Chapter 12
“Well, I told her she’d need to change her ways, Libby, and do you know what she said?”
“I don’t, ah?—”
“Sybil. I’m the administrator at the police station here in Lyntacky.”
The woman wore a multicolored scarf and a wool coat buttoned to her neck.
“She said that if she wants to show everyone her cleavage and get pneumonia, that’s on her. I tell you, Libby, that daughter of mine will be the death of me.”
Libby was putting two slices of chocolate cake into a box for Sybil. Lyntacks, she was fast realizing, liked to gossip, and she found it fascinating because the world she’d lived in was so very different. People didn’t share so much about themselves to strangers… which Libby essentially was, even though these people made her feel like she’d known them for years.
“Are you a curler?” the next customer asked. He was one of the older members of Lyntacky. He wore bib overalls over a gray sweater that had a torn neck. On his head was a matching hat that had seen better days.
“No, I’ve never tried.” Libby made his tea in a to-go cup.
“Larry, teams have been called. We can’t slot anyone else in,” Ryder said, coming around the counter to stand beside Libby.
She fought the urge to shuffle sideways. Libby had met people in her life she’d been aware of before, but those had all eased with exposure, but this awareness she felt for Ryder Duke showed no signs of weakening and in fact was growing stronger.
“Libby’s not even sure how long she’s staying, Larry. So it’s likely she will be gone soon.”
She felt a pang of regret at Ryder’s words, even if they were the truth. She’d enjoyed living with no commitments or people telling her what she should or shouldn’t do. It wasn’t her life, but for a while, Libby was enjoying the change.
Of course, she had to take orders from Ryder, but he was easy to work for. He pretty much left her and Meadow alone after he’d told them what he needed them to do that day. The more time she spent with him, the more sides she saw to the man.
He loved his family. He was kind to the older Lyntacks and treated his niece like a princess. But he could be hard when required, like he had been with her that night she’d slept in her car and with the bikers.
“Okay, well, the Lynpicks have plenty of other events. You could try the twirling.”
“Twirling?” Libby asked Larry, intrigued.
“You and a partner see how many times you can twirl together before you get dizzy or puke,” Larry said.
“That’s not really a thing, is it, Larry? You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”
“It should be, though, right?” He then laughed, and while “guffaw” wasn’t a word she’d ever used in her daily conversations, it seemed to fit what he was doing. His body shook, and she couldn’t help but feel her own lips twitch.
Libby had never really bought into the “laughter is infectious” belief, but right then she got it. She even let out a small giggle.
Ryder was looking shocked.
“What?” she whispered so only he could hear when Larry inspected the cabinets.
“He never laughs or smiles,” Ryder said. “Larry used to own this place and ran it into the ground. The man is the town curmudgeon.”
“I guess he’s having a good day.”
“I guess he is,” Ryder said.
“So maybe not the twirling. But we have the hurdling, which I’m sure you could do. You look agile,” Larry said, returning to the counter. He seemed determined she find something to do in the Lynpicks.
“I’ve never really understood how someone can look agile when you’ve never seen them move faster than a walk,” Ryder mused.
“I hurdled in high school, actually,” Libby said for no other reason than it annoyed her that Ryder didn’t think she could… which he hadn’t said, but it was implied.
“Go you,” Ryder said.
“There you go, then,” Larry added. “I’ll get that nosey LouJean to put your name down.”
“Oh no?—”
“You walked into that.”
“I may not be in town,” Libby said, ignoring Ryder.
“I’ll put it there anyway, and you can cross it out if you’re not here. Shame to miss it, though.”
“Where is my name going?” Libby asked out of curiosity.
“The forms are online. Just look up the Lyntacky Facebook page, and you’ll find it in the files,” Ryder said.
“Here’s your tea,” Libby said, holding out the to-go cup to Larry. She’d make sure to remove her name if it made its way onto the hurdling list.
“Larry Limpet can smile, who knew,” Ryder said, watching the man leave.
“Most people have that ability, Ryder.”
“Don’t use that prissy tone with me. I’ve known that man all my life, and that’s the first time I’ve seen his mouth move upward instead of down.”
“Fine.” She waved a hand about. “And I’m not being prissy.”
“Sure sounded like it,” Ryder muttered.
He and Libby had taken to annoying each other if one said something the other didn’t like. Like siblings… and yet not because there was that sizzle of heat in the air between them. But if they were annoying each other, then as far as she was concerned nothing else would happen, like it had the night she’d arrived in Lyntacky.
“Do some work,” he said, moving out from behind the counter to clean the front of the cabinets.
“Right, because I don’t most days,” she threw back at him.
It surprised Libby how much she was enjoying working in the cafe. She loved the interactions with the customers—another surprise, as she wasn’t usually a people person.
Ryder’s family also dropped in regularly, which told her that they were clearly close. Zoe, the only girl, had questioned her about personal things, and Libby had been evasive, which hadn’t made her happy.
What hadn’t made Libby happy was the fact that she couldn’t get that first night in Lyntacky out of her head. Ryder had come into her room and lifted her onto his lap. She’d then lain against his hard, warm chest. When his arms had wrapped around her, she felt everything inside her steady for the first time in a long while. He kissed her once, a soft reassuring kiss, and then just held her until she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep. They’d both slept, and it was the first real one she’d had since leaving Oklahoma.
