Page 72 of Say You Remember Me
I smirked and tapped out a quick reply.
Me: Oh dang. That sucks.
When no answer came from Ian’s side of the door, I frowned and knocked again. Maybe he hadn’t heard me the first time?
But then, there was the sound of footsteps, and a second later, the door swung open.
Ian stood there in a sage-green button-up with short sleeves that fit him perfectly, emphasizing his muscular arms in a way that was almost distracting. My gaze lingered for a second longer than it probably should have, and I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of workout schedule he had to achieve arms like that. He’d paired the shirt with chino shorts and crisp white tennis shoes, the casual outfit somehow managing to look effortlessly polished on him.
His dark hair was slightly tousled, and when his sharp brown eyes met mine, an easy smile tugged at his lips.
“Hey,” he said, his voice warm and inviting. “Ready to go?”
“Yep.” I swallowed, my heart giving a little flutter as I smiled back. “Let’s do this.”
I followed him out of his room, and as we headed to the elevator, I couldn’t help but think that Ian Hastings was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.
And he probably knows it, too.
Which yeah…I really couldn’t blame him if he did.
As soon as the elevator doors slid shut, my phone buzzed again. Leaning back against the wall, I unlocked the screen to read the new message.
Theo: It’s okay. She’s only two and a half, so maybe I’ll wait and try again later.
“Anyone interesting?” Ian asked casually, his eyes flicking to my phone. His tone was light, but there was a curious edge to it.
I glanced up, my lips tugging into a small smile. “It’s Theo.”
“Theo?” Something unreadable flickered in his expression. “What does he want?”
I slipped my phone into my purse. “He was just asking for potty-training tips. Apparently, his daughter has been making things tough on that front.”
Ian chuckled. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a very fun time.”
“It’s not,” I agreed. The elevator arrived, and as we stepped inside, another text buzzed in my purse. I pulled it out slightly to glance at it. It was Theo, asking if my son got into the summer program I’d told him we were hoping he’d get into.
Ian watched me type out my response, then asked, “So, did you give Theo your number at Sloan’s party?”
I shook my head. “No, he must’ve asked Sloan for it recently.”
He nodded, slightly lifting one eyebrow. “Oh, so you haven’t been texting each other all week?”
I tilted my head at him, catching the faintest hint of something in his tone—jealousy, maybe? I bit back a smile. “I thought about giving him my number that night but didn’t.”
Ian’s jaw clenched for half a second, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” he asked, his brow furrowing.
“I was just kidding,” I teased.
He rolled his eyes but then smirked. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Theo’s a great guy. Like we decided that night at the party, he’s not quite as amazing as me, but still a good second choice.”
I laughed. “Looks like you’ve figured a way around that whole ‘We can’t date because I’m your boss’ thing though, haven’t you?”
“You found me out.” His eyes gleamed as he nodded. “I totally planned to tell Margot you were my fiancée as soon as you mentioned her email. I only pretended to panic at the restaurant. See what a good actor I am?”
I shook my head, laughing again as the elevator doors opened. “Well, your acting skills are impressive, I’ll give you that.”
