Page 30 of Easy Reunion
“Oh, just the kind who takes her number, promises to call, and then ghosts her.” Charly’s outrage on my behalf feels good.
I nod even though the ache inside over Ry’s actions haven’t abated even with my new friend’s defense or the six new pairs of shoes I’m adding to my collection. “Sad, but true.”
“Do you think he might have had a good reason?” Eli holds up the camera. “Smile pretty, ladies.”
We both beam at him. “Thank you so much for doing this, Kee. It’s going to make Sam’s year,” Charly tells me.
I give Charly a quick hug. “It was nothing. Coming in here was one of the best decisions I ever made,” I tell her honestly. “You’re a treasure.”
There’s a choked sound from across the room. “I don’t believe those are the words I used when I described her growing up,” Eli mutters. Charly sticks her tongue out at him just as the door opens and a familiar voice calls out, “Charly, tell me what a man needs to do when he has to grovel on his knees. Badly.”
And there’s Ry, looking like he’s worn the same suit for a week straight. “Ry, are you taking up Eli’s old habit of sleeping at the office now?” Charly teases. Her smile is wide and genuine. “I can’t imagine you hurting’ a fly, darlin’.”
My eyes flit back and forth between all of them, but they narrow on Eli, who gives a small shrug. My voice sounds like battery acid when I find it though. “Funny you should mention that very thing. Charly and I were discussing the kind of guy who would take a woman’s number and not call.”
His head swivels my way, and I get a good look at his face. “Oh, my God, Ry! Did something happen? Is your dad okay?” Forgetting how furious and hurt I am, I hurry forward and lay my hand on his arm. He looks awful. His eyes are rimmed with red. His face is wearing a rough stubble, and I wrinkle my nose. He could use some quality time with a shower.
“Kelsey.” He breathes out my name, and for the first time since we saw each other in the bar at the Westin, I kind of wish he didn’t. I can smell the Chinese food he ate—quite possibly days ago—on his breath.
I demand, “I’m not this bad about taking care of myself when I’m in the middle of a book. What the hell happened? Did you get mugged?” Maybe that would account for the stench fouling up Charly’s magnificent store.
“Told you that you smelled a little ripe in the office, Perrault,” Eli offers.
I whirl on him like a tigress with fresh meat. “You did this to him?”
“Technically, a major problem that would have left people out of jobs did,” he tells me gently. My mouth falls open. Eli continues. “However, Ry once again figured it out. If he shows his face at Bayou Enterprises in the next forty-eight hours, he’s fired.”
Ry flaps a hand in Eli’s direction in acknowledgment. I wince a little as his arm goes up and down with the gesture. “You should really stop doing that, Ry.”
Charly slaps her hand over her mouth, trying to cover her amusement.
Ry straightens and focuses the last of his energy on me. On me! “I was going to call, Kels. I had planned to ask you to dinner, somewhere quiet so we could talk, but then this deal blew up at the eleventh hour. We’ve been finalizing it for months. Then I was going to text, and…”
I reach up and place my fingers on his mouth. I can’t help the race of my heart when he puckers them and kisses the underside of my fingers, taking me back to the room in Savannah where those lips scored every available inch of my body. His eyes are red-rimmed when they look down at me. “Forgive me, please,” he whispers.
I may be the biggest fool, but I murmur, “For this, okay,” as I let my hand trail away from his face.
Before it reaches too far, he captures my fingers against his chest. I wince as I feel the crust of the food that’s landed against his blue dress shirt. “Have dinner with me tonight?”
“How about you sleep for the next twenty-four hours before you worry about dinner so you don’t pass out on your plate?” I suggest instead. Besides, I need the time to get my head around the fact I’m going to agree to go out on a date with Rierson Perrault.
He presses my hand tighter. “Kels, I want to see you again. I wanted to the minute I woke up and knew you were gone.” His voice is pitched low enough so only I can hear.
My heart sighs in my chest while my mind tries to tug me back behind the barriers I’ve lived so safely behind for so many years.
“That sounds…” I hesitate.
“Yes?” he urges.
Slamming the mental door on my mind for the time being, I duck my head. Studying what must be the remains of some kind of Italian and a stain of some orange-pink that might be sweet-and-sour, I reach for what my heart wants despite the warnings from my head. “It sounds perfect,” I admit.
“Then I’ll text you when I wake up.” He cups my cheek with his long fingers.
“Okay.” When I lift my face up, my wariness must show through.
“Better yet—” He pulls out his phone and types in something. I hear a distant ping of my phone. “There’s the address of Commander’s Palace. I’ll call them on the way back home for a reservation tomorrow. I’ll text you the time.”
“You have the address of the restaurant memorized?” I hear Eli snort behind me, but I give him no mind.
