Page 75 of Hearts on the Line

With Annie gone, I’m down on help, and that means I have to make a phone call I’ve been dreading. Time to call in backup.

Sloane grins, then picks up the hem of my T-shirt grazing the top of her thighs and yanks it off, tossing it at my face as I sit in bed, trying not to let my jaw drop.

“Stop gawking, Ethan.”

“Then get over here and kiss me.”

“Bossy.” She sticks out her tongue. “If I come over there, you know we won’t get out of this apartment.”

“Let’s see. It’d be a fun experiment.”

“You’re so adorably charming now that I’ve cracked your grumpy exterior.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“You threw me over your shoulder instead of talking to me.”

“Didn’t want to waste any time. You came back.”

To me.

Sloane disappears, and I think we’re done flirting, so I finally get up and throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then grab my sweatshirt. Before I can put it on, Sloane dives into the room and steals it from me.

“It’s cold,” she says in defense. She’s spreading a towel out in the kitchen as she says it, then sits down and crosses her legs. “Go away, I need to sneak in yoga before work.”

I lean against the doorjamb, watching Sloane stretch in my giant sweatshirt. Probably with a stupid grin on my face. Okay, definitely with a stupid grin on my face.

“There’s coffee in the fridge for you.”

She opens one eye before sliding forward on the towel until she’s twisted into a human pretzel. “Good luck on the boat.”

I recognize that’s my cue to leave. But there’s still so much hanging between us, I feel almost guilty slipping out to start the day. What if we don’t talk about it tonight? What if it stays this blurry line for the rest of the summer?

I pull on another sweatshirt, feed Wally, and have my hand on the door before Sloane says, “Ethan?”

“Yeah, baby?”

She makes a soft sigh as she stretches upward. “Can we keep this a secret for now?”

I nod like it doesn’t gut me.

Chapter 25

Sloane

Iknow exactly what happened last night. I’m just not ready to admit what it means.

So like any well-adjusted adult, I shove it deep down and focus on what’s in front of me.

Merritt Point Herald.

This is such an old building. I can smell years of dust. But it’s also a little exciting to be back here, even if it’s clear I have no fucking clue what I’m doing. I know that I can do it. I did it once, and I can do it again. And it’s only for the summer. I can do anything just for the summer.

At least that’s what I’m going to tell myself.

I realize I don’t have passwords to the computer. The manual for running the paper is stashed underneath the desk and was last updated probably around the time I worked here last. Maybe they haven’t changed much, but I decide to call Ruth just in case.

“What is it?” she barks over the phone.