Page 4 of Ryder
“Don’t even start.”
“I’m just saying, if something were to go wrong...” He tries and fails to hide his grin. “She might need a place to stay while repairs are being done. And you do have that empty guest house.”
“You’re a menace.” But my mind is already spinning with possibilities. Dana in my space, making breakfast in my kitchen, maybe wearing one of my shirts…
Dangerous thoughts. Very dangerous thoughts.
“Speaking of menaces, incoming.” Jake nods toward the approaching truck. “Elena’s bringing lunch.”
“Great. Because one of you giving me grief isn’t enough.”
But I’m smiling as I say it, watching my sister’s truck kick up dust on the access road. Maybe she’ll have news about Dana’s plans for the festival. Not that I’m going to ask. Not that I’m thinking about how good she looked this morning, or how much I want to finally taste if her lips are as sweet as her smile.
Yeah. I’m in trouble.
Big trouble.
Elena hops out of her truck carrying a large cooler, smiling at Jake. “Brought sandwiches from Mary’s. And coffee.” She holds up a familiar Hearts & Grinds cup carrier. “Dana added some new chocolate croissants to the menu. Said she’s ‘testing recipes’ again.”
Jake shoots me a knowing look. “Interesting timing. Wasn’t someone just saying they needed to cut back on sweets?”
“Weren’t you just about to shut up and eat your lunch?” I grab the coffee Elena offers, definitely not thinking about how Dana always remembers exactly how I like it.
“Oh, and Dana wanted to know if you’d look at her stand mixer.” Elena settles onto the tailgate, unwrapping her sandwich. “Says it’s making a weird noise.”
“I can take a look.” The words come out too fast. “I mean, if I have time. Later. After I finish here.”
“Smooth,” Jake mutters.
Elena’s eyes dart between us. “Did I miss something?”
“Your husband’s just being an ass.” I take a long drink of coffee, remembering how Dana’s fingers brushed mine when she handed over my breakfast. The spark of connection had been enough to make me almost—almost—ask her out right there.
“We’re discussing Ryder’s inability to form complete sentences around a certain baker,” Jake supplies helpfully. “And his elaborate plans to avoid admitting he has actual feelings.”
“Oh, that.” Elena’s smile turns wicked. “You mean like how he specially ordered those vanilla beans from Thailand for her birthday but made Rachel give them to her so it wouldn’t seem too obvious?”
“I hate both of you.”
“Or how he scared off that guy from the restaurant supply company who was flirting with her?”
“He was being pushy,” I mutter. “She looked uncomfortable.”
“Or how about last week when-”
“Don’t you have a house to renovate?” I cut in, but there’s no real heat in it. They aren’t wrong, is the thing. Every time some guy shows interest in Dana, I get this urgent need to be nearby. Just to make sure she’s okay, I tell myself. Just being protective, like I would for any friend.
Right. Because friends memorize each other’s coffee orders and spend hours fixing kitchen equipment just to see her smile.
“The thing is,” Elena says more gently, “everyone can see how perfect you’d be together. You make her laugh. She makes you light up. Why fight it?”
Because perfect things don’t last. Because the moment you admit how much you want something is the moment you give it power to hurt you. Because Dana deserves better than a guy with more baggage than the airport lost and found.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Actually, it is.” Jake wads up his sandwich wrapper. “You’re just making it complicated because you’re-”
A phone rings, cutting him off. Elena pulls hers out, then grins. “Speaking of Dana...” She answers, putting it on speaker. “Hey! We were just talking about…What? Slow down, honey. What’s wrong with the pipe?”
