It felt like an insult – and not the usual kind. "It was no lie. Like I said, I ran the numbers."
Ryder gave a slow shake of his head. "Man, areyouin trouble."
I wasn’t following. "Why?"
"You know she's gonna freak, right?"
In my mind, I could already see her reaction. Just the thought of it made me feel like a kid before Christmas. "That's the plan."
But Ryder was still grinching out. "You say it like it's agoodthing."
"Itis," I said. "It'll be a surprise – a nice one, for a change. She'll love it."
"Orshe'll be pissed that you lied to her."
What the hell?"Except I didn't." I gave him an annoyed look. "And since when areyouby the book?"
"Since when areyoua dumbass?" He glanced around the kitchen. "Even this – youdorealize girls like to choose their own place, right?"
I glanced toward the nearest window, where the realtor was setting up a for-sale sign near the shore. It was nearly sunset, and the water shimmered like diamonds all the way to the bridge.
Something stirred deep in my chest.That view, Maisie would love it.I looked back to Ryder. "Who says I'm buying it forher?"
"So youarebuying it?"
He talked like I was minutes away from signing a deed. "No, I'm just looking, getting a feel for what's out there."
"And then what? You're gonna whip out your checkbook? Spend a few mil on a place she hasn't seen?"
The guy knew nothing."No, I'm thinking we'd look together."
"When?"
That was easy. "Nine days."
"Why nine?"
As if he didn't know."Because that's when I'm done with the bet."
"Screw the bet," he said. "You're playing with fire. You know that, right?"
It was a strange thing for Ryder to say, considering the guy had torched his own guest house – twice.
When I started to reply, he cut me off. "And before you say it, the thing with the guest house was an accident."
I stared, waiting for the punchline. "Both times?"
"Yes, in fact. And we're talking aboutyou, not me."
Even for Ryder, he was acting strange. I studied his face. "And why are you here, anyway?"
"Because you invited me, remember?"
"Yeah, because I found you sitting on my stairs."
He shrugged like we were neighbors living on the same street. "What? I can't drop in to see a friend?"
I considered his recent behavior. He should've been in Chicago, not haunting the island like a ghost. "You're up to something."
