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Ryder threatened that, but to what end? It wasn’t like when she went back he’d choose her. His life was here, his family, friends, and job. He had roots. She was doing the right thing, for both their sakes.
She cleared her throat and said in a firm tone, “It doesn’t matter. It’s done. I told him to leave and he left. I took care of it.”
“So you’re safe?” Penelope asked in a soft voice.
“Yeah, I’m safe.” She’d made sure to ruin it.
“Now what?”
“I do the job I came here to do, have fun with Maddie, do my time, and come home.”
“You have a plan.”
“I do.” She licked her lips. “I’m doing the right thing, right?”
Three beats passed before Penelope answered. “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’re doing the right thing.”
“Exactly.” She wiped her face. “I’m going to go watch Netflix.” Not Making a Murderer because that would remind her of Ryder, but something else. Maybe Penny Dreadful. A dark, macabre story to fit her mood.
“Okay. If you need me, call.”
“I will. Thanks.”
She hung up but didn’t feel any better. In fact, she felt worse.
She lay on her bed and stared unblinking at the ceiling. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that, silent and pondering, but a knock at her back door startled her out of her trance. Her heart leapt and immediately started pounding a too-fast beat.
She looked down and remembered she was almost naked. With a sigh she got up, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and padded out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. Her throat went dry at the sight of him at the door through the glass.
He was still shirtless. Why was he doing this? She thought they’d agreed.
She opened the door but didn’t speak.
Gaze narrowed, he swept down her body. A muscle in his jaw clenched. He held out his hand. “Give me your keys and I’ll put your car away.”
Oh. The car. She’d already forgotten. She glanced over his shoulder. The sky had darkened, threatening rain at any minute. “I can do it.”
“It will only take me a second. I already opened the door.”
The tension between them was electric, making her nipples harden and her whole body tingle. She shrugged. “One second.”
She walked over to the counter and retrieved her keys before walking back to hand them over. “Thanks.”
He gripped them tight. “I’ll be right back.”
She leaned against the doorway, watching as he jogged over to her car. He got in and pulled it into the garage. A minute later the door shut and he was back in front of her. He handed her the keys.
Why did he have to be gorgeous and considerate?
She licked her lips. “Thank you.”
He met her eyes. “I talked to Bill today.”
A date was the last thing she wanted. She’d canceled coffee but was determined to go through with Friday. “All right.”
“There’s a slight problem. He suggested that since we live right next door, and he and Cheryl live on the opposite end of town, it made sense to meet them at the restaurant in the middle. Considering your desire to stay away from me, I wanted to run it by you.”
Bill was the last thing on her mind. All her reasons were good, only when Ryder got in front of her, he made it hard to think. It was why she didn’t want to be alone with him. She didn’t trust herself. And she knew what happened when she didn’t trust herself.
