Page 23 of Skate the Line

She doesn’t even work for me yet, and she’s already aggravating me with the little teasing evident in her tone.

So what if I like punctuality?

Sunny bends and grabs the handle of her suitcase. I raise an eyebrow when I eye the Art Institute sticker on the side.

“Do you attend the Art Institute?” I blurt. “If you’re attending college while also nannying, that may be an issue. My schedule is unpredictable and?—”

A playful scoff leaves her. “You’re underestimating me, Mr. Volkova.” Her flirty eye roll irks me. “But no, I don’t attend the school.”

I watch her turn and say nothing as she moves to leave. Her suitcase thuds with each descent of the concrete steps. Before Itwist the lock, I pull the door open farther slightly and call down to her sitting on the last step.

“Sunny?”

She glances at me over her shoulder. The moon shines a ghostly glow over her face, and although the light paints her in a cool color, there’s still so much warmth to her.“Yes?”

I clear my throat. “Thanks.”

There.

I said it.

A little twinkle gleams in her eye, and it annoys me. “See you tomorrow,” she quips.

The door latches, but I keep it unlocked and stay within eyesight until she springs to her feet at the sound of a car pulling down the street. Once she hands off her suitcase and climbs inside the Uber, I head right to bed.

Eleven

SUNNY

His house is even moreextravagant in the daylight. The neighborhood is very Chicago-like with tall homes and cars parked along the road, but the bustling of the city is far enough in the distance that it feels secluded.

I check my phone, ignoring the exclamation points from Ruby.

It’s 10:01.

I bite the inside of my cheek. It's practically raw. I raise my fist to knockagain.

Disappointment washes over me when there is no answer.

A car door slams, and I quickly spin around. I’m on edge, and I wish seeing Rhodes round the front of his truck would calm me, but it does the opposite.

God.

Even if I wanted to appear cool and relaxed and pretend I’m unbothered by his one-minute-late arrival, I wouldn’t be able to. His very presence demands attention, and I can’t look away. With an authoritative chip on his shoulder and edgy jaw, I’m drawn to him like a magnet.

The lock of his truck pulls me back to reality, and I pop up from resting along the ironclad porch railing that I unknowingly leaned against when he started to head my way.

I pull my shoulders back and act professional. “Good morning.”

Rhodes glances at me and nods. He is sporting those black sunglasses again, which makes it impossible to gauge his mood. He unlocks the door and heads inside. I follow after him but keep a far enough distance in case he stops abruptly.

Before I get too far, I bend down to untie my shoes.

I stand slowly, and a rush of heat brushes against my skin. My new boss is eyeing me very closely, and he’s now without his sunglasses. The longer he watches me slip my shoes off, the harder my heart beats.

Why does he make me flustered?

“You don’t have to take your shoes off,” he notes. “The place isn’t necessarily…clean.”

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