Chapter 23
Ryan
I’m worried I’m coming on too strong. Claire and I had a really nice Pi Day lunch, where I asked her about her classes and what she’s doing for fun these days. Unfortunately, a lot of it has to do with wedding planning: flowers and venues and all those things I don’t want to hear about.
But now it’s time for pie, and we order our slices and wait semi-impatiently in the sticky red leather booth.
The restaurant, Prudy’s Pies, isn’t the swankiest restaurant, but they offer free slices of pie on Pi Day.
It’s completely packed, and I think the people around us have no idea what pi really means, but they’re all excited to get a sweet treat for free.
“So, about the dress,” Claire begins.
I was wondering if she was going to bring up the picture she sent me. The one that sent me down this spiral and led me to the place where I’m determined to fight for her. “Yeah, that dress was perfect. Did you buy it?”
She shakes her head and looks down at her hands. “I don’t know if it’s the one.” Her eyes find mine, and I wonder if she’s telling me the same thing I’ve been implying to her. That the dress is a metaphor for her relationship, and she doesn’t know if he’s the right one.
“What makes you think it’s not the one?” I ask.
“Well, my mom didn’t love it.”
I raise a brow at her. “So? Why does it matter what your mom loves?”
“It’s my mom, you know?” She presses her lips together and looks over at the other families here at the restaurant. “I don’t want to let her down. And she really loved this other princess-style dress.”
I pull a face. “Princess? Sorry, Claire, but you’ve never struck me as the princess type.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s not a bad thing!” I say quickly. “Princess to me means…stuffy, needy, pretentious. High-maintenance. Even though you like things a certain way, and you like to have order, you’re not demanding.
You don’t insist upon your own way.” I shrug.
“Besides, those princess dresses are really poofy and big, right?”
She just nods.
“What’s the point of that? To make sure everyone sees you, right?
But that’s not you. You don’t demand everyone’s attention.
You fly under the radar, letting other people shine.
That’s a good thing.” I pause, then say, “And the people who really matter, the ones who love you most, still see who you are and care about what you want.”
Like me, I want to say.
She’s been hanging on my every word, her eyes locked on mine, and when I finish speaking, they’re shining with unshed tears.
I suck in a breath, worried I’ve gone too far. But I can’t hold back now. I need her to know how I truly feel, and for some reason, no one else in her life encourages her to do that.
She reaches her hand out and covers mine, surprising me with her touch. The warmth from her hand spreads throughout my body, and she squeezes my hand tightly. “Thank you,” she whispers. “I needed to hear that.”
I hold her gaze for a moment, refusing to back away like my instinct tells me to. “You’re welcome,” I say. “I see you, Claire.”
She smiles, a contrast from the tears in her eyes, but at least I know I’ve done my job. I built her up and let her know how I feel about her. She squeezes my hand one more time before letting go.
Just then, the waitress comes up with our slices. “Ready for pie?”
A few days later, we’re back in the conference room, planning the tutoring center. Last week I was ready to throw in the towel on tenure. Now I’m just grateful for this opportunity to spend more time with Claire.
Funding has been handled, and Claire got the classroom in the library, but there’s still a lot to complete. Not that I’m worried about whether we’ll get it all finished. Claire and I make a great team. If we’re a great team at work, imagine how great we’d be as a couple.
Maybe I should work that into the conversation somehow.
And now that I’ve moved from avoiding her to turning up the heat, I’m thankful for these moments with her. This tiny conference room feels more like a gift than a prison cell, and I’m going to take advantage.
Claire peruses the to-do list we compiled a month ago, flicking her auburn hair over her shoulder and sending her orange blossom scent my way.
I take advantage of the chance to watch her unnoticed.
She’s beautiful, of course, but it’s her mind, her quiet strength, her sense of humor, her care and consideration that bring me to my knees.
She’s perfect.
Well, perfect except for the fact that she accepted Zach’s proposal.
But I’ll do everything in my power to show her that it was the wrong choice.
“So the next things are the schedule, staffing, and curriculum,” she says, looking up at me.
“Well, you already have the two of us signed up to staff the center,” I say.
“Right,” she says. “Which replaces some of the units we’d normally be teaching in the fall.” She sets down the papers and sighs. “I’m actually looking forward to that. I miss helping students one on one.”
“Really? Don’t you get enough of that in office hours?”
She shrugs a shoulder. “It’s a little different when you’re their instructor. I tutored for years when I was in high school and college, and it’s so satisfying to help them fill in those gaps. Especially when it’s more low pressure.”
“I can see that.” Of course Claire would love that.
We work for a few minutes on creating a draft email to send to the entire department asking for their availability for the fall.
Even though we got our fall schedules a few months ago, many instructors like adding extra hours to get extra pay.
Plus, we have part-time instructors who always like to get additional hours whenever they have an opportunity.
“I think that’s good for today.” Claire stands and smiles, gathering her bag. “What are you up to next week?”
Next week is spring break. A hiatus from my plan to win Claire, which feels like a step in the wrong direction. She’ll probably be spending time with Zach instead of with me at work, and unless he does something really stupid, she won’t have any push to keep her from continuing her wedding plans.
“Not much,” I say. “Just surfing and hanging out at the beach. You?”
She sighs. “Moving on Tuesday. And then unpacking the rest of the week.”
Boom. There it is. My chance to spend time with her and continue to work my way to her heart. Unfortunately, it might coincide with seeing Zach, but maybe the contrast between us in front of her will be even more impactful.
“I can help!” I blurt out.
Crap. That was too eager, and working against my play it cool vibe, as evidenced by Claire’s wide eyes. I clear my throat and shrug. “I mean, why not? Like I said, I don’t have other plans.”
“Okay. Zach has a truck, but it wouldn’t hurt to have you come help with the boxes and furniture.”
I nod and flex my biceps. “I’m happy to help.”
She smiles, and I see her eyes freeze for a moment on my arm. Her cheeks turn pink, and then her gaze snaps back to mine. She presses her lips tightly together and gathers her bag onto her shoulder. “Gotta go. I’ll text you about moving.”
She rushes from the room, and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.