Page 13 of Save Me

“Okay. Fine. Whatever. Ice cream,” she murmured.

They pulled out of the parking lot and Ryker knew he needed to say something to put her mind at ease because she was clearly freaking out.

“So, uh…do you prefer waffle cones or the wafer ones?”

This time when she looked at him, she burst out laughing.

Like a full-on belly laugh.

And it was the greatest sound he’d ever heard.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked around another fit of laughter.

At least she wasn’t yelling at him for grabbing her ass.

“I’m just trying to make the best of a weird situation,” he admitted. “So? What’s your cone preference?”

“Honestly? I’m more of a milkshake kind of girl.”

Glancing over at her, Ryker realized it was probably the first time she had willingly offered any information about herself.

Baby steps.

“I’m sure you can get that down on the pier, right?”

“Definitely. I’ve been going there my entire life and if either Mrs. Hawkins or her daughter Erin are working, they don’t even ask what I want. They just see me and make it.”

“Interesting. What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Strawberry.” Then she grinned. “Bet you were expecting me to say chocolate.”

“Nah. That’s too predictable, and you, sweet Ryleigh, are anything but.”

He couldn’t be certain, but he was pretty sure she was blushing, and he cursed the dim interior.

The drive was short and when he pulled into the parking lot by the pier, he suddenly felt a lot of pressure.

This was technically their first date.

Shit.

Within minutes, he had her out of the truck and they were walking along the sidewalk toward the ice cream parlor.

“Oh no!”

Ryker looked ahead and saw exactly what she was referring to. It was closed.

“I forgot that they’re closed on weeknights in the off-season,” she said sadly.

There was no way he was turning around and taking her back to her car just yet, so he had to think fast. “The Sand Bar down in Magnolia does some amazing desserts. We can try there?”

“Or we can just do the drive-thru at Dairy Queen.”

“Hell no,” he told her, taking her hand in his. “We need to be seen.”

“No one’s going to notice us down in Magnolia,” she argued lightly. “We need to stay local.”

That’s when inspiration hit.

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