Page 45 of Chase Our Forever

“Dressing room is right back there,” Ms. Beth instructs, pointing to the small little area where a curtain hangs from a rod and can be pulled all the way around to create a makeshift dressing room.

I walk back there, carefully hanging the pieces Liv’s picked out before stepping out. She really did find a lot of items that are much better options for the upcoming winter months.

“I’ll wait out here while you try them on,” I tell her, trying not to focus on her beautiful smile. She’s radiant, and the joy on her face at something as simple as finding clothes at a thrift store gets to me. The longer I’m around her, and the more I earn the smile she’s giving me right now, the more I realize that the way I care about her is not the way a boss cares about his employee.

And that realization is incredibly dangerous.

“Sounds good to me,” Liv responds. She bounces on the balls of her feet a little as she begins to pull the curtain shut. “I’m so excited,” she says, her face hidden by the drawn curtain. I don’t have to see her face to know that smile is still on it.

I sigh, turning around and walking to rifle through a nearby rack of clothes to keep busy. I try to keep my thoughts from Liv, but that’s becoming harder and harder with each passing day.

It took me over a year until after Selena passed to agree to a date with a woman. It was someone who was visiting for awork event, and it was exactly what I needed. Something casual with no strings attached. I’ve had plenty of one-night stands and brief relationships since then that never amounted to anything. I didn’t want them to. I never wanted to care for someone again, but I was only human. I wanted to feel a connection with somebody else on a physical level.

I thought I was doing good at preventing myself from ever developing feelings. I believed I was doing a great job at keeping myself closed off and ensuring I’m never put in the place again to be hurt.

It turns out I just hadn’t met the right person yet. Unfortunately, I’m still very capable of caring about another woman. My broken heart healed enough to develop feelings again, and of course, of all the people in the world I could care about more than I should, it’s for my daughter’s nanny.

The irony isn’t lost on me. Of course I would get feelings for someone who’s been very up-front from the beginning that she hadn’t ever planned to stay in Sutten. She seems to have a past she doesn’t want to talk about, which I won’t force her to do. But fuck, with each passing day I spend with her, I think I want to be a part of her future.

“Did that shirt do something to you?” Ms. Beth calls from across the store.

I shake my head, realizing I’ve been staring at the same T-shirt this entire time. I was so lost in thought—or panic—at how much I’m starting to care about Liv that I hadn’t realized I was glaring at the shirt like it offended me.

Ms. Beth whistles. “You could’ve fooled me.”

I shake my head again and make my way to her. I don’t know how long it’ll take Liv to try on and decide what clothes she wants, so I go to chat with Ms. Beth. “I was just deep in thought,” I explain, resting my forearm against the counter.

Ms. Beth looks at me over the top of her glasses. She smiles as if she could read my thoughts.

“So, are you going to explain to me why you overnighted a bunch of brand-new clothes to the store and told me to pretend that someone just happened to bring them in to donate?”

My eyes go wide as I look over my shoulder to check and make sure Liv hasn’t heard.

I look back at Ms. Beth. “Keep your voice down,” I demand. If Liv knew I was the one who made sure she had an abundance of brand-new clothes to choose from here at Sutten Mountain Treasures, she’d never bring them home. She wouldn’t let me buy new clothes for her, but I wanted to make sure she got what she wanted.

I knew the selection of clothes would be lacking for the current season, so I had to get creative. She got the variety of weather-appropriate options like she deserves but doesn’t have to spend too much of her hard-earned money to get them.

Ms. Beth waves the air dismissively. She’s known me since I was in diapers and will not let me get away with bossing her around. “Please, Dean. She can’t hear me.”

I grunt, knowing she’s probably telling the truth but not wanting to risk it. Liv was so excited when she’d discovered the clothes I’d had overnighted to the store. The last thing I want to do is dull that smile if she were to find out who was behind the donation. “Can never be too careful,” I finally respond, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Mm-hm.”

Luckily, Liv saves me from having to further explain myself to Ms. Beth by opening the curtain and peeking her head out.

“Dean?” My name comes out more like a question. The uneasy tone to her voice has me pushing off the front counter and closing the distance to her.

“Yes?” I ask, a little worried by the way she stares at me wide-eyed.

“Can I have a little help?” she asks nervously. Her top teeth dig into her bottom lip as she continues to stare at me anxiously through the little hole in the curtain.

I clear my throat, realizing she needs me in there with her to assist in whatever she needs help with. “Yeah,” I respond, stepping into the makeshift dressing room.

Liv watches me cautiously. She gives me a timid smile as I try to figure out what she needs help with.

She looks down at the camel-colored sweater she wears. “I got this on just fine, but when I try to pull it off, it’s making sounds that scare me. I’m worried if I try to force it off by myself, I’m going to tear a seam or damage the delicate fabric. It might be stuck on my bra.”

My eyes travel over the sweater. It does appear to be cashmere or something similar that’s incredibly soft. I don’t notice any rips yet, but I can’t tell if it’s stuck to her bra or not.

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