The Sheriff's Curvy Obsession (A Silver Lake Instalove Romance #1)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Chloe Bennett

Ireally don’t want to go to this dinner with my parents and sister.

Jessica and I have never been close. She’s less than two years older than me, so you’d think we’d be best friends, but nope.

She’s been competing with me since I was born.

I don’t really get it, she’s beautiful and smart and successful, yet she still has to find a way to shove it in my face and prove she’s better than me.

School was awful, but I eventually learned to stay in my lane.

She was the perfect cheerleading daughter who went off to an Ivy League school and got her degree in business, while I stayed home, went to a state school, and got my degree in education.

We couldn’t be more different. She’s tall and thin and beautiful, and I’m five foot five, a size twenty, and very curvy.

I know my parents love me, but I can see how proud they are of Jessica.

They wish I would’ve followed in her footsteps and been more like her.

Not only did I not want to compete with her on every level, I just didn’t care about the same things she did.

I’d rather spend my time with animals and reading, crafting, and teaching my first graders.

That’s what fills me up. But it’s Friday night, and that means family dinner, a non-negotiable. Apparently she has big news.

I pull up to my parents’ huge house and turn off my car.

I have a trust, but I don’t like to touch it.

I live off what I make from teaching, so I drive an older vehicle I’ve had since high school.

I might have gotten it because I knew my parents would hate it.

I lean my head against the steering wheel and take a deep breath.

I really don’t want to do this tonight. School just got out and I’ve got plans for an amazing, restful summer.

I’ve also decided to finally tell my best friend that I have feelings for him.

We’ve known each other since college, and recently I’ve been wondering if maybe there could be something more between us.

He’s good-looking and successful and he’s always been nice to me.

I get out of my car and adjust my clothes.

I know no matter what I’m wearing, it’s not going to be good enough.

My parents and sister are going to look down on me no matter what.

I don’t like dressing the way they do. They don’t understand that spending thousands of dollars on my appearance seems like a waste to me.

I step into my parents’ home and hang my coat on the rack in the foyer. I walk into the living room. “Sorry I’m late. My car was having trouble starting—” but I freeze when I see Bryant sitting with Jessica on the couch.

I tilt my head and study the scene. My parents are sitting together on the opposite couch facing Jessica and Bryant. Jessica has a huge smile on her face and my parents look happy too. What the hell is going on here?

My mom turns to me with a bright smile. “Chloe, your sister’s getting married!”

“What? To who?”

Jessica leans back against the cushions, that same victorious little smile playing on her lips, the one she’s worn since we were kids whenever she’s about to win something I wanted.

She doesn’t even answer right away. She just lets the moment stretch, clearly enjoying the confusion and dread on my face.

Bryant shifts uncomfortably, but it’s my mom who speaks again, her voice warm but pointed. “To Bryant, of course. They’ve been together for almost a year now. They wanted to keep it quiet until they were sure, but now that he’s proposed, we can all celebrate together.”

My dad nods, looking genuinely pleased in a way he rarely looks at anything I do. “Bryant’s a good man. Successful. Solid. The kind of guy who’ll take care of your sister the way she deserves. You should be happy for them, Chloe. This is big news for the family.”

Jessica still hasn’t said much. She just sits there with one arm draped over Bryant’s leg, watching me with this quiet, satisfied little smile, and I can tell she’s loving every second of it.

She’s enjoying watching me stand here in my simple dress, feeling too curvy and too plain while our parents gush over how perfect she and Bryant are together.

I can barely get the words out. My voice shakes. “You’ve been together almost a year and you never said anything? Not once? Even though you both knew how I felt about him? You knew, and you still kept it from me like I was some kind of joke?”

Jessica’s smile sharpens just a fraction, and for a second I swear I see satisfaction flicker in her eyes. She’s getting exactly what she wanted, me unraveling in front of everyone.

Bryant finally speaks, his voice gentle but firm, like he’s already decided how this conversation is going to end.

“Chloe, we didn’t want to hurt you. We knew you had feelings for me and we didn’t want to make things harder between you and Jessica.

But things got serious. I’m in love with her.

We’re getting married. Now that this is official and we’re going to be family, I need you to understand that.

I need you to let go of whatever you thought might happen between us. ”

The words hit like a slap, but I’m too far gone to stay quiet. “So what, you two just sat around talking about how pathetic I am? Did you laugh about it? Did she tell you how sad and desperate her little sister is for having a crush on her best friend while she was busy stealing him?”

Jessica lets out a soft, wounded sound and suddenly her eyes fill with tears.

She presses a hand to her chest like she’s the one who’s been crushed.

“I knew you’d react like this,” she says, voice trembling.

“I told Bryant you wouldn’t be able to just be happy for me.

You always have to make everything about you and your feelings.

