Frog Tale (8 page)

“Absolutely.” He turned to Ella. “If you’ll excuse me I have much to catch up on with my son.” His father turned back and wrapped an arm around Luciano’s shoulders. “First you might want to phone Albert and let him know you have arrived safe and sound. He was worried about your flight since the weather here has been stormy. He’ll be pleased to know you’ve made it home in one piece.”

Home? This isn’t home. My mother is dead and I left my heart across the ocean with a young girl in Beverly Hills.

Ache penetrated through him, shattering what was left of his torn heart and soul.  He longed to talk to his mother about Chloe, knowing she’d adore her and now he found himself longing to talk to Chloe over the loss of his mom, but had made a promise not to speak or see her.

Ramona had turned him into a frog and had called him nothing, only now, standing in his family’s castle did he truly know the meaning of the word. He felt nothing but emptiness and longing. His body numbed.

I love you Chloe, I always will.

Grief consumed her. Chloe listened as her father’s voice echoed into her ears. Her mental state left little for understanding and she couldn’t comprehend a word he spoke. Everything from her mind to her body and most of all her heart had shut down last night and had failed to restart. She mourned her friend and experienced the loss of love. Despite her sister Stella’s denial this morning, she knew there was no other explanation. Her sister had done something to her frog and she blatantly ignored her father’s rant since he seemed to have taken―surprise surprise―Stella’s side.

“Chlo
e!” The loud boom of her father’s voice pulled her attention off the pile of blonde hair on the coffee table and onto him.

She said nothing, but stared, waiting for him to continue.

“What possessed you to cut Stella’s hair?”

Why had the small amount of guilt last night she had felt after shearing the blonde locks vanished? She sat there feeling not the slightest bit of remorse. Under normal circumstances she would have, then again, under normal circumstances she would never have done something so outwardly
mean to Stella―no matter how much she deserved what she had coming. Only now, normal and lucid were gone and apathetic had filled her veins.

“Answer me Chloe!” he father again raised his voice. One would have thought he’d have clued into the fact that his yelling held no effect on her―nor did she care.

She blinked and debated her words. “A demon from the seventh layer of hell? Oh, no, wait! The devil made me do it.”

His expression revealed he didn’t find her comeback funny. Maybe not, but at this exact
moment; she didn’t really care about her sister’s hair. She didn’t care about anything. Even inhaling and exhaling, the simple task of her lungs function was a hard task due to the invisible heavy weight sitting on her chest.

“
Chloe―”

“No!” She snapped at her father for the first time in her life. He flinched slightly, not expecting her temper. No one ever did―but now times had changed. The loss of Luc had changed her.

“I didn’t do anything that Stella didn’t deserve. She is ruthless, cruel and I hate the fact we share parents. I hate the fact she is part of this family and we have the same genetics in us. Obviously, all the evil yucky ones went to her and her cold hearted bitchiness.”

“What a horrible thing to say.” Her dad shook his head.

“Oh, but her verbal and physical abuse toward me day in and day out is acceptable?” When her father didn’t answer, she nodded. “Fine. I will deal with the fact she’s my sister and I will love her, but I certainly don’t have to like her or think her mean spirit is appropriate.”

“You little bitch!” Stella
rose off the seat of the sofa about to lunge at her. Part of Chloe wished her sister would just ‘bring it’ so she could punch her into the next decade.

“Stella! Don’t call your sister a bitch.” Their father focused his attention on her sister and glanced at Chloe. “She has no right to bully you and say cruel things.”

“Too bad it’s the nature of her tongue and you do little to stop it.” She sounded bitter. What a coincidence, she was very bitter. “Then again, I can tell you really don’t care about me as much as she and Georgina, since you didn’t even bother waiting up for me last night. I’m not one of your blonde bimbo daughters am I Daddy? Only the ugly duckling. Good thing I came home and didn’t fall victim to one of the evil predators mom always worries about, but she no doubt popped a sleeping pill and fell asleep since it wasn’t one of her blonde idiots out late.”

Her father’s temper reflected in his eyes. “That isn’t fair.”

She scowled trying to be emotionally moved by her father’s disposition, all his attitude did though was kick her anger up past the numbness. “Neither is your favoritism toward the bimbettes.”

Her father parted his lips and lifted an arm about to wag a finger in her when the
one of the maids walked in. “I’m sorry to interrupt sir, but a delivery arrived for Miss Starling.”

