“Fuck you. Bye,” he says, hanging up before I can say anything else.
I have to laugh to myself as I run a hand through my hair. I shake my head as I focus back onto the mountains of paperwork that I have to sift through before I can even think about going home.
It’s almost ten by the time I actually walk through the front door. It’s dark, and I’m exhausted.
I get inside, kick off my shoes, and hang my keys up. I look at Sloane’s keychain, making a mental note to have a house key made for her.
She sits on the couch, glasses perched on her nose, as she looks at her computer, the TV playing as background noise.
“I didn’t know that you wore glasses,” I say, pulling on my tie and undoing the top button of my dress shirt.
“They are blue light glasses.”
“I don’t know what that means,” I say, my brows furrowing in confusion as I make my way to the kitchen.
“They help protect my eyes from the light the screens put off.”
Of course.It makes sense considering she’s constantly online, posting about anything and everything.
“You’re not funny, by the way,” I say, grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with some water from the tap.
I lean against the sink, watching her look up at me from the couch.
“I’m actually a comedian, but please, do tell, what’s not funny about me?” she sasses, a hint of a smirk on her lips.
I almost smile. “I looked up what Aurum Plus was,” I say, and she chokes on the sip of whatever is in her stupid metal water bottle.
“Oh God, not at work,” She says with a laugh.
“You wanna tell me why you thought it would be funny to tell me you were a pornstar?” I ask, taking another sip.
“How do you know I’m not?” She questions, getting up off the couch and coming into the kitchen, leaning her elbows forward onto the counter as she watches me carefully.
She looks confident, it’s weird. I’ve never known her to be confident. But it looks good on her. “Because I looked you up,” I say. Her smirk deepens.
“Aww, were you curious,Uncle B?”She asks, with a mock pout on her lips, the nickname feeling a lot heavier than it should. “I could’ve just given you a free show, all you had to do was ask,” she quips, looking at me across the island with big doe-like eyes.
“I was wondering if I’d have to retract my initial statement ofno curfew,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest, trying to mask my surprise. I watch as her eyes start at my face and travel down my body, staying glued to my forearms for just a moment.
“Why? You don’t want any sexy menorwomen creeping into your house at all odd hours of the night?” she asks, tilting her head like she’s innocent, her eyes giving the perfect illusion of everything I’m starting to think she isn’t.
“You’re free to go wherever you want, and free to come home whenever you want as long as you’re alone when you do so,” I say. She blinks once, then twice, before she gets a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Jealous that I have a cool, fun job while all you get to do is sit at a desk and arrest bad guys?”
“No, I just don’t want to have to explain to your family why you’re coming home in a body bag,” I say seriously, and shestiffens. I deal with disgusting motherfuckers all day long. Those who like to prey on young, naive girls who are prettier than they should be.
“Like they’d even care if I was gone.” The words leave her lips almost absentmindedly.
For the first time since she got here, I see a crack, an insecurity that she’s always kept so well hidden from the world.
“I don’t actually do that; it was a joke. All I do is post stuff with all my clothes on, to be clear. Nothing bad. And I don’t plan on going and meeting any strangers for sex. That was Lottie’s thing, not mine,” she says after a few seconds of silence.
I don’t miss the small jab at her sister, but I choose not to comment on it. Charlotte has always been the wild card out of the three siblings. It’s really not that surprising to me that she would do something like that.
“Ok,” I say with a shrug. I wasn’t trying to get an explanation; I just wanted her to know the reality of what could happen if this is what she is doing.
She nods before turning around to grab her laptop and heading towards the stairs.
