Page 61 of At First Catch

The two of them move naturally through my kitchen while I lean against the counter, trying not to look guilty about anything.

Unfortunately for me, Bailey notices everything.

She narrows her eyes. “Why do you look emotionally unstable?”

Damn it.

“I don’t.”

“You do,” Ivy agrees while accepting a cup from Bailey. “You’ve got the face.”

“The face?”

“The one where you’re pretending nothing happened but internally screaming.”

I hate how accurate that is.

“I’m not internally screaming.”

Bailey hands me an iced coffee. “So you and Nolan definitely almost kissed last night.”

I nearly inhale air wrong.

“How do you know that?”

The two of them exchange a look before Bailey studies me for another second. She watches me under her shrewd gaze I’ve come to know after all these years. She doesn’t say anything at first.

Then Ivy says carefully, “We have eyes. And Rowan said Holt got weirdly quiet after the firepit.”

Oh no.

No, no, no.

Bailey climbs onto one of my counter stools. “Also because Nolan looked at you during dinner like he wanted to physically fight gravity to get closer to you.”

A flush floods my face.

“He did not.”

Bailey stares at me. I sigh dramatically. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“A little?” Ivy repeats. “Hadley, at one point that man forgot an entire conversation because you touched his arm.”

My stomach flips hard enough to hurt.

Bailey studies me over the rim of her cup. “So what exactly is happening there?”

I open my mouth, then close it again. The coffee Bailey brought me has already gone cold. I’ve been holding the cup this whole conversation without taking another sip.

“I don’t know,” I admit.

Love sneaks up in this family.

A terrifying thought suddenly hits me.

“What if Holt figures it out?”

Bailey visibly winces.