Page 22 of Flirting With Forever
She shifted her attention away from the gold plaque above the numbered panel and pasted a smile on her face. “Not at all.”
So long as none of the Lachlans were around, that is. Surely none of them would actually be in town, right? At this particular hotel? Her luck couldn’t be that bad, could it?
The elevator doors opened, and as she’d suspected, Haven was as elegant and beautiful as the rest of the massive resort. And the view… The Atlantic sparkled in the evening light of the setting sun, the sky in the west a beautiful blaze of reds and oranges and pinks.
The hostess quickly led them to a table near the wall of glass, and despite the fact Sloane was in her work clothes and casual, she still fit in.
Sloane made a visual sweep of the room but didn’t see any familiar faces. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Her father and the Lachlans went way back as business associates and she’d spent more than a few charity dinners seated across from them, playing hostess after her mother’s death.
A waitress came to get their drink order, and Sloane felt Gage’s gaze on her as she fiddled with the napkin in her lap. Despite only knowing him a matter of days, it was like he could read her, and she wasn’t sure she liked that feeling. It put her off-balance and made her feel— Well, it made her feel a little too seen.
“So, Sloane, are you from North Carolina?” Ana asked. “Raised here? You don’t seem to have an accent, so I’m curious.”
Sloane shifted her attention to the other woman, her mind racing to come up with an acceptable response that wouldn’t urge her to ask more questions. “No. I’m a Midwest girl, but I’ve been a citizen of the road for a while. I consider myself to be from everywhere at this point.”
“I love to travel, but I haven’t done much of it,” Ana said. “I was a single mom for a long time and focused entirely on getting my business going. Where all have you been? Anywhere exciting?”
She realized in that moment that Cole hadn’t shared her entire situation with Ana, and while she appreciated that fact if for no other reason than she didn’t want to be known as the homeless woman, she also felt the pressure to respond. “Lots of places. Each town has its own vibe, you know?”
The waitress returned with their drink order, and Sloane practically melted in relief when the topic shifted to what they wanted to eat. She felt Gage’s steadfast gaze, and her pulse picked up speed even while she reminded herself questions were a normal part of table conversation with strangers.
People were curious as a whole. Just because she had a past she didn’t want to share didn’t mean Ana wouldn’t be interested in Cole’s new employee’s background.
Once the conversation turned to other topics, Sloane found herself compelled to answer Ana’s question. In a low voice, she said, “I lived in Maine for a bit and worked my way down the coast with a few zigs and zags this year until I wound up here. Nothing too exciting.”
“I think it sounds like quite an adventure,” Ana said, her gaze soft and sincere. “Good for you for being brave enough to travel alone. I’m not sure I would be.”
She’d never considered herself brave. Quite the opposite, in fact. Why else would she have spent the last several years on the run? Brave would have meant standing up to her father.
Yeah, she wasn’t brave. If anything, she was a coward because she couldn’t bring herself to take on her family. So she avoided them, and so far, it had worked.
As for traveling, she’d been a homebody before her mother died, but she’d had to conform and embrace the chaos of change. Being sent to a private school, coming home on weekends only. After losing her mother, she’d lost her home. Her family. The biggest betrayal of all, though?
Discovering her father and older siblings weren’t the men she’d believed them to be.
Topics around the table shifted often, and the Blackwell brothers then began discussing the potential hurricane. Their food arrived, and Sloane dug into the best meal she’d eaten since leaving the comfort and security of her father’s affluent lifestyle and having a housekeeper and cook to handle such things.
Before long, she was stuffed full, her sweet tooth satiated, and attention once again shifted to her when their brother, the restaurant owner Elias, and his significant other, Quinley, joined them and another round of introductions were made.
“So where are you staying?” Quinley asked. “Somewhere on the island?”
Awkward silence descended over the table, and Quinley glanced at them, taking it in with a slight frown Ana matched.
“Yeah. I, um, I found a place on the island,” Sloane said, keeping it simple.
“The offseason is good for that. It’s so much easier to find something now than in the summer.”
“It’s temporary,” Sloane murmured. “I won’t be in town long. Just passing through.”
“Sloane got the computer program fixed today, though,” Cole said to the newcomers. “We’re celebrating.”
“They’ve had issues with it for weeks,” Ana stressed. “You really are a miracle worker, Sloane.”
The praise left Sloane smiling and feeling a flush rise into her cheeks. It felt good to succeed. To be useful and do her part. “It was a process, trust me. But fixed now.”
“Just in time for this hurricane,” Cole muttered.
“It’ll change course.” Quinley glanced up at Elias before sliding a look at Cole. “Positive thinking here, guys. We might get some wind and rain, but it’s going to miss us.”
