leading off the Hopewell estate.
Mr. Hopewell looked in Sam’s direction. “You can come on out now, Sam. He’s gone.”
Sam’s pulse stuttered before it began beating more quickly than ever. He stepped out from the cover of the tree line and headed toward Gregory Hopewell. He felt his face redden as he approached, and Mr. Hopewell’s grim expression did nothing to slow the rapid pattering of his heart.
“I think we have some things to discuss, don’t we?” Mr. Hopewell turned and strode up the front steps. Sam stood frozen down below, watching his mentor walk away.
Gregory turned around at the top and indicated that Sam follow. “Aren’t you coming? It is the day I asked you to meet me here, is it not?”
Sam took a deep breath, let it out, and followed.
As the office doors closed behind them, Mr. Hopewell took a seat at his impressive mahogany desk and gestured toward the chair situated in front of him. Sam sat.
“Sam, that sheriff wasn’t here for you. I spotted you out of the corner of my eye the second we emerged from the house, and the fact that you hid confirmed some of the suspicions I already had.”
Sam set his jaw in preparation for fight-or-flight. If Mr. Hopewell had suspicions about him, then why had he invited Sam here? Why was he allowing him to work on his property? And now in his office?
“Get comfortable, Sam. Let me tell you a little story.”
“I’ve got to ask you, Aston. Point blank, okay? What’s going on with you and Sam?”
Aston curved her slender hand to shade her eyes from the sun. She craned her neck forward so that she could zero in on Ashley’s face. Then, deciding the angle she received wasn’t good enough, she sat all the way up in her lounge chair and stared at her friend.
“What the hell are you talking about, Ash?”
Ashley lifted her sunglasses so Aston could see her face. She wore a solemn expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched as she evaluated Aston’s hostile posture.
“I mean exactly what I asked. What’s going on? You two most definitely had some fireworks sparking the other night.”
“Sam has a girlfriend back home. And I’m with Princeton. So there’s zero action going on between us.”
“I’m not saying you two have done anything. And hell, Aston, maybe you don’t even realize it. But there’s something about you and Sam. I’ve never seen it with you and Princeton. When we were sitting around the table at Sunny’s, you kept turning toward him when he talked, even if he wasn’t talking to you. And every time you got up to go to the bar, his eyes followed you across the room. I swear I could feel the electricity coming off the two of you in currents. It was weird, Aston. And kind of amazing.”
Ashley sat back in her chair and replaced her sunglasses, as if that was all that needed to be said on the subject. She knew Aston well enough to know that she’d have to have this conversation a few more times before Aston was ready to admit anything.
Aston’s back was ramrod straight in the luxe chair, her legs stretched out straight in front of her, her apple-red painted toes curled into the soft fabric of the seat. She crossed her arms rigidly against her chest as she stared at Ashley.
“I really wish you’d stop watching us so closely, Ash. It’s creepy. And Sam is just a guy here for the summer, working for my father. That’s all. Don’t read more into it. You can be so dramatic sometimes.”
Ashley let out a bark of a laugh without bothering to look at her friend. “Okay, A. I’ll humor you. But can you just admit one thing?”
“Admit what?” Aston sighed, her body slowly releasing its tension as she relaxed back into the lounger.
“Admit you think he’s hot.”
Aston closed her eyes briefly, glad they were hidden behind her aviators. “He’s hot, I guess. I mean if you like the whole big-muscled, six-foot-four thing. And the deep brown eyes that see right through you. And he does have all of that
Mr. Hopewell looked in Sam’s direction. “You can come on out now, Sam. He’s gone.”
Sam’s pulse stuttered before it began beating more quickly than ever. He stepped out from the cover of the tree line and headed toward Gregory Hopewell. He felt his face redden as he approached, and Mr. Hopewell’s grim expression did nothing to slow the rapid pattering of his heart.
“I think we have some things to discuss, don’t we?” Mr. Hopewell turned and strode up the front steps. Sam stood frozen down below, watching his mentor walk away.
Gregory turned around at the top and indicated that Sam follow. “Aren’t you coming? It is the day I asked you to meet me here, is it not?”
Sam took a deep breath, let it out, and followed.
As the office doors closed behind them, Mr. Hopewell took a seat at his impressive mahogany desk and gestured toward the chair situated in front of him. Sam sat.
“Sam, that sheriff wasn’t here for you. I spotted you out of the corner of my eye the second we emerged from the house, and the fact that you hid confirmed some of the suspicions I already had.”
Sam set his jaw in preparation for fight-or-flight. If Mr. Hopewell had suspicions about him, then why had he invited Sam here? Why was he allowing him to work on his property? And now in his office?
“Get comfortable, Sam. Let me tell you a little story.”
“I’ve got to ask you, Aston. Point blank, okay? What’s going on with you and Sam?”
Aston curved her slender hand to shade her eyes from the sun. She craned her neck forward so that she could zero in on Ashley’s face. Then, deciding the angle she received wasn’t good enough, she sat all the way up in her lounge chair and stared at her friend.
“What the hell are you talking about, Ash?”
Ashley lifted her sunglasses so Aston could see her face. She wore a solemn expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched as she evaluated Aston’s hostile posture.
“I mean exactly what I asked. What’s going on? You two most definitely had some fireworks sparking the other night.”
“Sam has a girlfriend back home. And I’m with Princeton. So there’s zero action going on between us.”
“I’m not saying you two have done anything. And hell, Aston, maybe you don’t even realize it. But there’s something about you and Sam. I’ve never seen it with you and Princeton. When we were sitting around the table at Sunny’s, you kept turning toward him when he talked, even if he wasn’t talking to you. And every time you got up to go to the bar, his eyes followed you across the room. I swear I could feel the electricity coming off the two of you in currents. It was weird, Aston. And kind of amazing.”
Ashley sat back in her chair and replaced her sunglasses, as if that was all that needed to be said on the subject. She knew Aston well enough to know that she’d have to have this conversation a few more times before Aston was ready to admit anything.
Aston’s back was ramrod straight in the luxe chair, her legs stretched out straight in front of her, her apple-red painted toes curled into the soft fabric of the seat. She crossed her arms rigidly against her chest as she stared at Ashley.
“I really wish you’d stop watching us so closely, Ash. It’s creepy. And Sam is just a guy here for the summer, working for my father. That’s all. Don’t read more into it. You can be so dramatic sometimes.”
Ashley let out a bark of a laugh without bothering to look at her friend. “Okay, A. I’ll humor you. But can you just admit one thing?”
“Admit what?” Aston sighed, her body slowly releasing its tension as she relaxed back into the lounger.
“Admit you think he’s hot.”
Aston closed her eyes briefly, glad they were hidden behind her aviators. “He’s hot, I guess. I mean if you like the whole big-muscled, six-foot-four thing. And the deep brown eyes that see right through you. And he does have all of that
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