Chapter 44
Yup Is the New Nope
Tessa
Ryder's question nearly knocked me sideways. Except he hadn't really phrased it as a question.
And yet, that deceptively simple statement hung between us like a pop quiz on a Friday afternoon. The way I hear it, the two of you were dating.
By now, we'd been standing in the same spot for far too long, especially considering the time – long past midnight but nowhere near sunrise.
I turned and started walking. I was ridiculously relieved when he followed suit. We walked for several paces in silence until I said, "So…I guess that's a question, huh?"
"That depends. Are you gonna answer it?"
I forced a laugh. "And what if I don't?"
"Then I guess that's answer enough."
Actually, it wasn't. This time, the truth was somewhere in the middle. I sighed. "One date. Does that count as dating?"
He was silent for a long moment before saying, "I guess it depends on what you call a date."
"Well, I didn't sleep with him if that's what you're wondering." But even as I said it, it sounded just a little unbelievable. After all, barely thirty minutes ago, I'd practically invited myself up to Ryder's hotel room, where who-knows-what might've happened.
And now I felt compelled to explain. "Just so you know, I don't throw myself at every guy I meet."
Ryder chuckled like it was all a big joke. "Good to know."
"I'm serious," I said. "Even the thing with us – you know, calling up to your balcony – that isn't my normal thing."
"I never said it was."
"Yeah, but I can imagine what you're thinking."
"Which is…?"
"Well, look at us. One minute we're practically strangers, and the next, we're kissing. And then, I'm inviting myself upstairs. You probably think I do that with everyone."
Sounding amused, he said, "Believe me. If you did that with everyone, I would've heard."
It was no joke. "From who?"
"I dunno. ZZ?"
The balcony-yelling biker? I stopped and turned to face him. "What exactly are you implying?"
He halted and turned to meet my stare. "Well, not what you're thinking, obviously."
And now I felt so awkward, I could hardly meet his eyes. "You have no idea what I'm thinking."
"So, tell me."
Gosh, how to put this? "I guess I'd just hate for you to think that I'm the island welcoming committee or something."
At this, he had the nerve to laugh. "Trust me, you're not that welcoming."
Was that supposed to make me feel better? "And what does that mean?"
"Take earlier today," he said. "I thought you were gonna bite my head off for that raisin order."
"Yeah, but can you blame me? You asked to speak to the manager."
His eyebrows furrowed. "I did what?"
"Oh, please. Like you don't remember. One minute you're placing that crazy order, and then when I balk, you tell me to get my boss."
He was staring now. "Are you serious?"
"I don't know. Are you?"
"I am now," he said. "But I wasn't then. It was a joke."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, like it's so hilarious to threaten someone's job."
He looked thunderstruck. "To do what?"
But already, I was on a roll. "Remember Evan Carver? He thought that sort of thing was funny, too."
Ryder's expression darkened. "Are you seriously comparing us?"
I answered on instinct. "No. Of course not."
"Yeah, you were." He shook his head. "And I don't get it. What does my raisin order have to do with Evan threatening you?"
"Wait…not me." I pressed a palm to my forehead. "I didn't mean my own job."
Ryder shot me a puzzled look. "So you're saying he didn't threaten you?"
As realization hit, I stifled a groan. "Oh, my God. You're reading it all wrong."
"Is that so?"
"Definitely. But you know what? That's my fault, not yours. I'm doing a pathetic job of explaining it." I took a deep breath and tried again. "Just now, I wasn't talking about Evan threatening my job at Thatcher-Hale. I was talking about somebody else entirely."
Ryder still looked confused. "Who?"
"Our server. On that night Evan and I went out, he was completely awful."
"Evan or the server?"
"Evan. You should've seen him. He was asking for stuff that wasn't even on the menu. And then, when the server pushed back, Evan demanded to see the manager. He wanted to get the guy fired."
Ryder's expression finally cleared. "So in the coffee shop, that's what you thought I was doing?"
Now I was the one confused. "Weren't you?"
"Hell no. I was making a joke, like I said."
"Except it wasn't funny."
"Sure, it was," he said. "What I meant was that we – meaning you and me – should get your lazy boss out there and have him do some work for a change, as opposed to sleeping on a cot – or whatever he does in the back room."
I was almost too stunned to speak. If Ryder was telling the truth, I'd read it completely wrong. Absently, I mumbled, "Actually, it's a recliner, not a cot." As if that were important.
"Same difference," Ryder said. "When he popped out of the back, the guy looked half-asleep, like we'd just woken him up."
No doubt, we had.
And now, as Ryder's explanation hit home, I felt completely awful, but in a totally different way. "Oh."
Ryder frowned. "So that's who you think I am?"
"I don't know," I admitted.
