Page 43 of Chase Our Forever

Dean lets out a low growl of disapproval. My eyes whip to him, wondering if I’d overstepped by offering to get things for the dog. I didn’t mean to suddenly shift his mood.

“I don’t have to,” I hurry to get out, placing the second plate of lasagna on the counter and pausing for a moment. “I didn’t know what you and Clara had planned for the day, and I figured since I was already ou?—”

“If you want new clothes, I’ll buy you some.” His voice is firm as he talks over me.

My mouth hangs open. I thought he was upset about the dog supplies. Never would I have guessed it was the comment of me shopping for myself. “Um,” I begin, not knowing what to say. “That isn’t necessary,” I manage to get out.

“You need warmer clothes to take care of Clara, yes?”

His eyes never leave mine as he waits for my answer. Our closeness becomes even more apparent as he crosses his arms over his chest, his knuckles brushing over my ribs with the movement. “I guess,” I answer.

“Then I can buy you the clothes. We’ll go to the Chic Peak tomorrow, and you can buy whatever you want on me. Just include a coat.”

I open and close my mouth as I try to think of what to say. His gesture is nice—incredibly kind, even—but it isn’t necessary. I don’t want him to look at me as a charity case, someone he needs to buy clothes for. “Thank you for offering, really, but I’m okay with getting my own. I’ve always thrifted my clothes, and while Ibought a few new items at the Chic Peak to tide me over, I’m still more comfortable getting my items from the thrift store since I plan on getting a lot. Pippa said there was a little store right in town. Sutten Mountain Treasures or something like that.”

“There is. But I don’t understand why you wouldn’t let me buy you whatever you need somewhere else. We can even drive into the city if you’re not wanting anything from in town.”

I smile, really appreciating how insistent he is on buying me new clothes. It’s too much. He’s already done far more for me than I ever expected when accepting the job. I won’t let him buy me a new wardrobe, too. “I want to buy clothes right here in Sutten. At the thrift store. With moneyIearned.”

Dean stares at me. I stare right back. This isn’t a battle he’s going to win. I thought the electricity between us might die down with my insistence on purchasing my own clothes and his shocking determination to buy them for me instead. It doesn’t. If anything, it seems like there’s even more tension between us.

I swear his gaze flicks to my lips for a fraction of a second before he lets out a long sigh and takes a step back. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”

Before I can protest, he’s clapping his hands together and aiming his focus on Clara. “Time to eat this delicious meal Liv made us,” he calls, leaving no more room for discussion.

26

LIV

“You drivingme really isn’t necessary,” I tell Dean, not for the first time this car ride. “I’m more than capable of going to the store alone.”

Dean doesn’t look at me. His eyes stay focused on the road, and his hands firmly hold on to either side of the steering wheel. We just dropped off Clara and Honey with Dean’s parents for the day when it started pouring rain outside.

“You’re not driving in this,” he responds, his voice rough and straight to the point.

Too bad I’m used to his grumpiness and won’t let his attitude deter me. “I can drive in this. I’m from Florida. I’m used to rain. There’d be torrential downpours during hurricane season, and I’d still have to drive.”

He sighs, his eyes still staying trained on the road. His knuckles turn white with how hard he grips the steering wheel. “I’m not discussing this with you, Liv. Just let me drive you to get the clothes, okay?” His voice cracks a little, and the sound of it chips away at my resolve. If he wants to drive me into town to go shopping, I’m not going to stop him. Not when the panic in his voice was clear as day at the thought of me driving right now.

“Okay,” I whisper. “But just because you’re insistent on chaperoning me doesn’t mean I’m going to let you buy me clothes. I’m buying. You got it?” I keep my tone upbeat, hating the distraught tone he used moments ago.

It seems like my attempt at lightening the mood works. The corners of his lips turn up in the hint of a smile. “If you say so, sunshine.”

Sunshine.

It’s the first time he’s ever called me that. I love it. I want him to say it again and decipher what it means. Does he feel the same pull I do? Or is giving me a nickname completely platonic and professional?

I need to know.

The rest of the drive is quiet. I don’t try to fill it, knowing Dean seems to be concentrating on nothing but the road. He sits up straight in the driver’s seat, his eyes scanning the road meticulously as he drives us into town. The only sound is that of the rain pelting the truck.

Finally, we make it to the heart of the town. Dean parks in front of a dark green building with a sign that reads Sutten Mountain Treasures. We haven’t even been inside yet, and I already love it. I’ve been to a lot of thrift stores. Thrifting is one of my favorite things to do. It’s rewarding to give things that have been discarded and given away a new life. You can tell a lot about a thrift store just by the outside of it, and I have a good feeling about this one.

I pick my purse up from the floor and place it in my lap, looking over at Dean.

He stares ahead of him, his jaw tight, making small muscles feather along his cheekbones.

“Dean?” I ask cautiously, wondering why he looks so tense. He has one hand still on the steering wheel—his knuckles still white as can be—while his other one rests against his thigh. Hisfingertips dance along the worn denim of his jeans, something I’ve learned he does when he’s nervous.

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