Page 73 of Sharing Shadow Secrets
Phone in hand, I head to the back door, trying to breathe through the tightness in my chest. The place looks great. The playlist is set. But my brain won’t stop cycling through everything that could still go wrong—and the executed contract that hasn’t landed in my inbox. The work day is over. Now it’ll be Monday at the earliest. I sigh, frustrated that Brandon and I won’t be official this weekend.
I refresh my email one more time like something might magically appear in the next three seconds. Nothing. I tap the screen off and look out the door’s window. My heart jumps.
Kyle pulls up in an old, silver sedan, and even through the windshield, I catch the sharp line of his jaw. He’s stupidly hot. As he steps out in jeans and a black T-shirt that clings to his chest, I can’t help but think,Damn. No effort, just sex appeal.
“Need any help?” I ask, pushing the door open.
He shuts the driver’s side door and turns toward me, pausing. His gaze sweeps over me—taking me in, head to toe. When his eyes meet mine again, I stare. It’s a lingering stare that’s been going on for too long. My skin goes warm, feeling an energy building between us before I look down, breaking our eye contact.
“Girl Taylor is shorter than I was anticipating,” he says teasingly.
My brain fumbles. “Need any help?” I repeat and then feel so weird that I just asked the same question again. But I don’t know what to make of the chemistry between us.
He pops the back door open and pulls out a small handheld steamer. “Can you carry this? I got everything else.”
“What do you need it for?”
“The cape. It wrinkles easily.”
Duh.Why is your brain short circuiting?
“Also, if you want to use the steamer for the backdrop, feel free,” he says with a smile.
“Already done,” I say, taking the handle. “But thanks.”
As we walk into High Five, I feel his gaze brush over me again. Slower this time. I’m so confused about what’s going on. He can’t be into me. Can he?
47
Girl Taylor has an ass,I think, walking behind her into High Five. Her super short white nurse’s dress is hugging it. She opens a door and motions me through and into an office. It’s all wood and smells like the High Five I remember—old like your grandma’s house with the faint smell of spilled beer.
“This is your green room,” she says, gesturing around. I spot a desk, chairs, plus some purses and bags set against the walls. Her voice is soft and sweet, cuter than I was anticipating. “Everyone is keeping their personal belongings in here tonight too.”
“Cool,” I say and try not to stare at her cleavage.
After this event, she won’t be my boss. She was single last I heard, not that I’m looking for anything serious, but I’d love to talk to her about more than my costume. After this, I want to ask her out.
“This might be the longest my hair has ever been,” I say into the silence. “You told me not to cut it three days before my appointment.” I run my hand through my black hair. “I brought gel … Do you want it to be slicked back like Dracula or just how it is?”
“I like it how it is,” she says with a big smile.
“Maybe I’ll keep it then.” I smile back, staring into her blue eyes. “And great wig.”
There’s something about a wig that makes a girl sexier. Like the alter ego of it all. While Taylor seems like she’s always confident, this costume choice screamsI’m sexy and I know it. I wonder if she’s a good girl or a bad girl. Like would she go home with someone she just met … Not that I have any place to take her. I’d rather go home alone than try to sneak a girl into my parents’ house. The thought almost makes me laugh.
“Thanks,” Taylor says, holding my gaze. “Well, I’ll let you get changed. And don’t leave this room until I come and get you.”
“You got it, boss.”
She giggles, then looks at her phone. “Do you want me to bring you water or something?”
“Water would be great, thanks,” I say, pulling off my shirt. Her eyes flick down, checking me out, and yeah, I intentionally did that to see if she was interested, and by the new color of her cheeks, I think she is.
48
Iloudly exhale, exiting Nicholas’s office, replaying every word Kyle just said. While he didn’t say that much, his body language, the vibe.He’s flirting with me.Or do I just wish that? I mean, I am the definition of sexual frustration right now. It’s been forever …
“Claire!” I say, excited, seeing her in a firefighter jumpsuit with a sash that saysMrs. August. “What is your sash referencing?”
