Ryan's Love - C.A. Harms Page 0,46

his outstretched hand and grabbed the five. “Let me get your change.”

“Keep it,” he said before turning around and leaving as quickly as he had come in. My stomach dropped at his withdrawn attitude, but I could only blame myself. I walked away, and he was obviously pissed about it.

So far, my day had been one disaster after another, starting out early with Kevin and his big news, followed by Ryan and his not-so-friendly visit. If you could even call it that; it was more like a pit stop. But things soon slowed down, and after about the tenth time Bailey insisted I go upstairs and take a nap, I finally gave in.

I had only been lying down for about an hour when I heard a light tap on my door. Looking up at the clock and seeing it was only a little after three, I panicked a bit. Why had Bailey already closed the bakery? And if she hadn’t closed it, why had she left it unattended? She peeked inside, and I sat up immediately.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, crawling from bed. I pulled my shoes on quickly and stood up, but she stopped me just before I could rush past her.

“Everything with the bakery is fine,” Bailey assured me. “But you have a visitor. Two, actually, but I’m thinking the older one is only serving as a ride for the younger one.”

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“Ryan’s daughter is here, and her grandmother brought her.” She shrugged. “I figured you would want me to wake you up for this visit.”

Nervous energy washed over me. The last time I saw Olivia, she was slamming her bedroom door shut in anger that I had shown up at her home. After what she’d said to Ryan at the hospital, I never thought she’d willingly show up to see me.

Then again, she may not be doing this willingly. I felt a flash of anger at the thought of anyone forcing her to apologize to me. She was a child, one that was still heartbroken from losing her mother. She had absolutely nothing to apologize for.

I walked downstairs and through the kitchen, then entered the dining area. In the far left corner, Ryan’s mother and daughter sat, looking out the front windows. They must have heard the clicking of my sandals against the tiled floor, because they both turned at the same time to face me.

Ryan’s mother stood and walked toward me first. “I hope you don’t mind us just dropping in like this, but Olivia’s been asking for me to bring her.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Sawyer, really,” I offered as I looked over her shoulder at Olivia. She still sat at the small table in the corner, twisting her hands nervously.

“Call me Tammy, hun,” Mrs. Sawyer insisted.

“Okay.” I smiled politely as my gaze shifted back to meet hers. “Is she all right? I mean since the wreck and…” I paused, unsure of what to ask. I didn’t want to appear nosy, but I truly wanted to know if Olivia was doing better.

“She’s been asking me for over a week to bring her to see you. At first I was leery, wondering what Ryan’s reaction would be. But now after knowing her reasoning, I felt I needed to do this for her. I can handle Ryan, but she needs to heal.” She took my hand and squeezed gently. “She is truly an amazing girl. I know with her recent actions you may feel differently.”

I immediately began shaking my head. “Of course I don’t think badly of her. She’s young, scared, and she’s gone through heartache I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” Tammy looked back and smiled at her granddaughter before stepping past me. “I’m gonna take a walk down to Willard’s and get a few things I need for the garden. I’ll be back in a bit.”

I turned to watch her walk out of the bakery. She didn’t look back.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler at the end of the counter and made my way over to join Olivia at the table. Her gaze flickered to mine and then immediately shifted back to her hands on the table.

Being the adult in this situation, I decided to attempt to break the tension. “Looks like your uncles were trying to make a statement with your cast.”

She smiled and twisted it from side to side, allowing me to see their handiwork. “They’re ridiculous,” she said. “But harmless.”

“How are you feeling?”

She shifted in her