Page 11 of Promised Summer
“Are you sure we won’t be a bother?” Ryan sounded hesitant but slightly hopeful.
The part that wanted to protect myself yelled at me to take back my offer and make up some excuse to callit all off, but two almost identical pairs of blue eyes stared at me pleadingly. I’d always been weak for those eyes.
“It’s no bother. Are you living at your grandma’s?” He nodded, so I continued, “Great! I’ll pick you two up tomorrow afternoon. Let’s say around one?”
This time, they both nodded. I smiled at the way Karla’s head moved so quickly I thought it might just fly away.
Then, with one final wave, I drove off before their blue gazeswrangled more out of me. Next thing I know, I’d probably be offering them my cabin so they could have a place they could call their own. Preferably with me living there as well, so I could see them every day.
My snort rang loud in the silent cab, even though it was my own brain that’d conjured up that thought.
When did I become such a pushover? It didn’t help matters that, instead of going home like I’d originally planned, I found myself driving thirty minutes away to the closest supermarket, then spending the next hour in the baby section looking up reviews for the different booster seats.
I also purchased everything I would need for my new pet, and I told myself that was the reason I was so anxious to come shopping.
I returned home with my new purchases, unsure whether the lightness of my heart was a good thing. What Ididknow was that as I prepared my cabin for my new doggy friend, the place didn’t seem quite as lonely as it had that morning.
My friends were already at Hector’s when I arrived for brunch. They snagged the round booth in the back.
Atlas, the peppy waiter who’d practically all but forced himself into the job earlier this year, was chatting happily with Sam.
I heard Atlas had grown closer to the group these past few months with their weekly brunch dates. I hadn’t had much interaction with him, having been caught up with Deke and all, but the rare times I had managed to sneak out here for a Sunday brunch, he’d always been nice to me.
Seeing them all sitting there, laughing and joking around, made me realize just how much time I’d missed with my friends because I let a relationship get between us. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Ryker stood when he caught sight of me. He said something to our friends, then wove through the crowds to reach me.
“One day without seeing me, and you missed me so much you had to come and greet me personally?” I teased and pulled him into a hug.
He laughed and hugged me back with those beefy arms of his. I kept my arm around his shoulder when the hug ended and started to push us toward the rest of our friends, but Ryker stopped me.
“Wait, I wanted to talk to you first,” he said and led me to a more secluded area ofthe diner.
That got a brow raise out of me. “What’s going on, man?”
He shifted on his feet, the worry obvious in his eyes. My friend sometimes had trouble coming up with the right words, so I gave him a moment to gather his thoughts.
“I visited Sam’s Gramps and sister yesterday,” he ended up saying. I nodded and gestured for him to continue, since I had no clue where this was going. From what I knew, Ryker went over to the Monroe house every weekend, so what was so special about yesterday?
He didn’t make me wait long to find out.
“I sawhimthere. Heard he moved here last weekend,” he said softly.
I didn’t even have to ask to know who he was talking about. I was aware the moment Ryan’s grandmother, Granny Lottie, had sold her winery to retire, about a year after I last saw Ryan.
I also knew she’d bought the house next door to the Monroe family’s. I also knew the week Ryan’s mom, Auntie Mae, moved to town about five years ago to take care of her aging mother.
I had access to Ryan’s family and could have used that as a way to get in contact with him, but I never did. What was the point of asking someone the reason they cut off contact with you when they’d already made their stance clear?
Now, seeing him again, I wondered if plugging myears from news of him for this past decade was the right choice, after all?
Ryker was growing more physically concerned by the second when I didn’t reply. His face scrunched up like he was sucking on a sour grape, though I doubt he even realized it.
I laughed, which had Ryker’s face wrinkling even more. I reached out to smooth it, slightly worried that his expressions might stay all wrinkly like that if he kept this up, then I’d have to face Sam for turning his fiancé’s face into…this.
“Thank you for worrying about me. You’re a good friend, you know that, right?” I said in reply.
Ryker beamed, and it was clear how important being a good friend was to him. He laughed and swung an arm around me, leading me toward our group.
