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It was more than he’d said about taking care of Bree since their mother had died, and as soon as he heard the words, he wished for them back.
“Your mother passed away recently?” Sloane’s long fingers migrated up her breastbone, splaying in a gentle arc as she pressed them over her chest, and the gesture caught Gavin’s attention enough to fumble through an answer.
He nodded. “Ten months ago. She had cancer. But I’d appreciate it if—”
“I’ll do it.”
“You’ll…what?”
Sloane’s hand lowered in an abrupt drop, her hair framing her face in a shadowy fringe that rendered her eyes unreadable. “What can I say? You wore me down, and I really could use the cash.”
A strange sensation Gavin couldn’t quite pin with a name flooded his chest. “Thank you.”
She laughed, tossing her bangs from her face to reveal an expression that was all business. “Don’t thank me yet. I’ll make sure she catches up with her schoolwork, but I’m holding you to that offer of paying double. And, just so we’re on the same page, despite the company I keep, I don’t cook. Unless Bree has an unnatural fondness for PB and J, we’ll be doing the takeout thing.”
Gavin exhaled in relief. Finally, an easy fix. “Double the pay is fine; it’s what I offered. And you don’t have to worry about meals. We’ve got plenty at our place, and Bree is an excellent cook.”
“You make your thirteen-year-old sister cook for you?” Sloane’s eyes widened, the color of lush, ripe blueberries on a warm summer morning.
The corners of his own mouth twitched in response, surprising him with the repeat performance of a long-forgotten sensation. “Bree cooks with me, not for me.” Well, she had before their mother died, anyway, but Gavin wasn’t in the mood to split hairs. “I learned restaurant management in culinary school.”
Okay, so the zinger felt better than it should. The look of pure shock on her face was priceless. “Youwent to culinary school?”
He nodded. “Three years. But I didn’t graduate summa cum laude.”
“Oh.” She scuffed the carpet with the toe of one purple suede boot. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“I accept your apology.” A quick glance at his watch reminded him that the newly delivered bar inventory wasn’t going to tally itself, and he was behind as it was. “I’ll be on shift tonight until about midnight, then back on tomorrow at nine. We have a guest bedroom, so you’re welcome to stay if that’s easier.”
“No thanks, boss. I’m kind of particular about my space. Coming and going works just fine, but I can’t make any promises about my mood in the mornings.”
Great. Two moody females in the same house. What had he done? “Speaking of which, I should probably warn you. Bree’s a little bit—”
Gavin’s words were summarily cut off by a rush of winter wind, and the shrill voice that accompanied it from the heavy mahogany doorframe was no less bitter.
“Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for the whole school to see you get a ride from the vice principal?Do you?”
He turned just in time to catch the flash of liquid hatred in his sister’s eyes, and his gut churned like a stand mixer gone terribly wrong. “I was in a jam, Bree. I can’t be in two places at once, and she offered to drop you off,” he started, but her interruption was swift and merciless.
“How come you couldn’t just send me home on the bus like normal? Anything would’ve been better than this!”
“I thought you hated the bus.” He was dangerously close to losing his cool, so he scrambled to defuse the situation. Taking a breath, he calmed his voice, hoping she’d take the cue and at least listen to reason. “Mrs. Teasdale had an emergency, and I had to make other arrangements. If I’d sent you home on the bus, you’d have been alone.”
“Likethat’ssuch a crime. Everybody thinks I’m a massive loser now, thanks to you!” Bree jammed her hands over her hips, refusing to back down, but Gavin wasn’t about to give in and make a scene, especially in front of someone he barely knew. He inhaled as deeply as possible and reached for his poise. Clearly, he needed enough for both of them.
“Don’t be melodramatic, Bree. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
But the voice that piped up didn’t belong to his sister. “You sent her here with the vice principal?” Sloane cocked her shadowy head at him, her disbelief as plain as the afternoon sunlight pouring in through the windows.
“Yes. I didn’t have a choice.” Gavin crossed his arms in an unforgiving loop over the front of his dress shirt and stood firm. He didn’t care how much he needed the temporary help. No way was he apologizing for the way he took care of Bree, not to Sloane or anyone else.
“Who areyou?” The challenge in Bree’s voice was punctuated by an obvious hint of curiosity, but she quickly canceled it out with a disdainful glance at Sloane’s trendy clothes, right down to those crazy high-heeled boots.
“Bree, this is Sloane. She’s going to look after you and help you catch up in English.”
Bree’s eyes glittered with anger. “Are you kidding me? You’re making me work with atutor?On the weekend? This is so unfair!”
Gavin winced. Okay, maybe he should’ve saved that part until she wasn’t quite so worked up. “Not all weekend. Look, let’s be reasonable about this. It’s a great chance for you to improve your grade.” Why did she have to be so difficult? He’d practically gift-wrapped a way for hernotto fail English, only she was too damned stubborn to take it.
