Chapter 15
Emma plastered a big, cheerful smile on her face as Trent introduced her and Ryan to his parents, Kate and Gary Lamar. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
“Yes, indeed,” Kate replied, looking anything but pleased.
“I can’t tell you how glad we all are to have Trent here with us for a little while,” Emma said, giving Ryan’s hand a squeeze.
“So you’re Ryan’s…girlfriend?” Kate paused before that last word, like it didn’t quite fit.
Because it didn’t. Even Emma knew that. She and Ryan were just…friends with benefits. Hooking up. Having wild sex against the wall right below your feet. She felt exposed, as if they somehow knew she wasn’t wearing panties, that Ryan had ripped them off her just minutes earlier. But no. They didn’t know that, not any of it, and it was none of their business. “Yes, I’m Ryan’s girlfriend.”
Ryan had gone oddly quiet, his brown eyes carefully blank. The tension in the air was thick enough to taste. She remembered Ryan telling her that Trent’s adoptive parents had kept the two brothers apart, thinking Ryan was a bad influence. That was why they’d grown up not knowing each other, and that sucked, as far as she was concerned.
“How long are you guys in town?” Ryan asked, his tone even and polite.
“Through the weekend. We weren’t expecting Trent to stay here in Haven this long.” Another little barb lobbed in Ryan’s direction by Kate Lamar. “We came to try to talk some sense into him.”
“I like it here,” Trent said.
“I’m glad you’ll be here a few days because I’d really like to talk,” Ryan said. “but right now, I’m afraid I’m running late for work.”
“I thought you worked at that zip-line place Trent’s been telling us about?” Gary Lamar said.
“I do, sir. I also bartend at the local pub a few nights a week.”
“Oh.” Kate’s face scrunched into an expression of distaste.
“We’d love for you come out to Off-the-Grid tomorrow. Trent can show you around the place. He’s been working hard,” Ryan said.
Kate nodded. “Yes, I would like to see it.”
“Great. I look forward to seeing you there.” Ryan turned to give Emma a quick peck on the lips, then climbed onto his bike and cranked the engine.
Trent’s parents recoiled, and Emma cringed. They’d spent Trent’s whole life keeping him away from his brother, convinced he’d be a bad influence. And now that they’d come here to Haven, they’d stumbled on him making out with Emma, the two of them clearly looking like they’d just had an afternoon quickie. He was tattooed, and he rode a motorcycle, and he worked in a bar, but he was also one of the most honorable men she knew.
Trent was lucky to call Ryan his brother, and Emma would do everything in her power to make sure his parents knew that. But she wasn’t going to cause a scene in front of Trent.
Instead, she drove home from Ryan’s condo, fixed herself a sandwich, and sat down in the living room with her laptop to work on the final digital renderings for the Haven Memorial. The memorial itself would arrive next month, and then she could begin work on the reflecting pool and gardens that would go around it. She’d done four separate designs—one for each season. In the spring, she would accent the memorial with brightly colored tulips and dahlias. In the fall, she would plant a bed of mums. But her favorite was summer, when she would surround the memorial with brilliant, red poppies.
As the memorial would be completed in June, she’d be planting the poppies first, and she could hardly wait. The mayor was organizing a grand opening event on July first, with live music, food, and games for the kids. She was a bundle of nerves about it but also crazy excited. Chewing her bottom lip, she made one last tweak to the summer design then saved them all and sent them to Lucas and Mary for their input and approval.
And oh, holy crap, there was an e-mail from the University of Georgia in her in-box. Her heart almost burst out of her chest before she realized it was a request for additional information. They wanted to see her portfolio. Was that unusual? Most applicants to this program were fresh out of high school and didn’t even have a portfolio yet.
Did it mean they were trying to look past her unimpressive GPA and SAT scores to let her work experience speak for itself? As she drafted a reply, attaching a link to the online portfolio she’d created when she found out Lucas and Mary were retiring, nerves swam in her belly.
