Chapter 4

Chloe never got to see Tanner’s classroom because the call she’d gotten was from Billie, who said that their mother had been in a car accident. She’d practically run out of the school and didn’t stop to talk to anyone. The hospital was a little over thirty minutes away, and she had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel the entire time. When she arrived, Billie and Levi were already there, pacing in the main waiting area.

“Oh my goodness,” she said breathlessly as she hugged her sister. “What happened? Have you seen her yet?”

“Someone just came out and told us a doctor would come and talk to us soon. Right now they’re doing X-rays and scans and whatever else,” Billie explained. “As far as we can tell, someone hit her at an intersection.”

“T-boned the car on the driver’s side,” Levi added. “Details are still sketchy. We won’t know more until we get to talk to Mom.”

“This is crazy!” Then she glanced around. “Is Ash coming? Was I supposed to pick her up?”

“No, no, you’re fine,” Billie assured her. “She’s on her way. Reid was one of the first responders to the accident and he went to get her once the ambulance left.”

They all sat down and Chloe felt herself shaking. She knew she’d been doing that ever since she got the call, but she was running on adrenaline and was too focused on getting here to think about how she was feeling. But now that she could?

“Oh, hey…Chlo, it’s gonna be alright,” Billie whispered to her and it took a moment for her to realize that she was completely bent in half and sobbing. “Reid said she was alert and talking to him when they were putting her in the ambulance.” Her hand was rubbing up and down Chloe’s back as she spoke, but it wasn’t helping.

“What if she’s not okay?” she asked between sobs. “What if…what if something’s wrong internally? What if…?” But she never got to finish because her brother was suddenly crouching in front of her and gently urged her to look at him.

“We all need to be strong right now,” he said softly. “Think positively. Like Billie said, Reid confirmed that Mom was alert and talking when he saw her.”

“Then why won’t they let us back there?” she asked, sniffling.

“They have to run tests,” he told her. “I’d much rather the doctors be thorough so they know exactly what her injuries are than make them wait so we can go back and talk to her. I know it’s hard to be patient, but…we have to be.”

Just then, Ashlynn and Reid came running in to join them. “Any word yet?” Ash asked.

Levi stood and hugged her. “Nothing yet. A nurse came and told us someone would be out soon, so…”

Letting out a shuddery breath, Chloe straightened and stood to hug her twin, but they stayed like that for several long moments before Levi suggested they all sit down. Reid excused himself and walked over to the reception desk, and Ashlynn laughed softly.

“I guarantee he’s pulling the fireman card to get us information. God, I love him.”

“What did he tell you while you were driving here?” she asked. “I know he mentioned a little to Billie, but…did he say anything else about how bad the car looked, or maybe his thoughts on her injuries?”

“Not really. He went on and on and on about statistics and possible injuries sustained in that kind of crash, but he didn’t get into anything specific,” Ash said with a sigh.

Chloe was about to say more, but Reid was walking back over with someone she guessed was a doctor. “Wow…the fireman card must work.”

“Everyone, this is Dr. Barnett,” Reid said. “And he’s the attending who’s taking care of Marie.”

“How is she?” Levi asked.

Dr. Barnett gave a curt nod before addressing them. “Your mother suffered blunt force trauma. Her left arm and hip are fractured and she has a concussion, whiplash, and several broken ribs.” Pausing, he looked grim. “She’s got a long recovery ahead of her, but this could have been a lot worse. Fortunately, she was wearing her seatbelt and her airbags deployed.”

“When can we see her?” Billie asked.

“We’re waiting for a room to be available, but you can all go back and see her. Just be prepared because she’s very banged up and mildly sedated. I’ll have a nurse come and take you back.”

They all thanked him before he walked away, and then Reid, Levi, and Billie began to talk. Meanwhile, Ashlynn led Chloe a few feet away to talk to her privately. “How are you holding up?”

Tears stung her eyes again. “I’m not,” she admitted. “I’m afraid to go back and see Mom looking all…you know, banged up and hurt.” Then the dam broke and she was crying all over her sister’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. I get it,” Ash said quietly. “I know Reid was trying to prepare me on the way over, but…I’m not really ready for this either.” Hugging Chloe tight, she offered a suggestion. “How about this—until the nurse comes out to get us, let’s talk about something else. What do you say?”

Pulling back, Chloe frowned. “Like…what? What could we possibly talk about at a time like this?”

Now Ash led her over to one of the couches so they could sit. “How did the meeting go this morning? Did you get to meet all the new teachers?”

Her shoulders sagged a bit, and now she wanted to cry for another reason. “I love that you pay attention to all the stuff going on in my life and remember it.” Squeezing her hand, she continued. “I did get to meet everyone and the meeting was fine.”

