Page 27 of Save Me

Ryker’s hand rested on the small of her back. “What’s the matter?”

“Where’s your truck?”

“Oh, um…I didn’t bring it tonight. I figured you might appreciate not having to be manhandled to get in and out of it.”

She looked up at him with those big green eyes and he saw a myriad of emotion there. “Really?”

Nodding, he motioned to the black, mid-sized SUV.

“I didn’t realize you had two cars,” she commented as Ryker opened the door for her.

“The pickup is more for just going around town. Every once in a while, it’s nice to have something that’s easier to maneuver in.”

With a nod, she sat and he moved around and climbed in on the driver’s side. “There’s a button here to warm the seat if you want.”

“I’m good, but thank you,” she said as she got comfortable.

“So you skipped the Sunday dinner,” he commented as they pulled out of the parking lot. “Is that a big thing?”

“Oh yeah. The Donovan Sunday dinner is usually mandatory.” Then she chuckled. “And my mother went and made my favorite meal, so I think that was a little like giving me the finger.”

“Or…she really thought you’d show up and she was extending the olive branch.”

Muttering a curse, she looked over at him. “Oh man! I didn’t even think of that!Crap!Now I’m the bad guy in the argument!” Leaning her head back against the rest, she sighed miserably and he felt like he’d put his foot in his mouth.

“Ryleigh, don’t listen to me. What do I know?”

“You’re an intelligent man, Ryker, and you’re an impartial party. I can’t believe I didn’t even consider that she might do something like that. Her love language is food and…ugh. I’m the worst.”

Crap.

Way to go on making this a great date…

Yeah, snapping at her about the lock had been a bad move, and now this. He needed to get things back on track.

“Do you spend a lot of time up in Beaufort?” he asked, effectively changing the subject.

Ryleigh was staring out the window and he could tell she was distracted, but after a moment, she faced him. “Um…actually, not as much as I used to. I have several clients there who I do web design and maintenance for, and there’s an arts and crafts festival I love to come to in the fall.” She paused. “They do a lot of small festivals and they’re always interesting—sometimes it’s music, other times it’s arts, they do gourmet food trucks during the summer, and there’s a flower and garden festival at some point too. I’ve got a bit of a black thumb, so I tend to skip that one.”

That made him laugh. “Yeah, me too. I’m more than happy to hire someone to take care of my yard and I’m totally happy not having any plants in the house.”

“Same. It’s one of the reasons I don’t mind renting an apartment—no property to maintain.”

“But if property weren’t an issue, would you want to buy a place of your own?”

“Honestly? No. Not really. I’m just one person and my rent is reasonable and I don’t need more space.”

“I get that. Still, some people consider it a smart financial move,” he went on. “It’s an investment in your future and at least the money you spend each month is going toward ownership.”

“My brother Patrick is big into real estate. He owns a lot of places in Laurel Bay—both residential and commercial. He says the same thing, but…I don’t know…it’s just not a step I’m ready to take right now.”

“And I respect that. It’s important to know your limits and what you’re comfortable with.” He turned out onto the two-lane highway. “Patrick was the agent who sold me my house. He’s a nice guy and seems to know everything about Laurel Bay and the surrounding towns. The day I closed on the house, he and I had lunch afterwards and I swear there wasn’t a question he couldn’t answer.”

She nodded. “Yeah, Pat’s got a weird gift there. He’s found his niche and I think it was really important to him to do that.”

“Find his niche?”

Another nod. “Liam’s the oldest and he was like the perfect child. Never got in trouble, great student, star athlete…it was hard to be in his shadow. Once he enlisted, Patrick sort of dove into reinventing himself. I don’t understand where he got his love of real estate, but he’s certainly done a lot for this town. There were a lot of abandoned buildings and storefronts. He’s been a one-man revitalization team. In the last year, there have been at least a dozen new businesses brought in. It’s kind of fun walking around downtown now.”

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