Page 88 of Surprised By Her

“Feel free,” Mom said as Mama looked on adoringly.

“I love it when she goes all stern teacher,” Mama said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Ew, didn’t need to know that,” I said, but they all ignored me.

“Have a good day,” Ryan said when she dropped me off.

“You are going to have to send me updates from the water park,” I said. “And if you start to lose your mind, just message me and I will make you feel better.”

“You’re the best,” Ryan said, using my shirt to pull me in for a kiss. “I’ll pick you up later.”

“Bye, Ryan,” I said, giving her one more kiss before hopping out of the car and blowing her a kiss.

Sydney was smirking at me from the front of the pottery shop when I unlocked the door.

“I saw that kiss,” she said. “Looks serious to me.”

“You sound like my parents,” I said.

“Your parents sound like they agree with me, which means they’re right,” she said.

I wanted to argue with her. To tell her all the reasons that it couldn’t and wouldn’t work with Ryan, but there was that nagging in the back of my head. Mama’s voice, telling me that I should imagine things working out.

I have quite a few regrets in my life, but this is the biggest Ryan sent me with a picture of her sitting in the front seat of an SUV crammed with tween girls.

You’re not driving right now, are you? I responded.

No, we’re officially at the water park and I’m trying to remind myself that this day will end eventually and I’ll get to see your beautiful face again. It’s been a rough day so far she sent.

I didn’t look particularly cute, but I sent her a smiling selfie anyway.

I feel better already she replied.

Happy to help I sent.

Ryan’s day sounded like a nightmare, but it was pretty entertaining for me.

“I feel like Layne is the only one who could do that and have a good time. She’s magic with kids,” Sydney said when I filled her in.

“Ryan seems to be holding her own. She adores the twins, and they look up to her, so I think that helps,” I said.

“Ryan seems pretty great,” Sydney said, readjusting the front window display.

“She is. She’s the best,” I said.

“Doesn’t hurt that she’s completely loaded,” Sydney said.

“I don’t care about that. The money doesn’t matter to me. It’s her mind and her smile and just…her everything,” I said and found Sydney looking at me with a smug face.

“Interesting,” she said.

“What?” I asked, feeling defensive.

“Oh, nothing,” she said. “Can you hand me that lobster platter?”

Since I didn’t want to talk about my feelings for Ryan with Sydney, I handed her the lobster platter and kept my mouth shut.

“You survived,” I said when I hopped into Ryan’s car.

---