3. Torey
Chapter 3
Torey
I never felt exotic or anything special in my life. I was just plain ol’ reliable Torey, the one everyone knew they could count on. Except when I loaded up the bread order for Holiday Beef, the town’s best date night spot. The canvas bag made me feel like I should be wearing a beret and riding a bicycle, like some ingenue in a French film. I smiled as I walked down the street, feeling like someone else for those five short minutes.
“Torey dear, there you are.” Molly Dickson stopped right in front of me.
I flashed a smile I didn’t feel, readjusted the bag of bread in my hand, and nodded. “What’s up, Mrs. Dickson?”
She wore a satisfied smile, as if she knew she had me. “Do you remember me telling you about Lewis, my grandnephew? He’s an accountant and he’s coming for a long overdue visit. I think you two would get along well.” Her smile was wide and filled with expectation.
“That’s so nice of you, but really, Mrs. Dickson, it’s not necessary.”
“Nonsense,” she patted my shoulder. “I’ll set something up for you when he gets to town.”
“Don’t trouble yourself, just have fun with uh, Lewis.” I stepped around her and rushed into Holiday Beef. A harsh breath rushed out of me, but I didn’t stop until I was in the kitchen with the chef.
“Torey, what have you got for me today?” Chef Mario flashed a bright smile, his salt and pepper curls sticking out from under his chef’s hat.
“Tons of great carbs to go with your fantastic steaks.”
“And who are we running from?” His brows rose, daring me to deny it.
“Molly.”
He laughed knowingly. “Matchmaking?”
“Yeah.”
“The backdoor is available if you tell me there’s olive ciabatta in that bag.”
I swallowed in relief. “There’s olive ciabatta in that bag. Kalamata and Castelvetrano.”
He smiled happily. “Right this way.”
I eagerly made my escape out the kitchen door that led into the alley. The ground was wet and dotted with cigarette butts, probably from the servers and busboys. I gave myself a minute to shake off my encounter with Molly and then I decided to take the long way back to the bakery.
But of course my plan didn’t go smoothly. The universe is out to get me.
That was my first thought when I heard the familiar, gravelly voice of Jane Moon, another member of the Matchmaking Brigade. But she wasn’t alone; in fact, she had her sights set on Ryan.
His eye caught mine over her head, and he offered up the tiniest smile. Even that little bit of dazzle did crazy things to my insides.
I froze and looked over my shoulder in search of an escape route. There wasn’t one, so the only path was forward.
“It’s about time you start putting down some roots, don’t you think?”
Ryan shook his head. “I have a job that makes that impossible.”
“But with the right woman, it doesn’t have to be, and I have just the woman for you. Laurel Strauss. She’s a divorced single mom of two energetic boys, so she has her hands full while you’re gone. Trust me.”
His shoulders stiffened, and I felt bad for big, bad Ryan Murphy for the first time in my life. He’d always been good looking, friendly, and popular, and now, on top of that, he was drop-dead gorgeous with teasing green eyes. That was the only explanation for what I did next.
“Ryan!” I took off in his direction at a little jog, a bright smile on my face. I slammed against his side and wrapped one arm around his waist. “There you are, babe!”
He looked slightly confused as his strong arm slid slowly around my waist.
“Sorry I’m late, I had to make sure Mario got his bread. You know how he gets about his carbs.” Of course, Ryan had no idea because he didn’t spend much time in town when he came for a visit.
Something like amusement danced in his eyes. “It’s okay, you’ve been late for as long as I’ve known you.”
I laughed and pressed my hand against his chest, using it to push up on my toes and kiss him. It was supposed to be a chaste kiss to sell the lie, but Ryan’s hands tightened on my hips and pulled me closer before he deepened the kiss, and holy hell did he know how to kiss. It was hot and dizzying, and I felt myself maneuvering to get closer to his warmth and his muscles. Good god, his muscles!
“This is new.” Jane’s voice broke through the fog of the kiss, or maybe it was just her skepticism.
I pulled back slowly, or maybe it was Ryan who pulled back first, but I was the one who responded to Jane. “It’s not new, we’ve just kept it quiet because we weren’t sure if it was going to become anything and you know, since Nix is my best friend, we needed to be sure.”
“And now you are?” Her brows rose, increasing her skepticism.
“Yes. We are.” My hand tightened on the fabric at the back of Ryan’s t-shirt, my heart pounded wildly as if I was being interrogated by the CIA instead of a fifty-year-old wearing a paisley dress.
“Hm, I thought you were dating the rock star.”
“We’re just friends, Jane. Really good friends, but just friends.” I was actually surprised that Mac and I had become so close. We’ve been texting and sending memes ever since he went back on tour.
“You should have said,” she grumbled and then walked away.
I watched Jane go, the layers upon layers of paisley fabric swishing all around her. Ryan and I were still wrapped around each other, and a second later his voice broke the silence.
“Rock star best friend?”
Laughter bubbled up out of me. “Nix is my best friend. Mac, also known as Lancaster, is a good friend. He’s also going to be your brother -in-law.”
His eyes widened in the kind of surprise I should’ve found offensive, but I didn’t because, yeah, anyone who has eyes would be surprised.
“You’re dating Lancaster?”
“No, but thanks for the shock. Like I keep telling everyone, Mac and I are friends. You’re my boyfriend.” I held my breath and waited for his response. If he rejected me, then I’d walk away and find another solution.
“It’s not like that,” he began, but I cut him off.
“It is, and I get it. Don’t worry about it.” It only stung a little bit, but I knew I was nothing like the women Mac dated and probably nothing like the women Ryan dated or just slept with.
“So, why me for this little display?” He didn’t wait for my answer, just shoved his hands in his pockets with that smug grin. “After seeing me in that towel, you’re trying to get a piece of me, aren't you.”
I grinned in return. “Well, that didn’t hurt, trust me.” My gaze roamed down his body, and I swear I could see those muscles through his clothes, and my mouth watered. “But I have an idea that could help us both, if you want help that is. But maybe you don’t. I mean, you’re a hot soldier, and I’m sure there are plenty of women you want to get naked with while you’re on leave.” I covered my face with my hands. “Okay, just hear me out and then decide, okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” he nodded as a smile tugged on his lips. “But maybe not here, if it’s what I think it is.”
I had no clue how to respond, and when he pulled back and leveled me with those green eyes, all I wanted to do was kiss him again. Dammit, no. I don’t want to kiss him again, and I don’t want to kiss him all over his beautiful body.
“Does that sound good, Torey?” He smiled as if he could read my mind.
“Um, yeah.”
“Okay then, I’ll see you tonight. At seven.”
I blinked. “What?”
“So we can talk?”
Right. “Okay. Seven at my place. I’ll make dinner.” Wait, did I just invite Ryan Murphy to my house for dinner? “Um, right?”
He laughed, the sound was smooth like honey and rich like an aged whiskey. “Yeah. See you at seven. Sugar lips.”
“Not if I see you first.” Oh. My. God. Did I seriously just say that? I covered my face and walked away. “Please pretend you didn’t hear me say that.”
“Impossible,” he called after me with a laugh.
I was a walking disaster, and no one would ever believe that a guy like Ryan would be into me.