Page 29 of The Route to You

His mouth twitched, barely. “I’m assuming you don’t want to talk to him either way.”

Do I? She hadn’t really had enough time to think about it but . . . if Evan found her in the cabin of an ex-boyfriend, dressed like this, the conclusions he would come to would be hard to give her the moral high ground.

“No, I don’t.”

He gestured with two fingers. “Then hide.”

Hide? Hide where? She turned in a circle, darting toward the small table, then stopped abruptly. Nope . That was in view of the door.

She crouched by the stove, heart slamming.

Kyle released a slow sigh and shook his head at her. “The bathroom didn’t occur as the immediate best option?”

She glared at him, pressing a finger to her lips. Jackass.

Kyle went toward the door and opened it like he owned the place. Not like a man who was currently hosting a runaway bride. “What’s up?” Kyle asked, leaning against the doorframe with the kind of relaxed posture that suggested he’d never been afraid of anyone in his life.

“Morning.” Evan’s voice was polite, and it made her skin crawl. “Sorry to bother you so early, but I’m looking for my fiancée. Petite blonde. About five-four.” A beat. “You haven’t seen her by any chance, have you?”

She released a slow, silent breath, the pressure around her chest lessening. Then he doesn’t know I’m here.

“Uh . . . nope,” Kyle said easily. “Sorry. Have you tried one of the other cabins?”

“I asked at the other occupied ones.” Evan’s tone remained calm, but there was a sharp edge underneath it now. “No luck. It’s just”—another pause—“the last known location of her phone was near here.”

Sloan almost gasped.

Oh God. I didn’t even think of that.

Of course, Evan would try to track her phone like that.

And she’d practically led him straight to Kyle. If she hadn’t lost her phone outside, she would have led him straight to this cabin and Kyle wouldn’t be able to deny it.

How could I be so stupid?

“Huh.” He sounded mildly interested, like Evan had mentioned a weird bird species. The floorboards creaked as Kyle shifted. “Sorry, man, I can’t help you. It’s just me here.”

“Of course.” Evan’s voice tightened. “I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“No worries. Good luck.”

Sloan sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall as Kyle shut the door. Letting out a shaky breath, she closed her eyes, heart still pounding. “Thank you,” she whispered as Kyle came back toward her.

Kyle didn’t look triumphant. He looked uneasy. His arms crossed, biceps hardening under the fabric of his shirt, his jaw working like he was choosing his words carefully. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “I’m not sure about that.”

“What?” She peered at him.

Kyle squatted beside her. Close enough that his arm nearly brushed against hers. “I’m not sure I did you any favors. I mean, he’s looking for you. He can’t find you. It’s one thing for you to leave and not want to talk to him—that makes sense. But if you didn’t tell anyone where you were going and you vanish into thin air? That might lead to problems. It might just have been better to tell him you’re here and don’t want to talk to him.”

“That’s because you don’t know him. It would be a bigger problem if you told him I was here,” Sloan snapped, anger flaring again because it was easier than panic. “He would’ve accused both of us of something, but he wouldn’t have left without forcing me to talk to him.”

Kyle’s gaze held hers. “I’m not on his side.” His voice dropped. “Not even remotely. I’m just saying you’re going to have to talk to him sometime. It doesn’t have to be today obviously⁠—”

“Perfect.” She stood abruptly. “Then we agree. Not today. Now you can drop it.” She searched around for her bag, irritation rolling off her in waves. She shouldn’t be angry with Kyle. So why was she?

He dragged a hand down his face, tiredness still in his features. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I just think it might be smart to let someone know you’re okay.”

“I did. I’m here, right?” She crossed her arms.