“But…?”

Ugh…

“But…Tanner brought in breakfast stuff even though he knew I was taking care of it! I mean…he was just doing it to be a jerk!”

“Wait…who’s Tanner? One of the new teachers?”

Oh, right. Her sister didn’t know about all the drama that had unfolded this week. She gave her the abbreviated version of everything and then sighed loudly. “I think he’s just trying to upstage me or something.”

“Or…” Ash carefully interrupted. “He was just trying to be part of the team. Maybe like…I don’t know…like he was trying to make it like the kindergarten team was providing breakfast. If you look at it that way, it was kind of sweet.”

Groaning, Chloe slumped back against the cushions. “I really want to like that theory, but there was just something so…cocky about it.” She paused. “Perhaps I’m being overly sensitive…”

“Um…ya think?”

She gave Ash the side-eye before responding. “Everything about him just…irritates me. He’s so arrogant and has this colossal ego, and I just can’t see him being a good kindergarten teacher.”

With nothing more than a tsk, her sister spoke volumes.

“Okay, fine. I’m being judgmental. There. Happy?” she huffed. “We were sort of having a good conversation right before Billie called. Like…we were just talking and it was nice and kind of fun. I was almost seeing him in a new light.”

“That’s great! Some people just don’t make a good first impression. I’m sure you were a little on the defensive because he’s not the teacher you were prepared for. Unfortunately, he’s the one you got, so you’re going to have to learn to play nice.”

“Shouldn’t he be the one trying to play nice and not come in like a steamroller? Just because he’s a little famous…”

“Wait, wait, wait…he’s famous?” Ash asked with wide-eyed amusement. “Famous how?”

Pulling out her phone, she showed her the Google search results. “Competitive skier. Apparently his picture’s up in the pro shop at the resort.”

“Wow! I never met a professional skier! That’s kind of cool!”

Chloe shot her a hard look. “Seriously? Now you’re dazzled by him?”

“No one said dazzled,” she murmured. “But you have to admit that he’s kind of good-looking. Are you sure you’re not just a little flustered by him because of that?”

It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought of that, but she just wasn’t particularly ready to admit it.

“No. This is strictly because of his personality. At least…it was until about an hour ago. Maybe there’s hope for him, but…”

“Chloe, come on! You literally give everyone the benefit of the doubt! Remember that bully, Tad Paulson, in the fourth grade? He was such a jerk and you refused to tell on him!”

“I know, but…”

“He was always knocking your books out of your hands! Everyone thought something was wrong with your arms because you were always picking your stuff up off the floor!”

“Okay, but…you stepped in and got him to stop! It’s not the same thing!”

Ashlynn studied her for a moment. “Do I need to show up at the school tomorrow and put this guy in his place? Because I will, you know.”

Sadly, she did know this, and as much as she normally appreciated her sister’s interference, this was something she was going to have to handle on her own.

“No, but thank you. I’m probably being too hard on him. I’m sure once school starts next week he won’t be so full of himself. Once he sees how challenging a room full of five-year-olds is, maybe he’ll be humbled and realize that he should have taken some advice from seasoned teachers.”

“And you’re sure you’re not being all weird because he’s hot and you get all weird and uncomfortable around hot guys?”

“Tanner’s not hot…”

With Chloe’s phone still in her hand, Ashlynn held it up to show a picture of Tanner smiling while holding his skis. “Seriously? How can you even say that? He’s obviously hot!”

That was the moment Reid came over to join them. “Who’s hot?”

“One of the new teachers at Chloe’s school,” Ashlynn said teasingly. “And he’s going to be teaching kindergarten too!”

Reid looked between the two of them before focusing on Chloe. “So you think he’s hot?”

“No!”

Then he glanced at Ashlynn. “So…you think he’s hot? Do I need to go kick his ass or something?”

Ashlynn laughed before standing up and kissing him soundly. “You’re adorable when you’re all jealous, but no. You don’t have to kick his ass. I was simply pointing out that he’s hot because I know Chloe thinks he is.”

“But…she just said she didn’t…”

“She’s lying. Trust me. We’re twins and I am the only person on the planet that knows when her pants are on fire. Like now.”

“Would you please…”

“Guys,” Billie hissed, as if this wasn’t the first time she was saying it. “The nurse is here to take us back to see Mom.”

And that effectively ended the debate on Tanner’s hotness.

Somberly, they followed the nurse down a labyrinth of hallways until they finally came to the room where Marie Donovan was. Chloe grabbed Ashlynn’s free hand as they walked in and the sight of her mother lying so still and her face covered in bruises was enough to bring on a fresh wave of tears.

