on campus was half-true, Kevin Stayton, if not exactly a womanizer, was at the very least a seasoned heartbreaker.
Trying to catch her breath and her voice, Chloe stared at him. Of course she recognized him. It was certainly confirmed by the sudden roiling of her stomach and the heated ignition of her hormones. She struggled not to betray herself. She lightly placed her fingers over her lips, as if to seal the taste and feel of him. An unexpected bonus to the day was how she saw the encounter—an unexpected graduation gift.
“I think you’ve made a mistake,” Chloe said the obvious.
A slightly wicked and totally noncontrite expression crossed his face as his gaze roamed thoroughly over her.
“Yeah, seems like it. Hey, I didn’t mean to jump you like that.”
Chloe pursed her lips, the implication creating an image for her of what that would be like. His voice, this close, was every bit as resonant and deep as she’d imagined. She knew more about Kevin Stayton than he could ever know.
“I see you like to act first and ask questions later.”
Kevin grinned, a “what can I say?” look on his face.
“I swear, from the back you looked just like…anyway, I’m really sorry…”
A trio of young men hurried by in their gowns. They shouted greetings to Kevin, offering high fives and fist bumps to each other. They said nothing to her.
“I’m not in the habit of attacking unsuspecting women,” Kevin said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Chloe said in as steady a voice as she could manage. “I guess I should be flattered.”
He shrugged lightly, accepting the implied compliment. “Don’t look at it like that. It’s been that kind of day, you know? Hey, by the way, congratulations.”
Kevin spread his arms as if to warn her that he was going to touch her again. He did so, grabbing her upper arms and leaning toward Chloe to chastely kiss her cheek.
Chloe briefly closed her eyes. He smelled so nice. She liked his sudden attack much better.
“I’m—”
“Kevin Stayton. I know who you are.”
Again, he didn’t seem embarrassed or nonplussed by her calm identification. Chloe realized that Hollington’s resident babe magnet and popular man-about-campus was probably used to being recognized…and idolized.
“Chloe Jackson,” she said with a little lift of her chin.
Kevin narrowed his gaze and stared at her. “Sounds familiar.” Then, he snapped his fingers. “Right! You were up on stage. Valedictorian or something. Got a bunch of awards. Put me to shame.”
She wondered if he was making fun of her—the brainiac and Goody Two-shoes who largely went unnoticed by Kevin and his crowd. And it’s not like she was never invited to the parties, dances, rallies, clubs like any other coed. But she was the one most likely to sit alone along the sidelines and watch, super-careful not to do anything that would jeopardize her scholarships and the ultimate goal of getting her degree.
“I got a couple. I saw you go up to the stage, too,” she murmured, bending to retrieve her cap and awards.
Kevin beat her to it, swooping up everything and handing them back to her.
“For economics and marketing. Not too shabby.”
Chloe took her things from him. There was a moment’s awkward silence. Then, she made it easy for him. “Er…I bet she’s in the ladies’ room. Hair. Makeup. Panty hose.”
He shook his head and laughed quietly at her description. “Hadn’t thought of that. So how come you’re not in there?”
“I’m looking for someone, too. My…family,” she rushed on, the word coming forth uncomfortably.
“Right. Mine are waiting for me somewhere, but…”
Kevin ran his hand over his hair, a very close cut defining the shape of his head. It emphasized his square chin and the clean, straight line of his nose. His bottom lip was wide and full. Lush and mobile. Suddenly recalling the movement of his mouth, Chloe inadvertently moistened her lips.
He frowned and studied her again. “I feel like I should know you from somewhere. Any ideas?”
She shrugged, calm again and poised. “We probably had some classes together.”
He pursed his mouth, nodding. “Yeah, yeah…now I remember.”
Chloe sighed inwardly. He didn’t have a clue.
“You have promises to keep,” she quoted, staying cool and not allowing the fact that, after four years of passing one another on campus, sitting side by side in world studies, that at the eleventh hour as they were about to go their separate ways forever, she’d finally gotten Kevin Stayton to notice her.
He smiled ruefully. “I have to be careful about that. I mean, making promises.”
“Chloe! We made it. I know we’re late…”
Chloe glanced beyond Kevin to the couple advancing across the field. She could tell by their breathlessness that they’d either not been able to find her in the crowds of students earlier or they’d just arrived.
The woman, short and stout and dressed in one of her Sunday church ensembles, took Chloe in a light embrace and kissed her cheek.
“We’re so happy for you,” the woman said.
“We know this was real important to you,” said the man.
He was tall and broad. His dark suit was the only one he owned and was a tad too small for his frame. He, too, gave Chloe a brief hard hug and squeezed her shoulder.
“Sorry we don’t have a gift or anything for you,” he apologized.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Chloe smiled at him. Aware that Kevin Stayton stood watching this tableau she took a deep breath and turned to face him.
Kevin stepped forward and thrust his hand out to the man standing next to her.
“I’m Kevin Stayton. Congratulations, Mr. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson. I know you’re proud of your daughter,” Kevin offered with charm and a polished demeanor.
Silently the man and woman exchanged glances. Then looked at Chloe. She turned to Kevin.
“This is Mr. and Mrs. Fields. Harold and Nettie.”
“We’re Chloe’s foster parents,” Nettie Fields clarified with a calm smile.
“Oh,” Kevin said, nodding. “Sorry, I…”
“No need to be sorry, son. We couldn’t be more happy for this girl if she’d been one of our own. Right, Nettie? And today sure means a lot to Chloe.”
There was an awkward silence. The Fields,
