Page 52 of Wanting You

Jealous.

And she was ashamed to even think like that.

“It’s so wonderful to see these new teachers thriving! I’ll admit I was a little worried about so many new classes starting this year and so many new teachers coming in, but Mr. Westyn is like a breath of fresh air! Such energy!”

Okay, that one hurt a little. Chloe knew she wasn’t the most exciting person, but she loved teaching and adored her students. She felt like she created a very nurturing environment for them.

But obviously not as fresh and fun or as creative as Tanner’s.

Ugh…

She should be happy for him and the students. Heck, she should be thrilled! But right now, it felt forced. Teaching was the one area she had stood out. After living in the shadow of her siblings, teaching at Sweetbriar Elementary had been a way that she made a name for herself. Winning the Teacher of the Year award two years in a row had filled her with pride and given her a confidence she’d lacked for most of her life.

And that was all over now.

Beside her, one of the women gently pushed her chair back and banged right into Chloe’s.

“Oh! Miss Donovan, hey,” she said sheepishly. “I didn’t see you there. Sorry!”

Obviously…

The other two women gave her a sympathetic smile before they all got up to leave, making her feel like they were suddenly aware of how their conversation might have sounded insulting to her.

Or, at the very least, a little insensitive.

Once they were gone, she let out a long—and somewhat loud—sigh. Every day she and Tanner talked about what they did in their classes, and she had been rambling on for weeks sharing her ideas with him and…it seemed like he wasn’t really doing any of the things she was suggesting.

Things he told her he was doing.

Wait…has he been lying to me?

Now that the idea was out there, it took hold—hard. There was only one thing she could do. Standing, she quickly packed up her stuff and ran out to her car. She needed some answers, and she needed them now before this whole thing festered and made her do something crazy.

Her driving may have been a little erratic, but fortunately, she didn’t have to go far. And in no time, she was parked and storming up to the door, yanking it open, and…

“Welcome to Color Me Crazy! What’s up, Chloe?” Heather, the front desk receptionist, said with a big smile.

“Is Ash here? I need to talk to her.”

“Your timing’s perfect; she just finished with a client and is back in her office.”

“Thanks.” Clutching the strap of her purse, she walked with purpose toward the back corner of the salon. Fortunately, Ash’s door was open and when she looked up, she smiled.

“Hey! This is a surprise! You should have called and told me you were stopping by. I was really jonesing for a cake pop. Billie offered one to me earlier and I turned her down, and I’ve been cursing myself all day for it.”

Stepping into the office, Chloe shut the door and leaned against it. “Tanner’s been lying to me,” she blurted out before she could even think about it.

“What?” her sister cried in disbelief, instantly on her feet. “The bastard! Where is he? Do you need me to go with you and kick his ass? Should I call Reid?”

Okay, this was the brief reality check she needed to calm down. “No, you don’t have to call Reid, and you’re not kicking his ass.” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “Why is that always your immediate reaction? How many asses have you actually kicked? Because I don’t remember you ever…”

“It’s a figure of speech, Chlo. Sheesh. Now sit down and tell me what’s going on. What did he do?”

Taking the only other chair in the office, she sat and sighed and then launched into the conversation she heard at the coffee shop.

“Um…”

“And it’s not the only time it’s happened. Sometimes when I walk the kids out for carpool, I hear the parents talking. People are seriously gushing over him. Gushing, Ashlynn!”

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