If I had to sum it up, being with Chloe feels like I’m living out a country song. The joy is in the simplicity of our interactions, the little moments.
As my truck rumbles down the road, back to Sunshine Shores, I notice Chloe staring out her window. She’s absentmindedly touching the petals on a pink daisy. She takes a deep breath and lets out a long exhale. I’m not an expert on women, but that doesn’t sound good.
“That was a big sigh.”
“Yeah…I’m sorry, maybe I should have told you this right away, but I didn’t want to ruin our date.”
My shoulders tighten.
“A guy I worked with in Denver showed up at my aunt’s house today.”
Like a guy that has secretly been in love with her and realized when she left that he couldn’t live without her?
“He offered me a job working for an author, Mitch Landry. Have you heard of him?”
I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Ah…His name sounds familiar.”
“He’s a big romance author. One of his books is currently being made into a movie…Anyway, Mitch Landry wants me to finish editing his current manuscript, and then co-write his next book with him.”
I look over at her. “Chloe, that’s great. Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” She purses her lips and nods her head.
“Aren’t you excited?”
“I’d…have to move…back to Colorado.”
Her words sink my heart like an anchor. I can feel a knot forming in my stomach, but I force myself to ignore it. Chloe and I just met. I can’t expect her to stay.
When I pull into the beach house driveway, I shift the truck into park. “Are you going to take it?”
After a moment, she finally rips her eyes away from the flowers and meets my gaze. “I think I have to. I don’t know what I was thinking quitting my job and moving here. I mean, I don’t regret coming to Sunshine Shores, but it probably should have just been a vacation. My parents worked so hard and wanted me to have more financial stability than we did growing up. My job at MVP gave me that. Then, on a whim, I threw it all away.”
“Chloe, don’t beat yourself up. You wouldn’t have had this opportunity with Mitch Landry if you hadn’t quit your job and moved to Florida. Besides, I can tell you love writing. Maybe this will help you get your book published.”
She chews on her lip and nods. “That’s what I was thinking.” Letting out a sigh, she continues. “Mitch writes romance though. I mean, I know how to edit it, and I can probably learn how to write it, but my passion is adventure fantasy…which is ironic considering I’m the least adventurous person in the world.”
I reach across the seat and grab her hand. “That’s not true. You moved across the country and you took a surfing lesson.”
She lets out a laugh. “I didn’t even get in the water.”
“There’s still time.”
“Mitch wants me there next week…”
My stomach clenches. I really don’t want Chloe to leave, but I care about her too much to tell her that.
She looks me in the eyes, and I want to lean over and kiss her again. But, the fact that she’s probably moving to Colorado in a few days makes me hold back…and it’s killing me.
I rub her hand with my thumb. Neither of us says anything. After a moment, Chloe nods and moves to open the door. I let her.
Meeting her at the front of the truck, I walk her to the front steps. All I can think of is that I’m losing this amazing woman, although I don’t know if the term ‘losing’ fits. I barely had her.
She's holding her purse with both hands and staring at the pavement. Finally, she looks up at me. In the moonlight, I see a sheen in her eyes.
Leaning in, I kiss her on the cheek. With a pause, I hover near her ear. “Good night, Chloe.”
She stays still, and I can feel the warmth of her skin. Then she turns and walks inside.