“Hey, SJ,” Ryder said as a beautiful brunette arrived at the counter. She wore a tight red zip-up sweater with the zipper undone, showing plenty of cleavage, and a puffy white vest.
“Hey, hottie,” the girl said, leaning in to kiss Ryder on the lips. “Sorry we couldn’t get together last night.” She gave Libby a hard look, which she interpreted to mean “Because of you, I couldn’t see my man last night.” Why hadn’t she even thought about the fact that Ryder could have a girlfriend who would be annoyed that she was staying with him?
Mortified at the flash of jealousy, Libby realized it was time to get out of his house now, tonight. After work, she’d come up with a plan for her next move. Libby could no longer stay with Ryder, she knew that now, watching the woman put her arms around Ryder’s neck.
She walked out from behind the counter and started collecting dishes. Taking them to the kitchen, Libby began working through a plan for where to stay tonight. For four days she’d searched, but tonight she’d find somewhere. It didn’t matter where; she was exhausted at the end of the day, so as long as there was a bed, she was good with that.
Ryder worked at a pace Libby had no hope keeping up with. He was always moving—cleaning, baking, clearing tables, or on the phone to suppliers. The man seemed to have an inexhaustible well of energy.
He also has a girlfriend you didn’t know about.
Libby had come to realize that The Swing Through Cafe was a community hub for people in Lyntacky. They came to sit and talk, and from what she’d overheard, they discussed a whole lot of nothing but were happy with that.
When she went to a cafe with a family member or friend or on her own, it was to look at her phone, check messages, scroll social media, or have a business meeting with someone. Here it was different and made her think maybe she needed to take more time in her life to just sit and talk. Perhaps if she’d done that, Libby might have found the courage to tell someone how she really felt about getting married. Instead, it had taken those words from Andrew to send her running.
Libby had wanted to get married, or so she’d always believed. Now, with distance and time to think, she wasn’t so sure she did… well, at least not to Andrew. Their wedding had always felt like a contract between two families, no matter how much she’d fooled herself otherwise. But she’d gone along with the plans, so that was on her. She should have been braver. Should have spoken when she’d experienced doubts. Instead, she’d been who she always was. The good girl who did exactly what her daddy wanted.
After cleaning up the kitchen, she wiped down the tables. Meadow only worked a half day today, so she’d gone already.
Looking to the door, she noted that Ryder had turned the sign to Closed. She swept and mopped the floor, refilled what needed refilling on the tables, and then she was done.
She found Ryder upstairs in the small office. It was nice here, and she could imagine in the summer, with the door open, patrons would love looking out at the water and mountains. It made her feel a little sad she wouldn’t be here to see it.
Looking at the back of his head, she felt that little charge of heat and stomped on it. Three weeks ago, she’d been about to marry the man she’d loved… or believed she’d loved. Clearly, she hadn’t, as Libby could honestly say she didn’t miss Andrew at all. But that didn’t mean she could want someone else—namely, Ryder Duke, who she now knew had a girlfriend.
“I need to find a place to stay tonight,” she said to the back of Ryder’s head.
“Sure, and I’ll see you later when you don’t. Okay?” He was frowning at the screen of his laptop.
“I will,” she said. “Plus you need me gone for when your girlfriend comes around.”
“SJ is not my girlfriend.”
“If you say so.”
“I know so.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off the screen.
“She certainly looked like she was,” Libby said and then wished she’d kept her mouth shut. What business of hers was it if he wanted to kiss people in his cafe?
“Not my girlfriend,” he muttered.
She thought that was a lie because that kiss wasn’t the action of a woman who hadn’t done exactly that with her man before.
“Whatever,” Libby said. “Is everything all right? You look confused about something.”
“Spreadsheet.” He sighed. “Formulas and stuff. They give me hives.”
She leaned in to look over his shoulder. The man smelled of baking and something spicy.
“What’s the problem?” Her eyes scanned the screen. Libby loved spreadsheets.
“You tell me—you’re the accountant,” he said.
“I could take a look if you like. I mean, this is your personal?—”
“Have at it,” he interrupted her and then got out of the seat so fast, she stumbled back a step. “Sorry.” His hands steadied her. “You know this stuff, and it gives me a massive headache. I mean, ask me to bake a Sachertorte, and I’m your man. Chop that wood pile? Done. Punch someone? Easy. But accounting?” He shuddered.
“What is a Sachertorte?”
“A fancy cake. So are you going to save me, seeing as I’ve saved you multiple times?”
“Multiple?”
“A few,” he conceded.
“I’ll have a look for you, but do you want me looking at your numbers?” Libby asked the question as she dropped into his seat, which was still warm from his body.
“I need to send this to my accountant, but it doesn’t tally and shit, so if you can do that we’re even,” he said.
“And shit?” Libby muttered, already focused on the columns.
“Technical term that I thought you’d know since you’re a number cruncher.”
“Not so much,” Libby said vaguely, already lost in the columns before her.
“Okay, well, I’ll just leave you with that, then. I need to work on my chocolates. Holler if you need me. Also, I don’t care if you see my accounts.”
Libby heard the thud of his feet as he ran down the stairs, but that was the last thing as she lost herself in what she’d studied to do, even if it wasn’t her first love. But maybe she could get to that one day soon now she was feeling rebellious?