Page 37

CHAPTER 35

SLOANE

T he knock on the door startled me. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Logan was lifting weights with the guys, and I was anticipating a quiet evening until he got home. I had settled in on the couch, a blanket thrown over my lap, trying to relax.

Another knock.

I hesitated, still not used to the fact that this was kind of my place now too—at least until they decontaminated my condo. Something that seemed to be encountering delay after delay. At this point I wasn’t sure when I’d be back there.

Or if I actually wanted to.

Everett had still been silent…something that didn’t make me feel any better.

And then there was the fact that Logan was still paying him for my time…

Fuck. My life was a mess.

I got up and walked toward the door, the sound of my footsteps muffled by the big rug Logan and I had picked out the other day for the foyer.

Cracking the door open, I peeked through, only to find Blake, Monroe, Olivia, and Anastasia standing on the other side. Blake and Monroe held up bottles. “I’ve got wine,” Blake grinned.

“And I’ve got the non-alcoholic stuff if you don’t drink,” said Monroe.

I stared at them, blinking, unsure of what to do.

“Are you going to let us in?” Olivia laughed, grinning from ear to ear. “The boys are all busy, so we figured it’s the perfect time for a girls’ night!”

My brain short-circuited. “A…girls’ night?”

Before I could process it, Olivia pushed the door open wider and slipped past me. “Yep. It’s time.”

Anastasia followed, tossing her bag onto the couch. She flashed me a quick smile. “I brought cheese.”

Monroe snorted. “She means she brought charcuterie. So lots of things.”

“But cheese is the important part,” Anastasia commented as she unwrapped the baking sheet she’d brought with her and unveiled a delicious charcuterie arrangement—with definitely more than just cheese.

“Ooh, give me that dark chocolate almond,” Blake said, grabbing a few off the tray.

Anastasia smacked her hand, and Blake made a pouty face at her. “Sloane has to go first because we took over her place.” She turned and held the tray out for me.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, staring at them and trying to resist the urge to cry. I’d once been fooled into thinking that I wanted to be like the women Everett had working for him, that they were who I should aspire to be in life.

But these women were who I wanted to be like. All of them funny, kind, beautiful, and already the sort of friends I only could have dreamed of.

“I…” I trailed off, searching for words, but nothing came.

“Come on, don’t just stand there!” Blake grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the couch. “We’ve got snacks, we’ve got drinks, and we’ve got stories to share.”

I didn’t resist, letting her lead me to the couch. I’d hung out with them several times, I really should be less awkward at this point.

“Wine or apple cider?” Monroe asked as she dug around in the cabinets for drink glasses.

“Apple cider,” I said softly, and she smiled at me sweetly before pouring me a glass.

The rest of the girls got drinks and began to settle in around me.

“Relax, Sloane. We don’t bite,” said Olivia, patting my knee.

I forced a smile, gripping the glass like a lifeline. “Right.”

Blake plopped down next to me, so close I could feel the warmth radiating off her.

“To friends,” Olivia sang as she held up her glass.

“To friends,” the rest of us said.

And I’d never meant those words more.

* * *

The hum of laughter and clinking glasses filled the room. We were sprawled out across the oversized sectional now, wine glasses in hand, the coffee table littered with takeout containers and half-eaten charcuterie.

“We should make this a weekly thing,” Blake said, leaning back against a plush cushion and sipping her drink.

“Sounds good to me,” Monroe said with a lazy yawn. “If the guys can handle being away from us for that long.”

Olivia snorted. “I could see them all waiting outside the door right now, waiting for the second we’re done.”

I giggled, and she raised an eyebrow. “You think I’m kidding. But I bet one of them is watching us right now.”

“What?” I giggled. “What are you talking about?”

The girls exchanged smirks.

“Lincoln’s got cameras all over our house…and they’re not for security,” Monroe said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll tell him something happened, and he’ll respond ‘I know,’ like a total creeper.”

My mouth dropped open in shock, but her voice was dreamy-like…like she thought it was cute.

Blake nodded. “I’m pretty sure that Ari’s always got his phone on, watching me either through my phone or with cameras. I’m not exactly sure,” Blake muttered, tapping her chin as she thought about it.

“And you guys are okay with that?” I gasped.

Anastasia leaned forward. “She thinks we’re crazy,” she groaned. “She’s never going to hang out with us again.”

I shook my head. “I—I don’t think you’re crazy. It just sounds so?—”

“Obsessive? Insane? Wonderful?” Olivia offered with a gleam in her eye.

I opened my mouth to respond and then closed it. Because honestly…it didn’t sound that bad.

“All of us come from pretty fucked-up backgrounds. We’ve mentioned pieces of it to you, but…I think…I know it’s what we needed. This all-consuming devotion. To know that we matter to someone more than anyone else.” Blake shook her head. “Trust me…I never imagined I would be okay with what Ari did to my ex—which is a story for another day so you don’t run away screaming,” she said, winking at me.

