Chapter 3: Chloe's Shopping is Postponed

Finally, Chloe was done with work. She had to stay late to help process a file Francis forgot about so it could make the deadline. She was now headed to her mother-in-law's house, hoping whatever it was she was needed for this time wouldn't take too long, and she could still make it to Fantastic Fabrics before it closed, which for some reason was 8:00 pm on Fridays.

Chloe rolled her eyes before knocking just to get it out of the way. She knocked then came in, although she'd been told to go in without knocking, something about it's practically her home and why doesn't she and Jon move in. Of course, if she did that, she would lose what little sanity she had left.

"Oh, Chloe, Luv! I'm in the sitting room," her mother-in-law called out to her.

"You said you needed help with something urgent, Mrs. Harris?"

"Call me, Mom, how many times must I tell you," Mrs. Harris said for the ten billionth time in the past ten years. She motioned towards a bunch of paintings propped up around the room. "I can't decide which ones to hang. I'm having the girls over for brunch tomorrow, and I'm at a loss as to which painting to put up."

"Right. Well, let's see what accent pillows are you going to be using?"

"I've got their pillows. But I can use either this glass votive set of the flower arrangement Jordan sent me." She darted about the room, fidgeting with the candles and the flower vase. Chloe knew this was going to take a while. She wouldn't have time to make it to the store and get dinner ready before Jon got home.

Chloe finished up with her mother-in-law with just enough time to have dinner done before eight. Jon usually went with his dad to the pub to rub shoulders with all the hot shots in town for a bit on Friday after work, and then he would get home around eight. Friday nights were supposed to be their alone time, which usually meant they ate dinner together then headed to separate rooms where she would work on some craft thing, and he would do who knows what, with the golf network maybe.

She would have to get the gift tomorrow; she made a mental note as she sat at the table and waited for Jon. He was running late tonight, later than usual, so she opened her Fuzzy Jump game app on her phone and played for about 10 minutes before a text message alert interrupted her from reaching her high score. She scowled at her phone. She was so close to a new Fuzzy record. Oh well, she opened the text, and it was from Jon.

Sweet lips, I'm working late tonight, don't wait up. Love you.

So I could have gone to get the gift, after all, Chloe thought and rolled her eyes then ate her meal before putting Jon's in a leftover container with a sticky note on it. She got cozy in her pajamas that matched the ones she laid out for Jon, and she lounged in bed. She thought about working on her latest knitting disaster then thought better of it and turned on the TV to watch a few sitcoms. She got bored of that quickly and opened the book on her bedside table, Opening My Door to Strangers. She fell asleep after page two.