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She smiles brightly and nods before getting back to the customer she has on hold. Her voice is overly bright, but that’s her customer service voice and I secretly love it. If you don’t have a customer service voice, then there’s something wrong with you. Like Deanna a couple cubicles down. She’s overly peppy when talking on the phone, but that’s not a customer service voice, it’s her actual voice and it becomes annoying trying to talk to her all the time.
I came in on my first day and she was the first one to introduce herself. I’ve always been a morning person, but her cheery voice made me want to stab my ears with a knife and go back home to sleep. Millie instantly became my friend that day when she saved me from having to deal with Deanna’s peppy personality.
* * *
The day goes by quickly, and I send a short text to Ryan to let him know that I’m getting drinks with Millie after work. He only tells me to be careful and to let him know if I’ll need him to come pick me up.
That alone causes my stomach to flutter uncontrollably. I’ve seen him with staff members throughout the months I’ve been here, and he seems like a hardass with everyone else, but he’s a big softy once you get to know him.
Millie leans against the edge of my desk while waiting for me to finish up my last email of the day before shutting everything down. I grab my coat from the back of the chair and slip it on, then reach for my purse under my desk and head toward the elevator with Millie in tow behind me.
“Around the block?” I ask.
She nods. “Sure, love their burgers and I’m in major need of one right now.”
Millie’s favorite food is a good, juicy burger. If it doesn’t have grease dripping from it, she doesn’t want it. I almost puked watching her eat one at the bar and grill around the block, her favorite place to get burgers, because I can’t stand the idea of consuming all that grease. That made me love her more and I knew quickly that we’d be good friends.
We walk around the block and the sudden gust of wind causes goosebumps to rise on my arms. Luckily it doesn’t take too long to reach Marley’s and the heat that washes over me is enough to have me releasing a contented sigh. I’m not entirely used to it being so cold during the winter months, but I’m starting to get there.
It’s slightly more crowded than usual when we get inside, most of the bar being taken up by an obnoxious group of women. I’m assuming it’s a bachelorette party because one of the women has a white sash on, but she has her back to me so I don’t know what it says.
Millie clasps onto my elbow, pulling me through the crowd and into a dark corner of the room. “No sense in being in the middle of all that.”
I nod, smiling at the growing crowd because I never realized I’d actually like being in a big city like this. It was always the plan to stay in Willow Peaks, take over the farm, live close to my parents. And although it’s hard being away from them, it’s also felt good to venture out on my own.
“Spill,” Millie says as soon as she walks back to the table with our drinks. I’m a simple woman, preferring a beer over the fancy mixed drinks that Millie always gets. Men always look at me a little weird around here when I order a Miller Lite, but also appreciate that I can drink a beer like the guys.
I smile at her, knowing exactly where she’s going with her question but wanting to draw it out. “What do you mean?”
She rolls her eyes, leaning toward me a little more so that I can hear her better. “Don’t play dumb with me, you rarely ask me to come out. Figured you needed to tell me something. Maybe about a certain man?” Her eyebrows wiggle up and down at her question and we break out into a fit of giggles before I glance around the room.
“I don’t know, Millie. It’s great, he’s a great guy, but what if I’m only making it worse for myself?”
“What do you mean?”
I shrug. “I left my small-town life for Alex, and look where that got me. You don’t think I’d just be putting myself in that position again?”
She lets out a loud sigh, thinking long and hard about my question before smiling sweetly at me. “I think that Ryan treats you a lot better than Alex ever did, and that you’ll never find out if things would be the same with him if you don’t give it the chance. Don’t run just because you might be in the same situation as you were with Alex.”
I let my mother in on the fact that my new relationship was actually a fake one this week. I told her how he’s one of my bosses, and that I’m starting to develop real feelings for him. When she asked how he felt and I told her that I didn’t know, she encouraged me to go to him about my feelings. It was surprising that he was the first one to start that conversation, as if reading my mind.
Through our conversation, she also said that I shouldn’t let what happened with Alex interfere with finding happiness elsewhere. Even if it’s with someone else from the city.Life takes us many places, but will it ever make you happy if it’s not with the person who lights up your world?That’s what she asked me, and after thinking it over for a while, I realized that I’d rather take a chance at happiness with Ryan than be left lonely and miserable.
All in all, I don’t mind where my life takes me as long as I have someone who brings out the best in me by my side, and that clearly wasn’t Alex. But, could it be Ryan? I know that he makes me feel safe when I’m with him, and that he seems to always protect me in ways that no other man has. Well, besides my dad. And I know that he shows a deeper version of himself whenever it’s just the two of us and I find myself wanting to fall for him.
Would he catch me though, or would he walk away and watch me break when I hit the ground? Instead of getting all gloomy, I order another round of drinks before getting up to join the crowd on the makeshift dance floor.
Chapter16
Ryan
I’m ready for a good night of relaxing until Ava gets home, but almost as soon as I get there myself and have gotten changed into more comfortable clothes, there’s a knock on my front door.
My phone screen is blank, telling me that I shouldn’t be expecting anyone. I also know of only one person who would show up unannounced. Well, Malcolm would too, but I actually like his company.
He’s on his tour right now though and in Michigan this week, I believe. It wouldn’t be him at the door.
I opt to ignore the door, instead choosing to think back to the night of Malcolm’s concert. As I expected, Ava is a huge Malcolm fan and went fangirl over him. We had the best night front and center in the pit, her dancing in front of me while I held on to her hips and swayed side to side with her.
