“I said I was first behind that changing thing,” she muttered. “And he— he just… And only Sadie gets to play along ever. Besides, I wanted to be the vampire.”
Ah. It clicked. She was older, but still wanted her uncles to play the way they did with Sadie. She just didn’t know how to say it.Sometimes, all it took was a little extra attention to help smooth things over.
“Well,” I said, softening to her plight, “you totally get to be a vampire. I’ll tell Adrian to be something else.”
Her frown faltered, a hesitant grin tugging at her lips. “Really?”
“Really,” I said, taking her hand.
We returned to the rack, Emma now animated and searching with newfound energy.
“What about you?” Will was in full Stormtrooper gear. “What are you going as?”
“Oh, I haven’t decided.”
I rounded the rack on the far end until I was hidden from the pandemonium unfolding by the couch. Every costume had an air of hand-crafted extravagance. Nothing like the ones Liv and I would throw together each year. I grazed my fingers over the expensive fabrics, and let the touch seep into my memory.
“Exquisite.” My heart skipped when Ethan’s presence registered nearby. It practically stalled when I realized he very likely wasn’t talking about the clothing. Not with the way he looked at me.
“I saw you with Emma,” he said, coming closer. “You’re really good with her.”
Heat coiled in my chest, and I swallowed hard. “She’s a great kid. Just at that awkward age where she’s not a baby, and not quite old enough to hang out with the pre-teens.”
He nodded absently, and it was painfully obvious he wasn’t really listening. I couldn’t blame him. Not with the palpable charge crackling between us in this private little bubble the rack created. Voices, activity, all of it faded. My awareness of him and how close he was sharpened to an ache.
His piercing gaze held me captive, calm and steady. But there was no mistaking the flicker of something untamed just beneath that steadiness. It warmed me all the way through. A warmth that started to rage when I noticed him leaning in. Shit. This was happening. He was about to kiss me. Right here.
He dipped his head, the corner of his mouth tugging into a soft smile.
My tongue came out to wet my lips.
“Boo!”
We jumped apart as if struck by lightning, and turned to see Sadie’s little face beaming up at us from between the clothes on the rack. The moment slipped away in nervous laughter, but my heart still pounded like crazy, fingers tingling from where they’d brushed near his.
“Right,” I said, taking a step back. “I should get them home. I’m sure they have homework.”
“That’s probably smart,” he said, eyes locked on mine.
10
Miles
“Ready to blow their minds, or are we holding back on the full street parade to celebrate?”
I glanced up at Adrian, who had leaned against the doorway with that knowing smirk he wore when he thought he could get under my skin before a pitch. He was good at it, but I’d never let him know that.
“Their minds are already blown,” I said, sliding a slim portfolio across my desk. “Why do you think they’re coming here today?”
“Uh-huh.” He’d seen me pull off the impossible, but he wasn’t about to watch me coast through this meeting. “I’m just concerned.”
I waited for him to elaborate but of course, Adrian wasn’t the type to respond to social cues when he was on a mission. “Okay, you win. What are you concerned about?”
“That whatever you did with your hair today is gonna tank the account Ethan’s wanted to sign for three years.” He sounded like he was giving a eulogy. No matter the occasion, Adrian never disappointed with his acting skills.
“Nice try.” Just in case, I went over to the mirror behind the bar for a few final touches. Not that I needed them. “But we both know this hair’s half the reason Ethan keeps me around.”
Adrian scoffed. “Give me a break.”
