Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ryan sat back in an armchair in his father’s living room, staring at the screen of his phone. The screen was dark, but he was looking at it as intently as if it was covered with words or pictures.
It was Sunday, and he hadn’t called or texted Faith since their date on Friday night. He’d kept wanting to the day before, and he’d had to stop himself multiple times. He didn’t want to bombard her with his interest, and he was determined to play it cool and not come off as clingy.
This has definitely been long enough, though, he thought with a smile.
His heart beat faster in his chest when he thought about calling her. He wondered what she was up to, and how she was feeling. Did she want to go out on another date as much as he did?
He dialed her number and listened to it ring twice. Then she answered the phone.
“Hey, Ryan!”
“Hey.” There was a big dopey grin on his face that he knew he wouldn’t be able to get rid of even if he tried. He wanted to be able to see her face too, but he was content with being able to hear her voice. He almost felt as though he’d missed her, although he told himself that was impossible because he barely knew her. “How’s your day going so far?”
“Oh, pretty good.”
“Sounds pretty good. What have you been up to?”
“Nothing much.” Her tone was light, almost teasing even though she wasn’t poking fun at him in any way. “Ate some breakfast, and I’ve been reading for a while. Eating and sleeping at this bed and breakfast makes me feel like some kind of spoiled little princess. I just have to roll out of bed and walk downstairs and there’s food.”
He laughed. “Good.” He wanted to add, “You are a princess,” but he held back. Maybe he would get the opportunity to spoil her as much as he wanted to. He felt that she needed some spoiling, since she’d spent so many years pushing herself so hard.
“How’s your day?” she asked.
“About the same.” He laughed. “I made myself some toaster waffles and bacon and eggs, and read the newspaper. I’ve got the house to myself since my dad is in love with his brewery and never wants to be away from it.”
She laughed. “Hmm, toaster waffles. Sounds delicious. You sound like a good cook.”
“Hey, don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not!” She chuckled. “I mean, you also made bacon and eggs like it was no big deal.”
“I can cook a few things. Bacon and eggs are on that list.”
“Mm, the essentials. You know you should fry the eggs in some of the bacon grease after you’ve cooked the bacon? They taste amazing.”
“Oh, of course. I would never want to pass up on that good greasy, smokey flavor.”
They continued to make sweet small talk for a while, and then Ryan cleared his throat, getting ready to ask her out on a second date.
“So, did you enjoy the museum?”
There was a pause, which went on so long that Ryan began to frown in confusion.
“Faith?”
“It… well, it got me thinking. It wasn’t how I expected to feel.”
His heart gave a jolt, and he felt totally shocked. She was telling him that she hadn’t enjoyed the museum. His mind raced as he began to wonder if this was the end, and they were about to end their budding relationship after one date.
He cleared his throat again. “What do you mean?”
She was quiet again, for so long that his stomach tightened into a knot. He expected her to say, “I’m sorry, Ryan, but I just don’t think this is going to work.”
“I want to talk to you about it,” she said finally, speaking slowly. He wished that he could see her face, because he couldn’t read her tone. “Can we meet up this evening to talk about it?”
He swallowed, relieved that she hadn’t told him she didn’t want to go out with him again but still feeling worried. Maybe she just wanted to see him in order to let him down more easily in person.
“Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Where would you like to meet?”
“You want to come over to the bed and breakfast again? Maybe we could go for a walk or something.”
“Sure.” He forced a smile onto his face so that his tone would be light. “That sounds good.”
“Great. Well, I should go. You want to come by around six tonight?”
“Sure. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later.”
She sounds happy , he thought. That’s got to be a good sign, right?
They said goodbye and hung up. Ryan sat very still in his chair, staring into space and wondering what it was she wanted to say to him.
Faith sat on the front porch of the bed and breakfast, watching the waning sunlight paint stripes of gold across the lawn. She’d just finished her fourth cup of tea, and she was feeling serene and content. She was wearing a soft sweater over a sundress which had become her new favorite article of clothing.
She was looking forward to seeing Ryan, although she felt slightly nervous about talking with him. She expected him to show up in his truck, and she’d been half-listening for the sound of it for about fifteen minutes when she noticed a man walking across the lawn of the bed and breakfast.
