Page 15 of Broken Player

Quinn: Damn, girl. You're lucky I'm gay

Quinn: I expect a text from you as soon as you get back

I grinned, sliding my phone into my clutch. I didn't know what I'd do without Quinn in my life. He always knew the perfect thing to say to make me feel better or put my mind at ease. Plus, it was nice to have someone always looking out for me.

Just as I finished applying a final coat of lipgloss, there was a knock at the door. My heart kicked into overdrive and pounded uncomfortably in my chest. I smoothed my hand over my pants, before striding across the room and swinging the door open.

Yates's eyes widened before scanning up and down my body. "Damn, Ryan. You clean up well." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against my cheek. He smelled clean, like soap and light cologne. He wore blue again, and I was beginning to suspect he knew how the color made his eyes stand out and wore it all the time on purpose. This time he wore a blue blazer with a plaid button-up underneath and designer jeans.

He looked charming, not my usual type, but maybe that'd be okay. "Thanks, you do, too," I finally managed. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on a date, and I was incredibly nervous. I felt awkward. I knew next to nothing about Yates other than he worked at the bank his family-owned, and right offthe bat, it seemed like we wouldn't have much in common. Still, he was hot and seemed sweet. I wanted to go into tonight with an open mind.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Starving. I skipped lunch." Right on cue, my stomach growled, and he laughed. His laugh was rich and warm, and I decided that I liked it and wanted to hear it again.

"Well, let's go eat. Our reservation's in fifteen minutes," he said, glancing down at his watch.

I closed the door behind me with a soft click, sliding my room key into my clutch. I exhaled deeply before following Yates down the hall to the lobby. We didn't talk, and I wasn't sure what to say. The silence was a little uncomfortable, and I found myself wanting to fill it but unsure how. Instead, I bit my lip and tried to focus on taking deep breaths to calm my nerves.

We walked up to a sleek sports car, and Yates opened the door for me. I slid into the soft leather and tried to make myself comfortable. I needed to break the awkward silence. I couldn't take getting through an entire dinner like this.

When Yates lowered himself into the driver's seat and started the car, I decided I'd go with an easy ice breaker. "So, Yates," I began. "You're being groomed to take over the family business, right?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. Why?"

I picked at a stray string on my pants. "Did you go to college?"

He nodded. "Yale, just like my dad and his dad before him. It's a family tradition. I didn't really have a choice. It was expected of me before I was even born."

"Wow, didn't that bother you? What if you wanted to do something else?"

"It worked out. I love business. I guess it's in my blood. So I was happy with Yale," he answered. "What about you?"

I looked out the side window, watching as we passed storefronts and people out walking their dogs or jogging in the cooling evening air. "I went to college in California. UC Irvine. It's always been my dream to be a cop."

He turned to look at me, his eyebrows rising up his forehead. "A cop? How'd you end up working the ranch?"

"My dad had an accident. My older sister was doing her neurosurgery residency, so she wasn't going to give that up to come back. My younger sister was in the middle of college, working toward her degree in fire science. She always wanted to be a firefighter. I was the one who was done with my degree but not very far into my actual career training, so it made the most sense for me to come back." I sighed. I hadn't meant to tell him all of that, but it just sort of poured out of me.

I also left out the part about how I chose UC Irvine because of its proximity to Maddox Everleigh.

He shifted slightly in his seat and adjusted his grip on the wheel before he continued asking questions. "I know you want to save the ranch, and please don't be offended, but wouldn't it be better for you if you let the ranch go?"

I slumped against the seat as my body suddenly felt very heavy as if the world's weight was pressing down on my shoulders. "I'm not going to pretend it wouldn't personally be easier for me, but I could never let that happen. This ranch has been in my family for generations. It's my legacy, just like the bank is your legacy. Would it be so easy for you to just let it go?"

A dark shadow crossed Yates's face before he blinked it away and flashed a grin in my direction. "You're right. No, I wouldn't be able to let it go. It was a dumb question."

I gave him a small smile, grateful he hadn't pushed me further. "It wasn't dumb. That's a legitimate thing to ask me. My dad has never known another home, and neither have I, outsideof my years in college. I may not want to raise my own family there, but that doesn't mean I don't want the option someday."

"You really are amazing, aren't you?" Yates asked though I didn't know what to say back to that, so I kept quiet the rest of the way to the restaurant.

We pulled up to a valet, and Yates got out and came around, opening the door for me before tossing the valet his keys. He placed his hand on the small of my back before leading me inside the fanciest restaurant I'd ever been in. I was glad I'd bought a new outfit, but I still felt a little underdressed. It made me feel better that Yates was wearing jeans, even if they were designer.

We were greeted right away by a hostess who seemed to know Yates by name. She led us back to our table and tried to offer me a wine list. I was a beer girl through and through, so I had no idea what to do with it. Instead, I deferred to Yates, and he ordered a bottle of something I'd never heard of for us to share.

I glanced at the menu on the table in front of me, not recognizing a lot of the food and wishing he'd taken us to a burger joint or something instead. I could really go for a burger and fries right about now. Maybe even a milkshake, too.

But, I tried to push those thoughts aside and enjoy tonight for what it was. Even if this wasn't really my thing, it'd be nice to try something new just to say I'd done it once.

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