Wes laughed. “Happy to talk about it.”
“Great,” Sloane said. “Catch you both later.” And before Wes even fully sat down, she was already halfway across the pit, taking his spot next to the blond and immediately launching into some conversation that had the woman laughing.
“How does she do that?” Charlotte asked.
Wes stretched out his long legs, clad in slim dark jeans, a bottle of water between his gloved hands. “Do what?”
“Just…talk. To everyone.”
He laughed. “That’s Sloane. Always has been.”
Charlotte tilted her head at him. “Really?”
He nodded. “Did she ever tell you how we got together in high school?”
Charlotte shook her head, completely sure Sloane had never even mentioned Wes Reynolds before this trip. Not that she’d say that to Wes.
“I joined the orchestra fall semester of our junior year,” he said. “Had never touched a stringed instrument in my life.”
“Oh my god.”
“Yeah. Our teacher, Dr. Stone, wasn’t amused, but our school had a policy that students could try any elective they wanted. It was just the basic orchestra class, not the advanced one Sloane was in, but”—here he held up a finger and grinned—“Sloane was so damn good that Dr. Stone convinced the administration to let her TA for the beginner’s class.”
Charlotte felt a slow smile spread over her mouth. “You took the class because of Sloane.”
He laughed, spread his hands out in front of him. “She helped everyone, constantly talking them through what they were doing right, doing wrong, how they could improve. Made her a good teacher. I was a horrible student, but she decided I was pretty cute, I guess. Finally agreed to a date in October if I promised to drop orchestra after the semester and stop torturing everyone with my scales.”
“How long?” Charlotte asked.
“How long what?”
“How long had you been in love with Sloane before you signed up for the class?”
He laughed, a lovely booming sound. “Oh, I’ve been in love with Sloane Berry for forever.” His eyes found her across the firepit, a soft smile still on his face.
“Forever?” Charlotte said, a teasing lilt to her voice as the puzzle pieces of Sloane and Wes fell into place, along with a possible reason why Sloane had never mentioned him.
Just like Charlotte had never mentioned Brighton.
She shook her head, dispelling that preposterous thought as Wes’s smile vanished. He looked at her, squirming on his log.
“I mean…when we were kids,” he said.
“Right,” Charlotte said, lifting her brows at him.
He ran a hand over his short hair but said nothing.
“Forever?” she said again.
He sighed. “Shit, I’m really bad at this.”
Charlotte laughed. “You’re in good company, trust me.”
“Look, I’d rather not be…you know.” He waved a hand toward Sloane, his meaning clear. “If that counts for anything. My mom signed me up for Two Turtledoves—she does every year, and I do it as a kind of Christmas present to her, go on a date or two that are usually excruciating—but Sloane’s never been here. She…well, it’s hard to concentrate on other people when I’m around her.”
“Makes sense,” Charlotte said softly. She wouldnotlook at Brighton, she fucking wouldnot.
“Pathetic, huh?” he said.
