Just for the sake of versatility and riding comfort, I'd look into the "All-Road" or "Road Plus" category of bike. Kinda gravel / kinda road, spec'd with 650B wheels and wide, comfortable tires, they can also fit 700c wheels, since they have disc brakes. The positioning and geometry isn't as aggressive as a road racing bike, but they aren't over-built for taking on gnarly singletrack or carrying heavy bikepacking loads.
The obvious one that comes to mind is the
Black Mountain Cycles Road +. At $815 for the frameset, some judicious parts picking might get you in for under $2K. Others to consider are the
Surly Midnight Special, or the
All-City Super Professional Apex.
Enjoy your search!