Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 108846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108846 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
There are a dozen pictures of the three generations together through the years as Sloane grows from an impish child to a gangly prepubescent, and then the younger woman is suddenly gone. The smiles are more forced across the group that year. Sloane’s is nonexistent.
As I move down the line, I note that her mother never reappears.
A creak of a door opening in the back sounds, and a moment later, King Kong strolls through. He grimaces when he sees me. “This side’s closed.”
“Yeah, I know. I came in to see Sloane.”
“She’s not here.”
“Thanks. I got that. I’m gonna head—”
“Morning, big guy! Missed you at the fire last night.” The blond swoops past him, patting his trunk of an arm, before she crosses the room to hand me a large coffee. “If you need cream or sugar, you can grab it at the side bar.”
“Black is perfect. How much do I owe you?”
“This one’s on the house.” She winks. “I’m sure Sloane would agree.”
I chuckle as I dig out a ten-dollar bill and set it on the counter. “I think she’d charge me double. But thank you …”
“Skye.” Her eyes shift from the cash to me, batting long, salon-made lashes. “Have a great day.” She skips back to the coffee shop, stealing a glance over her shoulder to flash me a playful grin.
Frank glowers at me. “She’s not interested in you either.”
I would beg to differ, but I don’t want to die today. Does he know what happened between me and Sloane yesterday? “I’m just gonna …” I toss a thumb toward the door.
“Yeah, you do that.” Frank’s distrusting gaze sears into my back.
“Late, and you arrive like this.” Belinda falls into step beside me as she glares at my open collar and rolled-up sleeves. “You love to test boundaries, don’t you?”
At least I’m wearing a fucking dress shirt and pants. I despise golf shirts and was this close to throwing on my usual jeans and T-shirt. “Since when does senior management work weekends?”
Belinda flips her blond hair over her shoulder, and I’m hit with a waft of perfume. “Henry owns the entire company, and I’ve yet to see him take a weekend off. He was answering calls on his honeymoon.”
“I’m not Henry.” I sure as hell would love his bank accounts, though.
“Believe me, I know. He personally watched every interview video for Wolf Cove because he was that invested in its success. If you were Henry, you’d be doing the same. But you’re not.” In a slightly more conciliatory tone, she goes on. “Besides, we’re running on a super-condensed timeline. Our people have already done all the heavy lifting. Just approve the final staffing lists that our managers spent all night vetting and then run off to do whomever you want for the rest of the weekend.”
I smirk. “You mean whatever.”
“I don’t,” Belinda snipes, admiring her hot pink fingernails that I once recall digging into my shoulders.
There’s no point trying to sway her opinion of me. “So why am I here if all the work is done?”
“So you can take full responsibility if your department hires give me problems.” She frowns at the paper cup in my hand. “The Sea Witch?”
“Local shop.” I hold my breath a beat, waiting to see if a link between the name and Sloane will form, but Belinda doesn’t seem to connect the dots. “The coffee in the pit is shit.”
“Oh God, why would you drink that?” She grimaces. “Minnie gets mine from Opal Reef. The Brevilles arrived two weeks ago.”
“We can do that?” I didn’t even consider sending my assistant to fetch me coffee from one of the hotel’s restaurants.
She answers with a snort.
I was actually hoping to run into Belinda before this meeting, but it wasn’t to discuss caffeine sources. “Listen, there might be a few names I need to veto today.”
“Veto?” She adjusts her thick-rimmed glasses to scowl at me. “Explain.”
The list is tucked in my back pocket. To say Sloane was reluctant with my idea would be an understatement. I practically had to pull the names from her pretty lips, and she squirmed uncomfortably the entire time. “Our neighbor is willing to take down her signs if I help her out.”
Belinda’s pencil-drawn eyebrows arch with a mixture of interest and suspicion. “Help her how?”
I considered how to approach this long and hard last night, while admiring the stars from our rooftop. I’ve figured out Sloane’s weakness—her family business, her grandmother’s legacy to Mermaid Beach. If I give Belinda this information, I don’t trust that she won’t use it as ammo to punish our menace of a neighbor rather than as a negotiating tool. “It’s a long story, and I’d rather not bore you with the details. Plus, plausible deniability has its benefits.”
She freezes mid step. “Does this involve my director of operations sticking his dick somewhere it doesn’t belong?” she hisses.