She hadn’t realized until this moment how much she wanted, needed to get into this program. It was her fresh start, the chance to learn everything she needed to know to be able to open her own landscape design business someday. She gulped a deep breath and pressed Send.
Please, please, please let this be a good sign.
She glanced at the clock. It was just past eight. Time to go see Ryan. First, she went into her bedroom to change. Her tattoo had finally healed enough that she could wear jeans again, but tonight she felt like dressing up. She slipped into a green wrap dress and bronze ballet flats and freshened up her makeup.
Why not? It was Friday night, and she wanted to look nice.
The look on Ryan’s face when he caught sight of her made it all worthwhile. He turned his head and nearly dropped the glass of beer he held in his right hand. She smiled at him as she slid onto an empty barstool. “Hey.”
“Untapped amber ale?” he asked, his eyes burning like cocoa under the track lighting above the bar.
“Yes, please.” She crossed one leg over the other and watched him work.
Ryan projected a kind of laidback confidence in every area of his life, but here behind the bar, he seemed especially at home. He held a glass beneath the tap and filled her beer, then set it in front of her. He leaned in, his mouth brushing her ear. “Please tell me you’re still not wearing any panties.”
She winked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
He straightened, a new glint in his eyes. “I’ll get it out of you by the end of the night.”
“You’re welcome to try.” The truth was, she was wearing panties. Not even newly adventurous Emma was reckless enough to leave the house commando in a knee-length dress.
“I like a good challenge,” he said, turning to wipe a water ring off the bar to her left. “Be right back.” He headed over to check on some of the other customers. The bar was fairly busy tonight. In fact, Emma didn’t see an empty stool in the place.
As she scanned the bar, her gaze settled on a familiar figure standing just inside the door. Jessica Flynn owned the Haven Spa, just up the road from Off-the-Grid Adventures. She’d been a year ahead of Emma in high school, but they’d had a few classes together and remained casual friends over the years. Emma waved, and Jessica headed her way.
“Hey, Jess. You here by yourself?” Emma asked.
Jessica shook her head, running a hand over her dark hair. “Actually, I’m meeting someone.” She scrunched her nose slightly. “A blind date…or whatever you call it when you meet someone from one of those online dating sites.”
“Oh, cool,” Emma said with a smile. “I tried that a few weeks ago, too. Either there are a lot more cute, single guys in Haven than I knew about or some of them are using jazzed-up profile pictures.”
“I hope for option A but fear option B,” Jessica said. “So have you been on many dates?”
“Actually, no…” She slid a glance over at Ryan, who was busy mixing drinks for a group of middle-aged women at the end of the bar.
Jessica’s eyebrows went up. “You and Ryan?”
“Yep.”
“Wow, I would not have pictured you two together.” Jessica looked from Emma to Ryan and back. “But I think I like it. He’s a good guy, you know. I knew him pretty well back in high school.”
“Well, it’s just casual,” Emma said with a shrug, “but we’re definitely having fun. So who’s your date?”
“His name’s Ruben Callihan. We’ve been e-mailing for a week or so. He seems nice. We’ll see.”
“Want me to be your safety? You know, you text me an SOS, and I’ll come break up your date?”
Jessica blew out a breath. “Actually, after some of the online dating horror stories I’ve heard, that sounds like a brilliant idea.”
“Awesome. You’ve got my number, right?”
Jessica thumbed through the contacts in her phone. “Yep, you’re in here.” She glanced over at the door. A tall, thin man had just entered The Drunken Bear, looking around nervously. “I think this is him. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Emma said. “Send me an SOS if you need me.”
“Will do, and thanks.” With a wave, Jessica headed across the room toward her date.
Emma turned back to the bar and took a drink from her beer.
“How’s Jess?” Ryan asked, making his way back over to her. “I hardly ever see her around.”
“I don’t imagine she comes by Off-the-Grid much.” Emma shook her head with a smile. Mark and Jessica had been hot and heavy for a while in high school, and their breakup had been messy, so messy that Jessica still wouldn’t give him the time of day.
“This is true,” Ryan said. “She pretty much still hates Mark’s guts.”
