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“If you’re sure.” I scanned his face but didn’t sense any insincerity. Instead, his gaze was warm.
I wrapped them and placed them in a paper bag that proudly displayed the store’s name, Spice & Tea Shoppe.
When I rang him up, he said, “If you want to talk about the business side of things, I’m happy to help. Not that I have a degree in business or anything, but Jake said I’m good with ideas.”
“You’re the ideas guy, huh?” I smiled, loving this new glimpse into him.
“Yeah, I’m pretty good at coming up with ideas, and Jake helps implement them.”
“I’m so proud of you guys for pursuing your dreams.” Opening a new business was a risk, especially a small garage in the historic tourist area, but they’d done it and seemed to be thriving.
He flushed, his expression vulnerable.
Was he not used to compliments? I’d never had a reason to pay him one before. He’d left when I was so young, and we’d never had any opportunity to discuss the future or dreams.
Ryan gestured around us at the store. “Is this your dream?”
I shook my head decisively. “Definitely not.”
“Then why do you stay?”
“I was so grateful to Nana for taking us in, I wanted to help. I begged her to let me work here, and I was eager to learn everything.” My heart ached for the little girl I’d been. Displaced and hurting but desperate to belong.
“And now?”
I shrugged, the familiar melancholy wrapping around me like a well-worn coat. “I don’t know.”
“Life’s too short not to pursue your dreams.”
I handed him the bag of spices and walked around the counter, suddenly uncomfortable with the topic. “We’d better get Corey. It’s a school night.”
Ryan followed me while I closed and locked the store and headed to the apartment. “Trust me. He doesn’t mind being out late.”
“Still, I don’t want to be the reason he’s tired in school tomorrow or doesn’t finish his homework.”
“He stays after school in a program where they help him get it finished.”
“That’s good, right?” I glanced over at him as I pushed the door to the apartment open, following the smell of paint up the steps.
He chuckled. “He doesn’t think so.”
I laughed, remembering how I would have felt if I’d had to stay after school. “I suppose that’s normal.”
We stood just inside the door, neither one of us moving up the stairs. I heard music playing. Corey must have used his phone because there wasn’t a radio in the apartment.
Ryan lowered his head. The light was dim in the small space, and he seemed so tall standing in front of me. “Don’t tell him,”—I leaned in closer to hear what he had to say—“but I would have hated it.”
We both laughed then, and joy filled my chest. It felt good to share this moment with him. “Me too.” I smiled up at him, happy to be with him and sharing a secret.
I heard footsteps moving closer, so I turned away to hurry up the stairs. The last thing I needed was for Corey to see me flirting with his father. I wanted him to trust me, and if he thought I was using him to come on to his father, it would ruin everything.
I heard Ryan’s slower tread as he followed.
I stood at the top of the stairs, taking in the space. “Wow. I didn’t expect you to finish a whole wall tonight. You work quickly.”
“As long as you’re taking your time and doing a good job,” Ryan said as he perused the space.
The initial pride that flashed into Corey’s eyes dimmed a bit at Ryan’s words.
