Chapter 6
Rhyland
“ H ey, I’ve been looking for you.” I slid the glass door shut behind me and headed toward the swing set, where Payton sat with her back to me.
“Here I am,” Payton responded without lifting her gaze from the ground.
It’d been a few days since we received the devastating news that Elliott Mosby, the patriarch of the Mosby family, had passed away.
Today was the funeral. It’d been basically a blur from the moment I woke up, but no matter how much today hurt me, I knew it hurt the girl in front of me more.
I’d never known someone to be more of a daddy’s girl than Payton Mosby.
In all the years I’d known this family, I didn’t think I’d ever known him to have told her no.
While Archer and Ollie had been working hard the last few days to help take care of their mom, my focus had been on Payton.
“How you holding up, kiddo?”
Payton just shrugged. The wild, bubbly girl that I’d grown up with had disappeared.
She angled her head away from me, but I could hear her sniffling. “Payton, look at me.”
She shook her head. I stood from the swing and walked in front of her, crouching down.
She angled her head further into her shoulder, her hair hiding her face.
Yeah, that’s just not going to work for me.
I took her hands in mine. “Pay, I know this feels like the worst day of your life. Trust me, I get it.”
Everyone always said “I’m so sorry” when someone died and acted like they knew what the people suffering the loss were going through, but unless they’d gone through it themselves, they had no clue.
I, unfortunately, was well aware of what this felt like, having only been a year ago that this was me in this same position, saying goodbye to my father after he had a heart attack at work.
He was gone before the paramedics even got there.
“But you’re going to get through this.”
Her eyes finally met mine, and the pain circling in her eyes caused a deep pain in my chest. It was as if someone had just sliced my chest open and had my heart in their hand and squeezed. I wished I could take this pain away from her and protect her from the world. But that wasn’t how life worked.
“Don’t push everyone away. Your family needs you, just like you need them.”
She slowly nodded and silently stood. With her arms wrapped around my waist, she buried her face in my chest. She clung to me as if I were her lifeline—the way someone clings to a life preserver to keep from drowning.
I’d do anything to keep her from drowning in her grief.
I rested my cheek on the top of her head and let her release her emotions.
After a few minutes, her breathing evened slightly, and she wiped tears off her cheeks.
Watching Payton fall apart hurt me more than anything.
“Thank you for being there, Rhy. This week would have been a hundred times worse without you.”
“I’m always here for you, Payton. No matter what, okay?” She nodded against my chest. “You ready to go back inside?”
She shook her head and tightened her hold on me. “Can we stay out here just a few minutes longer?”
“Absolutely.” I held her closer to my chest. “Whatever you need.” It was in that moment that I realized how perfectly she fit in my arms and that I never wanted this moment to end.
“Hey, are you even listening to me?” My best friend snaps his fingers in my face, pulling me from my thoughts of a memory from the day things really changed for me.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you feeling okay, man?” Ollie studies me.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I wipe my sweaty palms on my chef’s whites.
“I don’t know, you tell me. You just seem a little off.”
“Nope.” Yep. “I’m feeling just fine.” Not at all full of nerves about your sister’s first shift. “Maybe just a little tired.” Or a lot tired because I couldn’t stop thinking about your sister last night and woke up with my hand wrapped around my dick.
Ollie doesn’t get to respond because Payton rushes into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says frantically. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
I look down at my watch and smirk. She’s literally right on time, but only Payton would believe she was already late.
“If you’re not early, you’re late,” Ollie says sarcastically. We both know that had either of us mentioned she was on time, that was exactly what she would have said. However, I know better than to say anything aloud, otherwise I’d be getting alongside Ollie.
That only makes me laugh more.
Ollie steps away for a second, and Payton’s eyes move toward mine. I give her a reassuring smile before Ollie returns with a black smock in his hand. “Here, this is for you.”
My eyes rake down Payton’s body. The shirt with Tilley’s logo over her right breast clings to her in all the right places. Part of me loves it, while the caveman in me hates it because if I notice, I know there’s no way in hell no one else won’t notice.
Payton nods along as she listens to Ollie’s instructions. I try not to pay too much attention to them, but I can’t help it. When it comes to Payton Mosby, I’m like a damn moth to a flame. Even in a crowded room, I can find her in mere moments.
I catch the end of their conversation. “So I’m going to have you follow Sara Beth for tonight, but you’ll be on your own in no time. It won’t be too crazy, and we’re all here if you need anything. Okay?”
Payton nods, but I can see the hesitation behind her eyes.
Someone calls Ollie’s name outside of the kitchen, and he leaves after giving his sister a reassuring squeeze on the arm.
