“Oh, it sounds like there have been other missed flights, for which you don’t shoulder the blame?” Like they’d just seen each other yesterday, she gleamed with an easy tease.
“Traveling with my boss—who might be the biggest narcissist I’ve ever met—and you’ve met my mother… anyway, that sort of thing. With people I wouldn’t dare to rush. And there was the time I did everything humanly possible to make the flight, but sometimes you just can’t be that asshole who needs to cut out early when you risk missing out on an epic opportunity. Nailed a massive contract missing that flight, so I don’t consider that one an error.”
“Ah. Always a man with a plan.” She stepped back and tipped her head to motion him in. “Speaking of…”
On the three-seater sofa, Evan and Jagger were making eyes at each other and laughing over a shared joke he wasn’t going to be invited in on. Evan popped up and dashed over. “Hey, Ryder.” He tipped a nod back toward Jagger. “You met Jagger at the wedding, right?”
The quarterback of the hour stood slower from the sofa and sauntered over.
“Not officially,” Ryder answered warmly as he switched to shake with Jagger. The bathroom bra rescue interruption had been awkward for both non-Halseths, and he definitely wouldn’t say they’d met. “I’m Ryder. Mallory.”
Jagger’s hand was twice the size of his own, long athletic fingers wrapping around Ryder’s. “Jagger Prince,” he said as they shook. How did Zoe function in this family. He was five-foot-ten, and he felt like a shrimp around Zoe’s dad and brothers, now around her brother’s boyfriend as well. Zoe was a foot shorter than her brothers, but he remembered the late Brenda Halseth had been like Zoe in a lot of ways, petite and energetic.
Ryder quickly shifted to business casual mode. Zoe completely turned him upside down, but she’d invited him here for this very reason, and he wasn’t about to let her down. He inhaled deeply and savored. “Damn, that smells good.”
Instead of describing the fare or accepting praise, Zoe yelped and zipped into the kitchen. “God, I am such a flake lately. Sorry if it’s burnt.”
Evan ditched him too, and headed into the kitchen. Not that it was much of a walk. Only a few feet away, really. The small round table sat in the middle of the cozy eat-in kitchen. It had been set neatly, with white and blue dishes on jute placemats, with linen napkins in silver rings at each seat, and a short bouquet in a vase in the middle. The kitchen was only slightly smaller than the living area, and straight ahead, he could see the two bedrooms, and knew the layout was a very simple foursquare with a bathroom tucked in the middle. The entire house could fit in his mother’s sterile front parlor.
“So,” he quickly said to Jagger, who was waiting equally awkwardly while Evan and Zoe messed with each other over whose fault it was that dinner was overdone. Although, from the looks of it, the lemon chicken they were pulling out of the oven looked amazing, and much better than anything he could fix. Admittedly, his oven hadn’t been host to anything but frozen foods. “Had you been to Foothills before the wedding?”
Jagger shook his head no. “I’d only heard Finn’s stories about how adorable it is. Evan’s been showing me around the last few days, and I get the appeal, but it’s… it would take a special person to be able to live here full time. It’s a great vacation spot…” He cringed and looked to the fellow metropolis dweller for agreement.
“A bit too far from anything for my taste. I grew up here, and it is a great destination to visit. My brother and sister both love it here. Quiet.”
“I get that. I just moved into a new place, and it’s nuts, the high walls and measures you have to take for privacy. Although, I suppose that’s just a sign you’ve made it.” The athlete folded his arms across his chest and seemed to settle his posture. “Honestly, I was thrilled when Zoe told me how you’d mentioned even the possibility of connecting me with Bellamy Athletics.”
So he did know why Ryder was here, that was a relief. “Absolutely. It’s a new area for me, athletic apparel. I’m loving it. They seem genuinely committed to making a quality product that will inspire athletes at all levels and from all backgrounds. It’s nice to feel inspired. Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten excited about a contract.”
“I’ve been looking into them, and they seem like a good company. Have you mentioned me, to them?”
“No,” he admitted. “Honestly, I was thrilled when Zoe said you were interested, but I don’t count eggs before they hatch. If you’re in, I want to make a rock-solid pitch.”
“Oh,” Jagger said vaguely, his gaze drifting back toward the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Zoe and Evan were laughing wildly over the state of the crispy edges of the chicken as they shredded it and topped it onto a quinoa and something salad. She smacked her brother on the arm, then steadied herself as she tipped her head back when the laughter got the better of her.
Ryder quickly focused, not letting himself get distracted from such a killer opportunity. “I floated the idea of signing on a pro athlete to be the face of their next campaign, or maybe even a brand ambassador, and they were over the moon at the idea. They’re going to be thrilled, if you decide you’re interested.”
In a practiced move, Zoe scooped up the steaming baking dish and floated it to the middle of the table, onto the waiting trivet. She glanced up at Ryder, not the same flirty invitation as before, but whatever it was, more serious, curious, it sent the butterflies in his chest flapping desperately.
Evan wandered over and tipped a nod toward the kitchen. “Let’s eat.”
To keep it light, Ryder didn’t bring up work again. Before any next steps, he wanted Jagger to trust him.
Evan didn’t let him off the hook about work, though. “Hey, Ryder, I wasn’t sure you’d make it up this weekend. From what I hear, you’re not an easy one to nail down.”
“You’re not wrong,” he admitted.
“Haley said you’ve got your nose to the grindstone until you get some fat promotion you’ve been working toward?”
Fuck. “I, uh, yeah, I’ve been aiming for a cushy managerial position, but, um… be careful what you wish for.”
Zoe perked up at his side and turned to study him, her fork halfway to her mouth. “Uh-oh. You didn’t get that promotion?”
“I worked so hard and impressed them so much, that they created an entirely new position just for me. Which, unfortunately, requires even more travel than I was doing before, plus I’m overseeing the other teams, so I have my laptop in my backpack in the car. I’ll have brunch with my mother tomorrow, since I’m in town, but I’ll be working whenever I’m not seeing to social graces.”
“Ouch,” Zoe said with a cringe. “Don’t you ever think of finding a new job, like, one that you enjoy?”
