Page 44 of Where She Belongs

Rylee frowned, glancing from one to the other. Jason had always been quiet, sure. She could remember distinctly that Tate was the talkative one. Had that really not changed over the years?

“But if you had to guess,” Wendy drawled, “what would you say?”

Faith sighed. “I don’t know. I guess because he’s seeing all his friends get married. And me…” She glanced at Rylee and smiled sweetly. “Maybe he’s realizing that he wants to settle down. He just needed to find the right girl, first.”

Rylee’s whole body went hot then cold all at once. Her limbs felt numb and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to continue standing. Faith wasn’t trying to scare Rylee. That much was clear. And yet the nerves nearly knocked her off her feet. She smiled weakly.

Was she ready for something serious?

No.

That was the whole reason for spending the summer away from all the suitors that seemed to flock to each and every one of Roxy’s social events.

And yet, if she were to settle down with someone like Tate?

Her heart fluttered madly.

Someone nudged her and she jumped. “What?”

More giggles filled her small kitchen. “Well? If he asked you out, would you?” She couldn’t remember the name of the girl who asked. Kat? Or was it Lacey? It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to tell them anything close to what she’d been thinking.

“I’m not ready for anything serious,” she insisted.

Hallie groaned. “That wasn’t the question. Would you go out with him if he asked?”

“Sure,” Rylee hedged. “That could be fun.”

Wendy clapped her hands. “See? I knew it.”

Rylee glanced around. She’d clearly missed something when she’d been lost in her own thoughts. “What?”

“You two are totally going to end up together,” another one of them insisted.

Rylee released a laugh. “Nope. I’m not interested in anything serious. I already told you.”

Someone else waved a dismissive hand through the air before plucking a piece of broccoli from the veggie tray. “Fate does what it wants. You can’t control it, sweetheart. You’ll only get a bigger headache if you try.”

Sammie leaned in close. “Kat’s not wrong. Sometimes you fall into something when you’re least expecting it. But don’t let them scare you. Just because they’ve never seen Tate act this way doesn’t mean they’re right.” She winked but it wasn’t exactly reassuring.

Rylee could only nod, feeling numb after all the information she’d been given on Tate’s dating habits. When her phone buzzed, she blew out a relieved breath and jumped to answer it, and only afterward thought about the caller ID.

“Rylee? You answered.” Alexander sounded stunned, and that said it all. She’d avoided far too many of his attempts to reach out to her.

“Alexander,” she murmured, walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway adjacent. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

He was quiet for a long moment. So long, that she had to pull the phone away from her ear to confirm he was still on the call. When he finally spoke, she almost wished she’d hung up during his silence. “When are you coming home? I want to see you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve already told you. I won’t be coming home all summer. You might as well start seeing other people.”

“But I want to see you. I care about you, Rylee.”

Sighing, she plucked at a piece of lint on her shoulder. “I don’t know how else to say this, Alex. I’m not interested in dating right now. I have a lot on my plate and I need to figure out a few things first.”

“I’ll wait.”

“That’s ridiculous. You can’t say stuff like that.”

“Why not?” he demanded. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think I might be in love with you.”