“Oh! I love presents!” Stella squealed and bounced off the sofa. Her hair looked terrible but
, knowing their mother, she would pay to give the vain little bitch hair extensions.

The
maid cast a leveled gaze. “Not for you.” Georgina stepped forward and the maid offered her a bland smile. “Or you.” She turned to Chloe who remained seated. “Special delivery, Miss Starling.”

The maid
passed her the small box and she blinked. She never got mail, not even a postcard. Once she got a credit card offer, but her father told her not until she got a job. Then went on about how there were merits to using cash and mumbled what idiot company would send a card offer to a child who couldn’t enter a legal, binding contract.

With careful preciseness, she opened the box and removed a black
velour square box. She lifted the lid, stared at the name of the upscale and prestigious jewelry store name, then glanced at the black satin. The most amazing necklace stared up at her.

Chloe,

Don’t sell yourself short. You can be anything…Remember to me you will always be more than a princess, but a queen.

My love always and forever...

Georgina squealed. “Those are real diamonds. That necklace is expensive.”

She lifted her gaze to her sister then darted a quick glance to Stella, who glowered in rage. Turning back to Georgina, she smiled. “Why yes they are and yes the necklace is very costly, thick rope chains have a tendency to be such.” Her attention fell back on the tiara shaped pendent on the thick almost white gold chain. The necklace and pendent would have cost a small fortune.

“I’m going to borrow that!” Stella snapped. “You owe me for cutting my hair.”

Anger rose within her and she glared at her sister. “You touch this necklace and so help me Stella. You will lose a lot more than a few inches of hair.”

“Stella! Chloe!” Her father yelled. “I've had enough of the fighting.”

Her gaze narrowed on her father. “Then I suggest you lock the blonde terrors in a noise proof room.”

“Stella, Georgina, leave me to speak with Chloe―alone.” Her father’s penetrating stare never wavered from her.

“
You're really going to get it now!” Georgina reveled as she and her evil counterpart walked out of the room. Chloe remained silent and held the note in her hand tight. Again, her gaze wandered to the expensive jewelry against black satin.

“
I think we need to talk.” Her father sat down next to her and she continued to stare at the necklace, just so she wouldn’t have to look at him.

“
I really don’t think there is anything to say.” Her voice was cold and the numbness she had experienced started to melt away. No not now, she didn’t want to give into weakness and do something stupid like cry.

She cleared her throat and struggled for control of her emotions and more importantly, her voice. “Maybe you should go check on your other two daughters, in case one of them feels upset or heaven forbid poor self-absorbed Stella may now have a lower self esteem because she doesn’t have long blonde locks anymore. Whatever will she do?” She finally met her father’s concerned expression. “Allow me to answer that,
Dad. She is going to milk it for all its worth and you and mom will rush out and buy her new clothes until the little demonic worm feels all happy inside.”

“A
bout Luc―”

“
I don’t want to hear your excuse or you defending Stella. My stomach is upset as it is.” Her chest tightened to the point it became painful. 

Her Dad’s heavy sigh filled the room and
fiery tears gathered behind her eyes. She didn’t want to blink, in fear that tears may fall.

“Can I see the necklace?”

“
Be my guest.” She tilted the box, not letting go of the expensive case and the treasure inside. “I meant what I said to Stella. If either she or Georgina touches this piece of jewelry, you will be one, if not two, offspring short.” Finally, she passed him the luxurious velour case and his gaze took in the fine detail.

He lifted his attention to her and blinked. “Do you have any idea what something to this extravagance would cost?”

“Lots?”

Smiling, he nodded. “This is incredible.” His lips thinned. “The pendent suits you perfectly.” He passed the jewelry back and he glanced at the note. “What does the note say?”

Her heart tightened. Damn her body for not staying numb and unfeeling. “Nothing I wish to share.”

“Chloe you just received a necklace worth the price of a small car and you tell me
there is nothing you want to share.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m not ready to talk about the letter with anyone. I don’t even know whom the gift is from. It doesn’t matter
Dad because I hurt so bad right now. I don’t feel bad for what I did to Stella. She threatened Luc, time and time again.”

“What if Stella had nothing to do with Luc’s disappearance.” He wrapped an arm around her and she only became mildly comforted by the gesture.

“
I don’t believe you. I would hate to think she’s that cruel, but I know from past experience she is.” She gulped back a sob. “Please don’t defend her anymore.”

