Page 21 of Surprised By Her

I met her eyes and she said something to Layne and Honor and came over to me.

“I guess it’s true what they say about small towns,” she said.

“It is,” I said immediately, but then wasn’t quite sure what she meant. “Wait, what is it they say about small towns?”

“Small towns, small world. You’re bound to see the same people,” she said.

“Here you go my dear,” Joy said, bringing me my soda. “Ryan, can I get you a refill?”

“No, thank you, I’m fine,” Ryan said, and Joy moved on. I guess she had taken it upon herself to be the bartender tonight, even though it wasn’t her party and she didn’t live here anymore.

I was about to say something else to Ryan, but then I heard someone tapping silverware against a glass and calling for everyone’s attention.

Lark cleared her throat. “Dinner is ready so…come and get it.”

We all lined up and grabbed plates and served ourselves from the pans and dishes in the kitchen.

Sydney had brought up a folding table from the pottery shop and found some folding chairs somewhere. It was a tight squeeze, but we managed to all fit without an inch to spare.

I wound up at the end of the table with Sydney on my right and Ryan on my left. Not sure if she intended to sit next to me, but that’s how it happened and then I was practically pressed up against her as she wedged herself into her chair.

“Sorry,” I said, trying to give her as much space as possible.

“You’re fine,” Ryan said, adjusting her chair. No matter what she did, most of her body was practically pressed up against mine and my brain was starting to short-circuit at all the contact.

Ryan was tall and warm, and she smelled so good. Even better than the food in front of me.

“I’d like to make a toast,” Layne said, piping up. “I want to say thank you to Lark for this incredible meal, and to Sydney for hosting. Cheers everyone,” she said, and we all toasted.

“Cheers,” Ryan said softly as our glasses met for a brief touch. I forced myself to meet her eyes, since I knew that if you didn’t make eye contact during a toast, you were doomed to years of bad luck. Not that I believed in that, but it was better safe than sorry.

Ryan did her best, but she was constantly bumping into me as she tried to eat. I knew I should move over or at least lean a little to give her more room, but every time our bodies collided, it gave me a little thrill.

“Love, this is amazing,” Sydney said, looking down the end of the table toward Lark. “And I’m not just saying that to get into your pants later. It is something I’d say to get into your pants, but in this instance, it’s not a lie.”

Lark snorted. “Thank you, Syd. That’s very nice to hear.”

I couldn’t even concentrate on the food because of Ryan. She was a hell of a distraction from my anxiety.

At one point her thigh rubbed against mine and I dropped my fork.

“Sorry,” she said under her breath.

“It’s okay,” I said, picking my fork up again. At least it hadn’t fallen on the floor.

Clementine the cat made his rounds, trying to see if any tasty tidbits would fall on the floor for him to gobble up. He actually jumped into Sydney’s lap and tried to paw at her plate.

“Sir, this is not for you. This is human food and you hate all of it. I know what you like and there’s none of it here.” The cat blinked up at her and meowed before she set him on the floor again.

The longer we sat at the table, the more tense Ryan seemed to get until her entire body was in one huge clench. I felt bad for her and was relieved when everyone finished and we could leave the table. Lark had bought dessert from Sweet’s Sweets and went to the kitchen with Sydney to brew coffee and tea for everyone.

Others rose from the table with their plates to help clean up, and I stood to give Ryan some room. I swore I heard her sigh in relief as she stood and stretched her arms over her head, her shirt riding up a little to give me a tiny peek of those abs I’d seen at the beach. I forgot everything I was doing for a moment until someone said something to me.

“Huh?” I said, turning away from Ryan.

“Coffee or tea for you?” Joy asked.

“Oh, uh, tea, please. Herbal.” If I had caffeine now, I was never going to get to sleep.

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