Page 94 of The Route to You

He held his hands up. “I didn’t say it⁠—”

“Yeah, but I could see it on the tip of your tongue. I know you, Ky. Better than you think.”

He laughed—a real laugh that loosened the pressure in his chest. If there was one thing he’d never doubted it was Liddy’s love and loyalty. She always tried to listen to him. “Hop in the passenger seat. We’ll go to Gus’s.”

And as Liddy moved around to the side of the truck, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed Liddy’s presence. Now he just had to find a way to listen to her advice.

25

SLOAN

Sloan adjusted her shoe, considering going back to her car for a Band-Aid. She’d only been walking around Main Street in Franklin for a couple of hours, but already her feet hurt. The summer air was hotter than she’d like, though, and sweat was dripping down the back of her dress.

She’d started the informal job search by coming downtown, since it was only ten minutes from her new house, mostly to generate some ideas. But with a big gap in her résumé, little work experience, and a mostly useless degree, she appeared more than inadequate—and the managers of the few boutiques she’d dropped into to inquire about a job seemed to agree.

Never mind that she’d been shopping couture for the last seven years. Having a card with a high credit line wasn’t exactly a skill that translated into work.

Sighing, she let her gaze skim the windows of a local sip ‘n’ paint shop. Cheyenne and Sloan had gone to one in Bozeman a few years earlier and had fun—but there was no Cheyenne here in Tennessee. She’d lost contact with most of the “friends” she’d had in high school early in college—not that she’d been that close to them anyway.

She hadn’t needed friends back then. She’d had a boyfriend . And she’d let herself fill all her spare time with him because it was easy and safe.

As her eyes settled on a painting of a garden gnome holding a heart, she smiled wryly. And now I invited that ex-boyfriend to live with me. Which meant she needed to be cautious. Even if they weren’t dating, she was good at taking the easy way out with friendships. Not only was she not great at making friends but her natural introversion also meant she often turned down opportunities for socializing. Or chose silence rather than speaking up for herself.

Which is why Penny was so mad at me for signing that NDA with Evan.

But she was trying to be better at doing the right thing for herself. If she wasn’t careful, she’d isolate herself and let Kyle be her social outlet, simply out of convenience.

She’d done that with Evan, too, after all. Cheyenne had gotten in mostly out of her own efforts, not Sloan’s.

I really should have been a better friend to her.

And that really made her miss Cheyenne’s voice right then. They’d texted a lot since Sloan had left for Nashville, but Sloan had promised to do better at being a real friend. Which meant actually calling, rather than letting texts be sufficient.

Sloan dug in her purse for her phone and called Cheyenne. She picked up on the second ring. “Hey! I was just thinking about you,” Cheyenne said, her voice somehow bright despite the distinct sound of Bryce’s wailing in the background.

“Is this a bad time?” Sloan settled the phone between her ear and shoulder, stepping closer to the paint shop to let a couple with a stroller and a dog pass her.

“Just changing a diaper, so hang on just a few seconds . . . Alllll done.” The wailing stopped abruptly and Cheyenne continued, cooing, “See? You’re a happy boy now, aren’t you? You just weren’t comfortable sitting in all that poo-poo.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t call you when I was eating,” Sloan said dryly.

A laugh sounded on the other side. “You’d be amazed what you learn not to be disgusted by when it’s your own child.” Cheynne cleared her throat. “But he’s a happy baby now. What’s up? How’s life in Nashville . . . and Kyle?”

Sloan smiled at the Cheyenne’s complete inability to hide her pointed curiosity. Apparently, the texts Sloan had answered about him weren’t satisfactory enough. “Good and good. Actually”—she cleared her throat—“he’s going to be my roommate for a little while.”

“Oh my God, are you serious? Did you guys have sex already?”

Leave it to Cheyenne to go there.

Sloan leaned against the window, laughing. “Hundreds of times. About eight to ten years ago.”

“That is not what I meant. I need all the sordid details. My libido is in the trash after having a baby.”

For a few moments, Sloan let her mind wander back to those days when thinking about a sex life with Kyle had been totally acceptable. She lifted her gaze, making sure no one else was around to hear her, and said, “Well, one weekend I think we had sex like twenty times, but⁠—”

“Are you still talking about eight years ago?”

She grinned. “Yes.”