Page 22 of Chase Our Forever

What would it feel like under my touch?

I brush off the fleeting thought and straighten my spine, ripping my eyes from his jaw and looking at the mountains in front of us.

Finally, he speaks up, taking me by surprise again with another question I wasn’t expecting. “Have you never had anyone do the right thing when it comes to you?”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He lets out a sigh, as if he’s annoyed at having to repeat himself. Not that he’s necessarily irritated with me, but more that he doesn’t strike me as someone who likes to repeat or explain his reasoning. “I mean,Iasked you to wait until today to start. The whole reason you were staying there was because of me. It was the right thing to do, to pay for your stay.”

I tilt my head to the side, thinking his words through. I guess I understand his logic, but I don’t necessarily agree with him. It wasn’t his responsibility to pay for my lodging. It’s not like I traveled to Sutten for a job interview with him. The job stumbled into my lap in a twist of fate actually going my way for once. Never once did I expect him to pay for my stay at the inn, even after he asked for me to wait a couple of days before starting the job.

“I don’t know you well, but your face pinching together in a scowl tells me you don’t like what I just told you.”

I hadn’t realized I’d been scowling at him—more at his words than at him. I relax my facial muscles at his comment. All he ever does is scowl, so I’m shocked he’s calling me out for it the one time I might’ve been doing it. “We’ll just agree to disagree.” I look at him, brave enough to let my eyes travel over him as I try to figure out the man standing in front of me.

He’s more blunt than I was expecting. The times we met at Wake and Bake, he seemed so quiet. He’s still not the most talkative man I’ve ever met, but he’s got more to say than I was expecting. “It’s not that I don’t like it. Have you not hadanyone vocally appreciate you doing something nice for them?” I throw his sarcasm back at him, loving how it’shisturn to scowl at my words. Although, I don’t know if getting him to scowl is considered a win. His face almost seems to be forever plastered in a permanent scowl. It just got deeper this time.

Dean whistles, and Iswearmy words earn the smallest whisper of a grin on his lips. “I see what you’re doing.”

I shrug, letting a smile take over my face, feeling triumphant. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything. If you’re going to call me out, I’ll do it right back. So,Dean,” I emphasize his name, remembering the hard set of his jaw when I’d called him Mr. Livingston. “Thank you again for covering the bill at the inn. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” he grits out, clearly wanting to say more but holding back.

I rub my lips together, fighting the urge to smile even wider, feeling satisfied by him accepting my gratitude instead of arguing over it. “Since you’re already clearly uncomfortable with accepting my appreciation, I might as well say everything else I want to as well.”

He lets out a slow groan of displeasure. “I understand you’re thankful. We don’t have to keep making this awkward.”

I cock my head to the side, watching him carefully. He refuses to look at me, instead choosing to look out at the mountain view in front of us. It doesn’t bother me that he won’t look my way. I still want to get the words out regardless. “I want—more likeneed—to just express how thankful I am for you taking a chance on me and giving me the job. After seeing the house and spending more time with Clara, I’m just incredibly grateful to start this job. I just know I’m going to love it.”

“Even if your boss is kind of an asshole?”

He looks over at me with a quirked eyebrow and the shadow of another grin. I don’t know if it’s his words or the mischievoustilt of his lips that catches me off guard more. A small laugh escapes me as I shake my head.

“Hey, those were your words, not mine. I was busy being professional and saying thank you.”

He holds the mug to his lips, the grin disappearing as quickly as it appeared. “I know you were thinking it.”

I stay quiet, not wanting to tell him I was thinking that I think the town he grew up in might not understand him fully. Yes, he clearly has his walls up high. Could we really blame him? But there’s still some of the old Dean in there they all talk about.

He’s got a grumpy exterior, but I’ve already seen it slip a little.

And even though it’s only my first day with him as my boss, I know having him as one won’t be as bad as people made it out to be.

14

DEAN

Yesterday wasa busy day of getting Liv settled and introduced to as much of Clara's routine as possible. The day flew by quickly, and I was impressed by how easily she seemed to settle in. I haven’t seen Liv since last night. It was a few hours after Clara went to bed for the night when Liv snuck up the stairs and told me good night as she hung over the banister.

We hadn’t talked a lot. I’d gone to my office to get some work done, and she’d sat on the back deck even after the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped. I kept finding excuses to go to the kitchen to see if she was still sitting by the fireplace. She always was, despite it being cold. It was almost ten o’clock when she finally came inside.

I’d been sitting at my desk reviewing some work when I finally heard the door shut. Her footsteps were quiet as she tiptoed her way to the stairs, but the moment she’d looked into my office and found me still awake, she’d given me a timid smile.

I’d waited to say good night to her until she made it to the stairs, not expecting her to say anything back. But she’d leaned over and whispered good night, and for some reason, I’d wanted to know if she’d had a good day.

Had I done a good job of walking her through Clara’s day? Did she feel prepared? Did she think she could be happy here? Did she think she’d stay awhile?

Those questions kept me up all night, but I embraced them overtaking my mind. These days, I much preferred being kept from sleep with my mind wandering than succumbing to my exhaustion and letting my dreams take over. My dreams were never good. They were filled with loss and devastation. Worrying about whether Liv will finally be the nanny that sticks for a bit was a very welcomed distraction.

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