Page 4 of Sin Bin Daddies
“Shit,” I whisper, kicking at the curb. “I can’t fucking be here anymore.” How the hell am I supposed to go back to work on Monday like nothing happened?
“Don’t,” Logan says simply.
I blink. “What?”
“Come to Miami.”
I laugh because it’s ridiculous. “Logan?—”
“Take a sabbatical. Crash with us for a while. It’ll be good for you.”
I shake my head, wiping my face again.A sabbatical? Leave Boston, leave my house? Can I really do this?“I don’t wanna be a bother.”
“You’re never a bother, Madeline.” Logan’s voice is gentle, certain. “Come to Miami.”
Henry grumbles something I don’t catch, but then sighs.
“Yeah,” he says. “Fuck Boston. Come here.”
I suck in a breath and stare up at the sky.
A few months away. Away from Ethan. Away from the lab. Away from everything.
Can I really leave my job for that long? What if something happens? What if I regret this? What if they replace me?
But what is the alternative? Face Ethan and his new girlfriend… is she even his girlfriend? I want to cry.
I need a breather. I need to leave.
“Okay,” I whisper. “I’ll come.”
A few hours later, I zip my last suitcase shut and glance at the clock. Four hours until my flight.
I exhale, long and shaky, then pull out my laptop.
New Email
To: HR Department, Boston Marine Biology Institute
Subject: Request for Sabbatical
I type fast, explaining that I’m taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. No details. No drama. Just enough to get me the hell out.
I hit send and immediately get a call.
Ethan.
The phone keeps ringing, but I make no attempt to answer. He’s had plenty of time to reach out to me to apologize, or at least try to make arrangements for work, but no. He expected me to just forgive his betrayal and go on like nothing happened.
A voicemail follows. I delete it without listening.
The moment I step off the plane, warm, sticky air wraps around me, thick with ocean salt and the faintest hint of sunscreen.
And then?—
“Maddie!”
I barely turn before I’m tackled into a bear hug, Henry squeezing me like he’s trying to fix my broken pieces with brute force.
