ahead of him—and he didn’t know which was worse. He shouldn’t care about either, but he wasn’t a liar. Well, he could be, it was an occupational hazard. But he wasn’t big on lying to himself.
The flight attendant smiled at Leanne who thanked her before she exited.
She smiled at Ryan next. If this flight hadn’t turned out the way it had—if Leanne hadn’t been sitting right next to him—he might well have been spending the evening with her. Flight attendants had been one of his staples over the years.
She gave him a hopeful look, but he shook his head and muttered his thanks before hurrying after Leanne’s ass.
He’d considered exiting the plane and not looking back; he could only assume that she planned to do the same. He clenched his jaw as he lengthened his stride to catch up with her. This was about smoothing things over for Dan’s sake. That was all. He’d make as nice as he had to while he figured out how long she was going to be in Summer Lake—and whether he’d need to leave the place because of her.
When he drew level with her, she glanced at him. “What do you think? Are we capable of sharing this car?”
He pursed his lips. He still wasn’t sure that they were. He should head to the rental desk and drive himself. Let her take the one Dan had arranged. If he was going to have to work alongside her—see her around town—it was probably better if they didn’t get the chance to antagonize each other before they even got there.
He turned to look at her, hoping he’d be able to say all of that in a way that would maintain this uneasy truce.
She raised an eyebrow. “I am if you are.”
The air rushed out of lungs. He couldn’t back out now, so he nodded. “Okay.”
They walked on in silence until they reached the baggage claim area. “Do you have a bag?” she asked.
“No.”
She raised her eyebrows, but he didn’t feel like explaining. Instead, he looked around for the driver. His heart sank when he saw a guy holding up a sign with both their names on it.
Miller – Brady
He kept his eyes fixed on the guy and made his way toward him. He felt Leanne at his side but didn’t dare look at her. Maybe he was losing it, but that sign felt like a kick in the guts. It reminded him of their engagement announcements. He’d had them done himself. Not that he was that kind of guy. Or even that she was that kind of girl—the kind who was into all that. But she had no one, no parents to proudly send out announcements. He knew from his cousins that that kind of thing was a big deal. So, he’d had them done up—for her.
He heard her suck in a sharp breath. He didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t help it. For a second, she looked like she was about to cry. Then her face set in a neutral expression. She’d seen it the same way he had, then. And it had hit her, too.
She might think he was a heartless bastard, but he really wasn’t. “Do you want me to get you anything before we go?” He nodded toward the newsstand. “I’m going to get chips and soda.”
Her eyes flickered toward his before darting away again. “Please. I’ll go let the driver know that we’re here.”
He grabbed two Cokes from the fridge—one regular, one diet—then picked up two bags of Doritos—one red, one blue. He watched her talk to the driver while the kid at the cash register rang him up. She was even more beautiful than she had been. He wouldn’t have believed that was possible, but it was true. Sure, she was older, but that only added to her to beauty. She was all woman.
He blew out a sigh as he took his change. He didn’t need to start thinking about her that way. What he needed to do was survive the next couple of hours with her. Maybe they’d find a way to make their peace. Maybe he’d find a way to let her go. His heart felt like a lead weight in his chest. What was he even thinking? He’d let her go years ago. He’d had to. She’d given up on him. Given up on them. She hadn’t believed him. And with trust gone, it’d left them with nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. The passion had never