Page 63 of Tides of Discovery
“What? It’s true.” Ryan grinned, unrepentant.
Jack cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. “I should probably get back to work. Deadlines and all.”
“You haven’t eaten your sandwich,” I pointed out, reluctant to let him go.
“I’ll take it with me.” His smile was tepid. What was going through his mind?
“Of course.” I tried to ignore the tightening of disappointment as I wrapped his sandwich.
Jack hesitated, then leaned in to kiss my cheek, his lips warm against my skin. “Text me later?”
I nodded. He gathered his food and coffee and headed for the door. Just before leaving, he turned back. His gaze found mine across the shop. Something passed between us—a powerful connection I cherished—before he ducked out into the rain.
With a sigh, I slipped Ryan’s sandwich from the press onto a plate and passed it to him.
“Have a minute to sit?” he asked.
“Go ahead, boss,” Jessica said. “I’ve got this.” She busied herself with the next order.
I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and stepped around the counter. Ryan and I settled at an empty table.
“So.” Ryan bit into the panini, moaned his approval, and swallowed. “That was intense.”
“That’s one word for it.” I cracked open the bottle and sipped. The cool liquid soothed my tight throat.
“You really have it bad, don’t you?” His tone was gentle, observant rather than teasing.
“What do you mean?”
“For Jack.” Ryan’s gaze scanned my face. “I’ve never seen you defend anyone like that, Coop. Not even yourself.”
I screwed the cap back onto the bottle, then twisted it off. On…off. On…off. The truth was, I didn’t know what to say. The fierceness of my reaction to my parents’ dismissal of Jack hadsurprised even me. It had felt deeply personal, visceral, beyond what our arrangement called for.
“He’s important to me,” I finally said, the understatement of the century.
Ryan took another bite and watched me with a knowing look. “I can see that. And for what it’s worth, you’re important to him, too. The way he looks at you…”
I thought of Jack’s expression when I’d defended him, that mixture of surprise and pride. The way his hand had felt in mine, strong and steadying, even though I thought I’d been the one supporting him.
What was happening between us? What were these feelings that surged whenever he was near, that made me want to cross lines we’d carefully drawn?
“It’s complicated,” I said, the words utterly inadequate.
Ryan snorted. “Love usually is.”
Love.The word hit me like a shock of ice water, simultaneously jarring and clarifying. Was that what this was? These confused, tangled feelings for my best friend? This need to be near him, to touch him, to defend him against anyone who might hurt him?
“I don’t…” I began, then stopped, unsure what I was even denying, or why.
Ryan’s expression softened. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now, Coop. Just…don’t push it away because it’s scary or inconvenient or not what you expected. Some of the best things in life are the ones that blindside us.”
As the lunch rush continued around us, my mind replayed the moment I’d taken Jack’s hand, the way it had felt like stepping into a role that fit perfectly despite never having rehearsed it. The fierce protectiveness that had surged through me when my father dismissed him. It was becoming increasinglydifficult to imagine returning to just friends when our bargain ended.
Maybe Ryan was right. Maybe I didn’t need to understand everything yet. Maybe it was enough just to acknowledge that something was growing between us, something unexpected and potentially wonderful.
And frightening in its intensity.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
