Page 20 of Ask for Moore

My greeting was incredibly awkward, which was understandable since this was the first time we’d been alone since we’d been rescued from the elevator a little more than a week ago. When I deposed his client at the start of the week, Mr. Sanderson had already been waiting in the conference room, and I’d been the first to leave. And then when Ryland had deposed my client, I arrived and left with Mr. Burkhart.

“Thank goodness it’s the weekend.” Ivy came skittering to a stop as she slammed the door behind her. “Waverly!”

I gave her a little wave and repeated the same one-word greeting. “Hello.”

Her gaze darted back and forth between her boss and me. “What’re you up to?”

I glanced around as though the answer would appear out of thin air. “Um…I’m not entirely sure. I found myself in the unusual position of having plenty of time to kill, and I was hungry. So I came downtown in search of dinner, I guess. But then I got distracted by the window displays and was thinking I might do a little shopping before the stores close.”

Ivy beamed a smile at me. “You still have a little time since it’s Friday night.”

Glancing at the sign in the window I’d been looking at before they showed up, I sighed. “Not as much as I would have thought, though.”

“That’s Mooreville for you. Just about everything closes early around here. Even the bars.”

Ryland shot an exasperated look at his assistant. “Like you have room to talk. Is anything even open when you get home from work during the week?”

“I live two towns over,” Ivy explained, sweeping her arm out toward the street. “It’s about half the size of Mooreville, with nowhere close to as many stores.” She planted her hand on her hip as she turned toward Ryland. “And I’ll have you know that most of them are open until at least six thirty on Friday nights.”

My mouth opened and closed a couple of times before I echoed, “Seven?”

“Hey, that’s only half an hour earlier than here,” she huffed.

“But Waverly is used to Chicago hours,” Ryland reminded her.

“True,” she conceded. “I bet you can get pretty much anything you want any hour of the day.”

I nodded. “One of my favorite pizza places doesn’t close until four on Friday and Saturday, and a few national chains nearby are open twenty-four seven.”

“Whoa.” Ivy’s eyes widened. “Pizza in the middle of the night that doesn’t come from your freezer must be awesome.”

“It really is.”

“The change of pace was definitely an adjustment for me when I moved back home from Indianapolis, and I was used to how things are in Mooreville.” Ryland chuckled and shook his head. “At least when Vienna relocated down here, she had her ice skating to keep her busy.”

“She’s the one who gave Simon’s mom the eye candy sign-up sheet idea. Your cousin Dean’s girlfriend, right?” When Ryland nodded, I asked, “Where did she move here from?”

“She’s actually his fiancée now. He popped the question last weekend, and she said yes since he asked for my help setting the stage.” He wagged his brows. “And she’s a Chicagoan, like you.”

“Oh, please,” Ivy groaned. “If anyone deserves credit, it’s me. I’m the one who found the plane.”

“Plane?” I echoed, my brows drawing together.

Ryland nodded. “Yeah, Dean wanted to do something special for his proposal.”

“I still say he should have proposed while they were in the Netherlands.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “That would have been super romantic.”

I felt as though I had stepped in the middle of a conversation and had no idea what they were talking about. “The Netherlands?”

“Vienna had a speed skating competition there, and when they got back, Dean proposed using a sky banner,” Ryland explained.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” I sighed. Then the little details he’d given finally came together in my brain. “Wait a second…is your cousin’s fiancée Vienna Frost?”

“She is.” His handsome face split into a wide grin. “They were in the Netherlands for the World Speed Skating Championships, and Dean didn’t want to take away from her win there. So he waited to propose at home.”

“What a small world. I’ve seen her skate a few times in Chicago,” I murmured.

“Now that they’re back home, I’m sure you’ll meet her sooner or later.”

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