Page 134 of Release Me

“Please don’t tell him. Or the others. At least not until the season’s over. They can all quit on me then. I deserve it.”

He purses his lips. “I won’t, but I can’t control what Cody does.”

“Yeah, he’s a problem,” I agree. For another day.

“What up!” Will says by way of greeting, slapping Jeremy’s hand in a friendly fashion. “How’d the day go?”

“Oh, you know.” Jeremy’s eyes shoot to me. “The usual.”

Will frowns at the empty drink trough in my boat. “Where’s all the ice?”

“My cruise got cut short, so I had time to clean up.”

“You could have called me to come early. Oh well, I’ve got it from here.” He hops ontoTiki Twoand gets to work. “See you later, boss.”

“See you at the bonfire.” If he hasn’t learned of my crimes by then.

My back’s to him when he calls out, “Hey, meant to say earlier, that suit looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” Jeremy calls back, his easy nature sliding back in.

“No, notyou…” Will shakes his head, his face flushed with embarrassment.

I wink at him, a silent thanks. “Have a good night.” Jeremy and I head for the stairs, and the momentary levity vanishes.

“Are you mad?” I ask.

“Yeah, Sloane. I am, actually.”

His admission feels like a slap across my cheek. Jeremy is one of the happiest and most conscientious guys I’ve ever met. It’s like disappointing Gigi. Worse. “I get why you did it. It’s just … I was never trying to screw you or the Sea Witch over.”

“I know that. That’s why I wouldn’t let Ronan ax you. Itold him to leave you there. He’s the one who came up with the two-days-a-week thing, figuring you could do both. And he said he’d push for you to get hired on full time at the end of the season. But he wouldn’t have done any of that without me interfering.” I can rope Skye and Ronan into my scheme all I want, but at the end of the day, this is all on me.

“So, that guy on the cruise today is a director at Wolf Hotels?”

“Yup.”

“He was seconds away from bashing in Cody’s face.”

I recall that moment, right after Cody called me a bitch, and Ronan calmly lifted Ryan into a chair like she was a small child. There was pure murder on his face as he jumped into the water. But then Connor called, and in an instant, his priority shifted to his injured friends. It’s commendable. Sexy, actually.

Still, I would have enjoyed seeing Cody knocked unconscious.

“So, what’s going on with you two?” Jeremy asks as we reach the stairs.

“Nothing.”

“You sure about that?” He smiles, like he knows more than he’s letting on.

A wave of mortification washes over me as I start climbing. “I’m sure.”

Absolutely nothing anymore.

RONAN:

Doc says Katie’s ankle isn’t broken. Bad sprain, though. She’s on crutches. Getting her home will be a treat.

My thumb floatsover my keyboard, stalling on a suitableanswer. And I feel that familiar pull. It’s like gravity, forcing me to move in one direction: toward Ronan.

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