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Bonnie had said she collected clowns, but this took hobbying to a whole new level. “Your son, the doctor, and Flower the Clown?” Chloe teased.
“No, my son, the man who says he’s too busy to fall in love and have a family, and Chloe, my tender-hearted new friend who seems to know that a life without love is no life at all.”
Chapter Four
Z ack draped his arm over the back of his mother’s chair, the better to observe Chloe during the luncheon speaker’s presentation. In this environment she was a star, though no one would think it from her humble attitude. Humility wasn’t a Kilgannon trait he’d noticed before, but it seemed to be as much a part of Chloe’s personality as her sense of humor.
It took very little to make her laugh. A minute ago the speaker had made a comment that Zack thought was funny even if the others at the table didn’t. Chloe had glanced at him, seen that he had no reservations about holding back a grin and burst into a goofy little giggle. It had only lasted a second, but for him it was the high point of the luncheon.
What a shame that he hadn’t followed his instincts after he’d met her as Flower two weeks ago. He remembered thinking how good the clown was at her job—which, as it turned out, wasn’t her job at all, but something she did to show love. When she’d disappeared, he’d made a halfhearted effort to find out her real name, but he’d told himself it was so Mom could meet the clown.
The clown—that was how he’d thought of her that day, not even as Flower. Had he become so self-absorbed that individuals weren’t important to him unless they had something wrong with them that he could make better? And if he had, could he change? Did he even want to?
He liked his single life just as it was, and he’d worked very hard to get what he had. His Mercedes, the expensive clothes and his condo—they were all nice, but not what he’d aimed for. What he really wanted was the opportunity to give people a pain-free life. Lots of people, lots of surgeries, lots of time in the OR—his favorite place to be.
Chloe turned her head toward him, but slowly as if she were studying the entire audience. He waited for her gaze to land on him, which it did for a nanosecond before it skittered past. Was she interested in him?
He hadn’t been nearly as subtle when he’d checked her out. He’d stared long enough to notice that her long dark eyelashes curled at the ends, that her eyebrows arched over her remarkable eyes and her nose tipped just at the end. Chloe was pretty, really pretty, and really sweet. Around her a man could lose his heart if he wasn’t careful.
She hadn’t looked his way again, though the luncheon speaker was long-winded and not half as interesting as Chloe had been in her workshop. Was Mom enjoying the speaker?
He glanced at Mom, and his heart sank. She was having the time of her life…and probably hadn’t heard one word of the speaker. Her eyes flicked from Chloe to him as if she were watching a tennis match.
He leaned over and whispered, “What are you doing?”
“Never mind,” she whispered back. “I know what’s going on. I’m going to invite Chloe to my birthday dinner tonight.”
“Good.” Sometimes he ran out of things to talk about with his mother. It would feel like more of a party with Chloe along.
All this matchmaking was giving him a headache. He rubbed the back of his neck and told himself everything would be back to normal a week from Monday. Mom would be back in Illinois and he’d be back in the OR, where he didn’t have to deal with people and how they felt until their anesthesia wore off and he could prescribe something for real, physical pain.
Dealing with people and their feelings was tough. He would love nothing more than to give his mom a hug and say, “I know you want grandchildren, but, please, can’t it be enough that I’m happy?”
Because his mom loved him, she would nod and try to hide how it crushed her, and he would feel terrible. He never wanted to disappoint her…if he could help it.
Chloe hadn’t heard much of the speaker’s presentation. She’d been too busy thinking that she’d finally met someone with boyfriend potential, but Zack was her polar opposite. She wanted to raise children who would know what it meant to be loved, and Zack had a reputation for not needing anyone.
Her sisters, Carmen and Cate, agreed that he was a great guy. He didn’t have an inflated ego, which was a remarkable quality considering the attention he got from the doctor-groupies who seemed intent on becoming the second half of “Dr. and Mrs.”
Chloe had never understood women like that. Didn’t they realize that they would see their pool guys more than they would see their husbands? At least that was the way it had been in her house. Surgeons like her dad lived at the hospital.
When the speaker finally finished, Chloe gave Zack’s mother her business card. “Call me when you know when you’d like that clown lesson, Bonnie. I’ll be out of town next weekend doing a workshop, but any weekday after four is fine.”
“That’s so nice of you, Chloe.”
“Well, it is your birthday.”
