Page 59 of Spar
“Yeah. Whoa.”
Pulling her robe tight around her waist, she studied his face. His mouth was set in a straight line, and his forehead crinkled with worry lines. “I figured you’d be happier about getting him out from under your roof.”
“I liked knowing where he was all the time. What if he runs off and gets into trouble again?”
“You aren’t going to be able to stop that even if he’s living with you. Besides, I think it’ll be good for Travis to be on his own. Roommates at our age isn’t as cool as they were ten years ago.”
“Was it that bad?” He nudged his shoulder against hers.
“For me? No. But I was sleeping with my roommate. That makes it a little more tolerable.”
“I miss you.” His face softened, and one side of his mouth turned up. “My bed isn’t the same without you hogging the covers.”
Squeaking in protest, she punched him in the leg. “I did not.”
“You did. I had to spoon you to keep from catching pneumonia.”
“Likely excuse.” She wriggled closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Wanna have a slumber party tonight? You can even stay over at my place if you bring your own blanket. I’d hate for you to get cold.”
“I’ll be here. And neither one of us is going to get cold tonight.”
Tori skipped upthe stairs to her office. She stopped at the top, gaping at the large plastic sheets draped from ceiling to floor and hiding her office.
“What the heck? I thought you were doing minor repair work,” she said, catching Ryan as he walked out of his office. She marched forward and pulled at the covering to get a glimpse of the damage of her office. First, her apartment and now, her office? It seemed no place was safe from the chaos of her life.
Ryan stepped in front of her and walked closer, causing her to step back. “Uh, don’t go in there. It’s not safe.”
“What happened?”
“It looks worse than it is. They just have it taped off because of all the dust. Safety hazard and such.”
Panic coursing through her, she careened her neck around Ryan to get a better look. “Are they going to be done by Friday?”
“Yes, Chris has assured me it will be done by then.” Ryan placed both hands on her shoulders. “Relax, I won’t let this screw up your big night.”
Only slightly comforted by Ryan’s assurance, she let him guide her to his office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “It’s not my big night. It’s Autumn’s big night.”
Ryan nodded. “You did a good thing putting this all together. I’m proud of you.”
“You’re the second person to say that to me today. Is this what it feels like to be the golden child? God, no wonder you’re so impossible. If anyone else tells me what a good thing I’ve done, my ego isn’t going to fit through the door.”
She smiled at him across the wooden desk, and Ryan chuckled softly, nodding. “Enjoy it. I’m sure you’ll do something to knock yourself off the pedestal, and I’ll be right back on top as the better Calloway in no time.”
Tori rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You can have the title back. I don’t like all the pressure. Speaking of pressure...” She grinned and leaned toward the desk. “…when are you going to take Elle off the market?”
“She is off the market,” he practically growled.
Tori bit back a laugh. “You know what I mean. Is she the one? Do I finally get the big sister I always wanted?”
Ryan raised his eyebrows but smiled as he responded. “You would have hated having an older sister.”
“Probably true, but Elle is fantastic. So, when are you going to pop the question?”
“It’s only been a couple months. Don’t you think she’ll freak if I ask her to marry me less than six months after meeting her?”
Shrugging, Tori admitted to herself she had no idea whether most women would consider a proposal so soon to be rushed. “I don’t know. You are planning on proposing though, right?”
Ryan opened his desk drawer and slid a red box across the table. After prying it open, she gasped as she saw the round-cut diamond ring sitting inside. “Oh, my gosh, Ry. It’s perfect. When did you buy this?”
