Chapter 7

“Oh my goodness! I’m so glad you’re here! It’s like our twin telepathy is totally synced today!” Ashlynn gushed as she hugged her. Chloe had barely made it through the door of Books Beans before her sister ran over to her. “I was going to call you, but wasn’t sure what time you were going to get out of school today.”

Pulling back, Chloe glanced around and almost sagged with relief that Tanner wasn’t there yet. “Um…what’s going on?”

Shrugging, Ashlynn smiled. “I just booked a bridal party! Like they’re going to come to the salon—all eight of them!—so we can do their hair and makeup for the wedding! How cool is that?”

“Uh…very! Yay you!”

“I stopped in here to get myself some celebratory brownies that I was going to take home and eat by myself, but now you’re here! We can totally share them and catch up!” She took Chloe’s hand and began to lead her toward the counter.

“No!” Chloe hissed. “You have to go! I’ll pay for your brownies, but you have to leave!”

“What? Why?” Frowning, she moved in close. “What’s going on with you? You’re acting weird.” Then her eyes went wide as she gasped. “Do you have a date? Are you meeting a guy here?”

Oh God…

“I don’t have a date,” she whispered. “I’m just…I’m meeting Tanner here to go over our fall unit that we start next week. I had some ideas about our classes doing some activities together and rather than stay late at the school, we decided to come here.”

Her sister’s first response was to yawn loudly.

Then roll her eyes.

“That was the most boring thing I’ve ever heard,” she said. “And what’s the big deal? You said you told him you weren’t interested, so this is just a work thing. I don’t see why I have to leave. It’s not like…”

Ashlynn’s eyes went wide again.

“Sooo…you’re secretly interested in Mr. Tanner Skier McHotty! I knew it!”

She hated the theatrics her sister used in situations like this. “If you knew it, then why are you just figuring it out?” And though she thought she was being smug, she realized too late what she had just admitted.

“You lied to me!” Ash said with a bark of laughter. “You sly thing! I can’t believe you pulled one over on me!”

“Okay, fine! I think he’s hot! He kisses so damn good and he’s a total distraction whenever I see him at school! Now can you please just go? I can’t deal with you being here watching and judging me!”

It took Ash several long moments before she sobered and nodded. “Fine. I’ll go. But not without my brownies.”

“Ugh…” Taking Ash’s hand, she dragged her over to the counter and smiled at Jade’s mom, Cora. “Ashlynn needs all the brownies,” she said firmly. “To go. Please box them up and you can add them to my order.”

“Chloe’s treating me because I booked a bridal party for the salon today!”

“Oh, how wonderful! Good for you, Ashlynn! Let me get those brownies for you!”

As soon as she walked away, Chloe noticed Tanner’s car pulling up out front. “Tanner’s here,” she murmured. “Say hello and please just take the brownies and go. I promise to call you tomorrow and tell you everything, okay?”

“Why tomorrow? Why not when you get home?”

“Ashlynn…” she whined.

Huffing with annoyance, Ashlynn relented. “Tomorrow. But only because I’m probably going to be in a sugar coma and I plan to jump Reid when he gets home. Sex and brownies! It’s gonna be a great night!”

Tanner walked in and spotted her, smiling. Chloe waved before moving in close to Ashlynn’s ear, “If you say one thing to embarrass me, I’ll tell Reid all about how you’re afraid of the Muppets.”

“What is a Snuffleupagus, Chloe?! And why is he just living on Sesame Street?” her sister whispered anxiously.

“I will call Reid right now, so help me!” Pulling back, she smiled brightly.

“Tanner! Hey!” Ashlynn said when he joined them. “How’s teaching going?”

“Better than I expected,” he told her. “There are days the kids are a little overwhelming, but I think we’re all getting used to each other.”

“Here’s your brownies, Ashlynn!” Cora said, handing her the box. “And congratulations again!”

“Ooh…what are you celebrating?” Tanner asked.

“I’ll let Chloe tell you. Apparently, I need to go,” Ash said with a frown in her sister’s direction. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.” Then she smiled at Tanner. “Have a great weekend!”

“Um, yeah. You too,” he said. Once she walked out the door, he looked at Chloe. “Did I interrupt something? I kind of got the impression she didn’t really want to leave.”

“Really? I didn’t get that from her at all,” Chloe lied. “I was just getting ready to order. What would you like?”