“
Chloe, maybe one day the truth of what happened to Luc will come out. Go easy on your sister.” He paused. “Why would you think I don’t love you as much?”

More hot tears rolled down her cheeks. “You didn’t wait up for me last night. You always wait for Georgina and Stella, but not me. I could have come home at three
am and you wouldn’t have cared.”

He frowned. “You don’t believe that do you?”

“It’s not a far stretch, I saw you first hand asleep in your chair.” The memory of the sight flashed through her mind followed by the horrific ones that followed and the realization her friend and world were gone.

“Oh! Chloe,” he sounded so apologetic. “It’s not that I don’t care about you. You’re my youngest daughter. I love you just as much as I love your sisters. Only, maybe in truth I don’t worry as much about you.”

I knew it. They say admitting it is the first step.

She sniffled and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Big shock.”

“I don’t think you understand.” He sighed and squeezed her shoulders gently. “You are nothing like your sisters and for that I’m grateful. You’re the one with a good head on your shoulders, where Stella and Georgina, well I wonder sometimes what runs through their head.”

“The word ‘sale’ in shiny bright colors?”

Her father smirked but then shook his head. “Can you try and be nice?”

“
Do the evil blonde minions from hell have to make it so hard?”

Chuckling he titled his head to the side. “Please don’t be sad about, Luc.”

A sob rushed from her lips and fresh tracks of watery grief made their way down her cheeks. “I loved him, even though he was only a frog. He was special, Dad.”

“Indeed he was. Maybe he just escaped and is alive and well?” He tried to sound positive but the sorrow in his tone wasn’t hard to miss.

Her gaze fell again on the gold and diamonds blinking up from the box in her hand. “How strange is this?”

Her father sighed. “I would say more expensive than strange.”

Chloe shot him a glance and had to agree then looked back at the tiara pendent.

Either my frog is dead and I have a secret admirer or I rescued a prince. Maybe I’m crazy.

She shook her head and despite the fact, there were no such things as real life fairy tales, knowing in her heart, somewhere, Luc lived was easier than thinking him dead and losing her soul.

Whom am I kidding? I’ve not only lost my soul, but my heart to a frog.

Present Day…

“
Hello?”

Silence.

“Hello?”

“
Is Albert there, please?” The sexy baritone sent a shiver down Chloe’s spine and her heart started to race.

No, no crazy thoughts. I am past this. I don’t want to have an episode, not after all these years.

Her heart pinched, she closed her eyes and shook off her less than lucid thoughts. “Just a moment please.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, and with a shaking hand pushed the hold button as heavy footsteps came in the room.

“Chloe, are you okay?”

She hadn’t realized she stared at the base of the phone and still clutched the receiver. “Fine, Daddy.” She forced a smile, knowing she was far from―
fine
. Her mind swirled with memories that she had no right to have and swore she was too old for this to happen.

Her father drew closer and took the pho
ne from her. “Are you sure? You look like you’re about to cry.” He lifted the receiver from her hand. The residue of sweat from her hand marked the black of the phone piece. Her palms sweated, her stomach churned and, maybe after all these years, she was having another panic attack.

“I have a headache. I’m going to lie down.” How she choked
out the words was a miracle, the lump in her throat was enormous and swallowing was hard. Maybe Georgina and Stella were right, maybe she had lost her mind.

She walked around her father toward the office door as her father picked up the line. “Albert Starling.”

Closing her eyes for a brief moment at the threshold, she struggled to breathe.

“I’m doing great, how are you?” Her father’s voice greeted cheerfully into the phone.

She stepped into the hallway, trying desperately not to think, feel and most of all remember. She wasn’t that little girl anymore and had to get her act together.

Her father paused then chuckled. “Yeah, that was her.”

Turning, she looked at her dad who was busy pulling a file from underneath others on his desk and sighed. “I know, but you know how I feel about that.”

Her hand reached for the knob of the office door. The brass cool against the heat radiating from her hand and she savored the feeling a moment.

“
You never listen, maybe you should take my advice.” Her father chuckled again and she shut the door behind her.

She hurried down the hall to her room and tuned out every memory flashing through her mind. Throwing herself on her bed, she started to cry. “I’m crazy. I know I’m crazy, I still mourn him.”
Heavy sobs left her and her chest tightened. The voice at the other end of the phone just moments ago had reminded her down to the faint accent of the one person she had spent the last thirteen years trying to forget.

