Chapter Eleven
“We want SugarBae! We want SugarBae!”
Sloane’s eyes widened as the chanting from the store increased in volume and fervor. “I’m invoking the right to change my mind. I don’t think it’s safe for you out there. We need to get out of here before they storm the office and rip your clothes off.”
August made a face. “Agreed.”
She quietly opened the door and peeked out. Luckily, the crowd was still at the front of the building. “Let’s go.”
They made a quick left and exited out the back a few seconds later, none the worse for wear. “Follow me.” They tiptoed quietly down the alley until they reached the corner. Sloane sneaked a peek. There was a line out the front door of Sugar Blitz, but the crowd wasn’t looking their way. She and August hurriedly made a left.
“To the park?” she asked, pointing ahead down the block. August nodded.
A park was great. Out in the open, away from temptation. Not that he was tempted by her, as he’d made perfectly clear. And even if she was tempted by him, there was no way in hell she would act, because of that whole humiliating history thing. Still, better to be safe than sorry.
There were only a few people milling about. A couple walking their two identical Jack Russell terriers and a mom pushing her kid on a swing.
August settled next to her on the bench. Only a foot, a mere twelve inches, separated their bodies. It was totally cool.
He rubbed his impressive thighs with his hands. It was totally cool. It was totally not an erotic action meant to entice and mesmerize her. She shifted her gaze from the mesmerizing action.
She was an adult, and she was going to have a very adult conversation with him.
Besides, if he felt even an inkling of the attraction she felt for him, he’d had ample opportunity to say so. And he hadn’t. Because he didn’t. In any case, she wasn’t a teen anymore. She’d had her fair share of relationships, real relationships she hadn’t conjured up in her head, and yeah, she was so over August. Men in general, really. She had no time for men and their shenanigans. Not after the Jim the Jughead disaster.
So it didn’t matter that August could still make her hormones do a happy dance whenever he was near.
What did matter? The elephant in the room, aka her past actions. And now that they were committed to spending more than the bare minimum of time together, they needed to at least address said elephant. She had no desire to do so, but as she’d officially accepted the offer from her brother and watched August on Good Day, San Diego, she’d finally acknowledged to herself that this was the only correct course of action if they had any hopes of moving forward successfully. Damn, being an adult sucked!
Sloane squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, inhaling the salty air courtesy of the nearby ocean. She willed her heartbeat to slow.
“We need to talk.”
Sloane blinked. She hadn’t said that. August had.
She turned to him. “About what?”
“The past.”
Shock swept through every cell in her body. Yes, she’d planned to speak to him about it, but she’d never expected him to bring it up on his own. He never had before. Then again, neither had she. But he was right. Just like old times, they were on the same page with no words being spoken. Her heart tugged in remembrance of those good times.
But that was then, and this was now. She metaphorically girded her loins, nodded, and forced her lips to move. “You’re right. We do. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go first.”
He nodded, his focus squarely on her. Like nothing could break his concentration. She was his world. Which she would not find attractive. Nope, not her. Not today. Not ever.
“What happened happened, and it was unfortunate for the both of us. While we’ve never spoken about it, I believe we can both agree it has colored our interactions ever since.” She sounded like a jaded professor giving a lecture for the hundredth time to a group of students who couldn’t care less. It didn’t matter. Get through this, girl. Get through it.
“However, we’re going to be working closely together on this project, and we both want it to be successful. Therefore, I’m proposing that we agree to leave the past in the past.” Her voice quickened as she began to lose steam. Bravado only lasted thirty seconds or so, apparently, especially when the cause of her bravado was staring at her like he was. She tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. He always seemed to see underneath the surface, which she’d thought was so romantic as a teen, but as an adult, she had no use for his astuteness, so she kept going.
“I’m sure you never think about it, because why would you? And I prefer to never ever think about it, and I’m sure we both know why. We need to concentrate on the present, which is that we both want the best for Sugar Blitz. That leads to only one conclusion. We can be professionals, right?”
There. She was done. A bird cooed in the distance. It was a miracle she could hear it over the pounding of her heart.
“Right. Professionals.” His voice, his face gave nothing away. Which was totally fine. Totally professional.
She held out her hand. “Deal?”
He grasped her hand in his large one. She swallowed as an electric charge sizzled up her arm. His mesmerizing eyes locked on hers. “Deal.”
Yep. Totally fine. Totally professional.