Page 8 of The Spare
Besides, she was off limits, for too many good reasons.
My best friend’s little sister.
My little brother’s best friend.
My mentor’s granddaughter.
That same loop of thoughts continued for a couple of hours until I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. It would pass, that much I knew.
“What time do you wake up?” Henry asked.
I’d heard Xander wander in at some point last night, and Henry had ended up here in a drunken stupor at some point as well.
“Early.” I scrambled to close an email. Now that I was back, I had to be more careful.
“Is that why you’re always two steps ahead?” Henry laughed and poured himself some coffee. Henry had become my family over the years. Our drunken college adventures evolved into a friendly rivalry in our professional lives.
“That and talent.” I glanced up from my laptop to offer a smug smirk, then returned to my work—not that I had managed to do anything productive since dawn.
What he was about to say was interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by an agitated “Xander Philippe Sutton!”
It was Sloan.
Henry walked over and opened the door.
“Is he not up yet?” Sloan asked. She glided right past him into the kitchen, brows furrowed. Her jet-black hair swept down to mid back, a slight curl at the ends. The yellow dress she wore shone against her skin. It was inappropriately short for the weather.
“I brought scones.” She placed a box in front of me on the counter, and her tone was suddenly sunnier. “I figured they’d soak up whatever the three of you got into last night.”
“What makes you think he’s here?” Henry asked. “Weren’t you guys staying at the Ritz?” He looked down at his phone and got distracted.
She shrugged. “He texted last night; said he was here.”
“What’s he done this time?” I asked mildly.
“Oh, nothing.” Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. “I figured he’d be hungover, and I can’t miss the opportunity to torture him. Besides, we’re going to brunch with CeCe.”
“Can you and Xander just get married already?” Henry let out a frustrated sigh as he looked at his phone and pushed it back into his pocket.
I choked on the scone.
“Take care of my girl for me”kept ringing in my ears. “My girl.”I tried not to think about the idea of Sloan and Xander dating, even though I fully understood that it was a real possibility. At times, it seemed inevitable.
It shouldn’t bother me.
It didn’t bother me.
They both scoffed at the idea. For years, they fended off questions about their relationship. They insisted anything more than friendship was ridiculous. But it couldn’t be platonic. How could anyone not want more with Sloan?
She was beautiful, quick-witted, a relentless contrarian.
More facets than the Hope diamond. Equally flawless and equally rare.
You’d have to be insane not to fall for her.
Hypothetically.
She laughed loudly at the suggestion. “Get the family off my back for once,” Henry groaned.
