At the comment, the barista's gaze sharpened – even as her smile remained fixed.
She made no comment as Ryder paid with cash, tossed an extra hundred onto the counter, and told her to keep the change. "For the trouble," he explained with a grin.
She stared at the hundred. "I shouldn't take this."
Ryder laughed. "Why not?"
Her gaze strayed to the box, and she hesitated. "It's too much."
"Ormaybe," Ryder said, "it's not enough."
"But – "
Just then, an elderly woman called out, "Oh, for God's sake! Just take the money so I can get my damn coffee, alright?"
Ryder grinned. "Hey, you heard the woman."
The barista paused for only a moment before pocketing the hundred and mumbling, "Uh…thanks." With a final glance at the box, she said with a wobbly smile, "Enjoy the pastries."
Call it intuition, but I had the distinct impression that I wouldn't. Still, I tried to look on the bright side. The way I feltnow, I wouldn't be eating today, anyway.
And tomorrow?By then, who knows? If things went South, I'd be ready to choke down anything.
I took a long sip of my coffee, not giving a damn that I should've let it cool. Some might say the day was looking up.
But me? I wasn't so sure.
As we left the shop, I stopped just outside the front window and looked toward the dock. By now, another ferry was disembarking, releasing a whole new crowd of people – all of whom looked happier to be here than I was.
I was still staring when Ryder asked, "So… who was the brunette?"
Good question.I didn't know her name, but I did have a clue.Pickett's Pedals.
Yeah, I'd clocked the shirt – just as I'd clocked the sweet curves underneath. But unlike that jackass in blue, I'd had the good sense not to stare.
I hadn't likedhimstaring either.Asshole.
Thinking about it now wasn't helping my mood. Still, I kept my voice level as I turned to Ryder and asked, "What brunette?"
This made him smirk. "The one on the dock. Cute, dark hair, nice ass..."
I stiffened. "I don't know who you mean."
"Bullshit," he said. "And she looked so damned earnest. Small-towners, am I right?"
He wasn't wrong aboutthat. She'd been nicer than I deserved.And that went double for the jackass in blue.
But there was no way I'd be saying any of this to Ryder, so I replied with a shrug that he could take however he wanted.
And of course, Ryder refused to let it drop. "Did she say if she was single?"
The question rubbed me raw, and I couldn't say why. My jaw flexed as I replied, "No. She didn't."
Ryder chuckled. "Easy there. Just curious."
"Yeah, well don't be," I grumbled. "I owe her an apology, thanks to you."
"Me?" he scoffed. "I wasn't even there."
