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Authors: Paige Edward
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the ocean, and a sudden sadness washed over
me. I wanted Ryan’s investment to pan out, but the thought of
losing the shoreline I’d grown up with was hard to bear. My little
town would look so different, but wouldn’t it be worth it if it
helped the local economy like Ryan said? There were no easy answers.
Life was so much more complicated than I always wanted to be. I
sighed, turning back to Ryan. “Let’s go grab that beer you
promised me.”
He folded up the
blanket and threw the rest of the wine out as I straightened my shirt
and gathered my things. Ryan grabbed my hand to pull me up from the
sand. He didn’t let go as we started to walk back towards the town.
My hand felt good in his, fitting in like a puzzle piece, warm and
right. A tingling buzzed all the way up my arm, and as I gazed up at
him, it continued up to my heart. I’d never felt a wholeness like
this—and this was just from holding his hand. I couldn’t
understand it, but I stopped myself from thinking too much. It was an
almost magical feeling to walk alongside him. I’d never tell Jamie
or Cat--they’d probably cart me off to some funny farm.
But I swear I felt it.
We went to Tap House, a
new German beer garden, a block or so away from my shop. Ryan sat
down on the bar stool next to mine, and even though I wasn’t
usually into PDA, I leaned into him, pressing my body against the
warmth of his as we ordered.
I wasn’t a big beer
drinker, but Ryan promised me that he knew the best brands. After
everything that had gone right this evening, how could I doubt him?
The bartender slid the two pints across the bar, and Ryan caught them
easily without spilling a single drop. He raised his glass, his green
eyes glinting in that way I loved. “To new friends,” he said, his
voice a low purr.
I raised my glass to
his, gently butting the rims together. Cool beer trickled down my
glass, slipping in between my fingers. I smiled, glancing at Ryan out
of the corner of my eye, and licked the beer off, slowly and
deliberately, feeling a little thrill at the way he sat back in
obvious longing. I didn’t usually tease like this, but with Ryan it
was a thrill.
“To new friends,” I
said innocently, taking a sip of my beer. Ryan was right--it was much
better than any I’d had before, cool and delicious.
The waiter dropped a
plate of sausage in front of each of us, and we chatted as we ate—not
about our pasts, this time, but about light things: our favorite
places in the town, our favorite movies. The Tap House was nice, hip
but casual. I’d been meaning to go since it opened a few months
ago, but hadn’t had the chance.
As Ryan dropped his
shiny credit card on the counter—he had already bluntly refused to
let me pay—I glanced around the room, at many people my age,
enjoying themselves. I wondered how old Ryan was—definitely older
than me by at least five years. He had a certain maturity about him
that men my age didn’t yet have. At first I’d thought it was the
accent that made him seem older, but as I got to know him, I realized
that it wasn’t just that. There was a strength and integrity to him
that could have only developed with age.
Once Ryan signed his
name boldly across the check, he looked up at me and smiled as we
made eye contact. It was a face, a body, and a gaze that I could get
used to.
Chapter 13
Amy
Cat called first thing
in the morning, bright and chipper as always. We’d planned to go on
an early morning hike, but 6 am was a bit earlier than I’d
anticipated. And I hadn’t realized I’d be up so late the night
before.
“I promise I’ll
bring you a coffee, Ames. You know I can’t sleep past 5. I waited a
whole hour to call. Aren’t I a great friend?” I could
practically hear her grin over the phone.
As much as I wanted to
be mad at her for waking me up, I just couldn’t be. It was
basically impossible to be more than slightly annoyed with Cat. She
was just one of those kind of people.
“Give me a half
me. I wanted Ryan’s investment to pan out, but the thought of
losing the shoreline I’d grown up with was hard to bear. My little
town would look so different, but wouldn’t it be worth it if it
helped the local economy like Ryan said? There were no easy answers.
Life was so much more complicated than I always wanted to be. I
sighed, turning back to Ryan. “Let’s go grab that beer you
promised me.”
He folded up the
blanket and threw the rest of the wine out as I straightened my shirt
and gathered my things. Ryan grabbed my hand to pull me up from the
sand. He didn’t let go as we started to walk back towards the town.
My hand felt good in his, fitting in like a puzzle piece, warm and
right. A tingling buzzed all the way up my arm, and as I gazed up at
him, it continued up to my heart. I’d never felt a wholeness like
this—and this was just from holding his hand. I couldn’t
understand it, but I stopped myself from thinking too much. It was an
almost magical feeling to walk alongside him. I’d never tell Jamie
or Cat--they’d probably cart me off to some funny farm.
But I swear I felt it.
We went to Tap House, a
new German beer garden, a block or so away from my shop. Ryan sat
down on the bar stool next to mine, and even though I wasn’t
usually into PDA, I leaned into him, pressing my body against the
warmth of his as we ordered.
I wasn’t a big beer
drinker, but Ryan promised me that he knew the best brands. After
everything that had gone right this evening, how could I doubt him?
The bartender slid the two pints across the bar, and Ryan caught them
easily without spilling a single drop. He raised his glass, his green
eyes glinting in that way I loved. “To new friends,” he said, his
voice a low purr.
I raised my glass to
his, gently butting the rims together. Cool beer trickled down my
glass, slipping in between my fingers. I smiled, glancing at Ryan out
of the corner of my eye, and licked the beer off, slowly and
deliberately, feeling a little thrill at the way he sat back in
obvious longing. I didn’t usually tease like this, but with Ryan it
was a thrill.
“To new friends,” I
said innocently, taking a sip of my beer. Ryan was right--it was much
better than any I’d had before, cool and delicious.
The waiter dropped a
plate of sausage in front of each of us, and we chatted as we ate—not
about our pasts, this time, but about light things: our favorite
places in the town, our favorite movies. The Tap House was nice, hip
but casual. I’d been meaning to go since it opened a few months
ago, but hadn’t had the chance.
As Ryan dropped his
shiny credit card on the counter—he had already bluntly refused to
let me pay—I glanced around the room, at many people my age,
enjoying themselves. I wondered how old Ryan was—definitely older
than me by at least five years. He had a certain maturity about him
that men my age didn’t yet have. At first I’d thought it was the
accent that made him seem older, but as I got to know him, I realized
that it wasn’t just that. There was a strength and integrity to him
that could have only developed with age.
Once Ryan signed his
name boldly across the check, he looked up at me and smiled as we
made eye contact. It was a face, a body, and a gaze that I could get
used to.
Chapter 13
Amy
Cat called first thing
in the morning, bright and chipper as always. We’d planned to go on
an early morning hike, but 6 am was a bit earlier than I’d
anticipated. And I hadn’t realized I’d be up so late the night
before.
“I promise I’ll
bring you a coffee, Ames. You know I can’t sleep past 5. I waited a
whole hour to call. Aren’t I a great friend?” I could
practically hear her grin over the phone.
As much as I wanted to
be mad at her for waking me up, I just couldn’t be. It was
basically impossible to be more than slightly annoyed with Cat. She
was just one of those kind of people.
“Give me a half
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