Free Love Letters by Geraldine Solon

in two minutes,” Chloe replied, grabbing her purse.
    Then to Maureen and Faye she called, “I might take a longer lunch today. You can reach me on my cell phone.”
    Nicole was waiting for her at the back of the salon with two sandwiches when Chloe arrived seven minutes later.
    Chloe gave her a big hug. “What’s the matter? You look like you got hit by a bus.”
    Nicole was wearing jeans and an ordinary white shirt, and she had dark circles underneath her eyes. “The bank is foreclosing on our home.”
    “ What?” Chloe held her hand.
    “ Uh-huh.”
    “ I thought your dad paid for the house,” Chloe said as she unwrapped her sandwich.
    “ I thought so too, until that son of a…”
    Chloe set her sandwich aside. “When did you find this out?”
    “ Yesterday, the bank called demanding that my mom pay six months mortgage. My mom said she knew nothing about it, but they didn’t believe her. They showed us the documents and it’s true – my dad lied to us. He told us the house was paid in full, but it wasn’t. He had been paying it on time until six months ago. My mom confronted him yesterday, and he said he can’t continue paying two houses. He said he already has a new family, and his obligation is to them, not to her,” Nicole said, wiping her tears.
    Chloe drew closer to rub her back. Although Nicole was living with Matt, she was still very close to her mom and she would miss her childhood home. “I can’t believe he would do that. I’m sorry to hear that. What did your mom say?”
    “ She said it was bad enough that he left us for another woman, but lying about the house has really damaged his integrity.” She sniffed. “Mom kept my room the same way when I left. I have so many memories there,” Nicole said, putting her sandwich aside.
    Chloe thought about her own house and felt a huge welling of sympathy. “Oh no, this isn’t happening. Maybe Richard could help you.”
    Nicole shook her head. “The bank is giving Mom thirty days and, unless she can come up with the money, she’s doomed.”
    “ Let’s not give up so easily. We can fight this, Nic,” Chloe said, taking a sip of her soda.
    “ This isn’t a fairytale like your romance novels,” Nicole snapped.
    Chloe frowned. “I’m only trying to help.”
    “ I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I’m just feeling down right now and everything seems hopeless.”
    “ It’s all right,” Chloe said, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze. “I understand. I’m going to talk to Richard and see what he can do. Even if he can’t help, we’ll find a way to fix your situation.”
    “ Thanks, Chloe,” Nicole said, looking outside the window. “Hey, look who’s here?”
    Chloe turned around and froze when she saw Josh enter the salon behind Matt. He was dressed in jeans and a gray jacket with a cap.
    Matt walked to the back and kissed Nicole. “Hi babe. I came as soon as I heard. Your mother called, told me the whole story.”
    “ Hey you,” Josh said, smiling at Chloe.
    Chloe tucked her hair around her ear and looked down. “Hey.”
    “ Are you okay, babe? You know I’m here for you no matter what,” Matt said, embracing Nicole. “I hope we didn’t disturb you guys.”
    Nicole wiped the tears from her eyes. “That’s so sweet of you to check on me. Chloe’s been reassuring me that we’ll find a way to fix this problem. She’s even going to talk to Richard.”
    “ That’s what friends are for,” Chloe smiled, glancing at Josh.
    “ So, are you guys coming over tonight?” Josh asked, staring directly at Chloe.
    “ What’s happening tonight?” Chloe asked, looking at Nicole.
    “ I forgot to tell you, Josh has invited us tonight for drinks at his place.” Nicole gave an innocent shrug, but Chloe had a feeling she was up to something. She had never liked Richard, and would no doubt love to see them go their separate ways.
    “ Oh.”
    Richard was supposed to be coming over, but as usual he would be busy making