Page 24 of Billionaire's Bookworm

“Don’t let her scare you off, though,” Sandy said, her tone softening. “That girl’s got a good heart, even if she doesn’t always show it.”

I nodded, her words sticking with me as I left the café and headed toward the pier where I’d parked my car.

* * *

Ryker was waitingfor me when I reached the beach a short time later, his surfboard under one arm and a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Took you long enough,” he called.

“I was busy bribing a dog,” I replied, dropping my own board to kick off my shoes and peel off my tee shirt. I pulled my wetsuit from my bag and zipped up.

My friend raised an eyebrow as he watched me. “Is that code for something, or...?”

“Emma’s dog hates me,” I explained, grabbing my board up from the sand. “I’m trying to win him over.”

Ryker chuckled. “So now you’re trying to charm the whole family, huh? First the dog, then Emma. What’s next, bribing Mrs. Peabody?”

Snorting, I gave him a cocky smile. “Don’t give me ideas.”

We paddled out into the water, the waves rolling gently beneath us as the sun warmed our backs. Surfing had always been my go-to for clearing my head, and Ryker was the only guy I knew who could keep up with me out here.

“So,” he said as we waited for a wave, “what’s the deal with you and Emma, anyway?”

“No deal,” I said quickly. Too quickly.

Ryker smirked. “Right. Because it’s totally normal for you to hang out in a sleepy beach town for weeks on end, bribing dogs, entering chili cook-offs, and kissing a woman you barely know in front of an entire town.”

“I’m just... taking a break from Miami,” I said evasively.

“Uh-huh.”

A wave crested in the distance, and we paddled hard, catching it at the same time. For a few glorious seconds, everything else faded away—the noise in my head, the pressure to prove myself, the complicated situation with Emma—it was just me and the ocean.

When we finally paddled back to shore and got changed, Ryker shook his head, his grin widening when he caught me glancing toward town. “Jesus, you’re already gone for her.”

“Am not,” I protested, even as my eyes drifted in the direction the bookstore for the hundredth time that morning. A familiar figure walked past with a golden blur of fur, and I promptly lost my balance, nearly face-planting into the sand.

Ryker howled with laughter. “Yeah,totallynot gone for her. Hey, check your phone again—it’s been what, thirty seconds since the last time? Dude. You’re practically a walking rom-com at this point.”

Scowling, I shoved my definitely-not-just-checked phone deeper into my pocket as I hefted my bag onto my shoulder and tucked my board beneath my arm. Running my free hand through my hair, I groaned. “Can we not do this right now?”

Ryker gave me a long, appraising look, some of his amusement fading, though his eyes still twinkled with repressed glee. “Fine, my friend. But if you need help with your next grand gesture, you know where to find me. And for what it’s worth, I think you might actually be good for her.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Thanks... I think.”

He grinned. “Yeah. Just don’t screw it up. Meg will kill me.”

Scowling, I flipped him the bird but Ryker only laughed.

Seriously, what was with everyone telling me not to screw it up?

* * *

Back on dryland and packing up my car, I overheard a group of locals talking about trivia night at Beachy Keen Reads as they passed by.

“Emma always makes it so fun,” one of them said.

“Yeah, but the questions are brutal,” another chimed in. “Last time she asked us to name all of Jane Austen’s novels in order of publication.”

---