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“Glad to hear it. I heard that the woman who manages the place is hoping that it eventually does well enough that she could take a week off so this diver she knows could teach her how to scuba dive.”

“And get matching tattoos,” Valentina whispered sotto voice, as she walked past them.

“Hey, get back here,” Amy said.

Valentina made a big production of stopping. “Who, me?”

“Yes, you. Valentina, I would like you to meet a friend of mine, his name is Ryker McQueen. As I told you earlier, he’s a diver for the Navy.”

Valentina held out her hand and Ryker shook it. He gave her a winning smile.

Val looked from Amy to Ryker and back again. “Friend, huh? Go figure.” Then she turned back to Ryker and started peppering him with questions about diving until Lawrence came over and told her drinks were waiting for her to serve.

Amy looked down at Ryker’s meal and noticed it was only half finished as he tossed his napkin over the plate. “I’ll see you upstairs, Amy,” he said as he threw down more than enough bills to cover the cost of the meal.

“Hey, you know your meal is always on the house,” Amy protested.

“Yeah, well, I hate to be a burden to my friends,” Ryker said as he started toward the back of the restaurant that would lead to the hall where he could pick up either the elevator or stairs to her apartment.

Amy clutched at his jacket. “If you’re sick of being in the friend zone, that is all your problem,” she hissed up at him.

“Think what you need to think, Amy. I’m sure you give all of your friends keys to your apartment. I’ll see you up there.”

Amy watched him go and realized he was right. She’d given him a key to the outside building, the security code to disarm the alarm, and the key to her apartment. The only other person besides her tenants Charlie and Lawrence who had all that was Lark. Lark was someone she’d known for ten years and she loved like a sister.

She looked around the restaurant, then went over to Gillian’s area. She was the one who was handling the Senator’s party.

“Is everything okay?” she asked Gillian.

“It’s going beautifully. You’re also making a shit-ton on the wine they’re choosing.”

“Won’t hurt your tip, that’s for damn sure,” Amy grinned.

“No, it sure won’t,” Gillian grinned back.

“Hey, Gil, would you be okay if I took off early for the night? Lawrence and Charlie are here, I’ll just be upstairs if somebody really needs me.”

“Me and Ms. Senator are just fine. You go learn how to dive.” Gillian grinned.

“Thanks.”

Amy went and checked in with Lawrence and Charlie, then she headed up the stairs two at a time until she was at her front door. Before she even had her keys out of her purse, Ryker was opening the door.

“Are we doing this?” he asked belligerently.

Amy’s gut clenched.

“Doing what?” she asked tentatively.

“It’s been six weeks since you met me at the Hotel Monaco and I rejected no-strings sex and you rejected a relationship. We were at an impasse then, which at the time, was fine by me. I’m a patient sort of guy, I was pretty sure I could convince you of what a good thing we had going, and you’d see.”

“See what?” she asked softly.

“You’d see that we were meant for one another. The whole nine yards. A lifetime commitment. But then you go and introduce me to Valentina as your friend. Not your boyfriend. Not even your ‘special’ friend. Nope, I’m just lumped in there as your friend. You kiss like a dream, you’re smart, funny, and intelligent. But I refuse to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, Amy. Do we have a shot or don’t we?”

She appreciated the fact that he stayed over near the TV and wasn’t looming over her. But still, his presence, his energy dominated the room. She looked into his eyes, and more than the want and hope, this time she saw his pain. It matched her own. A pain that had been etched on her soul from the first time her mother had chosen a bottle over her.

Was that what she was doing? Was she choosing safety over Ryker? Was he feeling the same pain that she had felt as a child? She never meant for that to happen. The only thing she’d ever wanted for the man was what was best for him, and she just never thought it was her.