“Well, I don’t see her all that much either, but she’s doing good from what I know. The spa rocks, and it always seems busy when I’m there.”
“You like those mud masks or whatever?” he asked, looking amused.
“I’ve tried them, and I like them, but my favorite is soaking in the natural hot springs.”
Ryan’s eyes heated. “The stuff of legends. I’ve never tried them.”
“You’re missing out. They’re fantastic.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, “because I’m never setting foot in a spa.”
She grinned. “Whatever, tough guy.”
They were leaning in close now, so close she could see the honeyed flecks in his chocolate eyes, so close that the rest of the bar had melted away from her awareness. “Stand up,” he said, his voice gone low and husky.
“Why?”
“I need to get a better look at that dress. Still trying to figure out what you’ve got on underneath it.” His gaze dipped lower.
She stood, smoothing the front of her green dress, and did a little twirl for him before sliding back onto her stool. “So what’s your guess?”
He leaned on his elbows, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “Yes, you’re wearing panties, but I bet they’re something really sexy.”
She frowned at him. “How in the world can you tell that? Do you have x-ray vision?”
He grinned widely. “No, but that skirt doesn’t even hit your knees, and it twirls a lot. No way the Emma I know would risk flashing this whole joint.”
“You win.” She leaned forward. “But if you’d like me to wear it for you somewhere more private, I’d be happy to.”
“Definitely taking you up on that another time when I’m not working. Hang on a sec.” He sauntered off down the bar, checking on the other patrons.
She watched as he turned his flirty bartender smile on every woman at the bar. Funny, tonight it didn’t bother her a bit because now she could tell the difference. That was his professional smile, flirtatious but without any heat or intent behind it. Nothing like the way he looked at her, like it was all he could do not to get her naked every time he laid eyes on her.
While Ryan chatted up another couple, Emma glanced over her shoulder to check on Jessica. She spotted Jess and her date at a table against the back wall. They had beers in front of them and some kind of appetizer—wings, maybe?—on the table between them. Things looked like they were going well. They appeared to be deep in conversation, and Jessica was smiling.
Ruben’s knee bounced rapidly beneath the table, but it was kind of sweet that he was nervous. He wasn’t hot in a Ryan Blake kind of way, but he wasn’t bad looking by any means. And let’s face it, Ryan had heartbreak written all over him, while Ruben looked like the kind of solid guy who wouldn’t bolt at the first mention of the L word.
Emma took another swallow of her beer and watched Ryan as he poured drinks. He mixed a margarita, served a couple of beers, and laughed at several jokes that probably weren’t nearly as funny as his reaction. But it worked. She saw the tips people were leaving for him. The women all wanted to do him, and the men wanted to be him. He had a win-win going on with the customers.
“Bet you’ll miss this when Off-the-Grid really gets on its feet,” she said when he’d finally made his way back over to her.
“Hadn’t bartended in years. Forgot how much I enjoy it.”
“You’re good at it.” She swirled her beer and took another swallow.
“But to answer your question, nah, I won’t miss it when the time comes to quit.”
“No?”
He wiped down the counter as he talked. “No. Off-the-Grid’s where it’s at for me now. The potential to grow is endless, and I get to work with Ethan and Mark.”
“You three really are close,” she said.
“Like brothers.”
She envied him that a little bit. She had lots of friends, but none as close as he, Ethan, and Mark were. “You guys are really lucky to have each other.”
“Don’t I know it.” His eyes narrowed. “What about you? You still keep in touch with the Mackenzies?”
“Yes, but it’s more like saying hello when I bump into them places and sending a card at Christmas.” Emma had lived with the Mackenzies for three years, but they’d made no real effort to keep in touch after she turned eighteen. They’d never treated her like family. So Emma hid behind her smile and let them slip quietly from her life.
Actually, she’d done that a lot since losing her mom and Derek. She had plenty of friends, but no best friend…not until Gabby came along anyway. She was always surrounded by people, and yet somehow she still felt incredibly lonely.
