Love, Claudia (BWWM)

Chapter Twelve

Everything was normal.

A pace Claudia could get used to.

It'd been two weeks since Adrian opened up about her relationship with Diego. Two weeks since Claudia had to go to Gethsemane alone.

And two weeks since her lessons with River began.

She was finally getting used to holding a paintbrush and outlining the bowl of fruit.

It was nice.

She was also finally getting used to being around River.

She still blushed, it was a curse, but she didn't feel super nervous.

Only a tad nervous.

The man was uber-handsome as a whole.

It would take a few months to get used to his wholeness.

She could do it and she was doing it.

'No more thinking of River, I need to think of this list and gather all I need at the Farmer's Market.'

Thinking of River was supposed to be off-limits, but still, her mind wandered to him from time to time.

But she did need to focus.

Her list only had a few things on it, which made this trip easy.

'Wine for Isaac, sparkling rose for Denise, peaches, mangos, blackberries, strawberries for Eliah, brown eggs, red beans, and gelato for Dad, and a new scarf for Adrian.'

Claudia looked at the basket on her bike and hummed.

'I need to get a larger basket,' She shook her head and smiled.

She didn't mind shopping for the family. It was fun to walk around the Market and meet new people.

And it was the least she could do. They all worked and she wanted to take some weight off their shoulders.

She loved them and knew they appreciated her for helping.

"Good afternoon, Claudia!" Mrs. Steppe greeted her, surprising Claudia.

She rarely came to the Farmer's Market. It was a nice surprise.

Claudia parked her bike in its usual spot and waved at Mrs. Steppe. 'Hello! How are you?' She signed.

Mrs. Steppe threw her hands in the air dramatically. "I'm great, but my cat finally returned home."

Claudia stared in confusion. 'Why is that bad?' She wondered.

"Pregnant and angry. She tore up my couch and won't let me or Justice go anywhere near it. I should've got her spayed, but Justice said to let her be. Now we've got to deal with this mess, but I'm great. How's the family?" Mrs. Steppe ended her rant with a sweet smile.

She was a unique woman. Claudia loved her.

'Oh, my. I'm sorry about your cat. I hope everything gets fixed,' She signed and giggled quietly.

The couch and the cat needed to be fixed...

Claudia was an excellent comedienne.

'My family is doing well. I've started taking painting lessons,'

Mrs. Steppe gasped. "Good for you, dear. I can't wait to stand in awe of your beautiful work," She winked.

'Thank you, but I'm certainly not there just yet. I can't even draw an orange,' Claudia admitted.

She wasn't artistic. Not yet. Maybe a year's worth of lessons would help.

Mrs. Steppe shook her head and placed her hand on Claudia's shoulder. "You can do all things, dear. I know you'll excel as you continue."