Page 26 of Save Me

“And he’s prompt. Very nice.”

Smiling, she opened the door and instantly noticed the scowl on his face.

“Seriously, Ryleigh? You didn’t change the lock?”

“It’s nice to see you too, Ryker,” she said through clenched teeth. “Won’t you please come in?”

* * *

The minute the words were out of his mouth, Ryker knew his mistake, but he couldn’t believe she wasn’t taking her safety seriously. Now he didn’t want to leave for dinner; he wanted to run to the nearest home improvement store and buy her a new lock.

“If it makes you feel any better,” she said as she walked away from him and disappeared into another room before coming right back out, “I bought one. I just haven’t installed it yet.”

“Oh.” Taking it from her hands, he gave her a small grin. “Sorry.”

“I bought it the next day, but I had some work projects that I was behind schedule on that needed all of my attention.”

“Do you have a toolbox?”

Nodding, she walked away again and came back with it. And it wasn’t a small set of tools, it was everything a homeowner would need.

“This is impressive,” he told her.

“Like I said, I planned on taking care of it, but time sort of got away from me. And the toolbox was a gift from my dad. He came over the day I moved in and gave it to me and then spent an entire weekend walking me through basic home repairs. Other than electrical stuff, I can pretty much fix everything here.”

“Even more impressive,” he said as he moved over to the door and began removing the old lock.

She shrugged and sat on the arm of her sofa as he worked. “My father always wanted to make sure we could all take care of ourselves with the practical stuff. I know how to do basic car repairs, the household stuff, and he made me take like a dozen self-defense classes.” She laughed softly. “Basically, I can kick anyone’s ass if I have to.”

“And your sister?”

Nodding, she replied, “Oh, yeah. But Arianna’s got height on her side. I’m the runt of the family, so I think he was a little more worried about me than her.”

It was his turn to shrug. “It’s good that he made sure his daughters knew how to fend for themselves. I’m sure your brothers are all there if you need them, but it’s better if you can handle stuff on your own, right?”

Silently, she nodded.

“What about your mom? What tools did she equip you with?”

“My mom was born a generation too late,” Ryleigh explained. “She’s very traditional and I think that’s why we butt heads so much. She made sure I knew how to cook and sew and balance a checkbook.” Another little laugh came out as she shook her head. “It pisses me off because it’s like she refuses to roll with the punches and understand that women aren’t only here to be homemakers. She hated watching my sister go away to school and then take an internship on the other side of the country, but the fact that she’s getting married practically makes her giddy.”

“So your sister’s going to settle down and be a homemaker?” he asked without looking at her. The old lock was out and the new one was being secured.

“Oh, definitely not. Arianna has a great job in radiology and has no plans to quit after she and Will get married. I’m sure once they have kids she’ll feel the pressure to be a stay-at-home mom, but…that’s for Ari to decide.”

“Are you against the idea of being a homemaker or is it just because it’s what your mom wants?”

“Um, excuse me, Dr. Freud,” she murmured. “I didn’t say I was against it. I just think she doesn’t see that it’s not all that there is for a woman in today’s world. I could be anything I want and if I want to be a homemaker, then that’s awesome too.”

Straightening, Ryker put the old lock and hardware into the bag the new one had come in and handed it to her. “For what it’s worth, I agree with you. Being a stay-at-home mom is a full-time job and just as important as any other. I think everyone should have the opportunity to pursue whatever career path fulfills them and no one should tell them what that should be. It’s up to the individual.” After a pause, he added, “And I think the same goes with being a stay-at-home dad. It should be whatever works for the couple.”

“Wow…” she drawled. “Color me surprised.” Standing, Ryleigh walked over to the kitchen and picked up her purse. “You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who supports dads staying home with the kids.”

Part of him couldn’t believe they were talking about this, but considering she was the one keeping the conversation going, he figured it was a safe topic. “I guess it’s a good thing we’re going out tonight then. There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”

She picked up her jacket and Ryker instantly walked over and helped her put it on before opening the door for her. “Thank you.”

Together they walked out to the parking lot and she paused.

---