side.

His gaze snapped up and met Chloe’s. She wore a smile so big, it took up half her face.

“You have to start trusting me,” she told him. “I can tell you aren’t used to that—trusting people, I mean. But maybe you could start, if only for this week.”

As Davis ate his satay, Chloe told him about Chiang Rai and the hill tribe people she’d met the last time she’d been there, and as she spoke, he realized he could trust her. Whatever his issues, she wasn’t running in the opposite direction. Or making him feel bad about not being normal.

No one had ever made him feel this safe, other than his family.

His family.

Davis realized he hadn’t thought of them once since arriving at the hotel. He should have at least checked in so they’d know he and Chloe had arrived safely.

But there was something about Chloe that made him forget everything and everyone else.

He’d been completely lost in every moment since they’d arrived in Chiang Rai.

And he didn’t want to be found.