Page 47 of Chase Our Forever

I shake my head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe I got so lucky.”

Ms. Beth laughs as she presses the buttons of her card reader. “We had a great donation early this morning. Someone was feeling very generous.”

I nod in agreement. “I’m so happy I chose today to come in, then. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find everything I needed, but now I’m coming out with way more.”

“Your total will be twenty-nine dollars even.”

I frown. “Are you sure you rang everything up? That seems low.”

She smiles at me. It’s one of those smiles that makes me feel like she knows something I don’t, with the slight raise of her eyebrow and a mischievous tilt of her lips. “That’s right. We were running a special today. Everything in the store was half off.”

I bite my lip anxiously. “I don’t feel right only paying twenty-nine dollars for all of this stuff. I got two new coats, multiple pairs of jeans, sweaters, and many other things I’m forgetting about. I got a whole new wardrobe. Please let me pay more than twenty-nine dollars.”

Ms. Beth gives me a warm smile. It’s refreshing how kind every single person in this town is. I have yet to come across anyone rude or even remotely close to it. “Darling, that’s the price of the pieces. Everything was donated.”

“Do you take monetary donations?”

She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re really not going to take the clothes for that price, are you?”

I shrug as I give her a smile. “It just doesn’t feel right to pay only that for brand-new clothes. Let me at least donate to the store? I don’t have any items to donate, but I do have some cash I planned on using today.”

“Yes, we take donations. Every month, we donate clothing and household items to different families in need. The money helps fund that.”

I smile, loving that I can feel a little bit better about leaving with a whole new wardrobe for such a low price. “Great.” I take the hundred-dollar bill I’d budgeted for clothes today and lay it on the counter. “Then here’s this, and keep the change. Thank you for today and having so many amazing pieces. I’ll absolutely be back.”

Ms. Beth laughs under her breath as she takes the money and begins to hand my bags over to me. “I’m not sure it’s me you should be thanking.”

Before I can ask her what she means by that, I risk a glance out the front window and find Dean standing in front of his truck. He stares right at me with his arms crossed over his chest and his typical scowl on his face.

“He’s all bark and no bite,” Ms. Beth mutters from my side.

I blink a few times and look back at her. I want to ask her what she was talking about, but I keep my questions to myself. Dean’s waiting in the rain, and I don’t want to keep him waiting any longer. The rain and distance make it so I can’t make out all of his features, but by the angry way he ran out of the dressing room, I don’t think making him wait is in my best interest.

“I better get out there,” I tell her, taking two bags in each hand. I’m already excited to get home and put it all away. I’ve never had a fall and winter wardrobe like this. I’ve also never had this many new clothes. I turn my head to look at Ms. Beth. I smile, hoping she understands how grateful I am to have found her store. “Thank you again. I’ll see you again soon.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ve got to go take some inventory in the back. Do you need a hand with the bags?”

I shake my head. “No, I’ve got it.”

She watches me carefully for a minute before coming around the counter and walking toward the back door. “Goodbye now,” she calls.

I turn and walk to the door, suddenly nervous to see Dean again.

Is he upset with me? Was I staring at his lips too much? Did he notice the way I couldn’t breathe when his knuckles brushed up against my skin? God, I wanted to feel even more of his touch. I wanted to feel his callused fingers against my tender skin. I wanted to feel his lips press against mine and wipe away his scowl with my mouth.

There were so many things I wanted to do with him right there in that dressing room. I can’t help but wonder if he somehow could read my thoughts, and those are what drove him to run out of the store like I’d offended him.

I take a deep breath as I use my back to push the door open. I’m scared to look at Dean, so I stare at my feet, wondering if all of these winter clothes will be necessary.

If he decides to fire me after making things unprofessional in that dressing room, then I won’t have a need for warmer clothes. I’ll have to disappear from this town—and maybe even this state—due to embarrassment.

The tips of two cowboy boots I’d recognize anywhere appear in my line of sight. I pull my eyes up, finding Dean’s intense gaze aimed right at me. Without saying a word, he reaches out to take the bags from me.

“I’ve got them,” I protest, tightening my grip on the handles.

His sigh can be heard over the rain hitting the pavement. “Let me.”

Yeah. He’s mad. This isn’t grumpy Dean. This is more.

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