“Oh, um…I think just a regular coffee with cream and sugar and a slice of the pound cake. But…I got it. You don’t have to…I mean, you weren’t offering to…”

It took her a second to realize what he was saying, and she laughed softly. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind treating you to coffee and cake. After all, I was the one who invited you.”

He was shaking his head. “Absolutely not. I’ve got this.”

“I still owe you for all you did that day at the hospital…”

“We’ve been over this. You don’t owe me anything.”

“Are you two ready to order?” Cora asked.

Tanner repeated his order and then Chloe ordered a hot tea and a sugar cookie. Tonight, she was making herself a little Mexican feast just because, and she didn’t want to fill up too much. When they had their orders and turned to find a place to sit, it was the first time she noticed just how crowded the shop was. She’d been so distracted by her sister and then Tanner that she hadn’t been paying attention.

“I hope we can find someplace to sit,” she said.

“Follow me,” he told her, and she did. It took longer than she thought it would to find a table, but ultimately they did. It was in the corner of the non-fiction section, but at least it was clean and had two chairs.

“Whew! I wasn’t sure we’d find anything. At least we didn’t have to stand around and stare at people until they left!”

He chuckled. “Luckily it didn’t come to that.” They got situated and he stirred his coffee while she did the same with her tea. “So, how was the rest of your day?”

“Pretty uneventful. The kids were a little hyped up after PE, but…”

“Hey, you guys!” Billie said as she walked over. “Cora told me you were here! And how did I manage to miss seeing Ashlynn?”

Chloe inwardly groaned. “She was in a hurry. She was going home to celebrate with brownies because she booked a bridal party today.”

“That’s amazing! I’ll call her when I get home. I mean, I was going to anyway—you too—to give you an update on Mom. I talked to her care team today and they’ve made arrangements with the rehab facility. They’re going to move her next week.”

“Oh, wow…and that’s better than sending her home with a full-time nurse?” Chloe asked.

“Definitely. She needs way more specialized care still. The plan is for her to be there for a couple of weeks and then she can come home with a full-time caretaker. I know we can all help some, but we all work. Levi said he could work from home at her house, but it’s not ideal.” She then talked about all the possibilities and ways they could divvy up some of the responsibilities, and it was more than Chloe was prepared to deal with right now.

“There you are!” Jade said as she came closer. “Hey, Chloe! Hey, Tanner! Mom just told me you guys were here!”

“Hey, Jade,” Chloe murmured.

“Billie, I just got the email that the new mixers are coming next week! That’s a month sooner than we were expecting! Isn’t that great!”

“That’s awesome! Oh, I can’t wait to use them and…”

Chloe tuned them out and gave Tanner an apologetic smile before leaning over slightly. “Maybe we should have stayed at the school.”

He waved her off. “It’s not a big deal. I’m sure they’re eager to head home after a long day and we’ll be able to work on our stuff.”

“Mom! Mom! Grandma said I could have two snickerdoodles because I got an A on my math test!”

Yup, Jade’s son Silas ran over to join them now too.

“Great job, buddy!” Jade said as she hugged him.

“Hey, Aunt Chloe! Check it out, I got an A on my math test! And you know how much I hate math!”

“I know you do,” she said with amusement. “But you’re a natural at it. I’m proud of you!”

“Thanks!” And then he ran off.

“What are you guys up to?” Jade asked them. “We’re not interrupting anything, are we?”

“Well, um…we need to go over a unit we’re starting next week,” Chloe began. “I thought this would be a good and quiet place to do it, but…”

“Oh, this time of day is usually chaos,” Billie explained. “Once all the schools let out and the cars are through with carpool, a lot of the families stop here for a snack and to get a jump on homework. You would have been better off staying at the school.”

Note to self…remember that.

“Anyway, I need to go. I’m heading up to the hospital to see Mom. I’m going to stop at home first. I’ve got a pot roast cooking in the slow cooker that I’m going to bring up and share with her. She hates the hospital food. I’ll talk to you over the weekend!” Waving, she turned and walked away.

“I don’t know how she does it all,” Jade said with a sigh. “Or when she sleeps. It’s crazy how much she does every day. Levi and I really worry about her.”

Chloe nodded before taking a sip of her tea.

“Who do we worry about?” Levi asked as he came up behind Jade and kissed her on the cheek.

You have got to be kidding me! Chloe quietly fumed.

