Page 228 of Better When Shared
“Nainai, you can’t run away from this drama!” Skylar yelled after the old woman.
“What was that? I don’t think you need a pet llama?” Hui sprinted for her car and jumped in, zooming off before any of us responded. She was spry for an old lady.
Skylar blinked, then glanced at me with a sigh. “She pretends her hearing is going out when she wants to avoid conflict.”
“Maybe she could avoid conflict by not doing crazy stuff?” I suggested, my lips twitching as I held back a laugh.
Skylar burst out laughing. “We could only hope.”
At the rich, warm, familiar sound of Skylar’s laugh, Kiaan froze, staring at her with an intensity that made me wonder if he remembered to breathe.
Skylar sighed, uncrossing her arms to push her glasses higher on her nose. “Well, you’re both here now. Might as well come in before my grandmother comes up with a new plan. How did she even get your numbers?”
I frowned. “She said you gave them to her.”
Kiaan cursed. “You messaged me in a DM, asking for the info. You said you were going to have your grandmother reach out to us. I’m sorry. I should have been suspicious of all of it.” He groaned and buried his face in his hands.
Skylar went pale. “She was in our DMs? Fuck, I hope she didn’t scroll back to the filthy stuff.”
I cleared my throat. “Wait. You’re also exchanging filthy DMs with Kiaan?”
“Just come inside.” She turned and walked into the cabin.
Kiaan eyed me as he brushed past, following her inside.
I put the tools away and secured the toolbox closed, processing my feelings about the fact that Skylar had been sexting both of us as I finished up the work. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On one hand, it stung, but on the other, more bisexual hand... holy fuck did it give me some hot fantasies.
I turned and carefully opened the door, aware of entering Skylar’s private space. The tiny house was compact but thoughtfully arranged, every inch utilized with the same efficiency she brought to raid planning.
The main living area was dominated by a large sectional sofa in charcoal gray, facing a wall-mounted TV surrounded by gaming consoles I recognized from our conversations. Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with technical manuals, sci-fi novels, and what looked like antique programming books. Another wall was blank, with a few boards leaning there like half-finished projects. A small kitchen occupied one of the far corners, and behind that, a small hallway led off to another space, probably her bedroom.
Everything smelled faintly of coffee and something citrusy—her shampoo, maybe. The scent made my chest tighten with a strange sense of discovery, a sensory knowledge of Skylar I’d never had before.
Kiaan was already moving around the space, examining everything with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store. “Holy shit, is that the limited edition controller I told you about? I can’t believe I’m finally seeing your setup.”
His excited chatter filled the small space as he pointed out gaming equipment, moving from one item to the next without pausing for breath. It was how he got when we raided together—a constant stream of strategy and observations that sometimes overwhelmed the voice chat.
I hung back, watching Skylar’s face as she tracked Kiaan’s movement. Her expression was guarded but not cold—a crease between her eyebrows that I wanted to smooth away with my thumb. When her gaze shifted to the window, I followed it to the repaired porch rail visible through the glass. Something in her posture softened.
“You fixed it,” she said, not quite looking at me.
I shrugged. “It was loose.”
“It’s been loose for months.” Her mouth quirked in what might have been the start of a smile. “Makai kept promising to look at it.”
“Makai?” The name caught in my throat, unexpected and unwelcome.
“My business partner.” She glanced at me then, something unreadable in her expression. “He was the guy I was with outside, with Hamish and Imogen, his... romantic partners.”
The relief that flooded through me was embarrassing in its intensity. Her eyes met mine across the room, and I quirked my lips up in acknowledgment of the strange situation we’d all found ourselves in.
For a moment, something in her expression shifted, the defensive wall lowering enough for me to glimpse the woman I’d spent countless nights talking with, laughing with, confiding in.
She turned to face us both, hands on her hips. “It’s getting late, and there’s a big wedding at the local hotel, the Cannery, so I’m sure they’re booked. Makai’s girlfriend works there, and has been talking about it for weeks.” Her eyes narrowed. “Which is probably a complete coincidence, not a carefully orchestrated scheme on my grandmother’s part.” She didn’t look like she believed what she was saying.
Kiaan stopped his exploration, looking uncertain. “We could drive to Friday Harbor? There must be places there—”
“Not worth trekking all around. You two can crash here tonight, and we’ll figure out the next steps in the morning.”
