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Bree stopped halfway across the kitchen floor, a look of true shock painted on her girlish features. “You will?”
Gavin released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “You’re right. You’ve done great work with Sloane, and the two of you already know each other. It makes sense to ask her first.” He took the plate from Bree’s hand, meeting her eyes before turning to walk it to the sink.
In a move that shocked him to stillness, she fell into rhythm next to him, popping the carton of orange juice closed and returning it to the fridge. After a minute, she said, “Then why don’t you want her to do it? Don’t you like her?”
Damn. Gavin didn’t know which was worse—having her moody and monosyllabic, or having to answer the really hard questions. He raked a hand through his hair, trying to decide how to proceed.
“I just know she’s pretty busy with her book. I don’t want you to get your hopes up, in case she has to say no.” Okay, so it wasn’t the entire answer, but more than a kernel of truth lay at the heart of his words. While he’d do his best to put his impulsive foray with Sloane firmly in the rearview mirror, asking her to stay on might not be enough. He’d found out the hard way how fickle she was, and there were no guarantees that she’d agree to six more weeks of babysitting when she’d made it clear it wasn’t her forte.
She wasn’t exactly the kind of girl who stuck around.
Bree curled her arms over her chest, and for the first time, Gavin noticed not just that she was vulnerable, but how badly she wanted to hide it.
“Oh. Well…do you think she will? Say no, I mean?”
The look on her face sliced through him without warning, and in that moment Gavin knew he’d do anything to erase the painful lines etched around her eyes.
Including whatever it took to get Sloane to say yes.
“I don’t know. But I’ll do my best to work it out.”
* * *
Monday morning hitGavin with more than its usual vengeance, and he threw an extra scoop of grounds into the French press even though he’d already had three cups and it was going on eleven o’clock in the morning.
Yesterday’s conversation with Bree seemed to have exhausted their monthly allotment, and she’d lapsed back into paltry one- or two-word answers to his questions before her mad scramble for the bus a few hours ago. Still, something about her had softened just slightly around the edges, and her scowl wasn’t quite as caustic, even though she’d still aimed it at him a few times for good measure during breakfast.
Okay. So maybe breaking into a celebratory mood over a little less attitude from his sister was a bit much. But for now, he’d take it.
The sound of a car door slamming in the driveway drew his attention, and he headed toward the front of the house, pausing only briefly to give his tie a quick tug in the living room mirror before opening the door.
“Good morning.” Gavin leaned into the chilly late morning air to usher Sloane inside the house, and she breezed past him with a wide smile.
“Good morning, yourself. I got your message to come a little early. Does Bree have a half day at school or something?” She peeked out at him over the edges of the fluffy white scarf that swallowed her up to her chin, and Gavin found himself wondering how on earth anyone’s eyes could be so blue.
“Oh, ah, no. Bree will be home later.” Unrelenting heat stirred to life at the sight of her, and when she unwound the scarf to reveal the sleek, bare column of her neck and the snug sweater beneath her coat, he nearly forgot the intended topic of conversation.
Knock it off. This isn’t about you,he hissed at himself, but apparently his dick had been absent on the day they taught obedience.
“Okay, then I have to admit that you’ve got me confused. Is Bree okay?” Sloane’s shadowy lashes swept upward, marking her surprise as she hung her coat in the foyer and followed him toward the back of the cottage.
Gavin took a steadying breath. “She’s fine, but I wanted to talk to you when she wasn’t here.”
The riot of Sloane’s bright-red heels came to an abrupt halt against the hardwood. “If this is about the other night, I—”
“Actually, it’s not.” His gut tightened. Okay, so cutting her off bordered on rude, but there was no need to waste time and risk an awkward conversation over something she meant to sweep under the rug, anyway. They’d agreed to move on, so that’s exactly what he’d do.
“It’s about Mrs. Teasdale,” he said, turning to meet Sloane’s eyes.
They rounded, right along with her mouth. “Your regular babysitter?”
“It looks like her family emergency is going to keep her out of town for another six weeks. The circumstances are pretty unexpected. She just let me know.”
Gavin had finally spoken to Mrs. Teasdale yesterday afternoon, and the poor woman had sounded genuinely upset that she wouldn’t be able to return as promised. It was easy to see why Bree had jumped to reassure her, and in the end, he’d done the same. After all, taking care of her family should be her number one priority.
“Oh,” Sloane said, her eyes crinkling around the edges. “That sounds bad. Is she okay?”
He nodded his head to reassure her. “She’s fine. But it leaves me in a bit of a jam with Bree.” He paused. “One I was hoping you might be able to help out with.”