“Hey, kiddo,” he said as he stepped over and kissed her too. “How’s school going?”

Rather than be annoyed that she and Tanner were clearly never going to be alone to talk about anything, she simply smiled at her brother and told him how much she was enjoying her new class. Then he asked Tanner the same thing and he replied the same way.

“You guys are genuine heroes,” Levi told them. “I have trouble doing homework with just Silas every night. I don’t know how you do it all day, every day, with so many kids.” Laughing, he shook his head. “All I’m saying is that I’m thankful for teachers.”

“Yes, we know, honey,” Jade said with a grin as she patted his arm. “Now how about we take our boy out for pizza? He got an A on his math test!”

“That’s amazing! Let’s do it!” Smiling at Tanner and Chloe, he wished them a good night as Jade waved and did the same.

Chloe let out a long breath. “I think that should be all of my siblings,” she said with a weak smile. “I’m so sorry. I know we’re a lot.”

“Nah, I think it’s awesome. I’d like to think if my brother were still alive, we’d want to hang out whenever we ran into each other.” He took a sip of his coffee, and all Chloe wanted to do was hug him. As much as she was just majorly annoyed by her family, she was incredibly thankful for them.

“Mr. Westyn! Look! My mom bought me the pug book that we read today in class!”

Both she and Tanner smiled at the little girl who ran over to their table.

“That’s great, Evie! Are you going to read it to your mom?”

She giggled. “I can’t read, Mr. Westyn!” Then she giggled some more. “But Mom said she’ll read it to me tonight before I go to bed!”

That’s when Evie’s mom came over to gush at how much her daughter loved school and how she talked about Tanner all the time. Chloe smiled as she listened, and she truly was happy that he was connecting with his students. It was a far cry from how she thought things would go, so this was a pleasant surprise.

“Have a good weekend, Mr. Westyn!” Evie said as she and her mom walked away.

And then two more students came over to talk to them—both of them from Tanner’s class—and after that, one of Chloe’s former students came over to do the same. By the time they were done talking to everyone, her tea was lukewarm and it was getting dark out. She pulled out her phone and gasped.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s almost six o’clock!” Sighing, she shook her head. “So much for planning next week’s unit.”

Tanner took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. “That’s cold.” Pushing the cup to the side, he frowned. “Next time, we’ll stay at the school and maybe order takeout.”

That was all fine and well, but it didn’t help them right now.

“Would you like to join me for dinner?” she blurted out.

His eyes went a little wide and it was kind of adorable. “You mean…now?”

She nodded. “I’m making some chicken enchiladas and fresh guacamole. It’s nothing special, but if you give me an hour, you can come over and I can guarantee no one’s going to interrupt us.”

At least…she hoped they wouldn’t—not after she just finished talking to her entire family.

“That sounds great! Can I bring anything?”

“Um…maybe some wine?”

Ugh…did I make this sound like a date by saying that?

“Perfect! I just need your address and let’s say 7:00? Will that be enough time?”

Another nod. “Absolutely.” She gave him her address and collected her things, eager to get home and have some time to get ready. It would be nice to change into comfy clothes and just embrace the silence for a little while, but…she’d have to see how that went.

They walked out to their cars together, and Tanner seemed genuinely excited about the invitation. He drove away first, and as soon as his car was out of sight, Chloe pulled out her phone and called Ash.

“Well, well, well…this isn’t tomorrow,” she said coyly.

“Oh, hush! Put your brownies and sex aside; I have a crisis here!”

Fortunately, Ash didn’t make a joke or do anything like she normally did. “Alright, talk to me.”

“I invited Tanner to my house for dinner! I did it because no one left us alone at the coffee shop and we didn’t get to do any of our work stuff. So I asked him to dinner and told him to bring wine!” She groaned. “I made it a date, didn’t I?” It wasn’t a question.

“Okay, first, relax. Nothing wrong with asking him to bring wine, just like there’s nothing wrong if this is kind of a date. Are there rules against dating a fellow teacher?”

“No.”

Ash snickered. “You answered rather quickly. I’m guessing you looked into this already.”

“Maybe.”

“Fine. So…no rule against it. You have to think positive. People date one another all the time and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, it might be awkward for a little while, but ultimately, it’s not a big deal. You’re not prone to drama, so…be positive. This could be a good thing!”