Ashlynn’s grip was just as tight and she squeezed twice as if to say she was feeling it too. For a few minutes, no one spoke; they were all in shock. Levi stood by Marie’s head and gently brushed some hair away from her forehead.

“This is worse than I thought,” he murmured. “I guess I was expecting to come in here and she’d be sitting up and talking.”

“They sedated her because of all the tests and scans,” Reid explained. “Plus, until they can set the bones, it’s best if she doesn’t move around too much. She might be more alert and awake tonight, but I’d say that tomorrow will be the first chance you’ll have to really talk to her.”

It wasn’t the news anyone wanted to hear.

“I’m going to stay tonight,” Billie announced before looking over at Levi. “Tell Jade I won’t be in tomorrow, and there are plenty of cakes and cookies in the freezer that she can put out. I’ll go in at some point and bake for the weekend, but…I need to be here.” Gently picking up Marie’s hand, she held it in hers. “I just can’t believe this happened.”

“I can stay too,” Chloe said as she slowly stepped closer to the bed. “My classroom is all set up and…”

“No,” Billie said, using her free hand to grasp one of Chloe’s. “I know how upset you are and I think you should go to school tomorrow and maybe help where you can and then come in the afternoon.”

“But…”

“Then I’ll stay with you,” Ashlynn said. “I have plenty of coverage at the salon and…”

Billie was already shaking her head. “I swear I’m not trying to be bitchy, but…I feel like it will be overwhelming for Mom when she wakes up and the reality of what happened hits her. I think we should save our time away from our jobs and everything until she goes home. That’s when she’s really going to need people around her. For now, we need to take a step back and see what the doctors have to say.”

“I want to argue with you,” Levi said solemnly, “but you’re right. I think we should all stay until we know she’s settled in a room, and then we’ll take tomorrow as it comes.”

Chloe doubted she was going to get anything accomplished tomorrow at school, but she wasn’t about to fight with her siblings about it. She’d handle her feelings on her own. Right now, they had to focus on their mother and her recovery.

It was crazy, but Tanner was pacing in his classroom on Friday morning and wondering what happened to Chloe yesterday.

Actually, he’d been thinking about it ever since she seemingly disappeared into thin air after walking away to take a phone call.

He’d been tempted to go down to the main office and ask if anyone knew where she was or where she went, but he had a feeling it would come off sounding creepy—especially after the way they’d gotten off on the wrong foot. During their short walk together yesterday, he realized that maybe he did come on too strong and that it wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Well, between that and the conversation he had with Principal Kincaid, he felt like he was probably taking the wrong approach here in Sweetbriar Ridge.

And now, the one person he genuinely wanted to impress was nowhere to be found.

“Okay, I need to go to the office and…” Tanner stepped out into the hallway when he spotted Chloe walking toward him. He smiled and was about to call out to her, but the closer she got, the more obvious it became that something was seriously wrong. Again, he was about to say something, but wasn’t sure if he was necessarily the person she wanted to talk to.

Ultimately, he couldn’t help himself and met her halfway.

“Hey,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “Everything okay?”

She shook her head and wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Sorry, just…a family thing.” When she went to step around him, he let her and then followed her to her classroom.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked and thought that was a stupid thing to say. They didn’t even know each other. What in the world could he possibly do?

Putting her bag down on her desk, she turned and studied him. “Thank you, but…I’ll be fine.” But the shuddery breath she let out said she wasn’t fine right now.

Sliding his hands into his trouser pockets, he slowly walked across the room toward her. “You may not know this about me, but I’m actually an excellent listener.”

“Really?” And yeah, that one word dripped with sarcasm. “Because so far you seem to only hear what you want to hear.” Her hand flew to her mouth and tears shone brightly in her eyes. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry! That was a horrible thing to say! Seriously, Tanner, I apologize.”

Instead of being offended, he appreciated her honesty. “Nothing to apologize for. You were just being truthful. Most of our interactions have been about me primarily talking about myself and disregarding things people were trying to do to help.”

Chloe swiped at a wayward tear before frowning. “Um…okay. Thank you.”

“So…do you want to talk about it?”

“About you not accepting help?”

That made him chuckle. “No,” he said gently. “I meant about whatever’s going on with your family.”

She sighed as she nodded and sat down. “My mother was in a terrible car accident yesterday. Someone ran a red light and t-boned her car. She’s in pretty bad shape—not life-threatening, but she’s going to have a long recovery ahead of her. My siblings and I were at the hospital with her until around ten last night. That’s how long it took to get her into a room and settled. It was awful.”

