Page 48 of Surprised By Her

“I know,” she said, and I swore her cheeks were a little red. “I just… I’m not good at this.”

“At sitting?” I asked.

“Yes, sitting and doing nothing.” She turned toward me, and I saw a kind of frantic gleam in her eyes.

“We’re not doing nothing. We’re snacking. And I’m relaxing. I work all week so my weekends are super important,” I said.

“I came here to figure out what the fuck I’m doing with my life and to try and relax for the summer, but it turns out I have no idea what I’m doing,” she said. “What kind of person doesn’t know how to relax?”

“What were you doing before you came here?” I asked.

“I worked for my father,” she said, clenching her hands again. “And then I quit.”

“Why did you quit?” I asked.

Ryan flexed her fingers and let out a tense breath.

“It’s complicated,” she said, her jaw tight. I waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. “A lot of shit happened to me earlier this year.”

“Are you going to get another job?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I still have my trust fund, and a percentage of the company, so I’m not destitute. Not that I need daddy’s money,” she said, her tone turning defensive.

I put my hands up. “Hey, I didn’t say anything. If my parents were rich, they would have had a trust fund for me.” As it was, they’d busted their asses to help me pay for college, so I’d graduated with debt, but not as much as some of my classmates. I was grateful for every single cent they’d given me.

“I sound like a spoiled little rich girl,” she muttered under her breath.

I reached out to take her hands. “Hey. We don’t have to talk about this either. Let’s focus on the relaxing part. I really like the idea of taking a walk, but something tells me your idea of a walk and mine are two different things. So.” I stood up and held out my hand. “Come take a walk with me.”

“You have to stop walking so damn fast,” I said as I struggled to keep up with the amazon pacing in front of me.

“Sorry,” she said, slowing down.

“We’re strolling. And I have short legs,” I said, taking even smaller steps.

“Fair enough,” she said with a laugh.

I’d wanted to head into the woods behind the house, but I’d only had a pair of sandals from the night before, and I didn’t want to risk it, so we were walking on the driveway that led down to the house.

“Take a big deep breath,” I said, and she gave me a skeptical look, but followed my lead and breathed.

“See? We’re relaxing,” I said. “We don’t need to be anywhere, or go anywhere, or do anything. Listen to the birds.”

Ryan looked up and around.

“What kind of birds are those?” she asked.

“I have no idea,” I said. “But that’s not the point.”

“What is the point?” she asked.

“To notice the birds. To notice the smells around you and the feel of the ground underneath your feet.”

“It’s pavement,” she said.

I stopped walking. “Oh my god, you are going to make this difficult, aren’t you? Just go with it, Ryan.”

“Okay, cupcake,” she said.

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