Page 27 of Say You Remember Me
Which just made their smirks even bigger since they were clearly enjoying the fact that I was hung up on someone I couldn’t touch.
Man, I really should’ve stayed home tonight.
I walked into Sloan’s kitchen, carefully balancing a few wine glasses in my hands after most of her guests had said their goodbyes.
Yep, even though I probably should’ve left the party two hours ago, somehow I stayed until the very end and was now even helping with the cleanup.
“Ian, you really don’t need to help,” Sloan said, glancing up from the charcuterie tray she was currently drying off with a towel. “I know you’ve got work early in the morning.”
“It’s fine,” I said, stepping beside her to set the glasses near the sink. “Just because you hosted doesn’t mean you need to be left with all the work.”
Wow, I was really leaning into this domestic role tonight, wasn’t I? Usually, I had staff to handle post-party cleanups for me, but after seeing Theo help put away the table and chairs, I’d apparently decided to turn over a new leaf.
And even now, ten minutes after Theo and everyone else had left the party, I was still here, trying to play the better man.
Because I liked to help my friends… And definitely not because I was hoping to catch another glimpse of my cute assistant before heading out.
“Okay,” Sloan said, a grateful smile lifting her lips. “If you really don’t mind helping, I’d appreciate it if you could use those tall genetics of yours and put this in the cupboard above my fridge.”
“Of course,” I said, grateful for the excuse to linger longer. So when she handed me the long, rectangular board, I opened the cupboard she’d indicated to stow it. “How did you get this out in the first place?” I asked when I’d completed the task, glancing at Sloan who stood nearly a foot shorter than me.
“Um…” She made a face like it should’ve been obvious. “Us non-tall folk have these weird contraptions called stools to reach the places you giants take for granted.”
“Us giants?” I chuckled. “You make it sound like I’m freakishly tall.”
“Aren’t you, like, six-two?”
“Six-three,” I corrected, fighting a smile.
“Yeah, well, even if that’s the average height for the men in your close circle, that’s still pretty tall to us regular humans,” she teased.
“I guess you’re right.” I closed the cupboard and checked my watch. It was nearly eleven.
Where was Maddie? Had she fallen asleep when she’d gone upstairs to tuck her son in? She’d disappeared up there almost an hour ago.
I sighed. Maybe I should head home. Staying any longer would only make it extremely obvious that I was just trying to steal another conversation with Maddie.
I was just about to reach for my keys in my pocket and call it a night when the creak of footsteps sounded on the floor above.
Is she still awake after all?I wondered, my heart kicking up.
And so, even though I knew I was probably making my intentions really obvious, I glanced over to the wine glasses I’d left on the counter and asked Sloan, “Where do you keep the dish soap? I’ll hand-wash those glasses for you.”
Had I ever hand-washed a dish in my life before?
No… But it couldn’t be that hard, could it?
Sloan chuckled. “You really don’t have to do that. I can toss them in the dishwasher tomorrow.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, moving toward the sink to make my point. “Besides, there’s nothing better than waking up to a clean kitchen, right?”
“I suppose there isn’t.” Her lips quirked up into a half-smile, like she could see right through me. “All right, the soap and sponge are under the sink.”
I was just reaching for the sponge when I heard another soft creak, this time on the stairs.
She’s coming down after all.
Anticipation thrummed in my veins, and I straightened a little too quickly.