“Oh! You have to see what Zack did for my birthday. Could you come up to my room for a minute? I’ve got to share this with someone.”
“I’d love to!” How could she turn Bonnie down?
“I see someone I’d like to talk to,” Zack said. “You two go ahead, and I’ll meet you upstairs.”
When Bonnie opened the door to her room, Chloe could see why Bonnie had been so impressed. The place had California luxury written all over it. Outside the balcony, the tops of tall palm trees swayed in the breeze. On the bar counter was a basket of luscious-looking fruit, and centered on the dining table was an enormous bouquet of roses.
“Bonnie! What a wonderful place to celebrate your birthday!”
“I’m staying with Zack for the rest of my visit, but he wanted me to have a room at the hotel during the conference. A room, Chloe! Do you call this a room?”
“I call it the effort of a son who wants to show his mother he loves her.”
“But he’s done so much. He set up a day at a spa back home for me to have a makeover. He made sure I had new clothes, and he flew me out here first class. I feel like Cinderella!”
Chloe laughed at the woman’s exuberance. “I’m sure you deserve it!”
“On top of everything else, he had the roses waiting for me—sixty of them—one for each year I’ve lived. I didn’t know I’d raised such a thoughtful son…or that he could afford all this!”
“From what I hear, Zack has become the orthopedic surgeon to see in Los Angeles. His patients are among the most celebrated in a town full of celebrities.”
“Really?” Bonnie’s blue eyes rounded with pleased surprise. “I wish Zack’s dad could have heard that. Zack had so many achievements, but Roland never had a kind word for Zack. It made me so mad.”
Chloe had to wonder why Bonnie had put up with that. She was a teacher. She knew how withholding praise affected a child.
“Zack seems happy, but I have to wonder if he isn’t lonely.”
“Being alone isn’t the same thing as being lonely. Maybe he’s just wrapped up in his work. That’s how it’s been for me.”
“Chloe, you’re such a wonderful person. I can’t believe you haven’t found your Mr. Right by now?”
Bonnie’s woeful expression struck Chloe as funny. “It’s okay, Bonnie. I haven’t really been looking for him.”
“And now that your life has changed directions?”
“I don’t know if I’ll find Mr. Right. Many women don’t. Outside of literature, do you think people experience that earth-shattering love that we read about?”
“Yes, I do. I felt it for Zack’s father. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to last, but it’s what I want for my son and all my single friends.”
It was hard to believe this lovely woman claimed that kind of love for a man who hadn’t taken pride in his son. It wasn’t for Chloe to judge, but how could Bonnie have loved that man?
There was a knock on the outer door before Zack entered, holding up the card key he’d used to get in. “Am I interrupting?”
“You are, but in the best way,” Bonnie said. “Chloe and I have been talking like old friends. I haven’t even gotten around to asking her if she’ll join us for dinner tonight. Can you celebrate with me, Chloe?”
The invitation came as a surprise, but who could say no to this nice woman? “I’d love to join you, Bonnie.”
“Great!” Zack said. “Chloe’s sister is joining us, too.”
“How wonderful. It will be a party!” Bonnie exclaimed.
Bonnie must have told Zack she was inviting Chloe for dinner, and Zack must have called at least one of her sisters. “Which sister, Zack?”
“Carmen. I called Cate, too, but she had plans.”
Bonnie’s eyes narrowed. “Zack, if you can invite these women at the last moment, you must know Chloe’s sisters very well.”
Zack sent a silent SOS to Chloe. As intelligent as she was, she had to have realized that Mom was in match-maker mode. With more people around, Mom couldn’t zero in on just the two of them.
Chloe’s eyes said she got it. “Bonnie, Zack is a favorite in our community, professionally and socially.”
That was good so far. He threw her a grateful glance.
“In fact,” Chloe continued, “he’s such a favorite that my parents are hoping Zack will choose a Kilgannon bride. Our mother is rooting for my younger sister, Cate, but our dad is staunchly behind Carmen, my older sister. She’s the one you’ll meet tonight.”
“Oh my!” his mother gasped.
Zack almost groaned out loud. Chloe hadn’t lied, and everyone in the Beverly Hills medical community knew it, but did his mother have to know?
“I don’t believe you’ve mentioned this before, Zack,” his mother said in her teacher voice. “Is Carmen the sister you’re interested in?”
“Chloe’s sisters are my friends, Mom. Just that. Friends.”
