Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Well,” Ryan said, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Does that mean you wouldn’t consider working for someone like me?”
The question took me by surprise. For a moment, I was sure that my mom had texted or called Ryan to suggest it, but she sucked at hiding things, and even though she brought it up only minutes before, she would have left behind more than a clear hint that she’d said something. My mother could meddle, but I knew her well enough to know when she did, so this idea had to be Ryan’s own.
“Do you actually want me to?” I asked, still trying to weigh my options. I faced him directly and met his gaze. “Or are you just trying to help?”
“I’ve thought about it a bit. You know I’m trying to iron things out here and in Waco and Houston and the other places I want to open up. I’m not good at this, Christie. I need help. That’s something you can do, right?”
He was asking me. He almost looked embarrassed, and that alone made me feel more secure about it. Ryan really wanted me to work with him. The prospect didn’t bother me as much as it did when my mom brought it up, but I still wasn’t sure whether it was what I should do.
“I don’t know.”
Ryan rose from the chair, and it spun behind him. He stepped closer to me and reached out for my hands. We stood there for a moment, our fingers swaying like a small swing, and with every passing second, the proposition felt more real.
“I know it’s not the perfect situation, especially now that we have some kind of history.” He smiled but stared at our hands. “But I really want you here, Christie.”
“So that’s why you’re offering me a job?”
“I won’t lie. It’s part of the reason, but you have to agree I need help.”
My mouth quirked in a half smile, but I chose not to answer.
He scoffed and shook his head, his smile making its way to my core. “I want to spend more time with James. I need to find my place in my business where I can do that. I’m sure you’ll move on to greater things one day, and maybe I can even help you with that, but Christie . . .” He kneeled to a knee, and I gawked at the gesture. It was the funniest yet cheesiest thing he could do, but it made me blush all the same. “Will you be my business adviser . . . counselor—whatever job title that is?”
It wasn’t the most elaborate of job offers, but as far as I was concerned, it was the most heartwarming and promising one I’d ever had. “I’m expensive.”
He didn’t hesitate, but he rose, and with a feigned exasperated breath, he said, “I’ll pay it.”
“Deal.”
Epilogue
Ryan
The air seemed so much fresher on this side of the park. It was farther from the highway, but that didn’t seem to be it. I had the perfect life, the perfect career, and the most incredible woman by my side. I couldn’t have made it without her, and after the year we’d had, I’d never be able to let her go.
Christie waited patiently, watching me carefully as I prepared the patties. She’d made my house a home when we moved in, though she still refused to call it ours. She didn’t “live” there, she liked to clarify, but she was one closet full of clothes away from having an empty apartment. Still, I’d let her think whatever she wanted as long as it changed tonight.
Christie’s mom was probably at the house by now, likely cleaning up the mess I made putting the meat together. That would be the first thing Christie noticed, but everything was all planned out.
It was all I could think about, even though the reason for my existence was just a few feet away. James was calling this his best birthday ever already, and it hadn’t even started.
“Hey, buddy, think you can carry the tray?”
“Yup.” He skipped to the picnic table where Darlene and Christie were laying out the food. Hamburger toppings, vegetables, and all the condiments anyone could want. If I knew Christie, she’d take a little of everything until her burger was a dripping mess of disgusting.
James tried to balance the pan with raw meat piled higher than his nose. I reached over and grabbed it before he tilted it too much.
“Thank you!”
James beamed and said, “You’re welcome!” before racing back to Darlene. He watched her attentively as she stuck candles in his cake one by one.
“Miss Christie, do you like chocolate cake?” James asked.
I couldn’t help looking. Christie tapped her chin and hummed as if thinking hard about her answer. “I like . . . all the cakes.”
James giggled. “You can’t have all of them.”