Chapter 32
thirty-two
. . .
Ronan
Doris had a chocolate donut waiting for me when I arrived.
She told me a hero always deserved a donut.
I saved it for lunch because all I'd brought was a few granola bars and a bag of chips.
Colin had been out of town, and I hadn't bothered to fill the fridge.
I was still catching up after being off for three weeks, so I was living cheaply.
Doris told me I'd start framing next week, and I'd get a pay raise to go along with more responsibility.
I sat on the tailgate of one of the work trucks and ate a granola bar.
A few of the workers had returned, but we were still behind.
They were bummed to find that the diner was closed for the day.
Rachel had mentioned that the cook had gone home sick, so it made sense they were closed.
I'd thought about Rachel all night and how badly I'd screwed up the whole damn thing.
The granola bar wasn't nearly as tasty as the donut looked. I put the bar down and picked up the donut.
"No dessert before your sandwich," a soft voice said.
I looked back over my shoulder. Rachel held out a ham sandwich. "Not as good as Hank's, but it's better than working all day on the nutrients a donut has to offer."
I smiled and took the sandwich. "Do donuts actually have nutrients?"
"Don't know much about that kind of science but my guess would be no."
I took a bite of the sandwich. "Hmm, way better than a stale granola bar.
I'd say it was better than a chocolate donut, too, but we both know that would be a big fat lie.
" I looked up at her. Her golden hair fluttered in the breeze, and her brown eyes looked as dark as chocolate.
"You had the day off, but you came here to deliver a sandwich? " I asked.
"Well, I was directed—or, I should say, commanded—to deliver this as well.
" She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
She unfolded it and held up a triceratops coloring page.
Her smile appeared and instantly wrapped itself around my soul. "Jack still asks about you."
"Cool kid. Tell him I will put this on my wall." I took the coloring page.
Rachel took a deep breath, shoved her hands shyly into her coat pockets and shrugged. "Well, enjoy the sandwich. Oh, and Carol said you get free lunch for a week after you saved me and retrieved the cash."
"Woo-hoo. Nice. Tell her it was my pleasure."
A few seconds of silence followed. "Well, I guess I'll head back home."
She turned to leave. I put down the sandwich, dropped down from the tailgate and caught up to her in two steps. I took hold of her hand and pulled her toward me. "Told you before, Ray. I fucking need you in my life. Would you consider another try?"
Her arms wrapped around my neck, and I pulled her closer. "I was hoping you'd ask that, Ronan Wilde. Cuz I'd love nothing more."
My mouth pressed down over hers, and I kissed her.