“What about their daughter?” Ryan asked. “You guys used to be close. What was her name?”
“Clara. We grew apart, I guess. We’re still friendly, but we don’t really hang out.” And a big part of that had been when Clara hooked up with Ryan right after graduation.
Right after Derek died.
Emma had never told Clara about her crush, but she knew Clara had suspected the truth. And so, when Clara slept with him, it had felt like the ultimate betrayal, when Emma’s world was falling apart and Ryan still looked at her like she was a little kid.
“That’s too bad,” he said.
She shrugged. “Gabby and I have gotten really close, though.”
“Yeah, you two definitely seemed to hit it off.”
On the bar in front of her, Emma’s phone lit with an incoming text message. SOS
“Uh-oh,” she said.
Ryan glanced down at her phone. “Someone in trouble?”
“Yeah, Jess. She needs me to rescue her from her date.” Emma glanced over at her friend’s table, where Jess was still smiling and nodding along to whatever Ruben was saying. Emma tapped her fingers against the bar for a few seconds, formulating her plan. “Could you help me sneak out the back?”
“Sure,” Ryan said. “Why?”
“I think I need to walk in through the front door like I just got here. I’m going to pretend to be her sister.”
Ryan’s brow furrowed. “But you look nothing like Nicole.”
“Her date doesn’t know that.”
“How about you go over to her table as yourself, but pretend you’re shitfaced, and your date ditched you, and you need a ride home.”
Emma scrunched her nose. “I suppose I could do that.”
He leaned back with a smile. “Show us your chops.”
She stood, wavering in her stupid ballet flats. Why hadn’t she worn heels? They’d have made her job so much easier. “Wish me luck.”
“You got this.”
She gulped several deep breaths until the oxygen rush made her dizzy then she staggered toward Jessica’s table in the back.
Jessica looked up, her eyes wide. “Emma? Are you okay?”
“Oh my God, Jess…I’m so glad you’re here! I, um…” She swayed to the side, righting herself just before she fell flat on her face.
Jessica glanced over at her date, who was staring at Emma like she was some sort of freak show attraction. “Can you excuse me for a moment, Ruben?”
“Uh, sure,” he said.
Jessica stood, hooked her arm through Emma’s, and practically dragged her into the ladies’ room. “Are you really drunk?”
Emma shook her head with a giggle. “Not even tipsy. But you can tell Ruben that I’ve had a few too many after my boyfriend ditched me, and I need a ride home.”
Jessica grinned. “You really do rock.”
“So what went wrong with Ruben?”
Jess rolled her eyes. “The man’s been talking about his ex-wife ever since we sat down. He’s clearly still hung up on her. I thought he was going to burst into tears when he was telling me about their storybook wedding in Hawaii.”
“Ew.”
“Yeah. And he will not take no for an answer about us driving out to this place he knows about after we leave here to look at the stars. I’m not going anywhere with this dude to look at the stars…or anything else.”
“Definitely not.”
“Okay then, let’s do this.”
Arm in arm, they headed back toward Jessica’s table.
Ryan spentSaturday morning teaching back-to-back rock-climbing lessons to a group of tourists. All novices, but athletic and eager to learn. They’d all done well, and one of them had even made it to the top.
Not bad for their first climb.
Afterward, he headed to the main building for a quick lunch before he spent the afternoon out on the zip-line course with Ethan and Mark. Emma and Gabby had volunteered to stop by with sandwiches from the deli, something they often did on the weekend when things were busy, but now it felt different somehow. Because Gabby was Ethan’s fiancée and Emma was…well, he wasn’t sure what she was anymore. They’d tossed around the terms “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” a couple of times to get out of otherwise sticky situations, but he wasn’t quite comfortable with it.
He’d honestly never had a girlfriend. He had dates. Hookups. Already this thing with Emma was so much more than that. If he screwed this up and ruined their friendship, he’d never forgive himself.
When the house came into view, he saw Emma’s SUV parked out front, but Trent was standing in the side yard with his parents, pointing and talking. They were here to see the place, and this was Ryan’s chance to make a better impression than he had yesterday.
