Page 64 of Sunset Catchers

Just then, a girl appears besides him. She’s very pretty. She is the epitome of a cool girl wearing a short-jean skirt and a thigh t-shirt, white socks tucked into blue and purple sneakers, and a perfectly scuffed leather jacket to finish off the look. Big silver hoops shining on her lobes.

I’m having a hard time not letting my expression slip.

They look good together. A picture of the two of them would do wonders on Instagram and probably be saved by a ton of people on Pinterest as aspirational.

Is Levi on a date? He did say he was trying to find a girlfriend, sort of. But, like, I did not think he was actively dating. While we are working together. I feel weird about it. And I also feel weird, that I feel weird about it.

“Hi?” he calls out, brows knitted together.

Shit. I’m still waving. I let my hand drop.

“Hi. Are you on a date?” I ask bluntly.

The girl gags at his side. Levi grimaces. I frown.

“No. That’s my little sister Sloane.”

I lose a breath and my arms fall back to my side; they’d been hugging my chest very tightly without my notice. Levi tracks the movement.

“Omg, you’re Winnie?” Sloane states happily. “My brother didn’t mention the fact that you are smoking hot. What the hell, Levi!” Sloane rams her elbow into his ribs. He winces.

“Sorry. My sister’s filter is filled with holes, and it ineffectively lets through a good seventy-five percent of thoughts she really should keep to herself.”

Well, well. Let’s have some fun, here. It’s the weekend, after all. I look at Levi with my right brow perched up higher than the left.

“So you don’t share your sister’s opinion?”

“I…err. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to talk about a coworker this way.”

“I thought we were friends now,” I say.

“Yeah! We’re totally friends.” My whole face scrunches up in a bleak way.

“Okay…so it’s just that you think that I’m not hot?”

“What? No!” he yells, earning startled glances from strangers.

“No, you don’t think I’m hot, or no, you do think I’m hot?”

“I think you’re really hot!”

Stupid hot, apparently, if the state of his brain is any indication. An older woman narrows her eyes at him.

Levi sees the corner of my mouth twitch with satisfaction at having succeeded in goading him.

“You’re the worst,” he tells me, shuffling the books in his hold to scratch the back of his neck. I let a laugh tumble free that curls up my glossed-up lips.

“But at least I’m really hot,” I say, overly batting my lashes. Sloane cackles. A muscle thicks in his jaw.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother flustered before. And that’s saying a lot from me, since he did get caught once with his pants around his ankles by our whole family, with his latest summer conquest on her knees in front of him. Levi from 2015 was kind of unhinged.”

I laugh loudly. He was not kidding about the defective filter thing. I like it.

“Shut up, Sloane!”

Sloane pokes a finger at Levi’s heated cheek. “Are you blushing?”

He bats her hand away. He is so blushing. I pick up my books and make my way to their row so I can enjoy the sight of a pinked cheek Levi from closer.