Page 22 of Perfectly Imperfect Us
At that Ryder stepped away to watch as Max and Skylar stood on the edge of the rock, ready to make their jump. I couldn’t seem to form words or quite comprehend everything that had just happened. A gorgeous man had seen my face without makeup, introduced me to a world-renowned fashion model like it was nothing, and then told me everything about me was beautiful.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, because I felt like doing both.
Without a doubt, I knew this was the moment my silly little crush on Ryder transformed into something else entirely. Something that made my chest ache and my feet feel like they were no longer touching the ground. Like that free fall off the cliff, I was falling hard for Ryder. And there’d be no ocean to catch me this time.
I heard yelps and splashes as I stared off into the distance, knowing my time alone with Ryder had come to an end. Ryder handed over the makeup bottle with a slight nod as if he knew how much I needed the armor before everyone else saw me too. He grabbed towels and went to join Max and Skylar as they climbed out of the water, giving me time alone to fix my face.
As I stood there rubbing the makeup into my skin, I wondered what was behind Ryder’s mask. Everyone hid their flaws and insecurities. He’d been so quick to catch on to mine and take it in stride, so I knew he had experience with this sort of thing. So what were his insecurities? And would I be able to handle them as well as he handled mine?
9
Ryder
I’d never been happier about my career as a model than when Ava texted me late last night in all capitals because she and Ginnie had been texting back and forth getting to know each other. If anyone could get through Ava’s thick skull, it would be Ginnie, a force of nature so powerful mere mortals just bent to her will rather than prolong the inevitable. She actually reminded me a lot of Ava.
I could tell yesterday at the beach Ava wasn’t ready to receive my message. She truly believed herself to be unacceptable in her own skin and that ingrained belief wouldn’t change just because some guy told her so. She’d have to work to change her own mind.
My realtor, Emmilene, had also left me a message with another house that had come on the market that she wanted me to check out, but I hadn’t bothered to call her back just yet. Living next door to Ava had become my new favorite thing, so why rush to get a house of my own? Catching glimpses of her from my window from time to time was the highlight of my day. Although on second thought, that was a bit creepy, which was why I texted her and asked her out on a real date tonight. Much to my delight, she had accepted.
Ava’s door opened and Mr. Mendez stood on the other side, a frown on his face.
I swallowed hard. “Good afternoon, Mr. Mendez. Is Ava home?” I felt like I was sixteen again, picking up a girl for a date we all knew would end in making out in the back seat of my car.
“She might be.” He sniffed and I clenched my jaw to keep from laughing. I’d forgotten how protective Nickel Bay parents were with their daughters. Thankfully I hadn’t come empty-handed.
“I got you something.”
He let go of the door and leaned in, eagerly looking at the box in my hand. When I pushed it toward him, he took it with barely a moment’s hesitation. He ripped it open and let the box fall to his feet, holding up the hideous striped shirt I’d gotten from one of the top designers. Sure, everyone knew their brand and coveted their clothes, but I just couldn’t wear thick red, orange, and blue stripes no matter what logo they embroidered on the left breast.
“Oh, you know what Lorenzo likes, don’t you, son?” He clutched the shirt to him like it was his new prized possession, clapping me on the back and pulling me into the house.
I did chuckle then, which was unfortunate timing as he reached back and pulled off his polo shirt, showing me Mr. Mendez hadn’t taken care of his health the last twelve years. My laugh turned into a choking noise I don’t think I hid very well.
“Dad!” Ava walked into the living room, her nose wrinkling as she took in her father and all his potbellied shirtless glory. “What are you doing? Put some clothes on!”
Mr. Mendez pulled the new shirt over his head and put his hands out to the side, a gleeful smile on his face. “Ryder got me a new shirt! Isn’t it awesome?”
Ava bit her lip as she took in the type of shirt that would only sell with a designer label on it. I turned around to take in the family pictures on the wall to keep from bursting out laughing. That shirt had been hideous in the box and even more so on poor Mr. Mendez.
“Okay, Dad. That’s great. We gotta go or we’ll be late.” Ava grabbed my arm and marched us out the door, her father leaning out to wave and tell us to have a good time.
My car beeped at the curb as I unlocked it. Ava and I got in and she instantly backhanded me on the arm.
“Seriously? He’s going to wear that every other day now and my eyes will bleed.”
I let out the laugh, the kind where your stomach hurts and tears threaten to run down your cheeks because you can’t control yourself. Ava continued to glare at me, though her lips twitched at the edges. The only thing to sober me up was the thought that I hadn’t laughed that hard in years. Took coming home to Nickel Bay and Ava Mendez to bring that laughter back.
I swiped at my eyes and pulled away from the curb. “My apologies. I knew he’d love it, but I didn’t realize just how terrible that shirt was until he put it on so proudly.”
Ava sighed and let the subject drop. “So, where are you taking me today, Mr. Steele?”
Ava wasn’t subtle with her clothes or her appearance, but I was finding her quite subtle in her words. By calling me Mr. Steele, I had a feeling she was putting some distance between us. Showing me her skin had been a huge deal yesterday and she was probably feeling a little too exposed. My job with this date was to keep peeling the beautiful onion, a really poor metaphor for wanting to get to know Ava even better.
Smiling patiently, I placed my hand on her thigh wishing she were wearing a skirt so I could feel her skin. “We’re headed to a little place in Carmel-by-the-Sea for an art class, followed by dinner. You said you didn’t work until late tomorrow, so I thought I could keep you out late tonight. Hope you don’t mind.”
She returned the smile and put her hand on top of mine. “Sounds perfect.”
When we got to the little art studio a friend of mine suggested when I’d texted him last night with a desperate request for something intimate, I pulled Ava aside before we walked through the door. Carmel was beautiful and normally I’d stop to take in all the sites, clicking away on my camera, but today my whole focus remained on Ava.
