Page 1 of The Spare
CHAPTER1
Sloan
Ihad to stop getting into prank wars with Xander. It was fun back in college and grad school, but now it was a little juvenile.
Okay, it was still fun.
But it was starting to get out of hand. And I was getting a little tired of losing.
All I did was lock him on the roof of The Soho house overnight. It was the middle of summer, and he was fine. I wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t baby-proofed my entire townhouse. It took me three days to figure out how to open my cabinets.
We had three rules: No bodily harm, no ruined reputations, and no foreign interference. I abided by all three.
His response was a disproportionate escalation. Calling the University of Pennsylvania Alumni committee and volunteering me to chair this year’s annual alumni gala was cruel and unusual.
I smiled maliciously when I felt a buzz from my phone. I hoped he enjoyed walking, because the team I hired to wrap his Aston Martin in a hundred pounds of plastic wrap had just arrived at the garage at the Ritz, where his car was parked.
The annual UPenn Charitable Foundation Alumni Gala usually pulled an impressive guest list—from captains of industry to politicians and socialites, the list went on. Scanning this year’s list of attendees, I searched for one name in particular and smiled when I saw that he would attend. A delightful shiver danced up my spine at the memory of those piercing gray eyes.
The prestigious university counted some of the most powerful in the world among its graduates. Its sprawling campus was one of the first places I had ever visited in Philadelphia. My grandfather, and every Amari after him, attended the university. My grandfather went on to start one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world. My older brother Henry was being prepared to take over whenever the time came.
Walking through the stone corridors with the autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet filled my mind with memories of college.
I stood in front of the historic library where the gala would be held and ran through the obsessively organized checklist I had made. I may have had to spend my Saturday morning overseeing the setup, but I was now done, and the day was mine.
Well, mine and Xander’s.
“Sloan?” a heartbreakingly familiar voice called from behind me. Recognizing it instantly, I paused. I handed a few items to the caterers and the final guest list to the event coordination team. I peered down the path to see him jogging toward me.
It couldn’t be. Fate could not be that cruel. My heart started to race as I confirmed what I had feared.
Broad shoulders. Icy gray eyes. Dark brown hair.
Marcus Sutton.
My long black hair was rolled up in a bun, I was wearing glasses instead of contacts, and I hadn’t applied a stitch of makeup. Not how I wanted him to see me after so long. I wanted to look devastating.
Instead, I looked like a librarian.
Clearly coming from a run, Marcus slowed down on the cobblestone path in front of the library.
“What are you doing here so early?” Marcus closed the distance between us, catching his breath between words. The body of a Roman statue pushed against the Dri-fit running shirt he wore.
I was about to go in for a hug when I realized he was sweaty from his run. He chuckled in amusement at my awkward shifting.
Giving up any attempt at grace, I released a resigned sigh and fidgeted with a folder full of papers in my hand. “I was roped into heading the committee this year.”
“Ouch.” He feigned a grimace and looked around, likely for his brother, who was almost always by my side. “Is Xander with you?”
“It's a little early.” My eyes tried to find an appropriate place to land. “I’m going to lunch with him later. Want to tag along?”
Because, apparently, I am a glutton for punishment.
His smile made my legs wobble. It was subtle, a small tug at the corner of his mouth. He always looked at me like I amused him. “Of course, you are. I wish I could, but I have to get some work done. I got here pretty late last night from Manhattan.”
I nodded and wished I could think of something, anything to say.
“I’ll see you at the gala tonight?” he asked.
