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Ryder: I’m here. Where are you?
Me: I’m inside, at the bar. I ordered you a beer.
After sending the message, I set my phone down with a trembling hand. There’s nothing to be worried about. We’re far enough outside of town that the chances of anybody spotting us together are low, maybe nonexistent. He just finished an incredible game, and we’re having dinner together to celebrate. Considering any and all fooling around is off the table with half of our group up in Seattle, it seems safe, going out together tonight. There’s no risk of anybody catching us canoodling. And if anybody raises an eyebrow, we can fall back on the celebration angle. The team’s season opener was a huge success, in no small part thanks to the job he did.
So what if my heart skips a beat when I catch sight of him entering the restaurant? It’s a cute place, the kind with twinkling lights strung up in the trees and bushes out front and soft, vaguely Italian music piped in through discreetly placed speakers. In other words, it would be a perfect date spot — and more than a few couples have that idea, judging by the looks of it. So the sight of him in a crisp button-down shirt that matches his steely eyes has an almost disappointing effect on me. I need to stay strong. We made a promise that we wouldn’t get physical.
Just like I made a promise to myself that nothing would happen with him. Okay, so I haven’t always been true to my word, but I need to be now. Even if he looks sinfully hot tonight.
“Hey.” He runs a hand through his hair, still damp after his post-game shower, then takes his pint glass and gulps down maybe a third of the lager. “Oh, that hits the spot.”
“I thought for sure you would rather go out and party tonight after that performance.”
He almost looks insulted, his head snapping back so he can give me a funny look. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. It sure seems like a lot of the team wanted to do that.”
“Good for them. I’d rather be with you.” There’s a deeper meaning to his voice, and in the way he looks at me. Like he’s hungry and I’m on the list of tonight’s specials.
“As friends,” I remind him.
“Sure, sure. You don’t need to remind me.” Right, but he doesn’t need to be happy about it, I guess. He knows what’s at stake just as well as I do. I don’t want to hurt anybody, and neither does he.
It’s not long before we are seated at a small two-top in the far corner of the dining room. I don’t mind at all. The restaurant is awfully busy, but we’re tucked away with a view of a beautifully landscaped back patio stretched out beyond the windows next to us. Those twinkling lights decorate potted plants and are strung along the railing overlooking a small pond. In other words, it’s pretty romantic, but I have to keep a clear head. Maybe I should cool it on the wine, come to think of it. Nobody thinks clearly if they’ve had too much.
“I was so proud of you out there,” I tell him once we place our orders. “You really stepped up. Everybody looked to you as a leader.”
He gives me one of his patented smirks. “You’re bullshitting me.”
“I’m absolutely not. Maybe it’s easier for me to see it, being an observer. But it’s the truth. Everybody was looking to you tonight, and you rose to the occasion.”
“Maybe I needed to step out of the shadows a little bit and prove what I’m capable of.” He makes a big deal of staring down at his beer, his lips set in a thin line. It’s so hard sometimes, separating my work from the private time I spend with him. I don’t want to sit here and shrink him – and I doubt he would enjoy it if he knew I was. But it’s like a reflex, taking what he says and analyzing it.
He feels overshadowed by Soren and Ash. Now that they’re gone, he can shine. At least, that’s how it sounds from where I’m sitting.
“What did the coach have to say?”
He chuckles. “He didn’t say much of anything coherent. He was too busy slapping me on the back and laughing like he just won the lottery out of nowhere.”
“He did look like he was ready to burst after the game was over.”
“I think he finally sees things coming together.”
“And he was awfully worried about how the lines would hold up without —" Dammit. I bite my tongue, but it’s too late. He knows what I was thinking.
“Yeah, what a surprise the team didn’t fall apart without them.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Sure, you did. And I get it. You don’t have to apologize or anything. They are the team stars, or else why would they have been called up?”
“Well, like you said, this is your chance to shine. Nobody can argue with stats. You’ve already got two assists on the record. There’s nowhere to go from here but up.”
“I wish I was as confident as you.”
It’s sort of annoying when our entrées arrive, since it means pausing the conversation until we’re alone again. Once the server hurries off, I lean in a little. “What do you mean? You don’t agree with me?”
He only grunts before waving a dismissive hand. “Don’t listen to me. I don’t know what the problem is tonight. You’re right, I should be over the moon. You must think I sound like a little bitch.”