She blinked in surprise and then grinned when she recognized Ryan. She stood up, waving hello to him.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at her in a way that looked a little shy, maybe even nervous. She hurried down the steps of the porch and gave him a quick hug.
“Thanks for stopping by,” she said. “You still want to go for a walk?” Now that he was there, she felt both more jittery and more at ease than she had before. She was nervous to talk to him, and nervous about how things might play out between them because of how much she liked him, but at the same time his presence had a calming effect on her.
“Sure, let’s go for a walk.” His smile looked a little forced, and she wondered if he didn’t really want to go for a walk. She almost asked him about it, but then decided to just let it slide.
They started to walk down the sidewalk together side by side. It was a beautiful day, and the sunset was just starting to merge with dusk. The air had a damp, fresh smell that lingered after a brief rainfall that had occurred that afternoon.
They talked about insignificant things while they made their way toward the town square. Once they’d reached the gazebo, Ryan suggested they sit inside it for a while.
“You, um, you said you wanted to talk to me about why you didn’t like the museum,” he said, his deep voice sounding slightly husky.
She realized all at once that he was worried she wasn’t interested in him anymore. She wanted to kick herself, wishing that she’d made it clearer to him how she really felt about the situation. She guessed that he’d felt nervous about it all day, and she felt terrible about that.
She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. “It was nothing you did,” she assured him hurriedly. “You didn’t do anything—I mean, that’s not at all what I meant—you did everything right.” She finished stumbling over her words and laughed a little.
“Oh.” A smile broke over his face and he let out a sigh. “I’m glad to hear that—so you did have a good time?”
“Oh, I had a wonderful time.” She looked up into his eyes, smiling at him warmly. “That’s kind of what I wanted to talk with you about. I mean—you brought me there because you knew I missed part of Boston. But what I came to realize, what I felt so strongly while I was there, was that I don’t ever need to move back to a city. There might be things about Boston I loved, but I can go visit those things or find them somewhere else—like how that museum you took me to was just as good as a Boston museum.” She took a deep breath. “It made me feel sure that the path I’m on right now is the right one. I don’t want to move back to Boston, or move to any other city, even Paris.” She laughed. “As a matter of fact, I’ve decided to stay in Rosewood Beach.”
Her heart beat faster as she looked up into his eyes. She could tell that he was thrilled by her announcement, and a flutter of eagerness filled her.
“Yeah?” he said, sounding a little breathless.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “And I don’t know how long you plan on staying here, or if you want to move somewhere else now that you can work remotely—but I hope this means I’ll be able to see you more.”
The grin on his face almost made her laugh out loud, it was so adorable. “I—yeah. Yes, I would love that. I’m also planning on spending the bulk of my time here. I’ll have to go back to my construction sites sometimes, but for the most part, I can spend the majority of my time here in Rosewood Beach. And I intend to.”
“I’m really happy to hear that.” She was still holding his hand, and she squeezed it again. “And I also wanted to share with you that that little daydream of mine is going to become a reality. I found a place to rent.”
“Faith! That’s awesome.” He gave her a big hug, and she squeaked with happiness. “Can I see pictures of it?”
“Yes!” She pulled out her phone eagerly, also wanting to look at the online photographs of her new place again. She and Ryan put their heads close together as they began to look at the pictures on Faith’s phone. “Isn’t it darling? I’m so excited about that dormer window. I want to put a window seat in there.”
“With lots of pillows.” He nodded, gazing at the last picture for a moment before looking back up at her. “It looks really amazing, Faith. I’m excited for you.”
“Thank you. Now I have to figure out some new way of supporting myself, because my savings aren’t going to last forever. But one thing at a time! I’ll figure it out.”
“Sounds like you’re already getting better at going with the flow of a new plan,” he told her, winking.
“I think you’re right.” She laughed. “I don’t mind not knowing exactly what I’m going to do this time around. I have a feeling that whatever comes my way is going to be better than anything I could force through my own effort.”
He nodded. “Life has a way of dropping blessings in our path, that’s for sure.” His eyes had a tender look, as if he considered her to be one of the blessings that life had put in his way. “I know that your future is going to be amazing, Faith.”
