Page 68 of Blacklist

“No, we didn’t,” he agrees.

“So, we’ll start over. I’m Adair MacLaine. Nice to meet you.” I stick my hand out.

He drops his fork on the counter and takes my outstretched hand. His skin is warm and his grip is so strong it feels like he could crush mine if he only decided to squeeze. Despite that, for some reason, I don’t want to let it go.

“Sterling Ford,” he says.

“Friends?”

“Sure,” he says, but he doesn’t quite seem certain about this. Before I can call him on it, there’s an earsplitting shriek outside. He turns toward the sound, alarm on his face.

“Poppy and Kai are swimming. It’s probably a little cold,” I explain, actually a bit relieved to remember I’m not alone with him here.

“They’re swimming in October?”

“Well, the pool has a heater.” I’m not sure what to talk about with him. Now that I’ve gotten the uncomfortable thank you out-of-the-way and we both agreed to give each other another chance, I have to find a way to forget all the ugliness that’s occurred between us. I decide to focus on what he did for me. “You didn’t have to sleep on the floor.”

“I wasn’t going to sleep in the bed with you.” He sees the look on my face and quickly adds, “I didn’t want to freak you out.”

“You could’ve slept in one of the other rooms.” The pool house has three bedrooms and a living area. It isn’t like the floor was his only option.

“And leave you there like that? I wanted to make sure that you were okay. It wasn’t safe to leave you there alone.”

Now I definitely feel like a bitch. Sterling Ford might not be a traditional knight in shining armor. Nope. His armor is tarnished and his attitude is just as bad, but he’s my savior nonetheless.

“And thank you,” I say quietly, “for driving me to the hospital that night. I was terrible to you.”

“I think it was understandable, given the circumstances.”

“Not really.” I shake my head. “I felt helpless.”

“We all do stupid shit when we feel powerless.” There’s not a note of judgment in his voice for once.

I hate that he’s right. I nod, still feeling ashamed.

“I’m really sorry about your mom. You okay?”

“I think so. Thanks,” I say, my mouth going dry. “I miss her. You know…that’s the first time I’ve said that out loud. Everyone’s avoiding the topic. I think they want to help me move on.”

“You don’t move on from that.” He hesitates for a second. “My mom died a couple years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” I say. And I am. I know how much it hurts. I know it can’t be undone. That’s why he came to the funeral. It wasn’t out of some perverse curiosity. He came because we were in this together. Most of my friends have lost parents to divorces. They think they understand. Sterling and I share a bond that neither of us want.

“You sure they’re swimming and not murdering each other?” he says, changing the subject as the sound outside grows louder.

I’m grateful for the segue. We head out the French doors to find my friends splashing each other in their underwear.

“Well, this is something.” Sterling smirks.

“They look like little kids,” I say.

“They look like they’re having fun,” he says.

“Want to join them?” It’s the wrong thing to ask, because I barely have time to process Sterling’s arm wrapping around my waist before he throws me, fully dressed, into the pool. I come up, spluttering, just in time to see him do a cannonball in after me. Poppy and Kai shout their approval at this turn of events.

“I can’t believe you did that,” I scream, peeling wet hair from my face.

“Oh shit!” Poppy looks from him to me.