Love Me Long (Love Me Book 4)

Chapter 2

The first leg of the journey was to New York, where she was set to meet with the team that was traveling to Drevniye. The idea was that they would have a briefing about what was expected of them once they arrived in the country.

Chloe was no stranger to New York. She made frequent trips for vacations when she had the chance, so she had no trouble finding the hotel where the group was staying. It was a basic hotel, but it was nice and clean.

Having arrived and checked herself in, she rode the elevator to the third floor and her room. When she entered the dark space, it was to find a young girl lying on one of the beds and flipping through television stations. As soon as she saw Chloe, her eyes grew wide, and she sat up, brushing her sun-kissed blond hair out of her eyes.

"Hello," she tentatively greeted while watching Chloe, who shot her a smile as she threw her duffel bag on the luggage rack at the end of the bed.

"Hi," Chloe greeted in return. "I'm Chloe Lockwood, a nurse."

"You don't look like a nurse," the girl said with wide eyes as her gaze traveled over Chloe's silk shirt, short skirt, and heels.

Chloe looked down at herself and smiled. "I figured it was the last chance I would get to dress up on this trip, so I took it. Trust me. I am just as comfortable in scrubs as I am in this."

The girl silently looked at her with wide brown eyes. She couldn't be more than twenty-two or twenty-three at the most.

"What's your name?" Chloe asked the silent girl.

"Um, Cynthia Dunlop, but everyone calls me Cindy."

"It's nice to meet you, Cindy. Are you a nurse as well?" Chloe moved to look out the window at the parking lot below then sat in the chair at the small table that was provided.

"Yes, I just finished school and thought this would be an excellent way to get some experience." The girl turned off the television and turned to face Chloe.

Chloe usually didn't feel self-conscious, but the way the girl was staring at her made her feel uncomfortable.

"You realize that Drevniye is still a war zone? Have you had any experience in emergency medicine?" Chloe asked, trying to gauge what kind of experience Cindy might have.

"Sure, I did a rotation in school," the girl shrugged, seemingly unbothered by the question, which was a worry in itself. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Savannah, Georgia. Where are you from?" Chloe crossed her long legs, catching the girl's attention for a moment before her gaze dropped to her won denim-clad legs.

"I'm from Nebraska," Cindy responded.

Chloe took in the girl's pink cheeks, blond hair, and brown eyes and nodded. She could see Cindy coming from the Midwest.

"Have you met anyone else yet?" Chloe looked at her watch. They only had about fifteen minutes until it was time to check in and assemble for a working lunch.

"No, I got here last night, I was worried about being late, so I made sure I was early."

Chloe nodded as she stood. She wasn't one to worry about being late. Somehow things usually worked out for her in the scheduling department. "I'll just be a few minutes; then we can head down together if you like. It's always better not to have to walk into a room alone, don't you agree?"

Cindy nodded and smiled in relief.

"We'll figure it out together," Chloe assured her before she headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

Chloe sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering if Cindy would need a little extra guidance, and if so,  would she be the one required to give it? At thirty-one, Chloe hadn't thought much about her age when she decided to join the program, but perhaps she should have because now she was worried that she might be the oldest one. True, it wouldn't have made a difference because her overall mission was to find her father, but it would have been something for which she could have prepared.