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When we finally reached the crest of the hill, the trees began to disperse and the ground became flatter. I could see a small town in the distance and the sun was setting just above the horizon sending dusky pink and purple rays across the sky. It couldn’t have been a more romantic setting and I hoped that Rylee felt the same way.
We came to a clearing of grass that was surrounded by budding wildflowers and I came to a stop. I opened up my rucksack and pulled out a blanket then laid it on the ground. “Please sit, Rylee. You must be exhausted,” I told her, my voice echoing the concern I felt.
“Thanks,” she mumbled in response before dropping onto the soft, gray blanket. She crossed her silky-smooth legs over one another and I felt myself grow desperate to touch them, to spread them apart and push myself in between them… But now wasn’t the time for that. As much as I desired Rylee physically, I wanted to show her my passion emotionally too.
So, I reached for the rucksack again and this time I dug out an assortment of sandwiches, fruits, nuts, and chocolate all stowed away in Tupperware containers. I placed them down in front of her and shot her a smile. I’d watched her in the coffee shop on her breaks sometimes and noticed that she usually ate sandwiches, sometimes with a pot of cut up mangos and pineapple. I hoped that she would appreciate this gesture, even if it was rather small.
Lastly, I pulled out a bottle of wine and two plastic glasses before taking a seat next to her. Our knees pressed against one another and I felt a frisson of electricity spark in the air. God, I didn’t think I’d ever get over the raw passion I felt for that woman.
“What are you doing with all this?” Rylee asked me as she dragged her eyes along the literal buffet I had laid out for her.
“Well, I thought that would be obvious,” I began with a smirk. “I’m trying to feed you.”
She rolled her eyes at me, but I could tell she wasn’t too put out by it. After all, she reached out and began to take her pick of the food in front of her. I was pleased when she reached for a chicken and mayo sandwich and finished it off quickly before reaching for the mango and pineapple. She had to know I’d been paying attention to her, that I did truly care for her. When her eyes met mine again, I saw that they had softened somewhat and I knew I was getting through to her. But I couldn’t stop there.
“I have to say, Rylee, I wasn’t really happy with the way we left things yesterday,” I told her, finally breaking the silence. “I wanted to ask you a few questions, if that’s alright with you?”
Rylee swallowed the piece of pineapple she’d been chewing on before setting the pot back down. “These questions don’t have anything to do with the whole fake boyfriend charade, do they?” she asked with a pout.
I shook my head. “Rylee, you have to know that there’s no way I’d have ever agreed to this stupid idea if I’d known that Robin was your mother,” I implored, staring at her with wide, gray eyes that I hoped would show how genuine I was. “I know this situation is far from ideal, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.”
Rylee scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s where you and I don’t see eye to eye, Spencer.”
8
Rylee
I wasn’t sure how I ended up getting tricked into this almost-date with Spencer and I felt rather annoyed at him trying to manipulate me. After all, I had spent such a long time convincing myself to stay away from him and now, we were sitting together alone and surrounded by lush woodland, totally separated from real life and reality. Maybe that was what Spencer had wanted. If we were so far departed from the reality of the situation, it would be easier to convince me that us being together wasn’t a totally stupid idea.
But I had to admit, the picnic he laid out for me was lovely. Somehow, he’d managed to get together a bunch of my favorite foods and it was hard for me to try and resist him knowing that. After all, why else would he go to all this effort unless he really was planning on staying in my life? The sun setting in the sky was beautiful and it painted a serene picture as a backdrop for a conversation that was anything but serene.
I tried to pull myself together and I took a deep breath. “It might be alright in your world for us to pick up where we left off, but in my world, I just don’t see anyway that could happen,” I explained with a slight shrug. “Halston is a small town – extremely small – and people talk. There’s no way I’m going to embarrass my mother by having other people gossip about us. Besides, I don’t want people to think I’m the type of woman who would steal her mom’s boyfriend.”