“I don’t know…”

“Way to be positive,” Ash murmured.

“Could you please…?”

“Look, go home, get comfy, and remember to breathe. It’s all going to be okay. And if you start to get twitchy, text me and I’ll talk you through it, okay?”

It wasn’t ideal, but it was her only choice.

“Okay. Thanks. I love you.”

“Love you too. And good luck!”

At 6:59, Tanner pulled into Chloe’s driveway and let out a long breath. She only lived two blocks away from him. How crazy was that? And her craftsman bungalow looked a lot like his. Well, like a lot of houses in the area, but hers looked newly updated too.

Grabbing the bottle of wine and his curriculum binder, he felt oddly conflicted. Was this just a dinner between colleagues or…a date? He clearly remembered what she told him on the first day of school, but…what if she changed her mind? What if this was her way of letting him know she changed her mind?

He glanced down at himself and suddenly hated the jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers he opted for. Was he too casual? Did he have anything in his car to change into?

“And where would you change, genius?” he mumbled.

“Tanner?” Chloe was standing in the doorway watching him. “Do you need help with anything?”

Yeah, not freaking myself out…

“Nope! I have everything. Just making sure I had my keys!” Fortunately, he did, and as he walked up her front steps, he noticed she was dressed super casually too.

So…maybe not a date?

For crying out loud, enough!

“Hey,” she said softly as she stepped aside to let him in. “Thanks for coming over.”

Smiling, he stepped into the living room. “No problem. Apparently I only live two blocks away so it wasn’t hard to get here.” They both laughed and he followed her into the kitchen. “Dinner smells amazing!” And when they reached the kitchen, he saw she had the table set and there was a bowl of fresh guacamole and another with salsa beside a huge basket of tortilla chips. “Wow! This all looks delicious!”

“Thanks,” she said and he noticed that she blushed. “I’ll open the wine. Have a seat and help yourself.”

He sat, but he forced himself not to taste anything until she joined him. A minute later, she handed him a glass of wine and took her seat. Once she was settled, Tanner lifted his glass to her. “Here’s to some creative planning, good food, and an enjoyable evening. Cheers!”

Chloe tapped her glass to his. “Cheers.”

For a moment, he feared things were going to be awkward—mainly because Chloe seemed like she was going shy on him—but she surprised him by launching into a description of what she made and how long it would take for the main course to be served.

Helping himself to some of the guacamole and chips, he took a bite and moaned with pleasure. “Damn, Chloe. Even if the enchiladas burned and we couldn’t eat them, I could make a meal out of the chips, guac, and salsa! They’re delicious!”

She smiled. “Thank you. I was thinking about this meal all week. I like to make a big dinner on Friday nights so I can have the leftovers during the weekend. Although Billie sort of made me think that I should make stuff and bring it up to the hospital when I go to visit my mom. I never would have…” She stopped abruptly. “Sorry. No more Donovan family stuff tonight. It was too much while we were at the coffee shop, and I don’t want to subject you to any more of it.”

“I honestly didn’t mind. It was good to get an update on how your mom is doing, and listening to all the other stuff just makes me feel a little more connected to the town.”

“I heard you played poker with my brother and some of his friends last weekend,” she said as she made a small plate for herself.

Nodding, he explained how it all came about because he met Will at the pizza place and struck up a conversation. “Because of my skiing career, I’m just used to talking to everyone I meet and making friends.”

“Do you miss it? The competing?”

“Not really,” he admitted. “It stopped being fun, but I was happy that there were companies that still wanted me to endorse their products. It helped me make the transition from competitive athlete to…well, teaching.”

“They’re just so drastically different. Like…I still can’t figure out how you went from such a high-profile career to teaching in such a small town.”

He believed in being honest and hoped it didn’t make her think less of him. “Well…moving to a small town really wasn’t part of the plan. Most of the schools I applied to were all in big cities. Unfortunately, I waited too long to put applications out and by the time I did, most of the positions were filled. Plus, my goal was to teach fifth grade. When Principal Kincaid offered me the kindergarten teaching position, I didn’t jump at it.” Pausing, he took a sip of his wine. “But, I knew I needed a job and being that the town had a ski resort so close by, it seemed like a good fit.”

“What if a position became available for a fifth-grade class someplace else? Would you leave?”

