Out of The Blue

Chapter 22

What wasn't fun, however, was being torn from slumber in the wee hours of the morning when her cell started ringing one morning about a week before I was scheduled to leave town.

Sloane squirmed away from me and climbed out of bed as I blinked my eyes open, the sound cutting off as she ruffled through her bag and found her phone, taking the call.

"Hello?" she whispered into the phone, her voice groggy.

I couldn't conceal the yawn that left my lips as I sat up and turned towards her. Wearing nothing but an old t-shirt of mine, with her hair loosely falling past her shoulders in a mussed up way, she looked like every man's dream. The only problem was the way she worried her bottom lip as she listened to the person on the other end talk, and after a few moments, her shoulders sagged, and she ran her free hand through her hair.

"Don't worry about it, June," she spoke. "I can handle the store today. I'll go in now and try to get a decent amount of the simpler treats made before we open. You just rest and get better."

After a quick reassurance, Sloane hung up and plopped down on the side of the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay?" I asked, reaching out so that my palm rested on her low back, moving in slow, comforting circles.

"June woke up this morning with a stomach bug. She thinks it's because of the Chinese food she ordered last night."

Saying morning was pushing it, because with a quick glance at her phone screen that was still lit up in her hand, it wasn't even five yet.

"Shit."

A tired laugh escaped her. "That about sums it up," she said. "I've got to head in now and pull a double shift today. Bake as much as I can to hopefully last into the lunch rush. Handle the back and the front of the store."

I inched closer to her and pulled her into my chest, my lips against her neck as I said, "You really need to hire another person."

"I know, I know. I'm working on it," she mumbled, turning her head slightly to graze her lips against mine. "But neither of us have been sick since I started working there last year, so I kind of hoped we'd just get lucky and never have to worry about something like this."

"Well, do you need me to come in around lunch to help out? I could sit Bowen down at a table with some food for a bit and try to run the register while you work the back during the rush."

"That's really sweet of you to offer—" Her lips twitched upwards at the edges. "—but I can manage."

"Do you need me to do anything else then? Run any errands while you're at work?"

"Actually," she started slowly, "would you be able to bring my dad breakfast this morning? I was supposed to go over there around seven. It's totally okay if you say no though—"

"Sloane." I squeezed her hip gently. "I can definitely do that. Don't worry about a thing. Your dad will have the breakfast of champions this morning. Plus, maybe it'll even earn me some brownie points with him."

She laughed, running her hand through my hair. "He already likes you well enough."

"Yeah?" I asked, lifting a brow as I cupped her cheek. "And what about you?"

"I think you're alright."

"Just alright?" I whispered, brushing my lips teasingly against hers.

A soft moan filled the space between us when I traced my tongue slowly along her bottom lip before diving in for a real kiss. Making sure she'd have this scene playing on repeat in her head all day, propelling her through the hours until we were alone again.