Chapter Three

Sloane’s POV

The evening started with too many people and not enough exits.

Claire had organized a late dinner at a place downtown with an outdoor patio and string lights that made everything look softer than it was. My mother accepted the invitation before I could invent an excuse. By the time we arrived the table was already half full—Claire, Jasper, two of Claire’s coworkers, and a couple my mother knew from her book club. Conversation moved in bright, circling patterns. Wine appeared without ceremony. I drank more than I usually allowed myself, chasing a looseness that never quite arrived.

Jasper sat three seats away.

I felt him...