Page 35 of For the Record
The tip of McCoy’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, but Sawyer forced herself not to lower her gaze at the action.Send her on her way.“Okay, well, I’m here in any capacity you want me to be.”
Sawyer swallowed, her throat suddenly parched. Images of kissing McCoy and more teased the edges of her mind. The memory of those solid shoulders beneath her grip increased the temperature in the room by several degrees. Sawyer’s cheekswere hot as she muttered, “My employees don’t bring me flowers and certainly not the largest bouquet money can buy. It tends to blur lines.”
There was no mistaking the disappointment that flashed in McCoy’s eyes, but Sawyer held her ground. Not blurring the boundaries between boss and employee any more than they had already was for the best.
“Right. Again, I’m sorry.” McCoy's lips tightened, and she started to stand.
“Wait, I don’t mean—” Sawyer let out a breath, grimacing when the exhalation hurt her ribs.I just want to look at you a bit more.The thought was there, the tremulous feelings she now got when McCoy was nearby, but of course she couldn’t voice them. It’d be more than inappropriate. It would show another shard of vulnerability Sawyer couldn’t afford to offer up. “Please don’t leave just yet.”
“Okay.” McCoy flashed her a tentative smile before settling into the chair again. She had a vibe about her that Sawyer didn’t think she’d ever tire from. Today, she was the perfect balance between rugged and soft, and her exposed throat was like a homing beacon for Sawyer. Like a mouth-watering morsel Sawyer was dying to taste. And those dimples when she smiled …
“Tell me more about your sister. Is she older? Younger?”
“Random, but okay.” McCoy let out a soft chuckle, resting her elbows on Sawyer’s mattress. She hooked her fingers together, her thumb rings tugging at Sawyer’s attention for some ungodly reason. “We’re twins but I’m technically ten minutes older.”
“Identical?” Sawyer managed, proud she was able to keep her tone neutral. Again, she swallowed. God there really were two McCoys walking around Vancouver. She could just imagine the path of broken hearts left in their wake.
“Yep. Well, I mean, we don’t look exactly alike anymore. Sloane is a lot more femme. She even wears heels sometimes—can you believe that? Definitely not like me.”
McCoy was rambling, but somehow in the last few months, her nerves around Sawyer had become more charming instead of annoying. When had that happened? A feminine version of McCoy flaunting around in a dress and heels stuck in Sawyer’s head, and a sleepy laugh popped out. She didn’t know who was more surprised. McCoy, if her million-dollar wide grin was any indication. Her dimples were entirely too distracting, and the way she was looking at Sawyer had her wishing they’d kiss already. Just put Sawyer out of her misery.
“Unique names you both have.”
McCoy glanced away, giving Sawyer a clear view of her tantalizing throat bobbing up and down as she swallowed. “My mom insisted they name us after we were born, but … she died giving birth.” McCoy gazed at Sawyer, a sad smile appearing. Sawyer’s heart twisted. “My dad named us—me, after his favorite motorcycle driver, and Sloane was my mom’s maiden name.”
“Oh. Well, he did a good job,” Sawyer managed, an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up in her throat.Send her on her way.She needed to backtrack. Their conversation was getting too friendly, too far out of Sawyer’s comfort zone.
Thankfully, Bree chose that moment to return. Sawyer sighed, grateful when the conversation shifted to Bree and McCoy soon after, and she finally dozed off.
Chapter 18
McCoy
Coy zipped down throughthe narrow trail affectionately named Fred, her complete focus on the wooden ramp approaching lightning fast. She bucked her knees for impact, moving her body with her bike as she went. There were a lot of roots and rocks to go over on Fred, and it happened so quickly, there wasn’t a window big enough for mistakes. Fred wasn’t the most challenging trail she’d ridden, but this section of Diamondhead in Squamish was certainly one of her favorites in B.C.
She could hear Sloane behind her, singing Fletcher’s latest song at the top of her breathless lungs. They were missing J.D. today, but it was always nice to get some time in with just Sloane. Between Coy’s work and Sloane’s, as well as her sister training for the upcoming bike race, their time together had been sparse the past month or so.
They finished Fred and biked their way into Tinder, a shorter trail leading out of the woods. It connected Fred to Your Mom, which was another fun trail for Coy to enjoy. Your Mom took her and Sloane back into the woods, and Coy came close to elbowing one of the trees so close to the trail’s path. She gritted her teeth, bending her knees and angling her body as her bike took a few sharp curves before coming to another wooden ramp.
“Having fun yet?” Sloane called out once they’d reached the beginning of Alice Lake trail.
“Hell yeah!” Coy shouted back with a grin. She led the way onward to Alice Lake’s Treasure Trail, one of the more grueling trails they would face today. When they were younger, it had taken a long time for Sloane to even go down the steep descents. “Remember, just stick your ass back off the saddle,” she added, guiding her bike down the first boulder. From there, it was a blur of forest beauty and tight maneuvers. With its treacherous wooden ramps and slopes steep enough to make you feel like you would tip the bike over, Treasure Trail wasn’t for the faint of heart.
“Dude,” Sloane exclaimed, high-fiving Coy as soon as they’d gotten off of Treasure Trail. “You flew off that last ledge like a pro. Seriously, I had to brake just before because the granite is fucking gnarly, but not you.”
Coy smiled, glancing up at the GoPro camera attached to Sloane’s helmet. “Were you recording?”
“Of course. We’ll need it for this week’s post.”
They started biking toward Boney Elbows, enjoying the break, especially after that last trail. “Did you have a chance to look over the last footage at the shop yet?”
Sloane nodded. “Yesterday. It needs a bit of editing. I can work on it tomorrow.”
“Cool, thanks.”
Coy didn’t know what she’d do without Sloane. There certainly wouldn’t be aSloane & McCoysocial media presence with such a huge following. It worked out well for them because Sloane hated being in front of the camera, and Coy wasn’t skilled with the behind-the-scenes stuff. Their followers went bonkers the rare times Sloane accompanied Coy in a video, like she was a guest celebrity. Their videos always went viral then, which was odd. Usually, they were just fooling around, being silly, perhaps mixing cocktails or trying to make a recipe from one of their favorite cookbooks. Sometimes, Coy liked to throw together strange concoctions that their viewers would suggest she try, and then she’d rate how edible it was after.
Coy checked her watch. It was almost noon. “Break at our usual spot?”