Life isn’t fair. I learned that long ago. How could I forget that detail, yet never―him?

She sniffled and shook her head thinking she had to be the most insane person on the planet. Her sisters were right, she had to be crazy, and though more than one psychologist had assured her over the years she wasn’t. They told her the loss of a pet could be traumatic.

She’d never bothered to explain he’d been so much more. Fear of being locked away from the world in a padded room wouldn’t have benefited anyone
. Although that would’ve gotten her away from her still nagging and bitchy sisters.

More tears fell and her heart ached, the voice at the other end of the phone…

Don’t think about him, it only makes you hurt more.

Despite the voice of warning in her head, nothi
ng changed. After thirteen years she missed her best friend―and still loved a frog.

Luciano hung up the hand piece and stared as if the phone on his desk were a foreign object. Her voice hadn’t changed much, an older, sultry edge, but for the most part, the same as he remembered.

Chloe.

His heart tightened. At first he and Albert had agreed it was for the best that she didn’t talk to him and or see him. When she was older, she was away at either school or traveling, and then she went back to university. Now she
was home in California and her father’s assistant. Luciano had always been careful to avoid her―more for his own reasons over the later years than that of propriety. Today, after hearing her voice…

He shook off his thoughts and instead turned to the comput
er and opened the email from Albert. Over the years they had become friends and Albert always sent pictures of the girls. Stella and Georgina, they were lovely, but Georgina had been married twice and was on husband number three. Stella had done everything and everyone, except settle down. Like her teen years, she was still the wild one.

His mouse scrolled down the email that wasn’t business, but one of the personal ones they exchanged. He stopped and stared at the picture of Chloe with her father. Stunning, she had grown up into the most beautiful woman. He had to be crazy, since he had never forgotten the girl and now obsessed
over the woman.  So many times he longed to go to America to see her, to pick up the phone and call, but every time the same thing stopped him―fear.

“
I take it that was Albert on the phone?”

He smiled at his father as he stood on the threshold of Luciano’s office. “Yes, come in, sorry.” His gaze slipped to the picture then met his father’s eyes again. “He knows you and my step-mother
will be arriving, he and his family are well.”

Slipping his hands into his suit pant pockets, his dad walked over to the desk and glanced at the picture. “A picture of Chloe, she sure has grown up to be beautiful.” He thought a moment. “You’d like her.”

I know that, I do, not that I can tell you that detail.

“So you've said.” Luciano forced a smile, though he didn’t feel like offering the congenial gesture. The sound of her voice still echoed in his mind and brought to the surface the hurt he’d buried years before.

His father studied the picture and looked at him. “I see she still wears the necklace.”

“Necklace?” he hadn’t noticed and raked his gaze over the beautiful brunette. There, hanging around her neck was a white gold chain with a tiara pendent. He closed his eyes then opened them. It was still around her neck.

His father shook his head. “She always wears it. I don’t recall seeing her on any of my visits without it, not even at formal occasions.”

Why didn’t I notice it before? Why would she still wear it after all this time?

His father walked to the front of the desk, sat down in a chair and their eyes met over the large computer monitor. “It’s weird.”

Oh hell, here we go. He’s about to go digging again, we have only had this chat a hundred times over the years.

“What’s weird?” he knew the game of twenty-one questions was going to begin, and he already dreaded having, for the umpteenth time, to tell his father the same thing. His time away is not open to conversation.

“You, you were a different man when you came home after your… disappearance.”

“
So you’ve said.”

And so begins the modern day Spanish inquisition.

His father shook his head. “You came home and threw yourself into being a very regal and noble prince. I’m proud of the man you’ve become.”

The compl
iment did his heart good. However―“Dad, where is this going?”

“You never really talk about your months away. You’re still very bottled up over what happened and it was over a decade ago.”

He knew his father was going to try bringing up the past. Why couldn’t he and Albert both just leave it behind him. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” He again thought of Chloe’s voice on the phone earlier and he sighed. If it was really the past why did the sound of her voice open old wounds?

I’m still not over her. I may never get over her.

“I
do
want to know what happened during that time.” His dad’s tone was firm as he reached and turned the monitor so they could both see the picture.

Luciano gritted his teeth then snaked his tongue across his top upper ones. “We’ve had this talk.”

