Free Devotion by Marianne Evans Page A

was hit so hard by the words he almost forgot about Frank Simpson.
    “Do you see that older couple over there?” Chloe continued, her tone quiet and conspiratorial. She glanced toward a table not far away from their window seat at The Palm Restaurant. “He just handed her a rose and a present. I think it’s their anniversary, or her birthday or something. He kissed her hand, and she blushed.” Chloe shook her head, returning her focus to the menu. “That long together, and she blushed. I want a man who still treats me like a princess and still makes me blush when I’m in my golden years.”
    Unsettled by that chain of thought, Kellen wanted to change the direction of this conversation—quickly. “I don’t blame you.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I’ve got something brewing, by the way.”
    “Oh?”
    He nodded, studying his contact list as he scrolled through names and numbers. “What’s your schedule like for late Monday afternoon?”
    Chloe shrugged. “I have to be at Iridescence, but not until six o’clock or so. Why?”
    “Good deal. Hang on a second.” Kellen activated his desired call, and then focused on her, letting his grin and eagerness shine through. “Frank, it’s Kellen…um-hmm…yeah, with almost thirty minutes to spare. We’re on. Four o’clock Monday…yep…see you then.”
    Chloe’s eyes widened when she absorbed his side of the conversation—and its implications. He ended the call, and she clamped a hand across her mouth. Her hand dropped weakly. “You can’t possibly be serious,” she murmured.
    “I’m not the one who’s serious. Frank Simpson is.”
    “Don’t tease.”
    Kellen snickered. “I’m not, Chloe. He called me almost immediately after receiving your demo.”
    Their server approached. While they placed an order for surf and turf and Caesar salad, Kellen noticed the way Chloe steadied herself and absorbed the shock of the news. As lunch progressed, they shared plans and strategy for the meeting. The more they relaxed over a delicious, leisurely meal, the more they laughed. The more they laughed, the closer they became. In a natural evolution, their conversation strayed from strict work boundaries to personal questions and getting to know one another outside the parameters of being a singer and an agent. Doorways to the personal, and to deeper knowledge of one another, slowly swung open.
    “Tell me about your wife. I noticed her picture on your desk when we met at your office.” Wearing an expectant expression, with no pretense or guile, she opened up Kellen’s own version of Pandora’s Box.
    Kellen forced panic aside. Discussing Juliet…with Chloe…would not be an optimal direction for this luncheon. “She’s…everything.” Kellen shrugged, looking into the near distance. “She’s beautiful. Inside and out.”
    Silence rode in. “I noticed that in the photo. Somehow, I’d expect nothing less.” Chloe’s smile bloomed, and she settled her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her folded hands. The direct impact of her eyes robbed him of breath. “How long have you been married?”
    “Almost nine years.”
    “I’m impressed.”
    “Nine years is impressive?”
    “Sadly, yes. In this day and age anything over five years has become long-term commitment.”
    He could tell she was only half joking. Kellen shook his head, and didn’t buy into her lighthearted tone. “I don’t see it that way. Talk to me about impressive and long-term once we’ve hit the forty- or fifty-year mark—maybe like that couple you were watching at the next table. That’s impressive.”
    Chloe regarded him in silence for a moment. She picked up her fork but didn’t start eating again right away. “Your wife is a lucky lady. And you’re lucky.” Chloe stopped pushing the food around and settled back in her chair. “I’m on the dating wheel, and I have to tell you, it’s nothing short of crazy and disheartening.”
    “I don’t envy you having to deal with