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“Well, that’s…” I run a hand through my hair again, coughing to clear the lump in my throat. “That’s something.”
“Yeah,” Lauren replies. She studies me for a second, then chuckles at what she must see on my face. “You seem a little flustered there, Parker. Still carrying a torch for Chloe?”
“What?” I exclaim, a little too defensively. “No! Of course not. I never carried a torch for her. I just thought she was cute, that’s all. I thought a lot of girls were cute back then, if you can recall.”
Lauren raises an eyebrow at me, but she ultimately decides to let it go.
“Alright, then.” She laughs, shaking her head slightly as she turns back to her clipboard. “Well, if she gets the job, maybe you’ll get to see her around more.”
“Yeah,” I mumble under my breath as I watch her walk away, feeling more unsettled than I have in months. “Maybe...”
As the day wears on and we make more progress on the house renovation, my mind keeps drifting back to Chloe. Chloe who stole my heart all those years ago and never knew it. I couldn’t exactly hide my interest in her from my sister, but I always played it off as no big deal. Lauren never fully realized just how into Chloe I really was.
As the crew wraps up for the day, I find myself alone again in living room. My mind spins with thoughts of blonde hair, brown eyes that swirl like caramel when they catch the sun, and a smile that used to make my heart skip a beat. Chloe Davis. If she gets the job at Holt Realty…
I push away from the wall I’ve been leaning against for the last few minutes, shaking my head to try to clear it. Releasing a long breath, I head for the front door.
“Parker! Hold on!”
I turn and spot Lauren running down the house’s grand staircase.
“Lauren? I thought you went home an hour ago.”
She waves her hand dismissively as she reaches the bottom of the stairs. “I wanted to make sure the upstairs bathroom’s features were installed correctly. That’s not important right now, though. Chloe got the job!”
For a moment, all I can do is stare at her blankly before reality sets in and my heart lurches in my chest. “She did?”
Lauren nods. “Yep. She starts next week.”
A strange mix of anticipation and dread settles over me. Seeing Chloe again after all these years is going to be…interesting, to say the least. While I’m not a teenage boy anymore and I’ve moved on with my life, the uncertainty of how I’ll react to seeing her again makes me feel on edge. Will I still be as drawn to her as I was back then?
“Are you okay, Parker?” Lauren asks, studying my face.
I snap out of my thoughts and nod quickly.
“Absolutely,” I say with more confidence than I feel.
She gives me a skeptical look but doesn’t press further.
“Okay, well, I’m going to get going. Chloe and I are going to celebrate. See you later.”
“Right, celebrate.” I offer her a tight smile. “See you tomorrow.”
She studies me for another moment before giving a shrug and turning for the front door.
Once she’s out of sight, I let out a sigh that feels like it’s been building in my chest all day. Chloe Davis is coming back into my life. She’s going to be a permanent fixture at Holt Realty. Granted, she’s living with my sister, too, but that doesn’t feel nearly as daunting for some reason. Maybe because I know how independent Chloe is and how she’ll strive to find her own place as soon as possible.
I take another look around the living room, the antique chandeliers catching my gaze. Their soft light reflects off the polished wooden floors, illuminating the room in a warm glow. It’s so different from the state we found it in a few months ago—dilapidated and nearly uninhabitable.
As I walk slowly towards the door, my hand trails against the smooth, oak banister of the stairs. The brisk evening air hits me as I step outside, providing some much-needed clarity. Seeing Chloe again won’t be easy, but it’s not something I can avoid, either—not if I want to keep working with Holt Realty or going over to my sister’s house. As I make my way towards my truck, thoughts of Chloe continue their relentless assault.
I pull myself up into the driver’s seat and rev the engine—it rumbles to life beneath me. Flicking on the headlights, the beam cuts through the dusky twilight, illuminating the path ahead.
My heart pounds frantically against my chest at the thought of seeing Chloe again. I didn’t notice her until high school. Until then, she’d always just been my sister’s somewhat annoying best friend. In high school, though, she blossomed from an awkward tomboy into a gorgeous young woman who could charm anyone she encountered.
I was on the periphery of her life, always friendly but never too close, watching from the outside as boys flocked around her, drawn to her like moths to a flame.
She had been more than cute. She had been captivating, her laughter contagious and her spirit infectious. She had been the kind of girl who filled a room with sunshine just by walking into it.
