Page 19 of Wanting You

“Hang on,” she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her phone. She scrolled for a minute before turning the screen toward him. “Look familiar?”

“It looks…”

“Just like yours did on Monday,” she finished for him. “I started out with nothing and it motivated and inspired me, just like I’m sure it’s doing for you. You don’t have to do it all alone, though. Maybe that’s how it was when you were doing the whole skiing thing, but here? Here we help one another. No one’s going to judge your classroom or compare it to anyone else’s.” Pausing, she gave him a small smile. “We all want you to succeed, Tanner. Because when you succeed, the kids win.”

“Chloe, I…”

Her phone rang and the sound startled them both. “Sorry, I need to take this.”

“Yeah, sure,” he said. “No worries.” But when she turned to walk away, he added, “When you’re done, why don’t you come back over and check out the room?”

This time her smile was slow and sweet and…damn.

“I will,” she told him. “Thanks.”

As soon as Chloe walked into her classroom, Tanner opened the door and stepped into his. The lights were still out and even though he didn’t need them for anything he was going to do, it still would have been nice to have them.

With nothing else to do, he walked to his supply closet and began pulling out the last of his room décor and went to work. He felt better about what he was creating and that maybe he was being a bit too competitive. Perhaps Chloe was right and no one was going to be judging or comparing, but that was a mindset he was going to have to overcome first.

Yeah, it’s me. I’m the problem, it’s me…

“Great. Now I’m quoting Taylor Swift songs,” he groaned before pulling out the stepladder and putting the finishing touches on the bulletin board wall.

Chapter Four

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?”

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