“Mr. and Mrs. Lamar,” he said as he walked toward them, “I’m so glad you guys made it. Has Trent already given you a tour?”
Kate shook her head. “We just got here. Trent was telling us about the rock climbing you do. I used to climb when I was in college.”
“No kidding?” He cracked a smile. Finally, a sliver of common ground to share. “Climbing is kind of my specialty out here. You ever want to go up, you just let me know.”
She returned his smile with a dismissive shake of her head. “Oh, goodness no. I haven’t climbed in almost twenty years.”
“You might be a little rusty, but I bet you haven’t forgotten,” he said. “They say it’s like riding a bike.”
“Looks pretty busy out here today,” Gary said, glancing around. Ethan and Mark had just led a group onto the zip-line course and were going over safety information before they climbed to the first platform.
“Our weekends are booked solid now that warmer weather’s arrived. I’m not needed on the course until one, though, and I’d love to show you guys around in the meantime.”
“We’d like that, too,” Kate said.
Ryan’s stomach grumbled in protest, but it was worth missing lunch for the chance to try to smooth things out with the Lamars. Trent was his brother, and like it or not, these were his parents. It benefited everyone if they could all get along.
“So the business is profitable?” Gary asked, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his slacks as he watched Ethan get the group of tourists ready for their zip-line ride.
“Yes, sir. Right now, we’re slightly exceeding projected earnings. I’m very pleased with how things are going so far, considering we’ve only been in business about eight months.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize Off-the-Grid was such a new venture,” Kate said. “How did you decide to open a place like this?”
“It was my buddy Ethan’s idea, to tell the truth, but it’s pretty much a dream come true for all of us.”
“Statistically, you know the majority of start-ups fail,” Gary said.
Ryan nodded. “That’s true, sir. I believe wholeheartedly that Off-the-Grid will be in the minority that succeeds, but if I’m wrong, we’ll dust ourselves off and try something new.”
“Well, we certainly hope you succeed,” Kate said with a slightly pinched smile.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“The zip-line is totally sick,” Trent said, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. The kid insisted on wearing his hair in this ridiculous style with long bangs in the front that were always hanging in his eyes. It was probably cool by club standards but totally unsuited for outdoor work like he did here at Off-the-Grid.
“Trent helps us take clients up on the course now,” Ryan told them. “In fact, he’ll be going out with me with the group at one o’clock.”
“Oh?” Kate looked surprised. “I didn’t realize Trent was helping with the customers.”
Trent rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s like they treat me like an actual adult or something.”
Gary gave him a sharp look. “Watch your tone when you’re speaking to your mother.”
“Sorry,” Trent mumbled, kicking at a stone on their path. “I didn’t know you used to go climbing, Mom.”
She nodded, saying nothing.
The Lamars seemed like decent people. Surely Ryan could convince them the same about himself before this trip was over. “Climbing’s always been my escape,” he said. “There’s no room for anything else in your mind while you’re out there. Just you and the rock.”
“It’s true,” Kate murmured.
Ryan offered her his most persuasive smile. “You’ve got to try it out before you leave town, Mrs. Lamar. Maybe once he’s seen you reach the top, I can even convince your son to give it a try.”
“Hey,” Trent complained with a grin.
“Kate,” she said. “Please call me Kate.”
Ryan kept his smile firmly in place. “I’d love to take you for a climb while you’re in town, Kate. What do you say?”
It was almostnine by the time Ryan got home from Off-the-Grid, and his belly grumbled painfully. He’d missed lunch to take the Lamars on a tour of the property, and the candy bar he’d shoved in his mouth midafternoon wasn’t cutting it. It had been a worthwhile sacrifice, but he needed some real grub pronto.
He stowed the helmet on his bike and strode toward his front door, pondering whether to call Emma and see if she wanted to grab a bite. No doubt she’d eaten already, but…he missed her. He hadn’t gotten to see her when she’d stopped by Off-the-Grid today, hadn’t seen her since she’d rushed out of The Drunken Bear with Jessica last night.
