Page 6 of Body Shot

“I have to be at the office for the first two months, to meet everyone, go on a few client trips, and learn the ropes. After that, I’ll be working remotely ninety percent of the time. It’s a dream job, to be honest.”

“That’s important,” Sloane says, nodding.

“It really is,” Hana agrees. “Because I hate my job.”

I glance at her. I know she wasn’t happy at her last job, but she’d quit to take six weeks to come to the US to visit Johan. I didn’t realize she’d found another.

“You already found something?” I ask. “And how can you hate it if you haven’t started yet?”

She shrugs. “It’s another retail job, working for a big computer store in Bratislava. But I hate retail, so I don’t need to start to know I’m going to hate it.”

“So why take it?”

“I have to work,” she says quietly. “I’m twenty-five. I can’t continue to live off my parents and brother.”

Johan sends her money every month and it bothers her, but we haven’t talked about it in a while so I’m not sure what’s going on. The plan is to catch up on everything this week.

“He doesn’t mind,” Sloane says softly.

“But I mind.” Hana shakes her head. “Anyway, that’s not a conversation for today. Let’s have fun. I’m hot. I need to go for a swim.” She slips off her shoes and shorts, tosses her sunglasses onto the blanket, and runs for the water.

And almost every guy on the beach turns to look.

I mean, why wouldn’t they?

She’s beautiful.

Long, lean, and perfect.

I love her, but there’s no doubt I’m envious.

“Want to go for a swim?” Sloane asks me, taking off her T-shirt and revealing an adorable fringe bikini top that somewhat covers her baby bump.

I gaze in the direction Hana had gone. “No. I’ll stay here.”

Sloane smiles and puts a gentle hand on my arm. “It’s not a competition, you know.”

“Not between us girls, but when it comes to guys? It absolutely is. Did you see the way they all stared at her?”

“We stare at hot guys too. Don’t we?” She pauses, and I realize it’s not a rhetorical question.

“Well, sure, but?—”

“Do you date or sleep with every hot guy you see?”

“Of course not.”

“And it’s the same with her. She’s beautiful. They look. Appreciate. Maybe fantasize for a moment. And then they move on. She’s single too, remember? It’s not because she can’t find a guy, but because she’s waiting for the right one. Just like you should be.”

I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t know if that’s in the cards for me. Unless it’s a family member or someone I work with, I’m usually totally tongue-tied and as soon as I start talking about computers, their eyes glaze over and they make a quick exit.”

“Anders was talking to you before we got here.”

“Because there was literally no one else to talk to. The minute Hana got here, he forgot all about me.”

“I don’t think so.” She winks. “Because it’s notherhe’s staring at right now.”

THREE

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