“But it works for us,” Olivia said softly, a faraway look in her eye like she was somewhere else. “I don’t know that anything else could work for us.”

I studied the ceiling as I thought about what she’d said. Logan was paying an obscene amount of money just so I couldn’t work with anyone else. That was pretty crazy…right?

And I wasn’t exactly screaming about the fact that he’d done that after I rejected him asking me out.

“So tell us, Sloane, how many times have you watched Logan’s burger commercial?” Monroe asked in a lighter tone, wagging her eyebrows up and down.

I choked on my drink. “A few times,” I said in a high-pitched voice.

Monroe snorted. “Well, it’s been banned in my household. Lincoln said it was basically porn, and if I wanted that, he would film himself.”

I shook my head, unable to hide my grin. “I think he secretly enjoyed it.”

“Oh, for sure,” Blake said, laughing. “It’s also banned in my house, but Ari watches it every time he needs a pick-me-up.”

“Camden swears it’s Logan’s best work,” Anastasia added. “He calls it ‘performance art.’ But I’m also not allowed to watch it.”

More laughter erupted, and another burst of warmth spread through me. I was pretty sure these women were my people.

“All right, confession time,” Blake said, sitting up straighter. “What’s the most ridiculous thing Logan has done for you? Like, top-tier crazy.”

I bit down on my lip, swirling the cider in my glass as a million memories flashed through my mind. How he’d hired me.The way he’d casually thrown himself into the deep end of my messy life without flinching.

“Well, he hired me after I said no to going out with him. Does that count?” I asked sheepishly.

There was a beat of silence. Then Monroe snorted, Blake spit out her drink, and Anastasia nearly fell off the couch laughing. Olivia already knew the story, but she was still grinning about it too.

“That’s so sweet,” Monroe said.

“Unhinged, but sweet,” Blake laughed, before holding up her glass.

“And yet, somehow, it’s still romantic,” Anastasia said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“If you’re watching this, I hope you’re enjoying yourself,” Blake suddenly yelled to the room.

I blinked at her and then glanced around, searching for cameras I would never have guessed were even a possibility.

* * *

LOGAN

Weights clanged around the gym, but I wasn’t paying attention to any of it. My phone was propped up on the bench next to me, the screen showing Sloane’s face as she laughed at something Blake said. Her smile was brighter than the overhead lights, and I couldn’t look away.

“York.” Lincoln’s voice cut through my focus. “What are you doing?”

I didn’t bother looking up, just flicked my fingers at the screen. “Watching some high-quality entertainment.”

Lincoln snorted and held up his own phone. “They’re funny, right?” He grinned as he turned his phone around and showed the video feed he was watching of Monroe.

Ari paused mid-rep, lowering the barbell onto the rack with a loud clang . He turned to face us, sweat dripping down his forehead. “Am I the only one actually working out here?”

“Says the guy wearing headphones so he can listen to everything Blake is saying,” Camden muttered, setting his weights down and walking over. “Who knew a girls’ night could be so educational?”

A minute later we all had our phones propped up in front of us, each showing a different live stream angle of girls’ night, courtesy of the apps we all had installed on their…phones.

“This is better than Netflix,” Walker admitted, his eyes glued to the screen.

“Does this make us creeps?” I asked.

“Is that a real question, Rookie?” asked Ari, his lips curled up in disgust.

“Of course it doesn’t make us creeps,” Camden said indignantly.

“Yeah, it makes us devoted ,” Walker mused.

“Devoted. I like that,” I muttered.

The gym door opened, and a trainer walked in, pausing when he saw all of us clustered around the phones. “Uh, everything okay in here?”

“Fine,” Ari said quickly, grabbing a random dumbbell and pretending to curl it. “Just taking a breather.”

The trainer gave us a skeptical look but moved on.

Ari dropped the dumbbell as soon as the door closed behind him.

On the screen, Blake looked directly into the phone, mouthing something that looked suspiciously like I see you, Ari .

“That’s my girl,” Ari said dreamily.

We listened as the women started to discuss some of the “devoted” things we’d done.

“At least they aren’t talking about everything,” Lincoln said.

Ari side-eyed him. “I will get it all out of you at some point, Golden Boy.”

Lincoln flashed his teeth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The girls got up to leave, and Walker groaned, putting his phone down. “Well, there goes the entertainment.”

“Guess it’s back to lifting,” Camden said dramatically, grabbing a nearby barbell and pretending to struggle under the weight.

“Speak for yourself,” Ari muttered, already heading for the water cooler. “I’m done.”

“You know she’s totally going to ask you about cameras when you get home,” Lincoln said to me as we both downed some water.

I grinned.

“I know.”

“And what are you going to say?”

“That there are no cameras installed in the actual apartment,” I said carefully.

Lincoln snorted. “Atta boy.”