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Bobby Jay stood up. “You finally made it, brother. We saved a seat for you.”
Macey looked pleased and hopeful, as she sat on the other side of the empty chair. Marlowe wore a look of contempt, which wasn’t surprising; she wore that look often.
I knew without looking up that Ryder was staring down at me.
I rubbed my neck, thinking of ways to gracefully excuse myself. As soon as I left, I would be thinking of ways to kill Bobby Jay.
“Sit down,” Bobby Jay commanded Ryder. His hard stare said he wasn’t playing around.
Within seconds I heard the chair next to me scrape against the tile floor. I leaned as far as I could toward Emma, trying not to look too ridiculous or obvious. The extra distance didn’t help, not even a little. My entire body sensed him from his sandalwood scent to the way our pheromones danced between us. My body begged for his.
Bobby Jay smirked between Ryder and me. “Just like old times.”
“Old times?” Macey asked.
Thankfully our waitress—who looked all of eighteen in her dark ponytail and who had been inattentive up until now—rushed to our table. From the corner of my eye, I could see her leaning in. “What can I get you?” she asked in her I-wouldn’t-mind-a-sugar-daddy voice as if the rest of us didn’t exist.
“A beer. Do you need my ID?” Ryder asked.
“No.” She winked. “I’ll be right back.” She flashed him a seductive smile.
Marlowe tsked. “Wow, Evie got full of herself all of a sudden. Didn’t Andy just dump her?” she asked Macey.
“Yes. I heard he asked her if she wanted to borrow his guide to being a better kisser.”
Marlowe smiled evilly. “Figures. Her lips do look thin.”
“Girls,” Emma interjected, “be nice.”
“Fine, Mom.” Macey turned her attention back to Ryder and me. She pointed between us. “How do you two know each other?”
The drummer in my chest decided to obnoxiously beat on the crash cymbal.
I felt Ryder turn and look at me. My body, of its own accord, did the same before I could stop it. It was a conditioned reaction.
Anger swirled in his chocolate eyes while they bore into me.
I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. I ached for him to look at me like he used to. Like that’s all he ever wanted to do. I wanted him to tell me it was okay. Instead, he added to the hurt of it all.
“Miss Duchane and I . . .” he paused to make sure the knife cut as deep as he meant it to. His eyes also dared me to call him Carroll.
I refused the bait. My lip quivered, but I bit my lower lip to stop the trembling while my eyes welled up with tears.
For half a second his eyes softened, but then he shook his head and turned from me as if he was disappointed he couldn’t bring himself to further hurt me. “We met at a concert,” he said barely above a whisper.
Bobby Jay glared at him.
“Did you two date?” Marlowe asked, annoyed at the thought.
Sawyer jumped in and played superhero. “You were telling us when your next release comes out?”
Ryder looked relieved not to have to answer Marlowe. He sat up straight and looked past me right on to Sawyer. “My team and I have a July 31st release date.”
“Do you do the programming?” Sawyer asked.
“I coded most of the original application, but I’m more of the architect now. Though I’m still heavily involved in testing.”
In his voice I heard not only the pride of what he had created, but the man who wanted to make his father’s dream for him come true. The father who took a second job on top of running the dairy farm to buy his son a computer. He wanted more for his son than back-breaking work. There wasn’t a prouder father than Boone Prescott. He loved telling people his son got a job in the city, and those community college courses Ryder had taken had really paid off. Boone and Jolene must be overjoyed with his success. I really should call them, but . . . I was a coward.
“That’s a lot to take on,” Sawyer responded, “considering you’re running the company too.”
“Some things are hard to let go of.” He flashed me an aggrieved look. Every clenched muscle in his face said how much he resented me.
I thought nothing could be worse than thinking he had been unfaithful to me. I was so wrong.
Evie returned with Ryder’s beer, wearing the face of utter adoration. “Can I get you anything else?” she breathed out.
“We’d all like to order,” Marlowe said, annoyed.
Evie bit her lip, keeping her sights on Ryder. “I’ll start with you, handsome.”
Ryder looked down at the menu in front of him that hadn’t been opened. He tapped it with his fingers. “You know, I’m not all that hungry anymore.”
