Page 32 of Just My Luck

Sloane hesitated, but I knew she was tempted. Her eyes lingered on the king-size bed, and she’d already had a peek at the en suite bathroom. “I don’t know, Abel. I?—”

“It’s done. I’ve got the couch.” Hoping to divert the conversation, I headed toward the kitchen and was surprised when she stopped in front of the hallway bathroom.

She pointed into the room and looked at me. “You keep your shower curtains closed?”

My brows scrunched. “Yes... ?” I didn’t know what she was getting at.

Sloane smiled. “That’s perfect.” She moved toward me, walking past and heading toward the living room. “My ex and I used to fight over shower curtains and closet doors.” She laughed in dismissal, but my gut coiled. “Well, not reallyfight, I guess. He’d open them all up, and I would quietly close them when he wasn’t around. He used to say he liked them open because you never knew who was hiding behind one. I thought he was just being paranoid and nitpicking me. We waged a silent war over the shower curtains and closet doors. It’s the silliest thing, but it irked me so bad.” I watched as she dismissed her own feelings so easily.

I shrugged. “You can keep the shower curtain however you want it.”

Her beaming smile stopped me in my tracks. After staring too long, I finally asked, “So how did Bax take the news?”

Sloane sighed and hiked herself onto the kitchen island. “Granddad is solitary by nature. I think maybe it’s because his wife died so long ago. He all but shuffled us out the door.”

My forehead creased. “He wasn’t worried about...” I gestured inarticulately at myself. “You know.”

Sloane braced her hands on either side of her legs and tilted her head. “You mean about my new husband?”

Her eyes flicked over my shoulder toward the hallway. She still hadn’t told the kids we were married, but I suspected her grandfather knew the truth. At least, most of it anyway.

When I stayed planted on the floor, she continued, “He claims he saw our connection months ago.” Sloane laughed and made air quotes, and a knot tightened in my chest.

I had started to dismiss her grandfather’s implication when her phone rang. “Speak of the devil.” Sloane hopped off the island. “Hey, Granddad, what’s up?”

She looked at me and frowned. “Um... I don’t know about anyone installing a security system. Hang on, let me ask him.”

Her eyebrows popped up, and she shot me a pointed stare.

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and shrugged. “It’s for his safety.”

She shook her head and smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. We just wanted to be sure you’re safe out there all alone.” I could hear the old man arguing with her through the phone. “I know, I know. I’m sure it won’t take long and they’ll be out of your hair. Just... be nice, okay?” She laughed at something he said before hanging up.

I swallowed hard when her mossy eyes shifted my way. “You arranged to have a security system put in at the cabin?”

I shrugged it off. The hopeful, wide-eyed look she was giving me was making me uncomfortable. “It’s fine. I knew you were worried about him being there alone. Plus, if your ex does try something, it’ll be on camera.”

Worry overtook her face as her eyes flicked back toward the hallway. “Do you think he will?”

I shook my head. “Only if he’s reckless or stupid.”

I knew Sloane was worried, but until the police could locate her ex, a security system was the best we could do... at leastfor now. I hadn’t told them about Sloane and me getting married yet, but I did rally my brothers and ask them to be on the lookout for Jared too.

This is our goddamn town, and no one was going to come here and scare my wife when—shit.

I scraped the heel of my hand across my chest. Thoughts like that had been popping into my head all damn day. Sure, Sloane was legally my wife, but somehow my subconscious didn’t get the message that it was strictly business.

I needed space to think. “Are you hungry? I could cook or pick something up?”

Sloane didn’t mention or pay any mind to my total one-eighty in conversation topics. “I’m spent after today. Maybe we can grab takeout or something?” She tossed a thumb in the direction of the hallway. “I’ve got one that will try anything at all and another that thinks plain white rice is a delicacy.”

I offered a flat-lipped laugh to acknowledge her, though I didn’t really know a damn thing about kids or picky eating habits. All I knew was that my own upbringing was a far cry from healthy and stable. Dad had employed a full-time chef until we hit our teens, and then we were pretty much on our own. “How about Uncle Mao’s in Pullman? I can run out and grab it...let you three get settled in here.”

Sloane paused, looking at me like she was about to say something, maybe about me offering to drive somewhere. Instead, she only smiled softly. “That’s perfect. Anything is fine. And... thank you.”

I nodded, swiped my keys off the counter and hurried out the door before my mind could think of anything else—like how I had kissed her before and how badly I wanted to do it again.

THIRTEEN

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