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He tipped his head in acknowledgment. “It happens. If I’d found out one of my friends had been married and never told me, I’d have been upset too.”
Why did he have to be so reasonable? Damn him.
“Are you visiting for long?” I asked, searching for small talk to make.
“Just until the end of the week.” He tossed the tennis ball in the air and caught it, pretending not to notice the squirming puppy at his feet. “I had some leave owed, and I haven’t seen Grace for ages, so when she called about getting a puppy, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.”
My teeth ground together. I'd still like to know why she’d never mentioned to me that she wanted a dog.
“Ryan is keeping me company in the house.” Grace patted his arm affectionately. “It gets quiet in such a big place all by myself.”
A muscle in my jaw twitched, but I managed not to let on that I was surprised he was staying in the house rather than in one of the cottages. He was a friend, not a paying guest. I should have expected it.
“It’s a lovely place.” Ryan turned and lobbed the ball across the lawn. The puppy bounded after it, then snatched it in his mouth, tripping over his overly big paws and sliding snout-first across the grass. He got up, panting happily, and circled the lawn as if waiting for one of us to chase him.
“He doesn’t understand the point of fetch yet,” Grace said, nodding toward the dog. “He’ll get the ball, but he won’t bring it back.”
I chuckled. “Why would he, when he went to all that effort to get it?”
“I guess you have a point.” Ryan edged toward the dog, but Duke backed off, releasing a snarl from around the ball.
“Come on.” She gestured toward Ryan and Duke. “Let’s give him a bit more of a run around.”
“Okay.”
I pulled off my socks and followed her onto the lawn. We threw the ball for Duke—when we could get it off him—for another half hour, and then Ryan ducked into the house and returned with two beer bottles and a pink gin and tonic. For a few seconds, it surprised me that he knew Grace’s preferred drink without having to ask, and I had to remind myself that they’d been married. Presumably, he knew more about Grace than just her drink preferences. Things even I didn’t know. Like whether her sleek thighs felt as silky as they looked, and how her skin tasted. I shivered, startled by my own musings. I’d never wondered how Grace’s skin would taste before, so why was the question popping into my mind now? Was it just because I’d realized that there was more to her than I’d imagined?
As we drank, each of us sitting on an outdoor chair positioned on her porch, my eyes kept flicking between them, almost without my permission. I cataloged their every caught gaze and shared smile, wondering if there were still feelings between them. Regardless of whether they’d been in love, they obviously cared for each other. Was attraction simmering quietly between them? I needed to know.
Grace called Duke over and scooped the puppy onto her lap.
“He’ll be too big for you to do that before long,” Ryan warned.
She smiled. “All the more reason to do it now.” She checked her watch. “Time to get started on dinner. Nate, would you like to stay?”
I hesitated. Usually staying would be a no-brainer for me on an evening when I didn’t have Tess, but I recalled how I’d felt when I’d walked in on them the other day. I didn’t want to watch their banter and inside jokes and feel like an outsider.
“No, thanks.” I softened the reply with a smile. “But I appreciate the offer.”
To my surprise, Ryan looked disappointed. “Are you sure you can’t stay?”
“Yeah, I have a few things to do before my daughter, Tess, arrives tomorrow.”
“Ah.” He nodded in understanding. “She’s with her mum?”
“Yeah. We do alternate weeks.”
“That must be hard.”
My chest squeezed. “It is, but it’s better than what a lot of fathers get. I’m lucky in that Maddy has always wanted me to be involved in Tess’s life as much as she is.”
“Of course she does.” Grace took my hand and squeezed, then let it go. “You’re a great dad, and she knows it.”
Cheeks hot, I forced a shrug. “Anyway, I better hit the road. Bye, Gracie. See you around, Ryan.”
As I left, even though I knew it made me an asshole, I couldn’t help hoping that I would not, in fact, see Ryan around.
7
