they were inseparable after that night. They were actually married on the side of the cliff he took me to and I was the maid of honor.”
“Were you in Becca’s wedding , too?” Ryan asks, with an odd edge to his voice when he says it. I look down at my hands gripping my water bottle in my lap and clear my throat. Becca had asked me to be the maid of honor at her wedding, but my parents told her that if I were going to be anywhere near her wedding that they wouldn’t pay for it. Becca seemed torn when she told me about what they had said, but I figured it was better for her to have a memorable wedding without me there than to cause a riff between Becca and my parents as well, so I stayed in San Diego. I’m not sure if Ryan actually attended the wedding, so I figure it’s better to tell the truth, well, not really.
“Uh, no.” I grunt out, having a very hard time talking about my family. “I had something come up with work that week, so I couldn’t make it.” It’s the only thing I can think of to say that won’t add more questions, but luckily it steers the topic in a totally different direction.
Ryan scrunches his brows together and says “What do you do for work? I asked Kara last night at the bar and she wouldn’t tell me. She made it seem like something really secretive, so I’m guessing you’re either a spy or an exotic dancer.” I laugh at the gleam in Ryan’s eyes and the slight smile on his lips.
“Well, I’m way too clumsy to be a spy and even though I have the moves and the rockin’ body to be an exotic dancer, I’m not. I design websites for different companies, though now I think I should quit and seek out the closest strip club.” I say, rubbing my chin and grinning.
“ Please don’t dance at a strip club. I don’t think my heart, or my pants for that matter, could take the strain of you willingly spinning around a pole.” I giggle while Ryan shifts a bit in his seat and then clears his throat before he starts talking again.
“W ebsites, huh? That’s pretty cool. Also another thing I never thought I’d see you doing, but the smile on your face tells me that you love doing it. You are just full of surprises, aren’t you Brynnie?” My smile fades a bit, so I shake my head and look down to my lap.
“No, I’m not really full of surprises. We just haven’t seen or talked to each other in almost a decade, Ry. Things change. I’m not working at the grocery store anymore and I certainly didn’t think that you would be working at the hardware store like you were last time I saw you.”
“So, do you write your own songs as well?” Ryan asks. I smile, thankful that Ryan changed the subject because he can still tell when I don’t want to talk about certain things. “Nah, I can’t ever come up with the words to write songs, so I just take advantage of the brilliance of others and sing their masterpieces.” I laugh.
“It’s pretty cool working at the Pour House because most of the time the song selection is so varied that I don’t get bored every night. I get to sing so many different types of music, new and old, that it keeps the job interesting and fun.” He nods and after a small pause, I ask “What are you doing for a living?”
I realize that I have never asked him what he does for a job and I’m a bit embarrassed that I was selfish enough to not ask. Ryan clears h is throat and says “Well, I’m an architect now, have been for almost two years. Before that I was working as the football coach at our high school. I liked the job, but just didn’t make enough for the girls to do dance or tumbling and live in a house they could be proud to live in.” I smile and nod.
“Good for you Ry. Sounds like you’ve been an amazing dad to those girls. They are very lucky to have you.” I pause and then realize I want to know more about his girls, so I ask, “By the way, what are their
“Were you in Becca’s wedding , too?” Ryan asks, with an odd edge to his voice when he says it. I look down at my hands gripping my water bottle in my lap and clear my throat. Becca had asked me to be the maid of honor at her wedding, but my parents told her that if I were going to be anywhere near her wedding that they wouldn’t pay for it. Becca seemed torn when she told me about what they had said, but I figured it was better for her to have a memorable wedding without me there than to cause a riff between Becca and my parents as well, so I stayed in San Diego. I’m not sure if Ryan actually attended the wedding, so I figure it’s better to tell the truth, well, not really.
“Uh, no.” I grunt out, having a very hard time talking about my family. “I had something come up with work that week, so I couldn’t make it.” It’s the only thing I can think of to say that won’t add more questions, but luckily it steers the topic in a totally different direction.
Ryan scrunches his brows together and says “What do you do for work? I asked Kara last night at the bar and she wouldn’t tell me. She made it seem like something really secretive, so I’m guessing you’re either a spy or an exotic dancer.” I laugh at the gleam in Ryan’s eyes and the slight smile on his lips.
“Well, I’m way too clumsy to be a spy and even though I have the moves and the rockin’ body to be an exotic dancer, I’m not. I design websites for different companies, though now I think I should quit and seek out the closest strip club.” I say, rubbing my chin and grinning.
“ Please don’t dance at a strip club. I don’t think my heart, or my pants for that matter, could take the strain of you willingly spinning around a pole.” I giggle while Ryan shifts a bit in his seat and then clears his throat before he starts talking again.
“W ebsites, huh? That’s pretty cool. Also another thing I never thought I’d see you doing, but the smile on your face tells me that you love doing it. You are just full of surprises, aren’t you Brynnie?” My smile fades a bit, so I shake my head and look down to my lap.
“No, I’m not really full of surprises. We just haven’t seen or talked to each other in almost a decade, Ry. Things change. I’m not working at the grocery store anymore and I certainly didn’t think that you would be working at the hardware store like you were last time I saw you.”
“So, do you write your own songs as well?” Ryan asks. I smile, thankful that Ryan changed the subject because he can still tell when I don’t want to talk about certain things. “Nah, I can’t ever come up with the words to write songs, so I just take advantage of the brilliance of others and sing their masterpieces.” I laugh.
“It’s pretty cool working at the Pour House because most of the time the song selection is so varied that I don’t get bored every night. I get to sing so many different types of music, new and old, that it keeps the job interesting and fun.” He nods and after a small pause, I ask “What are you doing for a living?”
I realize that I have never asked him what he does for a job and I’m a bit embarrassed that I was selfish enough to not ask. Ryan clears h is throat and says “Well, I’m an architect now, have been for almost two years. Before that I was working as the football coach at our high school. I liked the job, but just didn’t make enough for the girls to do dance or tumbling and live in a house they could be proud to live in.” I smile and nod.
“Good for you Ry. Sounds like you’ve been an amazing dad to those girls. They are very lucky to have you.” I pause and then realize I want to know more about his girls, so I ask, “By the way, what are their
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