I continue to busy myself while I secretly observe her.
Payton wraps the apron around her waist, and after I watch her struggle for the third time to tie the strings around her waist, I give up and close the distance between us.
I step up behind her so that her back is just inches away from my front. “Here, let me help.”
“Thank you,” she says softly over her shoulder.
I could tie a bow with my eyes closed. However, being this close to her, I take my time with each loop.
“There’s no need to be nervous. You’re gonna do great, Pay.
” After tying the bow, I place my hands on her waist, but only for a moment before using that momentum to back up before I do a crazy thing like pull her against me and never let her go.
Slowly, she spins to face me. “Thanks, Rhy.” She steps out to the side and poses with her hands on her hips and gives a wide smile. “So, how do I look? Like an exceptional server who’s not a complete novice, right?”
“Absolutely.” I smile, crossing my arms. I nod toward the door to scoot her out of here.
“Good luck,” I say just as she exits, so I don’t know if she even heard me.
I clap my hands together, ready to focus and get into the zone as I walk around to the other side of the kitchen.
The kitchen has always been my safe space, and now I feel as though I’m slightly off-kilter about having her in here.
But I can do this—as long as I keep telling myself that enough, I can make that happen, right?
The front of the house stays open till two, but we close the kitchen down around nine.
Ollie and the other bartender, Logan, typically take care of everything.
If there’s a sizeable crowd, they will sometimes leave a server on for a little longer, but tonight, they let both Payton and Sara Beth lose early.
“You did great tonight, Payton. Go home and give that little one a huge kiss,” Sara Beth says as she grabs her bag and tosses it over her shoulder.
“You need an escort out to the parking lot, Sara Beth?”
She shakes her head. “Nope, I’m headed out front to meet some friends who stopped by before my shift ended. But thanks for the offer. You’re always so chivalrous, Rhy. Please never change.”
I shrug. It’s not really chivalry, but more so common sense to walk a woman out in a dark parking lot.
Sara Beth throws up a small wave as she walks out of the kitchen. “See you guys later.”
Payton takes her time gathering her things. She moves her head from side to side, stretching out her neck. Her skin looks so tempting that I want to sink my teeth into her soft flesh.
“You should take a hot bubble bath when you get home.”
She whips her head around, her ponytail whipping around so fast it smacks her in the face, and she blinks, steadying herself. “Excuse me?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. Fuck. Why did you say that aloud?
Clearing my throat, I attempt to dig myself out of this hole.
“I just meant you look sore. You keep doing that thing with your neck.” I don’t mention that I noticed her doing it every time she came into the kitchen to pick up an order.
Then I might have to admit how much I paid attention to her all night.
“I would assume a nice hot bubble bath might help.”
All blood rushes to my cock at the second time I’ve mentioned a bath, where she would be completely naked, dripping.
Fuck. I bite the inner part of my cheek till I taste copper to keep from saying anything else.
I swear I’m usually a lot smoother than this, but I just seem to lose my mind when she’s around.
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t think being on my feet all night would be so different from holding Gabby all night.
But I’m pretty much dead on my feet at the moment.
A hot bath sounds amazing, actually.” Payton pauses for a second, and the world falls away while we just stare at each other.
Stop looking at her, jackass. Pay is the first to break our staring contest and clears her throat.
“Well, I should get home and check on things. Make sure Gabby didn’t make Mom run for the hills. ”
I laugh. “Nah, she spoils the shit out of that little girl. I’m sure you’ll have to pry her out of your mom’s arms. Your mom hadn’t stopped talking about her excitement about you guys moving back in since you told her.” The house has been empty since Payton left for college.
Payton stays silent.
“Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” I place my hand on the small of her back as we leave the kitchen.
Thanks to the narrow hallway, our shoulders brush each other.
I almost wish the walk to the back parking lot where the staff parks was much further away.
I don’t want to break the contact between us. It all ends far too soon.
“Are you not leaving, too?” Payton glances down and notices I didn’t bring my keys out, too.
“Nah, I typically stick around a little longer, give a good cleaning to the kitchen, and, well, just—hang out, I guess.” I grip the back of my neck. “I guess it just comes with not having anyone important at home to get to.”
“Right.” Payton fidgets with her keys in her hands when she stops outside her vehicle.
“Well, good night, Rhy. Thank you for walking me out.” She hesitates but then quickly presses up on her toes and presses her lips to my cheek.
My body tenses, but before I can even blink, she pulls back and enters her car.
Frozen in place with the memory of her lips on my skin, I watch her pull out of the lot. I don’t move a muscle or release a breath until her brake lights disappear from view.