It Started with a Crush by Piper James

Chapter Three

Sage

It had been a long yet successful day. My students had been wired up with first day of school excitement this morning, but they quickly settled down and were eager to learn. Daniel seemed to fit right in, making friends quickly, so I shot Belle a text as soon as the last bell rang, and the kids rushed out to meet their parents or catch their school buses.

Me: Daniel did great today. He is an awesome kid, just like you said.

She must’ve been busy at the foundation, because she didn’t respond right away. I tucked my phone into my purse, packed up my things, and left the school with a smile on my face. I really did love my job.

When I got home to my apartment, I plopped my things down onto the kitchen table and poured myself a glass of wine. Searching through the freezer, I found a frozen dinner that looked somewhat appealing and popped it into the microwave. While it heated, I sipped my wine and scrolled through some of my social media accounts on my phone.

Belle texted back, thanking me for the update and saying it was great news. Then she said she and Ryder were headed out to dinner, so she’d touch base with me tomorrow. I shot a message to my other friends, Ember and Dakota, but Ember was out on a date and Dakota was getting ready to show a house to a new client.

I was on my own, so I pulled my dinner from the microwave and took it to the couch. Setting the hot plastic tray on the coffee table next to my wine, I grabbed the remote and flipped channels on the television until I found a funny sitcom I liked to watch.

My life might’ve seemed lonely and isolating to some, but I liked it. I had a job I loved, good friends, a decent apartment, and a routine that worked for me. I felt stable. Comfortable. Secure.

Sure, I sometimes felt a twinge of jealousy when I saw how happy Belle and Ryder were together. Their story might’ve started out crazy—she offered him a million dollars to marry her a few days after they met…when she crashed her car into his truck—but now? Now, they were blissfully happy and in love. Ready to start a family.

But while I did want that for myself someday, I wasn’t in a huge rush. Plus, the dating pool in Red River wasn’t vast by any stretch of the imagination. I was twenty-eight, and most of the men my age were already married, and the ones who weren’t? Well, knowing what guys were like in high school kind of put a damper on the excitement of one of them asking you out.

I dated men from the surrounding towns, occasionally, but none of them had gone the distance. I still held out hope that, someday, I’d meet someone who swept me off my feet and loved me like the heroes loved the heroines in my favorite romance novels—an all-consuming, heated affair that turned into true love…with lots of insatiable sex.

I chuckled to myself at the thought. The idea was appealing, of course, but reality tended to be very different. At this point, I’d be happy with a steady, stable man who loved and supported me. Someone who’d kiss my forehead with adoration and grab my ass with feisty passion.

Yeah. I wanted all that, eventually. But in the meantime, I was perfectly happy with my life.

After tossing my trash and washing my fork and wine glass, I wandered into my bedroom. Changing into my rattiest, most comfortable pajamas, I climbed into bed and grabbed the worn paperback from my nightstand. I intended to read a few chapters, get myself off with my battery-operated boyfriend, and then get a good night’s sleep. Then I’d wake up in the morning and do my whole routine again.

Independent. Stable. Drama free. Happy.

It was my life, and it was good enough for me.