“That was the call you got when we were talking in the hallway, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. “The hospital’s thirty minutes away and I don’t even remember the drive. I could have caused an accident driving like that, but…”

“Hey,” he began, sitting on the corner of her desk. “Yes, that was a genuine possibility, but you don’t strike me as the kind of person who makes that sort of thing a habit. There were extenuating circumstances. And I’m sure if there were another emergency, you’d ask someone else to drive you.”

Another nod. “I should have called Ash, but I was too focused on getting there as soon as possible.”

Ash? Is that her husband? A boyfriend? What kind of name is Ash?

And was now the time to even ask that?

He decided it wasn’t.

Glancing around the classroom, he asked, “So, what are you doing here today? It looks like the room is ready. If you need the time to be with your mother, then you should be there.”

“That was my plan, but everyone told me I needed to be here today because I got too upset last night while we were sitting with her. I guess this was supposed to distract me.” Then she looked around. “I’m not sure it’s going to work.”

“Well, maybe not, but I know something that might.”

She looked at him warily, but didn’t say anything.

“I’d like it if you came and checked out my classroom. I just put some finishing touches on it right before you got here and I’d really like your input.”

“Tanner…”

“I know, I know…I was rude and secretive every time you tried to see what I was doing, but…” He paused and tried to figure out the best way to say this. “The thing is, I’m used to doing everything on my own. If I ever shared what I was thinking or doing, opponents would use it against me.”

“We’re not opponents,” she told him, her voice so soft it was practically a whisper. “We’re coworkers.”

“I know that here,” he said, pointing to his head. “But I’ve spent a lot of years as a competitive athlete. Some things are going to take time. It’s not personal.”

“It felt personal,” she murmured.

“I’m trying to make things right, Chloe. If you want to know the truth, I’m a little intimidated by you.”

And the crazy thing was, he wasn’t lying.

With a small snort, she got to her feet and moved to look out the window. “You know, I can handle your arrogance, Tanner. I don’t like it, but I can handle it. But don’t patronize me. It’s just insulting.”

Wow, clearly he’d made a huge first impression and it wasn’t the least bit favorable.

He stood and followed her. “I’m not, but I get why you don’t believe me.” Pausing for a moment until she looked at him, he continued. “Look at it from my point of view. I’m a brand new teacher and the only other teacher in my grade has been Teacher of the Year for the last two years! I mean…what chance to do I have of beating you out?”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God! You did not just say that!”

“Wait…say what? I’m not sure what I said that was so bad.”

“The only thing you’re worried about is being the best! You’re not really worried about it because you want to make an impression on your students, but just for your own self! That’s awful! How could you possibly want to be a teacher? It makes zero sense!”

Okay, he was clearly messing up—again—and he wasn’t sure how to make things right.

“Whether or not you choose to believe me, I’ve always wanted to teach. Why? Because I had some great teachers when I was growing up and I’ve always enjoyed learning new things. Other than skiing, my favorite hobby is reading. I read all the damn time! One of the rooms in the house I’m renting is a library! My parents couldn’t believe how many books I have.”

“Oh.”

“I remember how excited I used to get learning new subjects in school and the thought of being able to maybe help others feel that way? It freaking thrills me! I would have started teaching sooner, but I was still competing and I couldn’t do both.”

“So why’d you stop?”

“Competing?”

She nodded.

“Like I said, I was feeling a bit past my prime and I wanted to go out on top. I had never heard of Sweetbriar Ridge before getting the email from Principal Kincaid, but I’m psyched to be here because now I get to teach and I’m close enough to a resort so I can ski on the weekends. It’s the best of both worlds.”

For several moments, neither spoke, but he heard Chloe’s soft sigh.

“Look, I think we just need to accept that our personalities aren’t particularly compatible. I don’t look at my position here like it’s some sort of competition and I have a feeling that’s the only way you’re going to see it. Obviously we’re going to have to work together—not only because we’re both teachers, but because we’re both teaching the same grade. There are several units we’ll be working on together and I’m already dreading it because you’re going to bully me to get your way and not listen to the fact that we have a perfectly fine curriculum that works.”

“Chloe…”

The laugh she responded with was mirthless as she shook her head. “My sister would be amazed that I’m being this blunt with you. Normally I’m quiet and reserved and afraid to speak up. I’m the least confrontational person in the world, but something about you just…”

Tanner held up a hand to stop her because he knew where she was going with it, and this wasn’t a great conversation for either of them. He hated the fact that he had her acting so out of character, but more than that, he hated that she possibly wasn’t the only person who felt this strongly about him.

In a negative way.

