Page 74 of Stirring Up Trouble
Bree’s toffee-colored eyes sparked, despite what looked like her best effort to appear bored. “You throwing in dinner?”
Gavin helped Sloane clear the remaining tiles, pretending to think about it. “Possibly. What do you say?”
“Okay, but can we take your car? I mean, the Fiat’s cooler, but the backseat is nonexistent.”
Sloane’s head snapped up in perfect unison with his, and Bree split her look of confusion between the two of them. “Youarecoming too, right?” she asked Sloane, who was suddenly very absorbed in tidying up.
“Oh, um. Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude on you guys spending time together or anything.”
Man, she had a hell of a game face. If he hadn’t spent just about every waking, non-working hour with her over the course of the last week, he’d probably miss her just-too-tight smile or the fact that her hands were moving a hair faster than usual.
“But you’re always here anyway,” Bree said, both hopeful and matter-of-fact. “And if you come, it won’t be intruding. It’ll be fun.” She stopped, looking at Gavin for either confirmation or assistance. “Right?”
He didn’t hesitate. “You do kind of have the market cornered on fun, Sloane. What do you say? You want to blow your evening off with us?”
A slow smile, this one genuine, spread across Sloane’s pretty face, and whoa, did he feel it right in his gut.
“What can I say? You twisted my arm.” She nudged him ever so slightly with one curvy hip as she moved past him toward the hall closet for her coat, and he couldn’t help but send a grin in her wake. He was turning to get his keys when Bree leveled him with a question from square out in left field.
“So, when are you guys going to tell me what’s going on between you?”
Her words hit Gavin with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and he nearly tripped on his way across the living room floor.
“Uh, what?” He winced at the ineloquence of his answer, but under the circumstances, he was damned lucky to have been able to manage even that. He’d struggled all week with what to say to Bree about him and Sloane, but in the end, he’d had to settle for staying mum.
After all, he was pretty sureI tend to ruin personal relationships when things get emotional, but I’m crazy about your babysitterwas going to sound ridiculous. Even though it hit the nail on the head.
Bree bit her lip, but her expression betrayed her rampant curiosity. “Sorry. But you guys are kind of obvious.”
Gavin clutched. “Obvious?” he finally croaked, and yeah, he was stalling, but it couldn’t be helped. Christ, what had she overheard this time? And more importantly, how on earth was he going to explain his way out of it?
“Well, yeah,” Bree said on a shrug. “You look at each other all weird and stuff. Like youlikeeach other.”
“Are you okay with that?” Sloane’s voice, so simple and matter-of-fact, snagged him out of his stupor long enough for him to be grateful she’d intervened.
Bree shot a startled look at Sloane. “What do you mean?”
“I mean what I said. Are you okay with us looking at each other like that?”
Bree’s honey-brown brows knit together in confusion. “But what I think doesn’t matter.”
Gavin dug deep and found his voice. “Sure, it does.” He took a step forward at the same moment Sloane moved back, and he found himself caught between gratitude and wonder that she’d been able to peg just the right thing to say to ease him into the conversation.
He took a deep breath. “Look, I’m not saying you get the only vote here, but Sloane’s right. What you think does matter.”
“Oh.” Bree shifted her weight from one scuffed boot to the other, transferring her gaze from his to Sloane’s. “So, you guys do like each other, right? I mean,likelike? The way grown-ups do?” She twirled a finger, encompassing him and Sloane in an imaginary circle.
He gave a careful nod. “You could call it that. Yeah.” Until now, whatever was going on between him and Sloane had felt too good to pin down with words and labels, but Bree’s thirteen-year-old interpretation seemed about as good as any. As afraid as he was that he’d screw things up by getting involved with Sloane, Gavin couldn’t deny the truth.
He wanted her. Even enough to risk his emotions.
Sloane’s nod reinforced his words, digging him in deeper. She said, “I think that’s a fair assessment.”
Bree heaved a sigh, but her lips twitched upward, betraying her efforts. “Okay. But could you guys try not to do anything gross, like kiss in front of me and stuff? The faces are bad enough.”
Gavin’s gut tightened as he anticipated the awkward admission that yes, he and Sloane would be kissing, andhellyes, they’d do their best to keep it under wraps, but Sloane’s rich laughter canceled out his unease.
“I’m sure we can manage that. For the sake of not embarrassing you, and all.” Sloane lifted her eyes to meet his, all blue and sparkling and so damned beautiful. “Don’t you think?” she asked, a smile as delicate and boldly sweet as spun sugar on her mouth.