Again his father shook his head. “And you never answer my questions.”

Don’t do this to me. Please, Dad, don’t make me talk.

The sound of throat clearing from his dad indicated the conversation tonight was far from over. “I just find things a little strange. You talk to Albert a couple times a week. Yet, you never go to see him.”

All hail the king, his father had obviously decided to take a new approach this evening. “I went a couple times.”

“About seven years ago.” He shook his head and stared at the picture. “Sure is a pretty necklace―must have cost a fortune with the diamonds.”

A small one.

“Dad, where is this going?” He already knew the answer to the question and regretted asking.

“Chloe
was just a kid when you met Albert, you were young and―”

“Nothing happened.”
He didn’t mean to sound terse, but he did and knew to his soul he’d always been honorable where the youngest Starling daughter had been concerned. “Relax dad, I had standards even then.” His shoulders raised then lowered in a sigh. He lived with the guilt over the fact he had lost his heart to a kid. “I promise you, nothing inappropriate happened. She doesn’t even really know me.”

Yet, knew me better than I knew myself.

His father stood and walked over took the crystal decanter from the top of the large bookcase, poured two glasses of scotch then walked back over to the desk and passed him a glass. “Your mother is out for the night. I thought we should have a talk.”

He took the scotch from his f
ather. “She’s not my mother―my mother was Gwen and for the record we
are
talking.”

“No.”

Shit, this not a good time. Never talking about this, would be a good time.

“How did you meet Albert? Why didn’t you contact us? What happened in Beverly Hills all th
ose years ago?” he grabbed a chair from in front of the desk and pulled it closer to the one where Luciano sat.

A strange feeling
that he wasn’t going to get out of the conversation this time tickled at his resolve, His father could be head-strong. At least he knew which parent he’d gotten the trait from. “You would never believe me.”

His dad shot a look to the screen then met his gaze. “No, Son, not this time, I want you to tell me. I also want to know why you get pictures of Chloe, but rarely of Albert’s
other two daughters.”

“Dad―”

“
Most of all,” he sipped his scotch. “I’m wondering about a necklace around a lovely woman’s neck that is fit for a princess.”

He took the last words like a stab to the heart. “A queen, it
is fit for a queen.” His voice was unrecognizable and revealed a bit of the emotion he struggled to keep at bay.

His father chuckled. “She’s a hell of a girl, Luciano. Her father is this country’s sole supplier of sugar and other imports. He saved this country and saved my son. Chloe has to be one of the smartest women I’ve met. So tell me a story.”

“It’s really unbelievable.” He swallowed back a healthy slug of the amber liquid in his glass. Fate tempted him to tell his father and he debated. The problem was he didn’t want his father to think him weak if his emotions entered his voice or worse filled his eyes with tears.

“
Try me, I’ve lost and seen more than you can imagine.” He knew his father was referring to the death of his mother. However, Luciano still carried animosity over his father remarrying Ella and didn’t get how his dad could remarry so soon. Something was wrong with that situation but Luciano didn’t have the mental strength or the focus to sort through his father’s marital status tonight.

“
I’m waiting for an answer,” his father reminded―as if he forgot.

Another heavy sigh escaped him and the weight on his chest increased. “What happened is the unimaginable.”

“Did you buy her the necklace?”

He nodded and took another sip. The scotch burned his tongue and throat, a sidetrack from th
e hurt in his heart. “Yes.”

“So, why don’t you come with Ella and
me to see her?” His father’s expression became unreadable. “What are you so afraid of?”

“
She deserves more than a scarred man.”

There I said it.

He hated his looks and resented the fact he’d confessed what had truly plagued his heart and brain. Not even the best cosmetic surgeons could fix the scar the wicked witch had marked him with. “She deserves so much more than me and I couldn’t bear her pity or her rejection.”

“You aren’t being fair to Chloe, let alone yourself.” His father shook his head and his disapproval became more than apparent. “Tell me this unbelievable story and l
et me make that judgment myself.”

He wanted nothing more than to see Chloe. His heart and soul still longed for her. She was no longer
a girl but a woman and according to the talk he’d just had with Albert moments ago, she was very single and slightly out of sorts since she’d heard his voice. Just like days gone by, knowing she was sad hurt his heart and he longed to tell her everything would be okay. However, the knowledge she had become upset after hearing his voice raised more than one question in Luciano’s mind.