I asked, “Do you really believe that?”
“Of course. And before you point out that I don’t know a thing about fashion, let me pre-empt that by saying I know beauty when I see it. Every time you’ve shown me a sketch or a photo of something you’ve designed, it’s been so gorgeous that it’s blown me away.”
To him, all of this was the absolute truth. I whispered, “Thank you for believing in me.”
“Always.”
“Thanks for listening, too. It helped. I feel calmer now.”
“I’m glad. I’ve been worried about you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve seemed so stressed out,” he said, “and because you’re always on the go, between work and school and your internship. You need some time to relax and unwind, without constantly trying to be productive. Please tell me you have some downtime planned for this weekend.”
“Actually, I’m working this afternoon, and then all day Saturday and Sunday. I also have to finish an assignment for one of my classes and try to come up with some ideas for my collection.”
Ryder frowned at that. “You’re going to burn yourself out.” He wasn’t wrong. “What time will you get home tonight?”
“Around six. It’s only a four-hour shift.”
“Since it’s Friday night, let’s do something fun.”
“Like what?”
“Let me take you on a date. What do you say?”
As much as I loved that idea, I had to ask, “How are we going to manage that, when geography is working against us?”
“I’ll just have to get creative.”
“Okay. What should I do?”
“Message me when you’re on your way home from work. I’ll do the rest.”
“Are you sure? Because I could?—”
“The whole point of this is for you to relax and have fun.”
“I know, but?—”
He grinned and said, “Trust me, Hal. I’ve got this.”
7
Hal
As requested, I sent Ryder a text when I left work that afternoon. Even though we were doing this long-distance, I was still giddy with anticipation and couldn’t wait to see what he had planned.
When I got home, Vee was in the process of grabbing a coat from the rack beside the front door. “Hi there,” I said. “Are you on your way to work?” Since he looked entirely unlike himself in a bland button-down shirt and dress pants, I was pretty sure I already knew the answer to that.
“Yeah. I’m working until two a.m. Lucky me.” He worked the front desk at a boutique hotel and hated every minute of it. “In better news, you got a couple of deliveries this afternoon, which I left outside your bedroom door. So, who’s your admirer?”
“Ryder and I have a virtual date tonight. I assume he sent whatever was delivered.”
Vee perked up at that. “I’m glad. I’m rooting for you two.”
“Are you?”
