Page 41 of Finding Love

Ryder couldn’t even remember the first time he’d gone for a fitting for a suit.

He yanked off the tie, tossed off the jacket, and rolled up his sleeves. There, that was more comfortable. It wasn’t board shorts and a pair of flip-flops, but it was a start.

When he stepped into the kitchen, Brook was just setting plates down on the smaller kitchen table.

“It started to sprinkle, so we’ll have to eat in here.” She looked up. Seeing his attire, her eyebrows drew up.

“I plan on making some dress code changes today.”

“I like that idea. I think a lot of others will too. I know that with the number of at-home workers on the rise, most offices have made the change.” She sat down.

Willy was chowing down on his breakfast but stopped long enough to glance up at him.

He instantly felt guilty that he hadn’t spent much time with his dog the day before. For the past year, it had been him and Willy. The duo had been inseparable. Now, with the way things were going, he’d be lucky to take his dog on a walk once a week. This wasn’t his idea of life. Which is why he’d left last year.

As they ate, his mind played over his options.

“Plotting your day?” Brook asked with a smile.

“Something like that.” He shoved another piece of bacon in his mouth. “Thanks for breakfast.”

“Anytime. Willy and I are going to hit the town. Maybe do some sight-seeing?” She shrugged. “Shopping?” She shrugged again. “Whatever we fancy.”

He smiled and looked down at his dog, who was now lying on the tile floor, snoring. “If you can get him up again.” He laughed.

Somehow, just spending half an hour that morning with Brook had Ryder in a better mood than he’d been in the day before. Maybe it was because he knew that he didn’t have to face another board meeting that day. Or it could be because he’d made up his mind to make some drastic changes. Regardless of the consequences.

When he walked into his office, he was surprised to see Edith standing by his windows, looking out over the city.

He held in a groan and tried to greet her cheerfully.

“To what do I owe this visit?” he asked, setting down his laptop case.

She turned towards him, her eyes running over his more relaxed attire briefly before answering.

“James, I think this game has gone on long enough. I had hoped that you would sow your wild oats before returning home to finally settle down.” Edith moved over to sit on his desk.

Ryder remained standing. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Edith took a deep breath. “You had a year to engage in whatever flings you wanted. I didn’t ask, didn’t even try finding you, but that year is over. Now, it’s time we settled on a wedding date and returned things to how they were.” She motioned to his shirt. “Starting with this. What are you wearing?”

He wanted to laugh. Instead, he sat down slowly and tried to find the best words. In the end, he blurted out, “Edith, there is no way in hell I’m going to marry you.”