“He’s really hot.” I blurt it out before I can stop myself, and Sloane’s eyebrows shoot sky-high.
“Huh.”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh, pressing my palms into my eyes.
“How hot are we talking? Do you have a picture?”
Why the hell would I have a picture of him?“No, I don’t have a picture. I’m not in the habit of meeting people and immediately pulling out my camera. As for how hot… very? Like, hot enough that I dreamed of him last night. He’s not your type.”
“He’s an old man, so no, I’d assume not.”
I roll my eyes, my cheeks burning. “He’s not old. He’s the same age as our dads.”
“So, what you’re saying is he’s old enough to be your dad?”
Jesus. Does that make him hotter? Maybe.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
“What I’m saying is that he isn’t an old man.”
“Agree to disagree, but fine. You had a sex dream about him? Interesting.”
“I didn’t say it was a sex dream.” Sloane gives me a skeptical look. “It was, though. Like I said: intense.”
“Okay, so you think he’s hot. What are you going to do about it?”
It takes me a second to process her question, because she can’t possibly be asking what I think she’s asking. “What are you talking about? I’m not going to do anything about it. I’m going to pretend it isn’t happening. What else would I do?”
“Comeon, Es. You’re both single and snowed in together. I know what kinds of books you read—I shouldn’t have to spell it out for you.”
“I cannot have sex with our dad’s best friend.” No matter how much I would like to. “This isn’t a book.”
“Dad told you to take care of him!” She’s lost her mind. That’s the only reason I can think of for why she thinks I’d ever be on board with this.
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s what he was talking about, Sloane.” In fact, I’d bet money it wasn’t.
“Dad wants you to relax. And god knows you need a little fun. You know what’s relaxingandfun? Sex. Something I know for a fact you haven’t done since you broke up with Randall.”
She wrinkles her nose at the mention of my ex-boyfriend. Sloane never liked Randall. First, for his name—Randall Clarence Mush—which I can admit might be the worst full name in history. Second, because he was possibly the dullest person either of us had ever met. Something Ididn’t notice until I thought I was about to die, and my life flashed before my eyes. He was barely in it, and I realized that, if I did die, I would die Randall’s girlfriend, which would have been embarrassing, frankly. The sex was surprisingly good, given how boring he was in every other avenue. But good sex isn’t enough to be content in a relationship.
“I’ve been a little preoccupied to think about sex since I broke up with Randall,” I point out.
“Which is why it’s a big deal that you had a sex dream. Duh. Look, you know I love you, and I understand why you’ve shut the world out since the crash, but the longer you do, the harder it’s going to be to get back to the Este you were before. Which is a nice way of saying you’ve gotten a little boring lately.”
It should probably sting that my sister thinks I’m boring, but I know she’s right, and I’ll never be upset about her speaking her mind. She held back at first after the accident, until I begged her to stop treating me differently.
“This whole conversation is a moot point. There’s no way he’s interested,” I point out, and Sloane scoffs.
“Please. The man is a hermit. He probably hasn’t had sex in two decades. You’d be doing him a favor.”
“Hey. Don’t talk about him like that,” I say, glaring at her. “He’s not as weird as Pops implied. He’s actually really nice.”
Sloane holds up her hands. “Whoa. Defensive much? My bad. All I’m saying is you’re stuck with him for a few weeks, and you might as well make the most of it. You’reprobably never going to see him again. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“What if I try, and he says no? We’re stuck together. It’ll be awkward.” I don’t know why I ask—I have no intention of trying.
“Then it’s awkward. You’ve survived worse. Besides, you’re hot, you’re twenty-six, and you’ll try pretty much anything if you’ve read about it. He won’t say no.”
