Page 2 of Wanting You

But I’d also been looking forward to spending time with a nice guy…

A nice guy who found her to be too boring, too sheltered, and too committed to her small town. Again, it wasn’t anything new. Chloe had always been the quiet Donovan, the shy Donovan.

The boring Donovan.

Maybe no one said it to her face, but she knew they were all thinking it.

At least…no one until Evan.

“We’re just too different,” he’d said. “You have to admit that we don’t have much in common. Every time I try to convince you to come to Baltimore, you’re not interested. There’s nothing to do in Sweetbriar. Things are growing, but there’s no real…culture. I don’t understand why you don’t want to broaden your horizons, but…I need more. I’m sorry.”

The conversation had been brief and mildly crushing, but he was right. And as much as he said he needed more, so did she. She wanted someone who shared her passion for the simple things in life and who didn’t feel like they had to be on a constant adventure to be happy.

So far, she hadn’t met anyone like that.

Her sister—her fraternal twin—Ashlynn, had a wonderful fiancé, a new hair salon of her very own, and was constantly out doing fabulous things. Her brother Levi recently married Jade and was in the process of adopting her son Silas. And her big sister Billie was living her dream of baking. She’d left the stress-filled world of finance and bravely moved on to something she was passionate about, and she didn’t care that she had to take a major pay cut to do it.

Actually, all three of her siblings had gone through major career crises and boldly moved on to bigger and better things.

“And I’m still gluing popsicle sticks together and finger painting.”

Okay, that was the last negative comment she was going to make about herself today. Just because her family was busy didn’t mean she had to sit around feeling sorry for herself. There were plenty of things she could do—even by herself—that would put her in a better mood than she was currently in.

Standing, she walked over to the massive window in her living room and looked out. There was a small park directly across the street and right now, a couple of families were over there laughing and playing and having fun. Moving into the renovated craftsman bungalow had been a major thing for her last month because she was tired of apartment living. She was only renting it, but was working on her finances to figure out a way to eventually buy it.

Technically, she could get approved for a mortgage thanks to the teacher home loan program, but she didn’t want to just make enough to cover her monthly payments; she wanted to be able to actually live and enjoy her life too.

“Baby steps,” she said with another sigh, thinking of her little side hustle. Art was something she’d always been good at and lately she’d been creating paintings that she sold in an Etsy shop as well as custom costumes for cosplay. She didn’t tell anyone about it—not even her family—but that was only because she knew they’d encourage her and tell her everything was great. And while that was one of the things she loved most about them—their unwavering support—sometimes she wanted to try something on her own and test the waters first. So far she hadn’t put a whole lot of stuff out there, but maybe if she upped her inventory in her online shop, she could buy her house sooner rather than later!

Inspiration hit and she made her way to the smaller of her two guest rooms that she turned into a craft room and began rummaging through her supplies in search of inspiration. Thirty minutes later, Chloe decided on her theme for her classroom this year—Pixar’s Inside Out—and discovered that she needed to order more fabric for some half-finished costumes as well as more paint and canvasses. That led her to happily strolling back out to her living room and sitting down with her laptop to shop online.

“I should probably reach out to Kimberly and see if she wants to share classroom themes. I can easily make double of everything I’m going to use.” And after she did all her shopping, she quickly tapped out an email asking her new coworker what her plans were for her classroom. Knowing she wouldn’t get a response right away, she closed the laptop and found that all she’d managed to do was kill an hour.

There was still an entire weekend to get through.

“Drats.” But she refused to simply sit home alone and let the beautiful day pass her by. “I can do some shopping and maybe run into someone in town to have lunch with.”

Changing out of her yoga pants and sweatshirt, Chloe chose something a little trendier—dark skinny jeans, a sleeveless floral blouse, a pair of hot pink strappy sandals, and matching crossbody purse. The colors were a little bolder than her usual palate, but she was excited to finally wear it.

Smiling at her reflection, she felt good about herself, confident even. She felt like someone who could go out and spend a day on her own without feeling self-conscious about it.

“At least…that’s what I’m hoping to do!” she cheerily reminded herself. “But only after I fix my makeup.” Slipping her purse off, she walked into the bathroom and decided to actually do more than her usual minimum. Ashlynn always said that wearing a full face of makeup made her feel like she could do anything. As much as she loved her sister and her advice, Chloe lacked the skills to pull off that kind of artistry.

A little more concealer, a touch of eye shadow, bronzer, blush, a hint more of mascara, and some soft pink lip gloss had Chloe smiling at her reflection. “Okay, I might not conquer everything, but I kind of feel sassier. Yay me!”

And with that, she walked back out to her bedroom and pulled her purse back on. Grabbing her phone, keys, and sunglasses, she headed out the door and was ready to tackle the day.

The drive into town was short and she opted to park in the first available spot so she could take her time, walk along the street, and take in all the new shops that had opened up. Two years ago, this street looked very different. There were empty storefronts and nothing exciting to see. Now, besides Jade’s new shop, Books & Beans, there was a nail salon, a craft store, a wine bar, and a bougie little bath shop filled with every kind of sweet-smelling soap and bath bomb you could imagine. Most of the owners were locals and there was something incredibly charming about walking down Main Street and seeing all the growth while still keeping the original vibe of their small town.

She stopped at the corner shop and smiled at the window display. Very Vintage was the newest addition to the local businesses. The thrift shop had everything Chloe loved—lots of antique jewelry, clothing, and furniture. Sometimes she swore she was an old soul who was born too late.

At least, that’s what many people had told her for most of her life.

Not that she took it as an insult, but it certainly made her feel a little like she didn’t fit in.

Stepping into the shop, she pushed all the negative thoughts aside and decided to embrace her old soul self and simply browse to pass the time.

“Hey, Chloe!” Abby Winters called out from behind the jewelry display case. “We just got a bunch of really cool stuff from an estate sale Dave and I went to last month. I’m setting up the jewelry now, but there’s some great furniture in the back room, if you’re interested.”

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