“Then why do their parents expect you to marry one of them?”
He felt sweat break out on his forehead. “Possibly for the same reason you’re hoping I’ll find someone.”
A smile broke through the tension on her face. “Then, good for them!”
“Bonnie, my parents are fierce matchmakers,” Chloe said.
He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t make it worse.
“Mom and Dad began their courtship of Zack two years ago. It was the first night I ever saw him, but we didn’t meet.”
“And why not?” his mother asked before he could.
“Zack and I talked about that before lunch. We were at a wedding reception. He sat with my family, but Flower the Clown entertained the children at the kids’ table.”
“And you wore pink!” he said, suddenly remembering. “Pink hair, pink costume, pink clown shoes—”
“It was the bride’s color,” Chloe said with a grin.
“I remember! You were so cute.”
“Thank you! Bonnie, Zack can be excused for his lapse in memory. The poor guy was on sensory overload sitting between my sisters and across from my mother. They’re charming and far more than cute. ”
They were gorgeous, but he remembered how adorable Flower had been and how she’d been completely undeserving of her father’s harsh admonition to “grow up.” He particularly remembered Sterling saying that, and his respect for the man had taken a nosedive.
“I remember trying to talk to you that night,” he said.
“Flower doesn’t talk,” she replied with a grin.
“That’s why I said ‘trying.’ I wanted to get to know you.”
“You did?” She seemed surprised…and pleased.
“Sure, I even called you at your parents’ house, but you were gone.”
She thought for a moment. “That was the mudslide in the Himalayas. It took out a whole village.”
“How terrible,” his mother said. “Chloe, you’ve lived a remarkable life for such a young woman. I’m eager to hear more about it at dinner tonight, and I’m looking forward to meeting your sisters, who are such good friends of my son.”
“Just Carmen tonight, Mom,” he corrected.
She gave him a knowing glance. “Carmen tonight, but Cate very soon.”
Okay, Mom had made a point of showing him she remembered both names and forgot nothing. His plan had been to steer clear of the Kilgannons while Mom was here to avoid all this, but Chloe had stirred the pot and left him in hot water. And what did she think of herself?
A glance said she was enjoying herself way too much.
Chloe picked up her purse and her gift for Bonnie and met Carmen standing by the front door, tapping her foot. “I’m not late,” Chloe said defensively.
“I know, but if I’m not early, I feel late,” Carmen replied, leading the way to her car. “Why are you carrying your shoes? I’m pretty sure it’s ‘no shoes, no service’ at The Hilltop.”
“I’ll wear them, just not until I’ve gotten past these broken tiles that pass as a path. I’m not as good at wearing these stilts as you are.”
At the car, Chloe slipped her new shoes on. They were only a couple of straps across her toes, but they did make her legs look great. Sliding into the passenger side of Carmen’s sports car, she reached for her seat belt. It would wrinkle her new dress, but a few wrinkles might make her feel more like herself.
With her long hair swept up at one side and secured by one of Cate’s combs, she hadn’t recognized herself. In the past she would have chosen something so awful that the contrast between her appearance and her sisters’ would have seemed deliberate, not something she had no control over.
But tonight the apprentice swan had done what she was told, and Chloe had to admit she looked pretty good—not as good as Carmen, who was petite perfection in her little black dress and big diamond earrings, but no one looked as good as Carmen. She carried their beautiful mother’s genes and the DNA of her gorgeous birth father. Chloe had seen a picture of him once.
Before she started the car, Carmen turned to her and said, “Chloe, do you understand why Zack invited me tonight?”
“I think you’re sort of a decoy.”
“Right. He says his mother is crazy about you.”
“No! It’s just the clown connection.”
“Zack says it’s more than that, and I believe him. You, Chloe Kilgannon, are exactly who Bonnie Hemingway wants for the mother of her grandchildren.”
Chloe swallowed hard. She wouldn’t be having anyone’s biological grandchildren. She would love to, but her body couldn’t do the job.
“Zack thinks you’re great, but—”
“I got it, Carmen. He’s not about to let his mother push him into marriage, yet he’s not the kind of guy who can say, ‘Back off, Mom,’ especially when she’s celebrating her birthday.
“That’s it. Zack’s been a good friend, and I’m willing to help him by playing the decoy, but I’m terrible at acting. I won’t be believable playing the role of prospective bride.”
