Page 57 of The Spare
Penelope warned me not to overthink it, as if I could help it. Crossing this line was something we should have talked about more, or at all.
Was it cavalier to run headlong into the unknown? Probably.
But I didn’t care; I wanted to give in to something that felt so right.
I found an outfit, one that was easily removed, and got a suspicious text.
Xander
You have a surprise waiting for you on the porch
CHAPTER29
Marcus
Iwas never nervous.
I had stared down life-altering deals and risked more than I was willing to lose on multiple occasions. None of that gave me any anxiety. In fact, it was a thrill.
A date with Sloan was giving me a stress ulcer.
I wasn’t exactly a good cook. So, the chef I hired had just left, and any trace he was ever here was gone too.
This entire week was a blur. I had never been so unproductive at work. My mind was entirely fixated on Sloan. The days-long marathons of texts between us were getting wildly out of hand and didn’t make it any easier to focus. I found myself texting through board meetings and hearing my phone vibrating when it wasn’t.
It was almost seven. I paced the kitchen a few times, annoyed with time for moving slowly and myself for getting so worked up. The nerves probably stemmed from the fact that we hadn’t discussed what was happening. Instead, we let our hormones take charge. It wasn’t the best time to come to that realization, although it wasn’t going to stop me.
At this point, nothing was.
I heard the door and my phone buzz at the same time. The anticipation of seeing Sloan was far more appealing than checking my phone.
I swung the door open, and it was not the Amari sibling I was expecting.
“Henry?” I choked out after a second. I stood there, momentarily frozen in surprise.
“Surprise.” He smiled widely. He began saying something, but I didn’t register any of it. “Since you’re not hopping around the world, we decided to visit.”
He walked in, and we began to catch up. My mind raced to figure out what to do.
I needed to tell Sloan. I grabbed my phone before Henry could see the texts that came in.
Sloan
Xander is here
Fuck.
* * *
Just my fucking luck that Henry decided he wanted to be a better brothernow. He and Xander concocted the visit over drinks one night. I probably would have been happier to see him if I wasn’t so annoyed with the night they intruded on.
It wasn’t long before we heard the door open and another two voices fill the foyer. Xander laughed loudly at whatever Sloan said and casually strolled into the kitchen. Sloan was right behind him, mustering a smile.
“We’re going out,” Sloan announced. She wore a short cocktail dress that ended at mid-thigh.
Xander and Henry filled the air with the story of how they planned a surprise visit for the weekend, finding only a single night where their schedules would align. They took the Amari jet in and were here for the night, flying back midday tomorrow. In my mind, I was already planning a re-do of tonight’s scuttled plans.
Sloan’s expression remained the same, exactly as mine. Happy to see them, disappointed at the evening that was lost. In wanting to ensure a surprise, they booked rooms at the Four Seasons rather than stay with either of us, a fact I noted for later consideration.
