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“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’m an idiot, and I got so excited and wasn’t thinking. It won’t happen again.”
I dip my hand into the pocket of his jeans and pull him closer to me. “On that note, you do know that you don’t need to follow all my social media and subscribe to my OnlyVans page anymore. If we’re really doing this crazy version of long distance, we can have real videos—you know, with our faces? How else are you going to check in on your best friend, Octavius?”
A low sound works its way up his chest. “I like the sound of that, but we should probably stop talking about this right now. I really don’t want to have to hide an erection in the diner booth with my family.”
“Hmm.” I tap a finger to my lips. “Torturing you sounds pretty fun though. Maybe that will be your punishment for posting that.”
He groans. “Please, no. You can punish me later.”
“I will keep that in mind,” I say, tugging his wrist toward the door of the diner. “The sooner we get dinner over with, the sooner we can put that shower of yours to use again.”
He follows me inside and both of us look around when we see the Sterlings’ usual booth—completely empty.
“Weren’t they supposed to be here already?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says, skeptically dragging out the word. “Again, Sisi might not be big on schedules, but Mom and Dad are pretty big on punctuality.”
He reaches into his pocket and presumably checks his phone. “No messages or calls.”
I look over toward the register and spot Riley. “Have you seen Sisi, or Eddie and Lynn?”
“Nope, I haven’t seen or heard from them,” she says, drying a coffee mug with a towel. “Then again, no one tells me anything around this town.”
“Well, consider yourself lucky not to be roped into all the small town drama,” Sly grumbles. “If you aren’t careful, Mrs. Johansson will trap you with one of her retellings of how she didn’t see that pothole coming.”
Riley hums in amusement. “Yeah, I might not be from here, but I get the feeling this little town has as much drama as my hometown.”
“Hey.” I squeeze Sly’s hand and get his attention. “I know we could wait here, but we’ve been driving all day. Let’s walk over to the motel. Sisi’s probably still over there.”
“Yeah, she was going on about how she wanted to change the layout in one of the last rooms that needs to be remodeled the other day.” He turns and dips his chin to Riley. “If we’re not back for dinner, I guess I’ll see you in the morning for coffee.”
She smirks at him. “Sounds like it’s going to be a two-coffee morning for you either way.”
We head back out the door and across the street toward The Silver Peak, not even bothering to go down to the crosswalk because there’s never any traffic in Sterling Springs. I take the moment to admire Sly’s profile against the setting sun in the distance as we hold hands.
His eyes are focused on the entrance to the motel while I make a note to myself that this level of stubble is the perfect amount of facial hair for him—not quite a beard but a bit grown out after the long weekend at the festival without shaving. Just thin enough to reveal those dimples and his charming boyish side that I remember, but rugged enough to highlight the muscles in his jaw and his natural masculine features.
More than anything, I can’t ignore the sense of stability that I feel around him. Maybe I am making the right decision by opening myself up to some sort of calming influence in my life. I get lost in that idea, and him, and nearly stumble over the curb when we reach the other side of the street.
He grabs my hand and pulls me to him before I fall onto the sidewalk. “You okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve never been better.”
The look he gives me is unconvincing as I steady myself, before gesturing to the door of the lobby. “Well, we’re here.” He steps toward the door and holds it open for me.
“Such a gentleman,” I tease, flicking my brows at him. “Thank you, sir.”
“It’s just a door. And don’t thank me yet. Remember, we’re looking for my family so I can subject you to an evening of dinner with them.”
“Fair enough.” I walk past him into the lobby, but not before flashing him a playful smirk.
No one is at the desk, so I ring the bell, doing my best impersonation of Grace arriving here only a couple of weeks ago. A minute later, Cat emerges from the office, not even bothering to lift her eyes from her phone. “Can I help you?”
Sly sighs. “Cat, do you ever actually do your job?”
She finally looks up and rolls her eyes. “Um, yes, cousin dearest? I came out here after the bell rang, didn’t I?”
“Where’s Sisi? She wasn’t at the diner for family dinner, and neither were my parents.”
