And right then, he didn’t feel so bad.
The pain wasn’t so great.
And when he went back into the living room to do some more, this dude named Dare told him not to worry about the money. That he had his back.
It wasn’t a biggie.
Ryder should have listened to the warning that went off deep in the recesses of his mind when the guy said all he asked was that Ryder do him one favor. But Amelia sat on his lap and kissed him.
He fell into the distraction.
Lost himself.
He’d just had no clue how far that spiral was going to go.
TWENTY-FIVE
DAKOTA
My stomach twisted as I wrote today’s dessert special on the board out front.
Midnight Temptation.
Maybe I’d been inspired when I’d come into the café this morning, or maybe I’d just needed something to do with my shaking hands, and I’d gone straight into the kitchen where I’d thrown myself into a new recipe. A concoction of dark chocolate and sweet cream swirled together in a decadent, flourless cake. It was served with a scoop of strawberry gelato since it was the closest color to the pink dress that I’d worn last night.
It was so rich that I was serving it as a smaller wedged slice, sure it could be consumed only in tiny amounts without the risk of becoming addicted.
At least I’d already felt that way when I’d awoken with boulders sitting in my stomach, a landslide of need crashing over me when my thoughts had immediately returned to last night. It was mixed with a tumble of worry and fear.
But I’d climbed out of bed resolved. Losing Ryder was not an option I could entertain, whether we went back to friends or decided to see where this went. Either way, we were going to have to suck it up and figure this thing out like adults.
It hadn’t felt as easy as that, though, when I’d emerged from my room at five-thirty and he was already gone.
Anger had pulsed.
I wasn’t about to stand for letting Ryder be a coward.
I wouldn’t let him.
Wouldn’t let him just…disappear like he had before.
We might have crossed a line, but we’d crossed it together.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I screeched when a hand landed on my arm.
I whirled around.
Paisley cracked up, pressing a hand over her mouth to try to stop the cackling that had everyone in the shop shifting their heads to see what the uproar was about.
“Oh my God, you should see your face right now.” She pointed at me.
I attempted to straighten myself out. Gather all the stampeding thoughts up before they ran too far out of control.
I resituated the skirt of my red and black floral dress. “What did you expect when you snuck up on me like that? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Um, it’s the light of day and there are fifty other people meandering around in here. But you were so lost in your thoughts I’m pretty sure you were here all by yourself. Or maybe you were with one special person…” She drew out the last.
Pure suggestion.
Heat flashed across my face before I could stop it.
Paisley’s eyes went wide. “Wait, what, did you?”
I couldn’t even speak she had me so flustered, my attention darting around to make sure no one could overhear.
When I didn’t answer, Paisley grabbed me by the wrist, and she pulled me through the store and down the hall that ran the side to the restrooms.
It was quieter back here, no one around, but she still kept her voice muted when she started to speak. “I came in here to see how your date went, and I completely expected you to tell me it was kind of lame and you were in bed by nine. I was not expecting your face to light up like a Christmas tree.”
“It did not light up like a Christmas tree.”
Okay, maybe. A Christmas tree that had completely gone up in flames.
“You are the liariest liar ever. You think I don’t see that blush. It’s covering every inch of you. Fess it up right now.”
A customer came out of the women’s restroom, and neither of us spoke until she’d made it to the end of the hall and out into the store.
Then Paisley squeezed my wrist again. “Did you and Brad totally hit it off? Tell me he was good and took care of my bestie. The guy has big hands, so I was thinking that maybe there was going to be something good for you underneath those dress pants. I told you I was looking out for you. I want every detail.”
Nerves rattled, and I bit down on my lip, my chest pressing full as I whispered, “Brad and I did not hit it off.”
Dinner was nice, like I’d told Ryder, but there’d been no real connection, and when he’d dropped me off at Ryder’s door, we’d both decided we’d be better off as friends.