Stripped Down (Tap That)

“Do you wish you had a dog?” she asked River, dropping down beside her on the grass.

“Yeah. Rick says no because we live in an apartment. I wish we lived in a house, but not like my dad’s house. Like your dad’s house.”

That made Sloane’s heart hurt for River. “That was a good house to grow up, that is very true. I think Rick is too busy to have a house though. He has the auto body shop and you to worry about, not fixing leaky toilets or cutting the grass.”

“I know.” River looked over at her. “Do you ever wish your mom didn’t leave?”

Sloane wasn’t sure how River knew that, but it was a small town and it wasn’t a secret. “Sure, sometimes. But I don’t really remember her, so I don’t miss her. I just wished when I was your age and a teenager that I had a woman to talk to. My dad was great but there’s just girl stuff sometimes.”

River nodded. “I feel the same way. Rick tries, but he doesn’t understand I’m growing up. And Rachel tries too, but honestly, she’s more immature than I am.”

Sloane smiled at River, amused by her response. “Well, I’m around if you ever need someone to talk to. I won’t tell your brother what we talk about, I promise.”

“Thanks. And you can talk to me, too, you know. About Rick. And how you feel.” River’s look was expectant.

Sloane was speechless. She seriously had no idea what to say. But then his words came right back to her. He didn’t want to ruin anything. He didn’t want anything more. She had to respect that. Keep things simple. Straight-forward. Sex.

“I like Rick. We’re friends, that’s all.” Why did it suck so hard to say that?

Because part of her had thought that if she wanted more, so would he. After all, he was the one who’d always had a crush on her. But that had nothing to do with his life as an adult and he liked the ladies. She was a friend with benefits. Nothing more, nothing less.

One benefit of being an O’Toole? She knew how to keep her emotions under wrap.

When Rick came over with Winnie and Todd, she had herself completely pulled back together. It was her first time meeting Todd and she stood up to introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Sloane, Winnie’s new shampoo girl.”

Not Rick’s friend. Or Sullivan’s sister. Or Tom’s ex-wife.

She was Sloane, with a life of her own.

* * *

Rick watched River run ahead of him at the Fish Festival, wishing like he always did, that she had more friends. It was worrisome. It didn’t seem to bother her a whole lot but it just seemed to him that at some point she had to be lonely. Girls her age had sleepovers and put makeup on each other and watched the Disney channel together. At least she’d agreed to go to camp for the next year, and now she had Kate to play with. A dog couldn’t speak, but she could still be a friend.

He sipped a beer and lazily walked beside Axl, who was actually on duty as a cop.

“I can see you worrying,” Axl said. “She’s a good kid, Ryder. You’re doing a fantastic job.”

He shrugged. “I do all right. But I do worry. I can’t help it. And then I just get pissed at my dad. He bought her an iPhone without talking to me and now I have her watching YouTube videos in bed at midnight when she should be sleeping. And then to just totally embarrass me, he hit on Sloane.”

Axl snorted. “You have to give him credit. The guy has balls.”

“No, he has a dick and that’s all he thinks with.”

“Oh, and you’re different how?” Axl gave him a side look. “You’re kind of a player.”

That ticked him off. “Hey, that’s not fair.” It wasn’t. “I don’t drag women into my shithole house and knock them up. I’m not like him at all.” He resented the comparison.

“I didn’t mean that. I meant you’re so busy keeping women at a distance you’re going to end up like him—alone.”

“What are you, my fucking counselor?” Now Rick was flat-out angry because it hit a nerve. Sloane had hinted at something being between them at the park the other night and he’d pulled away. He’d given her the line he always gave women, about not wanting to ruin what they had by taking it further.

Her admission that she’d liked the kiss back in high school had been hot as hell, and deeply satisfying, but then he hadn’t truly understood what she was asking of him. Then he’d tried to talk to her about it and she’d shut him down.

“River will grow up, go to college, and then what?” Axl held his hands up.

He had his damn cop

sunglasses on with his uniform and Rick couldn’t see his eyes. “I don’t know.” He hadn’t given a lot of thought to it. He was just doing his thing. Living day to day.