“I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see,” he said finally. “But in the meantime, I’d really appreciate it if you came and looked at my room.” When she didn’t respond right away, he said the one thing he knew would help change her mind. “It’s going to be the perfect distraction because I kind of went in a direction a little different from yours.”

She groaned softly before conceding. “Fine…”

“Awesome! Come on!” Tanner led the way out to his room and at the door, he stood back and let Chloe go in first. She went all of three feet before she simply froze.

“Um…”

Stepping into the room, he came to a stop beside her. “So? What do you think? I realize I didn’t have a lot of time, but…”

He’d used the border and characters she’d given him, but he made his room into a Pixar character ski camp. All of the characters were in action, he’d made mountains out of construction paper, rigged up several old pairs of skis and goggles and other random equipment on the walls and used an almost obscene amount of cotton to make snow.

“I realize it doesn’t snow here year-round, but…it’s a mountain town and I thought it would still be a cool effect.” He paused and waited for her to say something. “So? What do you think?”

“It’s…it’s…definitely different,” she said carefully. “And it’s a wonderful use of…um…your ski equipment…”

“I have a lot of it,” he admitted. “And before you ask, I spoke to Principal Kincaid about using it, and the entire room got a safety inspection, so everything’s safe. I didn’t want anyone to see the room, but I’m smart enough to know that the safety of the students comes first.”

Nodding, Chloe stepped further into the room. There were books on the shelves, but not a lot, and his reading corner had a big, white shag carpet. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she said, “White was a bold choice. You realize how messy five-year-olds are, right?”

Actually, he hadn’t. He walked over to her. “I was going with the snow theme and didn’t think about it.”

“You could always go with brown or green and make this like a reading forest.”

“Of course! That’s brilliant! I can get another carpet before Tuesday, no problem. And as for the rest? It wouldn’t be hard to do with some construction paper and cardboard…”

He caught her looking around again. “You’re very artistic,” she told him, and he had a feeling it wasn’t all that easy for her to give him a compliment. Turning her head, she smiled. “Is there anything you’re not good at?”

It would be wrong to say no, but…

“I heard I’m not good at being a team player,” he said with amusement. “But I swear I’m going to work on it.”

Groaning, she walked toward him. “I never should have said anything. You’re new here and I was being judgmental. That is not who I am, like ever. You have to believe me.”

And the thing is, he did.

“Look, I get it. And to be fair, I can see why you were completely turned off by me.”

Her face turned the tiniest shade of red. “I didn’t say I was turned off…”

That’s when he realized how that all sounded and felt his own face heat. “Sorry! Oh, God…that came out wrong! I meant…you know…like…rubbed you the wrong way…or…dammit!”

When did I get so bad at having a normal conversation?

“Chloe, honestly, all I meant was…”

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted him and he could honestly say he was saved by the bell.

“Excuse me a moment, Tanner,” she said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Hey, Bill, is everything okay?”

Tanner went over to his desk so it didn’t seem like he was hovering or trying to listen in on her conversation, but when he heard her gasp, he decided the hell with it and walked back over to her.

“Okay, okay,” she said shakily. “I’m on my way!”

“Is it your mom?” he asked, and when she nodded but couldn’t seem to talk, he knew what he had to do. “Let’s get your stuff, and I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

“What? No,” she objected, but there was very little fight in her. “I’ll call Ash to come and get me. You don’t have to…”

“Chloe, don’t be ridiculous. I’m right here and I’m done for the day. We can be in my car in less than two minutes. Please. Let me do this for you.”

She nodded, but still didn’t seem thrilled about it. “Thanks. Just…let me go get my purse from my room.”

“I’ll meet you by the front door,” he told her and watched her leave. After locking up his room, Tanner quickly jogged to the front office and told Susan what was going on.

“Oh my goodness! I hope everything’s alright!” Then she paused. “And it’s very nice of you to offer to drive Chloe to the hospital. If you’d prefer, I can do it. I know the two of you don’t know each other very well…”

“No time like the present to rectify that,” he said, spotting Chloe standing outside the office. “I’ll keep you posted on what’s going on.”

“Thanks, Tanner!”

Stepping out of the office, he gently placed his hand at the small of Chloe’s back and guided her out the door. “You ready?”

“I think so.”

In the parking lot, he helped her into his Toyota SUV before jogging around to the driver’s side and climbing in. “Tell me the address and I’ll plug it into the navigation app.”

“That’s not necessary. Just turn left when you pull out of the parking lot, and then right at the light. The hospital is on that road. It’s a fairly straight run.”

With a curt nod, he pulled out of the parking lot and did as she said. He wasn’t sure if he should try to start a conversation or not and decided to follow her lead.

He just hoped it wasn’t going to be a silent drive.