Page 187 of The Night Shift
“It’s fine. I’ve got it.”
“Holly.”
“I’mserious.” I keep my focus on the floor, on the dark stain bleeding into the tiles. “You have my permission to go upstairs.”
“Your permission?”
“Go sleep or whatever it is you wanna do. Call Emily. I don’t know.”
His sigh is long-suffering. “Will you just listen to me for a second?”
“You don’t owe me any explanation, it’s totally fine. This is none of my business anyway.”
“What isn’t?”
“This.” I gesture vaguely to the phone in his pocket. “And this —” I point to the space between us. “Whatever, I just don’t like being lied to.”God, what the hell are you even saying?
“Holly.”
“What?” I grip the mop tighter.
He lifts his hand, hovering it near my face. “May I?”
I frown. Then nod.
His palm cups my jaw, thumb brushing just beneath my ear, and my pulse betrays me instantly. His voice is softer now. “Emily is my fourteen-year-old sister.”
For a second, I don’t react. I can hear the echo of my own stupidity bouncing around in my skull. Heat creeps up my neck, burning its way to my ears. Is it possible to actually die from embarrassment? Just combust on the spot and evaporate into thin air? Because that would be ideal.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.” I never pictured him as someone with a sister. From personal experience, people with sisters are usually nicer. More tolerable and less inclined to stalk, intimidate, and generally make my life hell. Theo is none of those things.
“You never asked.” He shrugs. “You just assumed.”
“I didnotassume. You made it sound like —”
“I made it sound exactly like what it was.” He takes the mop back from my hand. “Emily was waiting for my call, and she definitely would be quite terrified if you told her I’m cleaning up human remains. But only because that would mean I have a life outside of work that involves more than just stalking my girl.”
“I am not your girl.” His sister knows about the stalking?
“Sure.”
“You could have just told me instead of playing along.”
“But you’re so cute when you’re jealous.”
“I was not jealous.”
“So, if I did have someone else, you wouldn’t care?”
The mere thought makes me want to stab the mop straight through his chest.
I swallow hard. Theo notices. Because of course, he does.
“Ohhh,” he drawls, eyes practically lighting up. “Youwouldcare.”
“Choke on glass.”
Smiling, Theo drags the mop through the last of the blood.