“I hope so. I hope yours is too.”
For a moment, they shared another smile.
“I’d love for you to meet my dad and brothers,” Ryan said. “They’re all a bit on the brash side, but they’re my family.”
“I’d love to meet them. When? Should we arrange a dinner night or something like that?”
“Mm, my family isn’t really the dinner night type. But they do all work at the brewery here in town. They serve food there. Are you hungry?”
“Why, as a matter of fact, I am.” She laughed lightly. “I would love to go there with you.”
“It’s not the best food in town, but it has a kind of fun atmosphere,” he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. “Plus, I can buy a pretty lady a glass of locally brewed beer there. Do you like beer?”
“Absolutely. I do prefer the more flavored types, but I’ve got enough German in me to appreciate any kind of beer.”
He took her hand and they started to walk toward the McCormick Brewery. It was a longer walk, but the evening was beautiful, and they both agreed they wanted to stroll together for a while. They talked about Faith’s new place, and about Ryan finding an apartment of his own soon as well, so that he didn’t have to keep crashing at his father’s place.
“It’s not that I don’t love my dad,” Ryan said, kicking a stray pebble as they walked. “It’s just that he’s so caught up in his brewery, and sometimes he puts business over people, you know?”
She nodded. “I knew a lot of people like that in the city.”
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty common to be cutthroat in the business world. But my dad’s really the only one in town who thinks that way, and it’s gotten him a bit of a bad reputation around here.”
“Mm.” She felt thoughtful, but not troubled. “Well, if he brought someone as nice as you into the world, he can’t be all bad.”
Ryan laughed and gave her a sideways hug as they walked. “That’s sweet of you to say. The truth is I’m kind of the black sheep in my family. They’re all set on business success and putting the company first, and I was the one who decided to step away from that world and do something else with my life.”
“Well, I think you’re doing great, and I bet your family is proud of you as well.” She smiled at him. He seemed to be slightly ill at ease, and she wanted him to feel more relaxed about the whole thing. “I’m excited to meet them. They’ll all be at the brewery right now?”
“Most likely. And if not, one of them will text the others and tell them that I’m there on a date.” He grinned. “I know they’re going to make a big deal out of me bringing you there, so I figure starting our date out in a laid-back manner is the best way to keep them from getting too, uh, jocular about the whole thing.”
“Yeah? They’re going to tease you, huh?” She couldn’t help feeling amused.
“My brothers definitely will.”
They reached the brewery a few minutes later. Faith was impressed by its sleek modern architecture, but she had to admit to herself that it didn’t really match the vibes of Rosewood Beach. It looked as though it belonged somewhere else, not the cozy, old-fashioned little seaside town.
“Well, here it is,” Ryan said, gesturing to the building with a smile. “We’ve got burgers and fries, or there’s a Reuben option, or more burgers and fries.”
She laughed. “I love burgers. Sounds great to me.”
They stepped inside the brewery, which had a sprinkling of customers. At first, she thought that there weren’t very many people there for a restaurant, but then she reminded herself that the brewery was more of a factory than anything else, and a bar after that. It wasn’t really a restaurant at all, so it made sense that most of the customers would come later, after dinner hours.
They sat down at a table near the bar, where there were a couple of small menus. Faith told Ryan what she wanted, and he went up to the bartender to put in their order. While he was gone, she looked around the place curiously.
It’s got a lot of personality, she thought, not disliking it but not feeling particularly charmed by it either. It’s so… what’s the word… arrogant!
She let out a chuckle as she realized it. The brewery seemed to drip with pretentiousness and self-importance.
Ryan came back a moment later, carrying beers for both of them. “There you are,” he said sweetly, placing one down in front of her. “A lime and grapefruit beer for my lady. If it’s too sour, let me know and I’ll get you a sugar cube.”
She laughed, thrilled that he’d called her “my lady.” She took a sip of the beer and found the flavor to be light and refreshing. “Not too sour at all,” she said. “This is excellent. Are all the beers made by your family?”