God, Chloe, can’t you see how selfish you’re being right now? ”

She starts to cry, pretty, delicate tears that somehow don’t ruin her makeup. She leans into Bryant and he immediately puts his arm around her, murmuring something soft I can’t hear. My mom gets up and rubs her back, shooting me a disappointed look.

“Chloe, honestly,” my mom says, her voice rising.

“Your sister is sharing the happiest news of her life and you’re standing there making her cry?

Can’t you see how much this means to her?

Bryant is a wonderful man. You should be supporting your sister instead of making this harder on everyone.

Why do you always have to turn everything into a competition? ”

My dad shakes his head, looking at me like I’m a disappointment he’s had to deal with for years. “You’ve always been too sensitive about these things, Chloe. Just let your sister have her moment. Not everything is about you.”

I feel stripped bare. Humiliated. My face burns and I can feel the way my dress clings to my curves, the way I must look standing here falling apart while Jessica plays the perfect, wounded fiancée.

I wonder if they’ve laughed about my stupid crush when I wasn’t around, if Jessica has told Bryant how pathetic I am compared to her.

The curvy little sister who teaches first grade and drives an old Honda while she gets the Ivy League guy and the perfect life.

Something inside me snaps.

“You knew how much she’s always competed with me,” I say, my voice cracking but louder now.

“You knew how she’s made me feel my whole life, and you still kept this from me for almost a year.

And now I’m supposed to just smile and be happy while you all sit here acting like I’m the problem?

Like I’m the one ruining her big moment? ”

Jessica’s tears keep falling, but I see the way her mouth twitches when no one else is looking. She’s not upset. She’s winning. Again.

My mom’s face tightens. “That’s enough, Chloe. You’re being dramatic and hurtful. If you can’t be happy for your sister, then maybe you should just go.”

The words land like a punch. Even my own mother is choosing Jessica over me in real time.

I feel the tears coming hot and fast, but I refuse to let them fall in front of them. I grab my coat off the rack with shaking hands.

“Fine,” I say, my voice thick. “Enjoy your perfect engagement. I hope it’s everything you’ve always wanted, Jess.”

I don’t wait for anyone to answer. I push through the front door and into the warm night air, letting it slam behind me. My old car waits at the curb like it’s the only thing that’s still on my side.

I slide into the driver’s seat, slam the door, and finally let the sob tear out of my chest.

They knew. They all knew. And not one of them cared enough to protect me from this.

I get into my car and try starting it, but it gives me trouble.

I turn the key several times, but it just clicks and whines like even my car is done with me tonight.

“Aaaahhh!” I yell in frustration, slamming my hands against the steering wheel as fresh tears blur my vision.

I try one more time, and thank God it finally turns over.

The engine coughs to life and I don’t even wait for it to warm up.

I just throw it in reverse and peel out of my parents’ driveway like I’m being chased.

I don’t know where I’m going. I just drive.

As soon as I hit the first dark back road, I reach over and crank the volume on my old stereo all the way up.

Angry rock music blasts through the speakers so loud it rattles the windows, and I let it.

I need the noise. I need something loud enough to drown out the voices in my head, Bryant’s calm rejection, Jessica’s fake tears, my mom telling me I’m being selfish and dramatic.

The guitars scream and the drums pound as I grip the steering wheel tighter, tears still streaming down my face while I sing along under my breath like the music can somehow burn the humiliation out of me.

I drive for hours. Past little towns I don’t recognize.

Down winding roads lined with trees that feel like they’re closing in.

My mascara is running and my throat hurts from crying, but I don’t stop.

I just keep going, music still blaring, hoping if I drive far enough I can disappear from my own life.

From the way my parents looked at me like I was the problem.

From the fact that the man I was finally brave enough to want chose my sister instead.

Every time a new song starts I turn it up even louder, like the noise can keep me from thinking about whether they’re all still sitting in that living room laughing about how pathetic I looked.

I don’t even realize how far I’ve gone until the car starts making a new sound.

A low, ugly coughing noise comes from under the hood, and then I see it, thick white smoke curling up from the edges of the engine. It’s pouring out now, glowing in my headlights as I yank the car onto the shoulder of some dark back road I don’t even know the name of.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, heart hammering as I fumble to turn the music down. “No. No, no, no.”

I throw the car into park and jump out, coughing as the smoke hits me. It’s worse up close. The smell of burning oil and something hot and metallic fills the air. I pop the hood even though I have no idea what I’m looking at, and more smoke billows out, making my eyes water all over again.

My hands are shaking as I step back. The car is dead. The music is off now, and the sudden silence feels deafening. I’m in the middle of nowhere with no idea where I am, my phone almost dead, and my entire life in pieces behind me.

I wrap my arms around myself and just stand there on the side of the empty road while smoke pours out of my broken car and fresh tears slide down my face.

I have never felt more alone in my entire life.