Page 40

McCoy

“You know this iscompletely out of our way, right?”

Coy flicked on the blinker to go left, turning Tegan into Sawyer’s neighborhood. “Yes, but I have to make a quick pit stop.”

“Well, you missed the turnoff to Abi and Tess’s place.” Sloane jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

“Not there.” Coy chewed her lip, lowering her voice as she drove. “I, um, forgot something at Sawyer’s.”

“You’re kidding, right? Aren’t you going there tomorrow after work?”

“Yeah, but …” Coy tossed her sister a sheepish look. “I locked up both our bikes yesterday with my key, and you’re planning to go for a ride with J.D. tomorrow. It dropped out of my pants last night.”

“Seriously?” Sloane looked at Coy like she didn’t believe her whatsoever. She shook her head incredulously. “You even find ways to see that woman on your day off.”

“‘That woman’ has a name, Sloane. Don’t be an ass.” Pulling into Sawyer’s driveway, Coy parked before glancing at her twin again. “I like her, okay?”

Instead of feeling an ounce of empathy toward her sister’s situation, Sloane only snorted. “Sure, Coy. You like a lot of women—and don’t think I didn’t see your texts from Frankie. What are you gonna do aboutthatwoman, huh? How do you plan to manage them both? Are you gonna tell Sawyer about your arrangement with my boss? Or about anyone else? Maybe how you sometimes hook up with Ash?”

“No, no, none of that.” Coy held her hand up in a ‘slow down’ gesture, frowning at Sloane’s sour expression. “I just want Sawyer. I haven’t talked to Frankie yet, but I will.”

Sloane let out a disbelieving laugh, which was quite a feat considering her face was still twisted up like she’d sucked on a lemon. “Sorry, but I don’t believe you.”

“Don’t believe … Excuse me, what?”

“Coy, no offense, but you can’t go without sex for a week, and you’re, what? Gonna give it all up and pine away for Sawyer until she decides she might want to kiss you again?” Sloane blew a raspberry. “Fuck, you’re all over the place. Just yesterday, you told me nothing was going on between you. Not to mention how allergic you are to the idea of monogamy.”

Coyhadsaid that, it was true, but something about last night felt different. The way Sawyer had touched her hair, or how comfortable the vibe in the living room had been. There wassomethingbetween them, and despite Coy’s initial upset after the whole piano bench incident, choosing not to pursue Sawyer when there was an inkling of hope wasn’t an option. Her heart was already halfway in.

“Look …” Coy glanced away from Sloane to stare out past the windshield to the house. She cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and said as calmly as she could manage, “Just because I’ve never been monogamous before doesn’t mean I can’t be.”

“Bullshit. Do you even know what you’re like at the pub? I’ve seen you chatting it up with someone and getting distracted when another with a finer ass walks by.”

“This time, it’s different. C’mon, Sloane.” Coy let out a tense laugh. “Give me some credit, yeah? What’s it gonna take to prove it to you?”

As soon as the words were out, she wished she could reel them back in again. She could practically see the cogs turning in her sister’s mind, and her stomach sank a little at the devilish glint in Sloane’s eyes.

“Let’s bet on it. You give everyone else up but Sawyer, sticking with only her, for … what, one month? Think you can handle that, playgirl?”

Coy’s upper lip curled in distaste, but she held her hand out for Sloane to shake. “Better make it at least three, which is the length of most of your relationships.”

“Fuck you, Coy. At least I haven’t fucked half the city,” Sloane shot back. She held her hand out as well. “It’s a deal. If you lose, you owe me fifty bucks and are on dish duty for a month.”

“And if I win, you owe me the same, but I also want you to start putting more faith in me. Deal?”

“Deal.” They shook on it, Sloane’s palm noticeably clammy. As Coy climbed out of Tegan, she wondered what her sister had to be nervous about. It wasn’t as if her character was up for debate.

Sloane and her fucking bets,Coy thought as she faced Sawyer’s home. The Rover also sat in the driveway, although it was probably Sawyer’s daughter using it since the heart attack. Instead of going through the garage like she always did, Coy went right up to the front entrance and rang the doorbell. Amoment later, Bree answered the door, a dusting of flour on her face and wearing an apron.

“McCoy. So nice to see you again. No flowers today?” Bree beamed, pulling Coy inside the house. She shut the door behind them.

“Just Coy is fine.” Coy held her hand out for Bree to take. “And no, unfortunately. The last bunch didn’t seem to go over well with your mom.”

Rather than shake Coy’s hand, Bree pulled her in for a hug. Her reply was so soft Coy strained to hear. “Mamanisn’t used to getting flowers, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like them on occasion. I thought it was sweet.”

“Yeah?” Coy didn’t bother to hide her surprise. Surely Bree didn’t think the flowers were platonic?

“Yeah. You seem like a good person, and … my mom needs someone like that in her life. Someone who can see past her indifference and treat her like a queen. All my father did was hurt her.”