Page 48 of Flirting With Forever
“Well, she’s living in your house, and you’re working together, so you’re spending a lot of time together. Plus, you’re both single—and rumor has it you were seen about town eating dinner together. Word gets out.”
“I suppose it does.” Especially on an island.
“So? Why isn’t she here?”
“She had a headache.”
“Uh-huh. What’s the real reason? Because according to Ana, Sloane told Cole she would be here. What changed?”
He searched the peep of sea as though it held the answers. “I messed up. Pressured her.”
“To come here?” Mia asked.
He winced and shrugged. “Not exactly. I made the pie-baking thing into a contest and said… I said if I won, she had to stay on through New Years Eve.”
“I see.”
Gage turned to look down at his sister-in-law. “We haven’t hired anyone else yet. She said she’d stay and train the new person.”
His quick excuse brought out a hint of a smile. “Yeah, but have you even looked for someone else to hire?” This time, she outright laughed at whatever she saw on his face. “That’s what I thought. You haven’t done it or asked Cole to because you think she’ll stay longer if you don’t.”
“We’ve been busy.”
“Oh, be honest, Gage. You want to keep her. Like a stray puppy.” She took a bite of pie and closed her eyes in blissful foodie-ness. “Mmm. This is delicious.”
He gripped the railing tighter. That was Sloane’s pie. “I like her. Even though she makes me crazy because she’s so…closed off.”
“Some women are private. You can’t fault her for not opening up to her boss. It has to be awkward, you know? Like how awkward I felt living with Alec when I first brought Willa to town to meet her father,” she said before taking another bite.
“It’s more than that. It’s— She might be in danger, but she won’t talk about her family or her past. She doesn’t trust me.”
“Trust takes time. Do you really think she’s in danger?” Mia’s face filled with worry, the pie forgotten on the plate.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I just want her to talk to me, even if it’s as an employee.”
“Would you really be happy with that?”
He debated his answer and shifted uncomfortably. “It wouldn’t be my preference, but…yeah, if that’s all it can be. If Ky had a problem, we’d all want to help, right?” He referred to Alec’s assistant manager. “Sloane’s no different.”
“Oh, I think she’s different,” Mia said in a teasing tone. “I’m betting you haven’t kissed Ky.”
“Can nothing in this family be private,” he muttered.
“I think you know the answer to that,” she said before sobering. “Gage, I get what you’re saying, but we can all see how you feel about Sloane.”
“You can?”
“Yeah. So be honest with yourself. Maybe Sloane doesn’t trust you because you haven’t confided in her? Why do men expect women to do all the heavy lifting? If you want a woman to feel secure, you have to provide that security. It’s pretty simple if you think about it.”
Gage exhaled and tried to wrap his brain around that bit of news. “Fine. But how can I confide in her when she’s always ready to walk out the door? I mention her staying, and she claims I have control issues.”
Mia leaned her head back and laughed at his words.
“Sorry,” she said, taking in his expression. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to— Oh, Gage, come on. You do have control issues. I might be relatively new to the family, but trust me when I say, as one control freak to another, you do.”
Sometimes family could be the voice of truth, whether it was welcome or not. Still, it took him several long moments to process his “truth.” And more to search for a response.
“You know how Alec and I came to be,” she said, referencing the fact she’d shown up on Alec’s doorstep with his daughter by Mia’s sister. “I wanted to do what was best for Willa, but I hated my feelings for Alec. It was odd and weird and… Well, you understand what I’m saying.”