Shaking his head, he told her, “I am committed to this year. Principal Kincaid believes that now that I’m here in the district, I’d be considered if a position for one of the older grades opened up. But for now, I’m happy where I am. I’ll admit, I never considered teaching kindergarten—because those teachers are the ones with the hardest jobs—but so far, I’m not hating it.”

“Why do you think they’re the hardest jobs?”

“Because you’re teaching them everything they’re going to need to prepare them for the next twelve years of their life and beyond! Remember that book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? It’s the truth! Every foundation about being out in the world and in school, you’re the one teaching them that. I think what you do is amazing and…it’s all still a little terrifying to me.”

The look she gave him said she didn’t quite believe him. “Oh, come on, Tanner. You’re the most confident person I’ve ever met. You know you’re doing a great job. Your students love you and the parents are impressed too.”

He took another sip of his wine before leaning forward a little. “I’ve told you before; it’s all about appearing to be confident. It doesn’t mean it’s how I feel. All the years I competed, I had to look confident. I had to believe in myself. Even when I was scared or not feeling my best, I still had to go out there and do my job.” He shrugged. “Now it’s just the way I live.”

“Is that how you want to live?”

Frowning, he paused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…I get the idea of believing in yourself and putting on a brave face even when you don’t feel it, but…do you allow yourself to just feel? Do you accept that some days you’re just not at your best, or do you beat yourself up for it?”

“Um…” He laughed softly. “That was a pretty heavy question.”

“You’re right. Sorry. There’s just something about you that fascinates me. Like I can’t figure you out.”

Putting his glass down, he met her gaze. “Do you want to figure me out?” It was a bold question, he knew that, but he was also dying to know the answer.

All she did was nod.

Okay, so that meant…?

“I’m going to be fully transparent here, Chloe,” he said carefully. “I like you. I thought after the kiss we shared that maybe you liked me too and wanted to get to know me. But you sort of cut that down quick and I respected that.”

“I know,” she quietly admitted. “The whole thing kind of freaked me out and you have to know that I don’t normally do that sort of thing. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that.”

Reaching across the table, he placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m not asking anyone anything because it’s no one’s business but ours. I like that you felt like you could do something like that with me and…I wouldn’t be opposed if you wanted to do something like that again.”

The blush was back in full force as she looked down at their hands.

“Either way, I’m just happy to be here. If you want us to just be colleagues who are friends, then I’m fine with that, but I wanted you to know how I feel too. So if you’d rather we just have dinner and discuss the curriculum, it’s okay. I’m not going to be offended, and I’m certainly not going to put any pressure on you.”

She didn’t say anything right away, but as she slowly pulled her hand out from under his, she said, “I’d like to just see how the night goes. No plan, no agenda. Just us taking the time to get to know each other and talk about…whatever.” Then she laughed softly. “I mean, I really do want to talk about the curriculum, but it’s not the only thing. Is that okay?”

“More than.” And that’s when Tanner felt like he could finally relax. Scooping up some guacamole on a chip, he asked, “So…why Mexican? How did this become your specialty?”

And for the next hour, they discussed her love of cooking, his lack of knowing how to cook anything other than the basics, favorite books, movies…everything you would cover on a first date.

When the enchiladas were ready, Chloe served them, and they talked about Tanner’s career in skiing and his spokesperson responsibilities.

“When the season opens, I’ll go up to the lodge and do some sort of opening ceremony with them and then sign stuff in the pro shop,” he explained. “My sponsors haven’t organized anything else for me recently, but I let them know about this event.”

“Would they ask you to travel to different events?”

“They have in the past, but they know I’m teaching now, and my schedule isn’t as flexible as it used to be.”

“But…won’t that be a deterrent to them? Like…why would they keep you on if you weren’t able to be where they want you to be?”

Good question.

But he shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I knew I wasn’t going to do that sort of thing forever, but for as long as they still want me, I’ll do my best to appear wherever they’d like.” He took a bite of his dinner. “Do you ski?”

She laughed. “Um…no. I’m completely uncoordinated and really okay with it. The last time I tried to ski, I was fifteen and I broke my arm, so…”

“Gotcha. It’s good to know your strengths.”

“And weaknesses,” she teased. “But…I’m a great spectator and love sitting with a cup of hot cocoa and watching my friends and family ski. Sometimes I go sledding, though. That’s always fun.”

“It looks like there are some great hills around here for it.”

Nodding, she agreed. “I think you’re going to enjoy winter here in Sweetbriar.”

