Page 85 of The Sound of Us

Her dark eyes softened with understanding and she took the seat across from me. “You said you needed to see me.”

I needed to see her like I needed to breathe. The story was just an excuse. But I didn’t know how we stood, and part of me was still hurt from her betrayal. “What the hell is going on with this basketball story?”

She startled and I realized my words had come out harsher than I’d intended. “I’m sorry.” And once I’d said the words, the restwas easy. “I’m sorry about not telling you about the scholarship. I didn’t mean to make you feel less capable. I didn’t want the money and Noah wouldn’t take it, and I knew you needed it. I also knew you wouldn’t take it as a gift so I set up the scholarship hoping I could help you and other people like you in the future. I’ll admit there may have been some self-interest on my part, but as Noah said, he insisted that the selection had to be fair. Maybe he figured it out, but he would never have compromised the integrity of the station by hiring someone he didn’t think was capable of the job. You are an amazing woman and you’ve been an incredible asset to the station. No one would refute that.”

There was a maelstrom of emotion behind her dark, quiet eyes, and for a heartbeat I thought my apology might not be enough.

“You grovel pretty well.” Her lips quivered with a smile. “I like the ‘amazing woman’ part. Next time you should lead with that.”

I reached over and cupped her cheek, the simple touch melting something inside me. “Will there be a next time?”

“If you accept my apology, too.” She turned her face to kiss my palm. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Noah. He put me in a terrible position when he asked me not to tell you. He was worried you wouldn’t write your LSAT and he didn’t want you to resent him if it meant you couldn’t follow your dream. I did it under protest.”

I moved my chair beside her and kissed her long, slow, and deep, feeling that connection between us snap into place.

“I missed you,” she murmured against my lips.

“I missed you, too. I’d suggest we take this down to our favorite basement storage room, but I didn’t just ask you to see me to apologize. I had a visit from the legal department about your story.”

“No way.” Skye pulled back, her eyes sparkling. “It worked!”

“What worked?”

Skye told me about her meeting with Blake and her plan to bluff the administration into showing their hand. “I figured if there really was something to the story, they would be afraid of it getting out, and come to me.”

“They came to me instead,” I said. “They think we’re planning to break it on the air.”

“I wish we could.” Skye sighed. “I still can’t substantiate anything, and even if I could, I would send it to theHavencrest Expressfirst because it would have the most impact.”

“I’ll pretend that didn’t hurt on behalf of all our news broadcasters.”

Skye laughed. “Did you get any information from the legal guy?”

“Nothing except he said it happened two years ago, and it was serious enough that he was there to make veiled threats. I didn’t give in.”

“Very impressive.” She leaned up to brush her lips over mine. “Maybe you should give up law and become a journalist.”

“That would make Noah happy—the giving up the law part. Although he has supported me every step of the way, he’s never held back his views on my decision not to pursue my music.”

“He just wants you to be happy.”

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m happy now.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE“Pompeii” by BastilleSKYE

I went straight to the gym after my shift at the radio station the next day with my heart lighter after reconnecting with Dante. I was still buzzing with the thrill of knowing there was something big behind the story Blake had shared with me. Isla had left that morning on a field trip to see a chemical spill in New York, but I’d sent her multiple messages and received a wide variety of emojis in response.

“Hey, Skye.” Ethan folded his lanky frame onto a nearby weight bench as I did my hammer curls. He was wearing a Havencrest Warriors T-shirt that hugged his muscular body like a glove. “I see you training here every day now. I hope that means you’re planning to give up journalism and come back to playing ball. You were a great player. I think the team made a mistake not giving you another chance.”

“Uh… thanks, Ethan.” I wasn’t sure what that was all about. I hadn’t seen him since I’d blown him off at the bar when Dante had made mincemeat of three guys without breaking a sweat.

“I could put a good word in for you for next season,” he said. “And I’m always here to help out if you need a practice buddy.”

I put my weights back on the rack. “Thanks.”

“Anything for a friend.” He flashed his panty-melting smile. “I just want you to know I’m not the same guy from when we first knew each other.”

“I believe you.” He seemed almost desperate for assurance, andI hadn’t seen anything that would make me think otherwise. “You seemed different when we met at the hot dog stand, and I appreciated you coming out to help that night at the bar.”

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