He shakes it off and even gives me that grin that shows his dimple. “Yeah, just a little problem at work.” He drops back down in the chair next to me.
I swivel my chair to face his. “I guess if I worked for you, I could help sort through those problems.” The work problem he’s dealing with is not one I’d be aware of if I took the job he was offering me.
He’s tense but still manages to lean closer, sliding his hand into mine. “But you turned me down, so I guess I’m on my own.”
We’re both dancing around things we can’t say.
These feelings for him are leading me down a path I cannot take, so this little reminder of all he’s hiding from me and all I’m hiding from him is welcome.
“When do you think you’ll be done here?” he whispers, before kissing me gently on the lips.
I pull back just enough to answer him. “Maybe an hour? What time are you off the clock?”
“About the same.” Ryan gives me one last kiss then gets up. He’s almost to the door when he adds, “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
I nod and fidget in my seat. “I know.”
He stares at me for a few seconds, long enough that an irrational part of me thinks he can see past this glossy outer layer I’ve created. Then he adds, “Even when my friends act like assholes.”
Smiling, I say, “Even then. Don’t worry, I don’t scare easy. I’ll see you at home soon.”
Another glance at his phone, then his eyes are back on me. “I like the sound of that.”
I watch until he disappears down the hall and around the corner.
* * *
The place cards are done. Mrs. Roberts and Mrs. Sullivan will be staring at each other across table 1 while I’m sure everyone else will be staring at them. All of my other to-do items have been checked off, but before I clock out for the day, there’s a call I need to make.
She answers on the second ring.
“Hey, Rachel,” I say. “It’s Evie. Do you have a minute?”
Silence. And then, “Sure, what do you need?”
I lean back in my chair and glance down the hall to make sure no one is around. “We got off on the wrong foot and I hate it.” I let that hang a few seconds then add, “I’d love it if we could try again.”
She’s quiet, and then I hear a soft laugh. “I have to admit, after all the calls I’ve gotten about our lunch today, this is one I wasn’t expecting.”
Ryan must have called her, but she wasn’t surprised he did. And now I’m curious what he said to her.
“I’m as much to blame with how things went down,” I say. “It’s really hard for me to talk about my past.”
“No, I shouldn’t have pushed so hard. It was very insensitive.” She says “insensitive” as if that was the main criticism lodged against her in her earlier conversations.
“Truce?” I ask.
“Sure, truce,” she answers, her words clipped.
I let out a relieved sigh that I make sure she can hear. “Great! Well, I guess we’ll see you Saturday at the Derby party.”
“Can’t wait,” Rachel says, then ends the call.
I smile when I drop the phone in my bag.
Rachel is probably leaning back in her chair, our conversation replaying in her head while staring out the window of her small office, three doors down from the coveted corner one I’m sure she eyed the first day she walked the halls of the most prestigious law firm in town—the office reserved for partners. It’s the same firm where on breaks from law school she interned during the week and screwed a junior partner on the weekends. The same law firm that handles anything Ryan needs.
She’s picking apart my story, looking for the truth behind my words. And from my research, she’s good at what she does. Something isn’t sitting right with her, and she’s trying to decide if digging into my background is worth the possibility of losing Ryan’s friendship.
Rachel is one I’ll need to watch a little closer.
Chapter 7
This is ridiculous,” I say, looking in the minuscule mirror attached to the visor so I can make a last-minute adjustment to the swathe of frothy pink fabric residing on the brim of my hat. “I look ridiculous.”
Ryan turns the SUV onto a long gravel road, passing an open ornate gate with the words hidden hills farm in metal letters stretched out across the top. He spares me a quick glance. “Yours won’t even be the biggest hat there.”
“Are you sure? Because I totally think they’re setting me up.” I agreed to go shopping with Sara and Beth for the Derby party and they assured me this hat was exactly what I needed. “And it’s not fair I have to tote this thing around on my head all day while you’re in khakis and a button-down.”