Looking up at her, he smiled. “I believe you’re right.”

And it had nothing to do with the weather.

“Okay, so Billie loves to bake, you love to cook. What about Levi and Ashlynn?”

The bark of laughter was unexpected. “Oh my goodness. Ash doesn’t cook at all. I mean…she can do some basic stuff, but Reid is definitely in charge of their kitchen. But she does hair and makeup like no one else and has a flair for decorating. And Levi…well…he tries.” She grinned. “And we weren’t going to talk about my family anymore, remember?”

“You’re right, you’re right. I just like figuring out the dynamics of a big family. Mine is small, so…”

“Tell me about them,” she softly prompted, and Tanner didn’t even hesitate.

“I swear I won the parent lottery. They are…they’re amazing and probably the strongest and most supportive people I’ve ever known.”

Chloe picked up her wine and shifted in her seat. “How did they feel about you leaving skiing behind to become a teacher?”

He chuckled. “They wondered why I waited so long to look for a teaching position.” Then he shook his head. “No, they always wanted me to chase after my dreams. And from the time I was in middle school, I knew I wanted to teach. But I was heavily involved with skiing, even at that age, and it was always a rule that I had to go to college and get a degree. I couldn’t simply rely on competing. There were times when school and competition schedules made things difficult, and sometimes my folks hired a tutor to travel with us to keep me from falling behind.”

“That’s very impressive.”

“Education is important. I always knew that,” he said solemnly. “They wanted to give me every opportunity to succeed. Especially after my brother passed away. Believe me when I tell you, I’ve been to more doctors and had more scans of my body than you can ever imagine.”

“They just wanted to make sure you were healthy,” she commented. “And I’m pretty sure any parent in their situation would do the same thing.”

He nodded. “I always understood, but…I hated it. Like…” Sitting back a bit, he raked both hands through his hair. “As an adult, I look back and wonder how they even carried on. We’ve talked about it some, and all they say is that they had to keep going because they had me. So naturally, I wanted to do everything I could to make them proud and give them joy.” He took a sip of his wine. “That’s not to say that I think I saved them or anything, but…we banded together and made a life that my brother is hopefully looking down and smiling at.”

Tanner saw the unshed tears shining in Chloe’s eyes and knew he needed to change the vibe fast.

“Where do you get tiny pumpkins for the kids to paint?” he asked before taking the last bite of his enchilada.

The question flustered her for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “Um…the grocery store gets them for me if I let them know in advance.”

“And did you?”

“I did. And for you too. I’m sorry, I know that was presumptuous, but…”

“Are you kidding? I’m thankful! Like I said, I haven’t been reading too far ahead in the binder, so…”

She stood and picked up her plate. “Let me just clean this up and we can go inside and look at everything. I’ll just…”

But Tanner was on his feet instantly. “I can help!” Then he realized he sounded a little overzealous and had to laugh at himself. “What I meant is that you don’t have to do it all yourself. I’m happy to help.”

“Thanks, Tanner.”

Together, they had everything cleaned up in minutes, all the while chatting about tiny pumpkins.

“They’re actually called Jack-Be-Littles,” she told him. “And they’re the perfect size for tiny hands. You’ll be amazed at how creative they can be at decorating them.”

“I’m amazed at a lot of things they do and how eager most of them are to learn new things. I thought for sure they’d be easily distracted and hard to keep their attention, but other than a few stragglers, they’ve been great.”

“Would you like another glass of wine before we go inside?”

“Sure!” Chloe topped off their glasses before they went into the living room. Tanner brought his binder with him and saw Chloe’s was already out on the coffee table. “You know, from the outside our houses look kind of similar, but your floor plan’s a little different from mine. Do you have rooms upstairs?”

“It’s unfinished up there. If I buy the house, I think I’d like to get an estimate on maybe making that a master suite.”

“That’s what mine is,” he explained. “It was a huge selling point for me.”

“Oh, so you bought the house?”

He shook his head. “No, just renting, but there were a few houses to choose from, and I liked that layout the best. I have a one-year lease, so I’ll re-evaluate then.”

“I have the lease too, with the option to buy. I really do like the house, but I’m not sure it’s my dream house.”

“So why not just wait until you find your dream house?”

Rather than answer, she just waved him off. “Other than the Jack-Be-Littles and leaf collecting, do you have any ideas about a fun fall activity?”

