Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Laney
“You did not!”
I hush Honey and Olivia from across the table. Sugar a smirk appears on her face as a little hand rests on my leg.
“Well hello, Pepper. Fancy seeing you here.”
She doesn’t say anything, but her smile speaks volumes. Mostly that she’s been eating something with chocolate. Using the napkin I’ve now folded into the tiniest square, I wipe at her face. A hum from Olivia and Honey, again in unison, briefly pulls my attention, but it’s the man standing behind them who holds it. Ryan is again dressed in his vacation casual look of shorts and a perfectly fit T-shirt. The ballcap that’s become a safety net for him is on his head but because he is an evil, evil man, it is turned backward.
I’ve never given much thought to “my type.” Having grown up with the men in this town, I didn’t consider dating seriously until college. There, I still couldn’t pinpoint “my type.” Turns out it’s a good-looking bearded man, wearing a backward baseball cap. Memories of his lips on mine and the way he whispered in my ear send chills across my skin and heat my cheeks. Just having these thoughts has my belly flipping again. Okay, so maybe my type is Ryan Miller. My eyes lift to meet his, and like he can tell I’m having NSFW thoughts about him, he winks.
“So we’re going to take off. Well, I’m taking off. Olivia has to do some baking. Ms. Linda, did you want to walk out with me?”
“I’m good here, Honey.”
Pursing her lips, my friend isn’t having it and tugs on Ms. Linda’s elbow. “So much for subtlety. How about we let these three have some time alone?”
“You’re no fun Honey Beaumont Brewster.”
I snicker as Honey guides Ms. Linda out the door while being chastised the entire time. Silence settles over the table; Pepper having given up on my lack of attention and climbing to the seat vacated by Ms. Linda. Today her hair is pulled into two fluffy pigtails. Her curls make them like little pompoms. It’s freaking adorable.
“Do you want to join me?”
Ryan’s smirk has morphed to a full smile and he pulls the chair out across from me and settles in. From my peripheral, I see Pepper move and look in her direction and start laughing. She’s up on her knees with elbows on the table, her chin resting on folded hands watching us like a tennis match.
Instead of giving her attention I turn back to Ryan. “Did you place an order? Liv is a phenomenal baker. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.”
“Nah, we just left Sugar Rush and were taking a walk through the Jubilee market when we spotted you in the window.”
“Did you get something yummy at Sugar Rush?” I ask Pepper.
Her eyes sparkle and she nods her head vigorously, but it’s her father who answers. “My little chocolate lover removed the head off her chocolate reindeer in one bite. A little barbaric but I had a sample and can’t say I blame her. Decadent. I was surprised to see you sitting here like a customer. Seems when I run into you in town, you’re working somewhere. I’m not sure I’ve met someone with so many jobs.”
Silence falls between us, not awkward but it is filled with something. Questions, maybe.
Ryan leans back in his chair, fingers tapping on the table. “Okay, Laney Ann Whitfield, why do you work so many jobs?”
Pepper, obviously bored with the conversation, slips from her seat and moves to the display case. I watch as Roxi talks to her. When I glance back to Ryan, he’s watching me watch his daughter.
“Magnolia Grove is a tight-knit community built on family-owned businesses. Sometimes those business owners need a little help. Being my own boss gives me the freedom to help out when necessary. Plus, it’s a great excuse to sample ice cream, nab the first copies of new book releases, or just see different townspeople while answering phones at the doctor’s office or even slinging coffee at Jitterbug.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
Embarrassed at his praise, I dip my chin and push hair behind my ear then pull it back. “Not really.”
“Hey,” he says, reaching across the table, palm up. It’s an invitation. A statement. Ms. Linda’s words from earlier come back to me. Slowly, I rest my palm on his. Ryan exhales. “Whether you want to believe me or not, the fact of the matter is you are an amazing person. You give back to your community and ask for nothing in return. You welcomed both me and Pepper into your home and went to bat with the town to keep our identity under wraps. Selfless, kind, and in a word—amazing.”
My instinct is to shrink into myself and brush off his words. Instead, I recognize how much I like them. Not the words themselves but the way he speaks with such heartfelt conviction.
“Thank you.”
Ryan squeezes my hand and then, like he knows how sexy it is, he lifts the cap from his head and runs a hand through his hair before sliding the hat back in place. Yowza.
“Are we still on for ice skating Wednesday?”
I scrunch my nose. “Can’t we do something else? Maybe muck the stalls for Santa’s reindeer?”
“No can do. You promised me the entire Magnolia Grove Holly Jolly Jubilee experience, and nothing says holiday cheer like ice skating.”
If by cheer he means me falling on my butt then sure, yay.