Page 53 of Promise Me Sunshine

Miles, washing his hands at the sink, turns back to Ainsley. “I wouldn’t sayyelled.”

Ainsley purses her lips. “She called you a delinquent.”

I burst out laughing. “Ah, yes. Badminton. Sure sign of a true delinquent.”

“Maybe we learned that badminton is a park sport,” Miles says. He dries his hands on a dish towel and fully faces the group and, friends, I’m pretty sure this man is pleased as punch.

He catches my eye.Badminton worked!he says to me telepathically.

Badminton totally worked!I agree with my eyes.

Reese yawns loudly, messily, uncharacteristically, and Miles’s eyes dart over to her, his head cocking to one side as he studies her.

“Hey, Miles?” I ask, stepping into his eyeline. “Help me with something? Over here?”

He’s not getting the hint, his eyes still on Reese, so I take it upon myself to plant two hands on his back and force him out of the room.

“What? What?” he demands, swatting me away when I nearly steer him into the door of Reese’s office.

“Okay, so Reese is drunk right now.”

His brow furrows. “Too drunk to take care of Ainsley?”

I snap my fingers. “Listen to me! You just had a great afternoon with Ainsley, right?”

He blinks. “Yes.”

“So don’t get into it with Reese, okay? Don’t ruin it. Just get outta here.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I’m staying late to help out.” My number one goal right now is getting Miles out of here before he has a run-in with Reese.

His brow furrows. “But you’ve been on since this morning. You must be exhausted.”

His eyes are searching my face.

My heart is squeezing.

Reese is so freaking wrong about Miles.

“That’s okay. Ainsley’s bedtime is in an hour. I can do another hour. No biggie.”

“All right. Well, come upstairs before you go. I’ll have some dinner for you.”

“Oh, I already—”

“Miles.”

The two of us jump six inches in the air when Reese appears at the doorway of the office like an unexpected zombie when you thought it was finally over.

Her eyes narrow while she focuses on him. “Miles,” she says again.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry I yelled at you. With the rubber band thing.”

“Oh.” His hands slide into his pockets. “That’s all right. It happens.”

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