Reaching over, he placed a hand on her knee. “Hey, did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought…”

She sighed loudly. “I got tired of living in an apartment. My siblings—who are not going to be the focus of this story, I swear—were all doing these great things with their lives and I kind of felt like I was standing still. My cousin Patrick and his wife Marissa were handling a lot of the real estate around here, and I went to them to see what I could do. Virginia has some great programs for teachers when they buy a home, so I’m obviously eligible for those, but what I consider my dream home and what I can realistically afford are two totally different things.”

“Ah. Gotcha. Yeah, I have that too. My place is perfectly fine, but I don’t see myself living there like a forever home.”

“Well, to be fair, you’re still not sure if Sweetbriar is going to be your forever home either.”

It was really too soon to tell, but so far, he didn’t see any reason to leave.

“Only time will tell,” he said quietly. His hand was still on her knee, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her lips, and as much as he was enjoying talking with her, what he really wanted was to kiss her. He was just afraid that he’d make it awkward if he just came out and said it.

“Tanner?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s okay, you know.”

“What is?”

“If you want to kiss me,” she whispered.

His eyes went wide. “Oh God. Did I say that out loud?”

She giggled. “No, but you’ve been staring at my lips, and I just thought…”

He didn’t let her finish. Instead, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, and they both seemed to relax almost immediately. Her lips were just as soft as he remembered, and this time he felt like he could take his time and savor the taste of her. As if of one mind, they each moved a little closer, and his hand skimmed up from her knee to her waist. She was warm and curvy and tasted a little like their spicy dinner, and it all equaled a very desirable package.

Chloe let out a faint little hum as her arms went around him. He took the kiss deeper—tracing her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue—and then it was like they both were so damn thrilled to be there. His arms wrapped around her until he was almost lifting her into his lap, and the kiss went on and on.

At some point, they shifted positions until they were lying down on the sofa and it reminded him a little of being back in high school and secretly making out with his girlfriend while his parents were upstairs reading. If anything, it made the moment even more remarkable because this made him feel happier than he’d been in a long time. He was enjoying himself—enjoying just simply kissing this beautiful, desirable woman—and he knew it wasn’t going to go any further than this tonight. It didn’t need to. They were just getting to know each other, and with the way she kissed and moved against him, Tanner knew he was going to enjoy every minute of it.

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, but when they finally broke apart, they were breathless. “Wow,” Chloe whispered as she ran her hand through his hair. “That was…”

“Yeah, it was,” he said, resting his forehead against hers. “But it’s probably getting late, and…” He moved to sit up and reached for his phone. Sure enough, it was almost midnight. Then he said something he never thought would ever come out of his mouth. “I hate to say this, but…it’s late and I’m exhausted. You have no idea how lame that makes me feel, but…”

She sat up beside him and promptly yawned.

And then laughed.

“Obviously, I get it. I know I was up at six, so…it’s been a long day.”

Turning his head, he smiled at her. “I had a really great time tonight. I know we still need to talk about the curriculum, but…maybe you can come to my place tomorrow for lunch? I’ll order sandwiches from the café and the weather’s supposed to be great, so we can even go and walk in the park and you can show me some of the places you like to take the kids to.”

Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears again, and he didn’t know why.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Leaning in, she kissed him again, and when she pulled back, she cupped his jaw. “That was possibly the most perfect thing you ever could have said. I’d love to join you for lunch tomorrow.”

Relief washed over him. Kissing her palm, he reluctantly let her go.

And yawned.

And then laughed.

After he picked up his phone, binder, and keys, he faced her. “I hope there are no regrets this time,” he said carefully. “Because I would hate it if you still felt that way.”

“Tanner, I can’t apologize enough for that whole situation and giving you the cold shoulder that day. I just…I got scared. You make me feel things that…well…weren’t great at first. And I was afraid that you weren’t as into me as I was into you, and…” She sighed. “I’m not the kind of woman that ever attracts a guy like you.”

Were the men in this town stupid? Did they not see what an amazing woman Chloe was?

Their loss…

“I’m not sure what to say to that except that I am most definitely as into you as you are into me.” He grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. “And you can set the pace with how things go from here. I’m just happy that you’re willing to give me a second chance to make a first impression.”

Then they kissed again before he wished her a goodnight and left, already looking forward to tomorrow.