Ryder smoothed his beard. “It’s easy for you. You and Finn work together.”
“And we still make time outside of that. There isn’t one perfect way to start a relationship, Ryder. If you wait until everything feels settled, you might miss out on something amazing.”
The three friends stared at Maverick for a long moment before Jax burst out into laughter. “Damn, man. You’re like a relationship guru now or something.”
Mav shot him a dark look. “Well, maybe I want you idiots to be as happy as I am.” He heaved out of the booth and headed for the bar.
By the time he returned, the conversation shifted onto other stuff, and Ryder sat back and tried not to dwell on what his friend said. Lucas never gave any indication he wanted to be wined and dined. Ryder got the impression he couldn’t afford to go out anywhere fancy anyway, and EMTs certainly weren’t rolling in money.
They said their goodbyes and headed out.
Ritz snored on the other side of the room when Ryder sneaked in a while later, carefully putting his keys in the bowl so they wouldn’t clatter. He headed to the bedroom, got undressed, and crawled into bed. He’d shower and do laundry in the morning. Before closing his eyes, he pulled out his phone one more time.
Lucas:I got the next batch of photos cleaned up. What do you think?
The pictures he took at the first shelter meetup were for online marketing to get some buzz going about the calendar. Attached to the text were a handful of new shots full of bright sunlight, smiles, and adorable animals.
Ryder scrolled through them, recognizing a few moments from the event. Will held the cat like a football. Eva sat on the ground as an enthusiastic boxer slobbered kisses all over her face. One of the cops crouched in front of a German shepherd with a floppy ear.
Then came the photos of him. He paused, thumb hovering over the screen.
The pictures weren’t much different from the other shots. Ryder played and posed with a variety of adoptable pets. There was something about his face though, much different from the usual tired expression he saw in the mirror every day. That look was gone. In its place, he saw warmth, happiness, and something soft that was hard to hold on to in the face of tough calls and sadness every day. The pictures didn’t look posed. They looked honest.
A new message popped up.
Lucas:Maybe I’ll have to do a Ryder only calendar. It’d be a bestseller.
Ryder’s heart kicked hard in his chest, fast and stupidly hopeful. He swiped back through the photos, wondering which one Lucas liked best. He hit the Reply button and typed before he could think.
Ryder:If you keep saying stuff like that, I’m going to end up driving across town just to thank you in person.
Luckily, reasonable thought caught up to him before he hit Send. He re-read the message, then deleted it. Too much. He typed again.
Ryder:These look great. It obviously comes down to the photographer’s skill.
He double-checked his pager and his work app before dropping them both on the nightstand and rolling over. Ryder rubbed at his chest where something warm and wanting ached deep inside. Memories of Mav’s words echoed through his mind as he forced his eyes closed and dropped into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 9
Lucas
Lucas let out a long sigh as the last confirmation email rolled in. The electric bill, phone, rent, and credit cards were all scheduled and covered. He slumped back on the loveseat and wrapped both hands around his mug of cocoa. The heat slowly thawed the tight coil in his stomach and loosened the knot of stress in his chest.
The teaching job wasn’t his dream, but it was fun, and more importantly, it paid the bills. He still had a few freelance clients, still sold stock online, and the dream was still alive and kicking. He could breathe again.
His phone buzzed on the cushion next to him, and he grabbed it, hoping for Ryder and seeing his brother’s name instead.
Lucas hesitated for a second before answering. “Hey.”
“Hello,” Paul said. His voice had that familiar rasp to it, friendly but slightly rushed, as if talking to Lucas made him impatient. “Mom was asking whether I’d heard from you lately. How are things?”
Exhaling softly so Paul wouldn’t accuse him of sighing like a petulant child, Lucas replied, “Great. I’m healthy, the café sells quality cocoa, and the snow isn’t too deep.” Despite their frustration with his choices, his family still called every two weeks or so to check on him.
“Good. I’m on my way to the office, but I figured I’d call while I was in the car. Mom said you finally got something steady?”
Lucas took a slow sip of cocoa. “Yeah. I’ve been teaching photography classes at a community college.”
“Hmm. Well, steady hours. That’s something.” Silence descended.
