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“Nothing’s going on. Don’t tell me you’re so mired in marital bliss already that just hanging out with your best friend on your day off is out.” Sloane laughed in an effort to cancel out any heat the words might carry.
Carly snapped a dish towel at her menacingly. “Don’t hate on married people. You never know if you’ll end up as one someday.” She let Sloane’s laughter run its course before continuing. “Of course I don’t mind spending part of my day off with you, but we haven’t had breakfast together in a while. Seriously, is everything okay?”
“Technically, I think this is lunch. And yes, everything is fine. Really fine, actually. I solved the rest of my cash flow problem.”
Carly stopped with her hand halfway to the coffeepot and stared. “You did? How?”
Sloane paused. She sucked at beating around the bush, and with Carly, there was no point, anyway. Plus, this wasn’t that big of a deal. She said, “I’m going to keep the nanny gig for another six weeks so I can pay my way to Greece.”
Much to Sloane’s surprise, Carly’s expression was way more satisfied grin than horrified shock. “I thought kids weren’t your thing.”
Sloane snorted, unable to help it. “I’m not going tohaveany. I’m just going to keep track of one for a little while. And like I said, it’s only temporary. Bree’s regular babysitter had a bigger emergency than she expected, and I really need the money, so I said I’d stick around and help out. It’ll make things tight for the book, but I should be able to get on a plane with just enough time to make it work.”
“Youarequite the literary phenom. I bet the minute you get there, the ideas will flow like the Aegean. You’ll crank that book out in no time.”
A rich, comforting aroma wafted across the breakfast bar as Carly poured twin mugs of coffee, but it did little to cancel out the feeling of unease brewing in Sloane’s belly at the mention of the b-word. God, getting down ideas for this book had been like trying to suck peanut butter through a cocktail straw. Finally having a solid plan to get to Greece and let the words loose on the page should be sending her into a joyful frenzy. And yet something she couldn’t identify still had her breath hopscotching through her lungs instead.
The longer she stayed in Pine Mountain, the worse it was getting.
“Well, I don’t have anything solid yet, but I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. And now that everything’s falling into place, the words should follow suit,” Sloane agreed, punctuating her words with a reinforcing nod.
After all, this was how it always was. Her books started out as tiny glimmers in her head, growing and percolating and swirling around until the next thing she knew, she immersed herself in a locale and inspiration slammed into her like a literary hurricane. If Sloane showed up in Greece and soaked in her exotic surroundings, the words would spill across her screen, just like they always did when she arrived on location. She was sure of it.
The timing, the circumstances, the possibility for success—all of it was perfect, really. Except…
“So, Gavin only needs you for six weeks, huh? Or did you tell him you’re on a deadline?”
Sloane took a gulp of too-hot coffee, choking it down with a sputter. “No, I, uh...I didn’t mention my trip to Greece.”
Carly’s brows winged upward. “Any particular reason?”
Sloane hesitated. “I was afraid that if I told Gavin I was leaving, he’d just rely on the babysitting service and get someone with more experience,” she said, rushing to add, “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I intend to take care of Bree for the whole six weeks like I said I would. But it doesn’t make me look very dependable if I have an expiration date stamped on my forehead, you know? I don’t want to push it and lose my chance.”
“True.” Carly canted her head in thought. “But it’s not like traveling isn’t a regular part of your lifestyle. Do you think he’d care that much?”
Sloane’s breath thickened in her throat. “Aside from winning the lottery, I don’t have any other way of getting to Greece unless I do this, and I can’t risk finding out the hard way. Plus, Gavin already has reason to think I’m a little impulsive. I don’t want to make it worse.”
She booted herself with a mental kick for the hundredth time today. Sure, she’d justhadto blame their heat-of-the-moment hookup on her capricious nature. Since when had marching to your own drummer become such a liability?
“Reaaaaaally? And what would make Gavin think you’re soimpulsive?” Carly’s eyes sparkled over the word as if it rated a perfect ten on the naughty scale, and Sloane realized her gaffe too late.
“Well, it’s possible that he…has some firsthand knowledge in that department.” Her cheeks heated, no doubt highlighting her guilt with a blush of admission.
“Sloane,” Carly intoned playfully. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“No?” It came out like a question, and Carly’s jaw popped so wide, her molars flashed.
“You’re a terrible liar!” She broke into a grin that would make the Cheshire cat slink away in defeat. “You besmirched my restaurant manager, didn’t you?”
“No!” The laughter welling up in Sloane’s chest rode a tide of nervous energy, but she knew when she’d been beat. She admitted, “We may have, ah, kissed, but technically, there was no besmirching.”
Carly shook her head with a laugh of her own and bent to slide the warm muffins from the oven. “To be honest, I can’t say I’m all that surprised.”
Sloane made a rude noise and turned to stare at her friend. “Excuse me? Unless I’m mistaken, I don’t have a habit of besmirching the people you work with.” She might be a touch impetuous, but come on. She didn’t make a habit out of hooking up with Carly’s staff.
“Oh, don’t get your panties in a tangle. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that with all the sparks flying between the two of you at La Dolce Vita, I figured you’d either end up killing each other or in bed together. That’s all.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s going to be none of the above.” While Sloane didn’t have too many personal limits as a rule, she knew better than to mix business with pleasure. “The last thing I need before getting out of Dodge is to be distracted.”