“Yep.” Ryan took a sip of his beer, which was a darker color. “They’ve come up with a whole bunch of beers. The McCormicks have been brewing beer for generations.”
She nodded, feeling impressed. She was just about to ask Ryan what his beer was when she heard a shout.
“Squirt!” A broad-shouldered man lumbered up to their table, grinning impishly. He clapped Ryan on the back. “You’ve got a girlfriend now, huh?”
Ryan and Faith shared a sheepish grin. They hadn’t talked about making their relationship official yet, and Ryan’s eyes seemed to say, “Maybe we shouldn’t have come here to meet them yet.”
“This is our second date,” Faith said, feeling at ease in front of Ryan’s brother. He reminded her of some of the more brash clients that she’d had in the city. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Brady,” he said. “One of Ryan’s older brothers. He’s never brought a girl to the brewery before.”
“Oh yeah?” Faith turned to Ryan with a grin. “Wow. That makes me feel pretty special.”
The tips of Ryan’s ears turned pink, but he smiled at Faith sweetly. “Yeah, you’re the first. It’s because I know these chuckleheads are going to be obnoxious about it.” He punched Brady playfully in the ribs, and Brady didn’t even react to it.
“Seth! Dad!” he called. “Ryan’s got a date.”
Faith found it odd that he was shouting loudly enough to disturb the other customers, and the other customers seemed to find it odd as well, because a few of them glanced at Brady in surprise. Brady seemed to think he owned the place. Then again, Faith reflected, in a way he did.
A moment later two other men appeared around a corner, heading toward the dining area. They both bore a striking resemblance to Ryan, and the older one did especially. Faith was sure the older man was Ryan’s father, Judd McCormick, and he appeared to be just as pretentious as his brewery.
“Ooh,” Seth drawled, stepping up to the table. “Hey there, nice to meet you. I’m Seth. What are you doing dating this loser brother of mine?”
“I’m Faith. If he’s a loser, then all the other men I’ve ever met are spectacularly sub-par.”
Seth’s face fell slightly for a moment, since he was now a man that she’d met, but in the next minute he grinned and laughed loudly. “She’s quick on her feet, Ryan. I like her.”
“Technically, I’m sitting.” Faith grinned. “Literally thinking on your feet is harder.”
“Faith used to be a lawyer,” Ryan said, gazing at her with a proud gleam in his eyes. “She’s pretty impressive for sure.”
“Nice to meet you, Faith,” Judd said, looking somewhat distracted. “Seth, Brady, let’s go to the office. There’s a shipment to Connecticut that’s twenty-four hours late, and we need to figure out what happened to it.” He nodded at Faith and clapped Ryan on the back before walking away. Seth and Brady shot impish grins at Faith and Ryan and followed their father.
“So,” Ryan said, shrugging. “That’s my family.”
“They seem nice,” she assured him. “Just busy. And—well, you already said it. Brash. They kind of remind me of frontiersmen or something.”
“Yeah?” He chuckled. “I thought I was the frontiersman, forging my way into a different future through hard work.”
“Oh, good point.” She patted his arm. “You’re the gentlemanly frontiersman.”
They continued to talk and laugh until their food arrived. It wasn’t the best burger Faith had ever had, but there was bacon and peanut butter on it, which she found innovative, and she was so hungry that almost anything would have tasted good to her.
When they were done eating, Ryan paid their check and they stepped back out into the night together. It was a bit chillier, and Faith put on a pair of gloves that she still kept in her purse after winter.
“Do you want my jacket?” he asked her as they started to walk back toward the bed and breakfast.
She shook her head. “No, thank you, gentlemanly frontiersman.”
He laughed and slipped his hand around hers. “I’m glad you got to meet my family tonight. We ripped off that Band-Aid.”
“Oh, stop,” she said, laughing. “I think they’re fun. And I want you to meet my family too. Very soon—but I should tell them about you first. They are the type to plan family dinners, you know?”
He nodded, smiling. “Absolutely. I’m really excited to meet them.”
“I’m excited for you to meet them too!” She felt almost giddy, filled with eagerness for the future. “I’m really excited to pursue this with you.”
“Same.” He grinned at her and then pulled her in for a kiss.