to. Basically, this is me teetering.”
I eye his soft lips pressing against my thumb. “So you’re leaving it up to me to say no right now? Dangerous decision.”
His dark eyes shift to my hand as he raises his own, placing our palms together like two-high school kids examining the differences in proportions. I wonder if this is something he dreamed of doing in high school with me? Something innocent and sweet, standing by our lockers.
His lips curl up softly as he surveys our hands pressed together before he slowly folds his fingers down between mine. “I want to get this right with you, June.”
He finally looks back up, and when his gaze settles intently over my face, I melt. I’m gone. Done for. I nod my agreement because I want nothing more than to get this right with him.
We stare at each other a little longer, his hands still holding tight to mine, thumb rubbing slowly up and down mine. It’s a settling moment where we let the charged air sink back to normal.
The final break of the spell is when Ryan says, “Do you think you can make do without me for an hour or so?”
I try not to frown because I’m not that girl who needs her man glued to her every second of every day. But for some reason, I feel pouty. “Sure. What do you have to do?”
“I need to go into work and check on a few things.”
The vagueness of his answer pricks me. It feels familiar because I’ve heard it before. “Oh, okay. Yeah.” I slide off the counter. “Sure thing. I’ll get ready while you’re gone.” I'm an easy-breezy CoverGirl now. So chipper.
Ryan catches my arm before I step out of the bathroom and hauls me back to him. I turn my eyes away from him and pretend a smile. “C’mon, let’s go get some coffee.”
He shakes his head slowly. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I force myself to meet his eyes and grin. Grinny-grin-grin.
“June, say it. We both know I’ll torture you under cold water until you do.”
“Abusive.”
“Tell me.”
“Ben used to tell me that same line all the time. Now I realize he was always giving me that vague work line before he’d go…ya know.” I shrug. “It’s nothing. I was just disappointed for a minute. No big deal, though.”
He dips his head so I’m forced to make eye contact again. “I’m not Ben. You can trust me.”
I nod and allow my stiff posture to soften. “Okay. I’ll try to remember that.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ryan
Later, as I’m walking toward my truck, I feel a tug somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach. You can trust me. The words I said to June repeat like a bad loop I can’t shake from my mind. Because although I’m not going to meet a woman, I didn’t exactly tell her the truth about where I’m going either.
So far, I’ve been able to rationalize my omission of the truth by thinking I’m doing what’s best for her. I’m probably not even going to take the executive chef position in Noah’s restaurant, so why tell her about it and make her worry? Plus, we need to focus on us right now and how we want to move forward in a relationship before I dump any more changes in her lap. Changes like working myself to the bone and never having weekends off or any time to visit her. SEE?! GOOD REASONS!
But my argument feels paper thin. I need to tell June. It’s stupid that I haven’t already.
I’ve seen those movies where the guy swears he’ll tell her later and then never gets the chance and ends up losing her because of it. I refuse to let that happen. That’s why the moment my truck comes to a stop in front of the address where Noah told me to meet him, I shoot June a text.
RYAN: I meant what I said about being able to trust me. So I should have just been upfront and told you that I’m on my way to check out a restaurant where I’ve been offered an executive chef position. I’m not sure I want the job but also not sure I should refuse it. We can talk about it later, but I just wanted you to know.
I wait five minutes for a response, and when it doesn't come through right away, I regret sending it. It was a bad idea. Now I look guilty. June is packing her bags, and she’ll be gone by the time