Page 36 of Heart Thief

“She’s a bully. My future mother-in-law probably hates me now. And if she hates me... Ryker...”

“Ryker’s a big boy. He’ll make his own decisions.”

“Will he?” I have my doubts.

“I’d like to think so.”

I rub my eyes, feeling bone weary. “It’s his mother and he loves her. I get it. But he doesn’t see her for what she is.”

“No, he doesn’t. But he will one day. I’d venture to say it’ll be sooner rather than later. And it won’t be pretty.”

The sounds of horns honking and engines rumbling waft through the air. If I listen carefully, I can hear seagulls squawking in the distance. Fog is setting in, making me shiver.

“I’m glad I have the weekend off,” I mumble. “I need time to recover from that fiasco. Time to think things through.” The unsaid hangs in the air between us. I need time to sort out my relationship with Ryker. I feel like we’re a sinking ship filled with red flags.

“Thanks for going with me,” Zane says. “I’m sorry it didn’t turn out well.”

“It never does. Not once. It doesn’t bode well for me.”

“You can handle Debra, no problem. She just wants Ryker to be happy. If he’s happy, she’s happy.”

“I don’t understand why Ryker didn’t talk to me about it. It doesn’t sound like he’s happy with me right now.”

“Ryker will always be happy if he has you. He’s a lucky man.”

We both turn our heads, cushioned by the head rests, and look at each other.

I purse my lips. “I know I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I’m unsure of Ryker.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not positive we’re a match,” I say quietly. “I have a lot of doubts and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Sometimes a separation helps you to see things clearly. Give it time.”

“Ever since he’s been gone, I’ve felt uneasy. It grows stronger every day.”

“Hey, it’s not the end of the world.” His voice is as quiet as mine, almost a whisper. “Everything will work itself out.”

“Yes, I suppose it will.”

“How about I take you out tomorrow? I think it’s time for some serious cheering up. Call it a thank you for not making me face the queen mother by myself. I loved having you by my side.”

Team Mila and Zanewanders through my mind again. I ignore the flutter it causes in my stomach.

A day out with Zane? We’re friends. Why not? “Actually, that sounds nice.”

“We’ll hop onto a cable car and ride off into the sunset. We’ll forget everything and everyone. Just me and you.”

I like the sound of that. More than I should. Our eyes study each other for several moments too long. I swear there’s a subtle shift in the air between us. “Okay. I’d like that,” I whisper. I love this lazy way of having a conversation.

“Where shall we go?” he asks.

“Into the sunset sounded good. I’m down with that.” Sounds like a nice escape.

“All right then. After the sunset. Where to?”

“I don’t know. You know the area. You tell me.”

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