“You got a little something, right here.” She points to her chin.
“We are no longer friends,” I pout.
She throws her head back and laughs.
“Eat,” I mumble as I pick up my cheeseburger and take a huge bite. I’ve lost my appetite but if we’re both eating, I hope we can avoid any more talk about Ridge and any further embarrassment for me. I’ve reached my limit for the day.
Our waitress appears about ten minutes later, asking if we need anything.
“Just the check,” I tell her.
She grins. “Those gentlemen at the counter took care of that.” She points over her shoulder.
“Thank you.”
Dawn and I both lay tips on the table and stand. “We have to say thank you,” she tells me.
I nod, knowing we do. It would be rude not to, and it was nice of them. We walk to where they’re sitting and Dawn hops on the stool next to Mark on one end. Ridge is sitting on the other. I step behind him and admire the way his Beckett Construction T-shirt forms to his muscles. Without thinking, I reach out and place my hand just below his shoulder blades. He turns his head at the contact.
At first, he looks annoyed until he works out that it’s me. I step closer. He doesn’t move his body, but turns his head to face me. I take another step closer, my hand still resting on his back. We’re close. It’s . . . intimate.
“Hey, sweet girl,” he says softly.
“Thank you, for lunch. You didn’t have to do that.” The words tumble out of me.
“You’re welcome.”
Neither one of us moves. His eyes are so dark, a deep chocolate color. I find it easy to get lost in them, in him. I slide my hand up his back to where it’s resting on his shoulder. He surprises me when he tilts his head and kisses my fingers.
“Ready to go?” Dawn’s chipper voice asks from behind me.
No. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay in this moment. Just need another minute. One more minute to be lost in him. “Yeah,” I say instead. As I go to pull away, Ridge places his hand over mine.
“I’ll see you soon.” His voice is low, just for me.
I don’t respond, just pull my hand from his shoulder, wave to the guys who are watching us closely, then turn and walk as quickly as I can out of the diner.
Dawn throws her arm over my shoulders. “That was hot as hell.”
I look at her like she’s lost her damn mind.
“Sexual tension at its finest. I think you’re wrong, by the way.”
“How so?”
“About the ‘mourning rebound’ thing. You need to talk to him. Be straight up, get it from the horse’s mouth and all that.”
I think about that the rest of the short walk back to the office, and to no surprise, the rest of the afternoon as well.
Dawn has an appointment at Reagan’s shop to get a manicure. “You sure you don’t want to come with me?”
“Yeah, it’s been a long day. I just want to chill. Tell Reagan I said hello.”
“All right then, see you later.”
I breathe a sigh of relief as soon as the door closes behind her. All day, I’ve tried to put up a front that today has not been the hardest in history to keep focused. Now that it’s just me, I can let my mind replay it all, in slow motion. Every touch, every word, every breath between us. I think about what Dawn said, and he doesn’t seem like a man in mourning. But then what does that say about him? Ridge is a good guy, and that seems out of character for him. Dawn’s words filter through my mind. You don’t know the full story. But I want to. I want to know what happened, know how he’s handling all of this. I want to be there for him for reasons both selfish and unselfish. I’m such a hypocrite. I want to be someone he can lean on because he needs it. I also want to be that person just to be next to him.
Ping. I jump from the couch and run to get my phone from the kitchen, all the while praying it’s him.
Ridge: How was your day?
I’m sure my smile is blinding, just from a simple text message.
Me: Uneventful.
Work was smooth today. Thank goodness. We had a full schedule, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Me: Yours?
Ridge: Great, actually.
Me: Good deal.
Lame, I know. What else do I say? ‘Tell me, I want to hear about every second’?
Ridge: It is. Want to hear about it?
Do I? Hell yes, I do. I type a response but wait to send it, slowly counting to sixty first. I don’t want to sound desperate—when, in reality, that’s exactly what I am. Desperate for any little piece of interaction with this man.
Me: Yes.
I clutch my phone in my hands, waiting for his next message. Time seems to creep as I wait, staring at the screen. When it rings, I jump and my phone goes flying. When I finally have it back in my hands, I see the screen.
‘Ridge calling.’
Chapter 23
Ridge
I wait forever for her reply and when it finally comes, I smile. Three little letters—Yes. Knox is asleep in my arms; he’s got a full belly and couldn’t resist the pull. I know I should put him down, he’s going to want to be held all the time—at least that’s what Mom tells me—but he’s peaceful, and to be honest, I just like to snuggle the little guy. It’s a shock to me, but he’s mine, a part of me. That makes a difference.
I’ve been using text-to-speech; it’s much faster than texting with one hand. Just as I’m about to reply, I decide that I need to hear her voice. I bring up her name and hit send. It rings more times than I would like, and just as I’m about to hang up and text her to ask why she won’t talk to me, she answers.
“Hello,” her soft voice comes over the line.
I close my eyes and let the sound fill me, relaxing into the couch. “Hey,” I reply just as softly.
Knox is sleeping. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
“So, tell me about your day,” she says, keeping her voice soft.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“Mmmhmm.”
“It was pretty great,” I tell her. “You see, this girl, she’s kind of barreled into my life, and I got to see her today—twice, in fact.”
“I see,” she replies. Something in her voice tells me that she doesn’t realize it’s her.
Could she be jealous? “Yep, she’s gorgeous and sweet as hell,” I say, hoping she gets the hint.
“That’s nice.”
“I almost kissed her. I had my hands on her, and I almost kissed her.”
She’s quiet.
“I think I scared her though, because she backed away.”
“You wanted to kiss her?” she asks.
Finally, she gets it. “More than anything.”
She’s quiet, but I can hear her breathing softly. “I don’t want to be your rebound, Ridge.”
Just like that, she’s stopped this game we’re playing and brought us both back to reality.