All Chapters of To Love Again: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

I couldn't make up my mind. A whole week had passed since that morning in Jordan's office, and I still couldn't make up my mind on whether I wanted to move up at Kingston or step out and start from scratch.Jordan had insisted on leaving me to make the decision by myself. He didn't want to influence it because this was something I had to do on my own. Chloe seemed to be on the same page as him. All she seemed able to say was that I would have to follow my heart. But how could I follow my heart when I didn't even know what it was saying?Chloe still hadn't made up with Caleb. I could see in her eyes how much the break was hurting her, but somehow she never seemed willing to talk about it. He was hurting too, Jordan told me. He’d withdrawn into his shell, drinking more, and not talking much.I mentioned to Chloe once that this was self sabotage. There was no reason for this break. At least, none that I could see, so what was the need to hurt them both like this? She stopped talking to h

I watched as the veins popped on Jordan's forehead and he said the words, “I’m going to kill the bastard”I didn't doubt even for a minute that he could, but truth was, I didn't need anybody killing Bill for me. I had already lived through that phase of my life and Bill had already been made to suffer for all of his crimes.“No, you're not,” I said in a steady voice that surprised even me, “because he's already dead.”His eyes shot up to mine."I'll get to that soon. Just… Bill used to call me Marie in that annoyingly gruff voice of his. Whenever he would try to touch me, he would say some disgusting stuff like ‘come to me, my Marie'. God, I hated him so much.”"So that's why you hate to be called that.” He said in realization.I nodded. “It just… it makes me feel dirty. Like no matter what I do, I could never wash his filth off me.”"Did you tell your mother?” He wanted to know.I snorted. “Elizabeth only knows what Elizabeth wants to know."“What does that mean?"“She played blind.

I drove my black sedan into the garage of the Jenkins home with Chloe at my side. She drummed her fingers on her laps nervously and took deep breaths as I turned off the ignition.“He's not going to bite you, Chloe." I said, turning to look at her.“No, he's not, but he's going to be real mad, and I can't even blame him."I took her hand in mine. “Well, you can't turn back now."“No, I can't." She took another deep breath and unfastened her seatbelt. We walked hand in hand to the front door, and she knocked.When Sam pulled the door open, I saw his eyes register mild surprise. He looked between Chloe and me and held the door wider for us to come in. I stepped in, but Chloe remained on the porch.“Hi, Dad.”He kept his eyes on hers and nodded. "Come on in, Chloe." He said, opening the door even wider.She finally came in. I was already seated and she took the space next to me. Sam sat across from us and placed both hands on thighs. An awkward silence stretched between us all and soon b

Chloe and I sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed, bent over a stack of papers, some crumpled, some straightened, as we discussed names between ourselves. Chloe was elated when I told her that I had finally decided to start the catering business we'd been talking so much about.When I asked for her help in picking out a name, drafting a proposal, and doing all of the basics that starting a business would require, Chloe jumped on it. It was what she did for a living anyway so it only made sense that she would handle this for me.I tried and failed to convince her to let me pay for her services, and insisted that this didn't count as work. We were just having fun and making good use of our hands and brains while at it.There were springs in her feet that showed how excited she was for me. It wasn't that I had expected any less, It was in fact that her infectious joy was a reminder that despite the brief lull that we'd had when Chloe suddenly disappeared into her shell, my best frien

I dropped my resignation with a two week notice which meant that even though I'd resigned, I was still working until we could find a replacement for Jordan's assistant. We'd interviewed a couple people but none of them seemed suitable for the role.Meanwhile, I spent all of my free time searching desperately for a place to set up the business. I'd decided to go a step further in my plans. I wasn't just going to be catering to clients. I would make the space into a cozy bakery of some sorts. Cupcakes, pastries, scones, and if I could manage it, perhaps coffee.I knew it was a lot to aim for, but a certain someone had taught me to never let my mind limit me. If I put my heart to it, then I could most certainly do it. Nancy.Now, the next step was finding a good space that wouldn't cost too much. I was on a budget after all.I found the place on a Friday evening. I’d already seen three other options that day that made me want to set something on fire, and I had no doubts that even the re