“Ryan, could we have a word?”
He turned at the unexpected female voice to find the Lamars walking toward him down the sidewalk.
“Sorry to ambush you, but we saw you on your bike,” Kate said, “and we had been hoping for a chance to speak to you privately.”
“Yes, of course. Come in.” He flicked on the light in the entrance hall then motioned them into his condo ahead of him. “How are you enjoying Haven so far?”
“It’s a lovely town,” Kate said, “and Off-the-Grid Adventures seems to be doing well. You should be proud.”
“Thank you. I am.” Something clenched deep in his chest at this unexpected praise from the people who’d hurt him so badly when he was a child.
“But we don’t want Trent to stay here,” Gary said, his expression sour and unfriendly, as usual.
Ryan kept his face impassive. “I understand that. His home is in Missouri with you.”
“But you’ve given him a job and an apartment here,” Kate said.
Ryan shrugged. “He wanted to stay awhile. He wanted to get to know me, and you may not realize this, but there is nothing I’ve wanted more in my life than to get to know my brother.”
“You’re not good for him. You weren’t then, and you still aren’t.” Gary somehow managed to look down at him even though Ryan had several inches on the man.
Ryan met his gaze dead-on. “Maybe I wasn’t much of a role model back then, but you never gave me a chance. I was only eleven.” Maybe you could have opened your home to me, too, or at least mentored me, instead of turning your back on me when I was just a troubled kid.
“It was easy to see you were one of those boys who…” Kate drifted off, studying the hardwood floor beneath her loafers.
Ryan clenched his fists at his side. “Was a lost cause?”
“It was too late to save you, Ryan, but it wasn’t too late for Trent.” She had the good grace to look apologetic. “It was best for everyone that we gave Trent a fresh start.”
“That’s bullshit.” The words burst from his throat before he could contain them. “Maybe it was easier for you to pretend that I didn’t exist, but it sure as hell wasn’t best for me. Trent was all I had left in the world, and you took him from me.”
His words hung in the air, harsh and bitter.
Gary and Kate both took a step backward, eyeing the door.
Fuck. He’d wanted to mend his relationship with the Lamars, but this…this he couldn’t take. He was so goddamn tired of not being good enough for them.
Kate lifted her chin. “What’s done is done. We did the best we could for our son, and now we want him to return to Missouri with us.”
“He’s eighteen. He can stay here if he damn well wants to.” Ryan heard the anger in his voice. This wasn’t what he’d wanted, not at all.
“We know that,” Gary said, “but we need you to stop filling his head full of whatever rubbish you’ve been feeding him since he got here. We want him to re-enroll in Missouri College for the fall semester. He belongs back home with us, not clubbing and riding zip-lines here with you.”
“I can’t make him re-enroll any more than you can.” Ryan drew a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper. “Trent’s an adult, and as you well know, he is working for me at Off-the-Grid, not playing around on the zip-lines. It took some doing, but I got him off his cell phone and putting in some good, hard work out there, and I won’t apologize for it.”
Kate’s chin lifted. “Trent’s held jobs in the past. He’s not an irresponsible kid.”
“Frankly, he’d still be in college if he hadn’t been so set on coming out here to find you,” Gary said.
Ryan’s pulse roared in his ears as his control snapped. “He dropped out of college because he wants to become a DJ. And it is fucking insulting—pardon my French—that you two continue to judge me by the way I acted when I was eleven. I was a kid! I’d just lost my mother. Yeah, she was a junkie, but she was all I had, besides the baby brother you were so hell-bent on keeping me away from. And you know what? Despite all that, I think I turned out pretty damn well. So you can take your sanctimonious act and shove it because I’m done listening.”
“How dare you speak to us that way!” Gary roared, his face as red as a lobster fresh from the pot.
Ryan turned away, disgusted. “You expect me to keep being polite when you’ve done nothing but insult me in return? I’ve had enough. You want Trent to come home with you, you’re going to have to convince him yourselves.”