Page 141 of Keep Me Close

“No.”

Sawyer grins. “Why not? There something you’re not telling us?”

I narrow my eyes at the little shit. “Don’t you have an algebra quiz to study for?”

“Kind of seems like you have a hockey-playing boyfriend you’re trying to hide from us,” my brother says with a devilish smile.

I point at him so fast I nearly spill my soup. “He is not my boyfriend. I barely know the guy.”

Faith and Sawyer exchange a dubious look. That’s when I realize they’re not going to let this go any time soon.

Caleb props his chin in his hand. “Why are your cheeks so red?”

“They’re not red.”

“Yeah, they are, dude,” Sawyer says with a laugh.

I rise so abruptly my chair scrapes loudly against the floor. “You know what? I’m done with this conversation.” I pause and glare at Sawyer. Whoever said the teen years were a nightmare was completely right. “And don’t call me dude.”

Faith and Sawyer grin at one another, like they’re sharing a private joke, as Caleb continues to eat his soup. I snatch up my phone and stalk toward the sink, opening the voice note only because if I don’t, they’ll follow me around, yapping about it until they’re blue in the face.

I keep the volume low.

Jax’s amused voice spills through the speaker.

“Before you get mad, I’d like to officially state that the cat found me, not the other way around. I was selected. Also, you do not look grumpy. You look aggressively unimpressed, which feels both more accurate and somehow hotter. And if you’re currently pretending not to laugh at my jokes, I still deserve points for commitment. That’s all. Night, Sloane.”

My stomach does this weird nosedive thing as I lock the phone again.

Behind me, Sawyer is the first to pipe up. “Well? What’d it say?”

I rinse my spoon under the faucet, trying to sound bored. “Nothing. It was just a bunch of random nonsense.”

Faith hums. “So it was, in fact, the hockey guy.”

I shut off the water before turning around. “You’re all seriously exhausting.”

Sawyer squints at me. “Wanna know what I think?”

“Not really.”

“That you like him,” he finishes triumphantly.

A short, disbelieving sound escapes me. “Please.” I grab a piece of bread from the counter and tear off a chunk. “I can barely tolerate the man.”

“Uh-huh,” Faith says. “Sure.”

“False,” Sawyer adds.

I look at the ceiling and pray for patience. “You know what sounds false? That all three of you don’t have better things to do, like homework.”

“You’re in such denial,” Faith says with a shrug.

“I believe you, Sloanie,” Caleb says as he shoves another spoonful of soup into his mouth.

“Thank you.” At least one of them won’t get booted to the curb tonight.

The topic is thankfully dropped when Sawyer starts scrolling his phone and Faith gets a text from a friend.