Page 32 of Wanting You

But she wasn’t listening. She scrambled into her car and was pulling away before Tanner could even think of something to say.

With nothing left to do, he stood there and watched her drive out of the parking lot and kept watching until the car was out of sight.

“Damn,” he murmured, raking a hand through his hair.

Only…he wasn’t sure if he was referring to her leaving, his disappointment, or how damn stunned he was by how hot a simple kiss was.

“And I’m not going to figure it out while standing alone in the middle of the school parking lot.”

Walking back to his car, a smile crossed his face as he suddenly had another reason to look forward to the first day of school. Not only was he ready to take on this new challenge with a class full of kindergarteners, but he was ready to see where things went with Chloe.

Chapter Six

Tuesday morning, Chloe grabbed her large tote bag from the back seat of her car before facing Sweetbriar Elementary School with a big smile. It was only 7:30 in the morning, but she was beyond energized and ready for the day. With her bag slung over her shoulder, she reached back into her car and carefully grabbed her travel mug of coffee and the bag with a blueberry muffin in it.

Ashlynn had surprised her just minutes ago by showing up with it to wish her a great first day of school.

I love my family.

After a tense weekend, things were taking a step in the right direction. Yesterday, the doctors were able to bring her mother out of the coma and all her stats were looking good. The brain swelling had gone down, and now they could focus on her other injuries and her recovery. It was going to be a long road to getting her back to the way she was before the accident, but they now had hope.

Locking the car, Chloe made her way into the school, greeting and waving to everyone she saw. She knew she was one of the first to arrive, but she didn’t mind. Having some peace and quiet to set up her room and to mentally prepare was her favorite time of the day. But the closer she got to the classroom, the louder things got.

“Is that music?” she murmured. And sure enough, when she got close to Tanner’s room, she heard some very loud music. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was The Final Countdown. It certainly wasn’t something she would have expected of him, and honestly, it made her laugh a little bit. The door was closed and, as curious as she was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to knock on his door and ask any questions. She was still reeling from the way she had essentially thrown herself at him on Friday. All weekend, she’d played that scene over and over in her head and cringed every time.

What was I thinking?

It was one thing to hug him to thank him for sacrificing almost an entire day to help her and her family. It was another to kiss him and rub up against him like some crazy sex fiend. The thought of having to face him today was overwhelming, but considering it was the first day of school, there were going to be plenty of other things to keep her busy.

And she was looking forward to all of it.

Walking to her classroom, she turned on the lights and smiled at how welcoming and cheery the room looked. At her desk, she put all her things down, pulled out her chair, and got comfortable. Taking a sip of coffee, she hummed with appreciation. It was going to be a good day—a great day!

“And a great year,” she said softly, sighing with relief when Tanner’s loud music ended. With another sip of her coffee, Chloe allowed herself one more moment to relax before getting started. First, she would eat a bit of the muffin her sister was kind enough to bring over at such an early hour, and then…

“Knock, knock…”

Crap. Tanner.

He smiled as he walked into the room, heading right for her, looking incredibly handsome and charming. And the closer he got, the better he smelled.

Ugh…do not smell him! Bad Chloe!

“Good morning,” he said smoothly. “How’s your mom doing?”

And he has good manners? How am I supposed to even look at him without flinging myself at him again?

“Good morning,” she said, her voice a combination of a squeak and a croak. Clearing her throat, she nodded. “And thank you for asking. She’s awake and doing well. The swelling has gone down and now the doctors can focus on her recovery.”

He slid his hands into his pockets and nodded, still smiling. “That’s great! I’m sure you’re all relieved.”

“We are. She’s got a long road ahead of her, but I think we’re heading in the right direction.” Forcing herself to look away, she took a casual sip of her coffee before speaking again. “Are you ready for your first day?”

His smile was positively beaming. “I am! I spent the weekend getting everything ready and came in yesterday to finish my room and all that’s missing are the kiddos!”

She had to admit that she loved his enthusiasm. “You’re going to do great, I’m sure.”

Tanner nodded again before taking a step closer. “So, um…I was wondering if you’d like to grab an early dinner with me tonight. You know…we can talk about the first day and get to know each other a little more.”

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