"I have worked shitty jobs before."
I blinked in surprise. "You have?"
"Hell yeah. So I know what it's like. Why do you think I tip so good?"
I saw his point. He was an incredibly generous tipper as I knew firsthand. And now, as we faced off on the moonlit street, I struggled to rearrange everything in my head, starting with his arrival on the island and ending with…well, now, actually.
But then, as I backtracked even further, I couldn't help but wonder who the infamous Ryder Vaughn truly was, not just now, but years ago. "So you're saying…you weren't always…" I wasn't quite sure how to put it.
"Rich?" he said.
I let out an embarrassed laugh. "Well…yeah, actually."
He gave me a tight smile. "I hate to break it to you, but you don't know me half as well as you think." And with that, he turned and started walking.
I fell in beside him, even as something in my chest pulled a little too tight. I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Ryder…"
"Forget it. Just do me a favor, okay?"
"What?"
"Stop comparing us. In case you haven't noticed, we're nothing alike."
Obviously, he meant him and Evan Carver. Quickly, I said, "That's not what I meant."
"You're full of it. You do know that?"
His words hit hard, but only because he was right.
I was full of it.
Right from the beginning, I'd been lumping the two guys together, like Ryder Vaughn and Evan Carver were two peas in a gold-plated pod. And when I wasn't lumping them? I was acting like Ryder had nothing better to do than act as Evan's lackey.
The idea was ridiculous. Ryder was rich, independent, and definitely had a mind of his own. Plus, as I'd seen firsthand, he treated normal people – yeah, meaning regular baristas like me – actually pretty decent.
Even on that very first day, sure, he'd teased me just a little, but if I hadn't recognized him from Chicago, I would've called his teasing fun and friendly, not overbearing.
But Evan Carver? He was just the opposite, throwing around his weight like the whole world lived to serve him.
Lamely, I said, "I'm really sorry."
Ryder let out a scoff. "Yeah, me, too."
As my feet moved forward, I turned my head to study his profile. His expression was utterly unreadable, only adding to my confusion. Quietly, I asked, "But what are you sorry for?"
He kept his eyes straight ahead. "I'm sorry I lied."
I didn't get it. "About what?"
Finally, he glanced my way. "The rain."
Dumbfounded, I faltered mid-step. "Wait, what?"
He shocked me with a sudden grin. "There's none in the forecast."
My jaw dropped as he kept strolling forward like all of this was no big deal.
My own pace slowed as I stared after him. He was joking?
Now?
Damn it.
As I hustled to catch up, every wrong assumption I'd ever made came rushing back, like an overdue bill I'd been too distracted to pay.
I hadn't been fair, not even close. And now I felt desperate to make things right.
"Screw the weather. I don't care if it rains all day.
" My voice softened. "I just don't want you mad at me. "
He kept his eyes trained ahead. "Why not?"
Because I like you. But I was too embarrassed to say it. I'd made a fool of myself already with that self-invite up to his room. So instead, I replied, "Because I'm really sorry…and well…" The second half, I didn't want to say.
"Well, what?" he asked.
Forget what I wanted. If this was an overdue bill, he deserved some explanation, even if it did make me sound pathetic. "Everything's a mess already, okay?"
Finally, his gaze slid in my direction. "You mean with Evan?"
"Yeah, but not just him." I took a deep breath, and when I exhaled, all of it came tumbling out. "Maisie's stressed, I'm a disaster at work. And my boss is asleep half the time and riding me the other half. And I completely ruined the only bubble bath Maisie likes…"
Ryder's expression shifted – just a flicker – but enough to make my throat go tight as the world's longest confession kept pouring out.
"And my sister's not talking to me, my mom's super-difficult, and I've just insulted the only guy I've liked in forever.
So I guess, yeah, I don't always see things clearly, but you can see why, right?
I mean…I feel like I'm barely holding it together, and the last thing I want is for you to be mad at me on top of it. "
He stopped walking.
So did I.
Slowly, he turned to stare.
So of course I stared back. Softly, I said, "And I really am sorry."
Finally, a slow grin spread across his face. "So I'm the first guy you've liked in forever, huh?"
"What?" As relief coursed through me, I gave him a light swat to the shoulder. "Of everything I just said, that's what you remember?"
He was still grinning. "Yup."
I groaned. "You really are shameless. You know that, right?"
"Yup."
"Oh, great," I teased. "Is yup the new nope?"
He waited for a long, intense beat before saying exactly what I knew he would. "Yup."
He really was impossible. And me? I was in all kinds of trouble. And I didn't mean because of all those problems I'd just recited like a lunatic.
No, I was in trouble because of the guy standing right here in the moonlight. If I wasn't careful, I'd be falling for him.
Hard.