Page 20 of The Trouble with Sexy (Rock Canyon, Idaho 0.50)

Gracie groaned. “Okay, enough about him please.” She turned to Ryan and smiled slyly. “So, how was your weekend?”

Ryan looked down at her coffee cup with a small smile. “It was wonderful.”

Gracie squealed. “Oh my God! Tell us!”

Ryan’s head snapped up in shock. “I can’t!”

“Gracie,” Gemma scolded, “she doesn’t need to share intimate details! You need to respect other people’s privacy.”

Gracie rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking for details about that! I just want to know what they did. Last I heard was you were going on a date! Then Gregg comes in Sunday wanting breakfast for two and I just figured that everything had gone very, very well.”

Ryan smiled dreamily. “We went to dinner at Carolina’s on Saturday, and on Sunday we went for a drive around Hagerman and Thousand Springs Resort, taking pictures. After that we went to my parents’ house for dinner.”

“So he spent the night?” Gracie asked.

Ryan blushed and Gracie squealed, doing a little dance in her seat. “I am so awesome! I am the queen of the cupids!”

Gemma rolled her eyes. “What did you do?”

Gracie gave her an incredulous look. “I took her shopping! I helped her set the bait.”

Ryan couldn’t stop smiling. “He actually said he’s been into me for a long time but didn’t think I was into him.”

Gracie scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve watched you two in here for months. You gave him big sappy ‘I love you’ eyes.”

Ryan’s face flamed up in embarrassment. “I did?”

Gracie grinned. “Yep. It’s how I figured out all the death eyes you sent me were because I’d gone out with Gregg.”

Ryan’s face burned brighter. “I did not send you death eyes!”

Gemma laughed. “You two are amusing and all but I’ve got to get going.”

Gracie stood up to give her a hug. “Are you going to do the auction with me? It’s for a good cause.”

Ryan stood up too. “What’s the cause?”

“It’s going toward the extracurricular budget for Rock Canyon Elementary,” Gemma said. “The fourth graders want to go to Craters of the Moon for their end-of-the-year trip, but they’re short three hundred bucks, and it’s too cold to do a car wash. My son, Charlie, is really excited about it, but Gracie, I do not want to stand up there and let a bunch of men bid on me like I’m a slab of meat.” Gemma’s expression was grim as she made her point.

“You’re just afraid Marcus Boatman will bid on you and you’ll have to spend the evening with him. Don’t worry; I have it on highest authority that Michael can top anything Marcus bids.” Gracie’s face was innocently blank, and Ryan covered her mouth to hide her grin when Gemma’s eyes narrowed.

“Do not even think about getting all cupidy on me, Gracie. I still have those pictures of you from sophomore year. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, Michael and I are just friends.”

Gracie gasped in outrage. “Maybe you should tell that to him, then! And you said you’d burn those!”

Gemma gave her an evil grin. “I lied. I knew that there would be times only blackmail would curb your outrageous behavior. And I have told him. I’ve told you, I’ve told him, I’ve told Charlie. I am not interested in Michael that way.”

Ryan laughed, and both women gave her sheepish looks. Gemma hugged Ryan, whispering in her ear, “Don’t let her bully you. Just tell her to mind her own business.”

Ryan whispered back, “I’m sorry, but have you met her?”

Gemma was still laughing as she walked out the door.

Once she was out of sight, Gracie turned to look at Ryan expectantly and said, “Okay, she’s gone. Now give me the dirty details!”

GREGG COULDN’T WAIT to see Ryan. He’d been out with Sally Barrett again all day taking pictures of the rest of her real estate properties and was sick of driving around. Now that he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her, it was like his whole body itched with anticipation whenever he thought about her and all he wanted was to get her back to his place and keep her close. It didn’t even have to be about sex, although being with Ryan was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Just holding her close to him, stroking his hands down her sides as he listened to her talk about her childhood, left him with a joyous contentment.

He climbed out of his Tahoe and walked up to the front of the studio. He saw Ryan standing inside by her desk, talking animatedly to a tall guy with short dark hair. He couldn’t see the guy’s face but saw Ryan’s big eyes twinkling, her body showcased in a long purple sweater dress with black leggings and boots. He could see the confidence vibrating from her, and wished she wouldn’t stand so close to the guy. Jealousy was a relatively new experience for him, but his whole gut burned with it as he opened the door and marched inside.

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