her face.
Five days of jogging and true to his word, Ryan had waved each and every time she’d hollered good morning to him. She liked that. She could admit she looked forward to seeing him and with each passing day, the anticipation grew. Today though, she had other things vying for her attention. She’d had a conversation with Jesse that had left her with more questions than answers. Olivia Murray. That was the young girl’s name. Angela had asked Jesse what had happened to her, and he’d said she left the island at the end of the summer without so much as a goodbye. He’d changed the subject before Angela could ask more. But this wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long shot.
Angela turned her thoughts to today. After yesterday, she’d decided that her little infatuation with Ryan the neighbor had truly and completely gotten out of hand. Why? Because she’d found herself buying new perfume for her jogs. No one in their right mind buys perfume for jogging. Oh, she’d crossed some invisible line, for sure. She’d argued that point with herself in the mirror this morning as she spent extra time pulling her hair into a ponytail and applying makeup. Yes, of course she knew that a man who only saw in shadows couldn’t see her hair or makeup but having them in good shape helped her feel confident. The makeup was for her. Not him.
Angela neared his house, and the familiar fluttery sensation began in her stomach. As she got closer, she searched his back porch. Strange. Ryan was nowhere to be found. At the edge of his property, she paused at a palm tree and stared up at the sunny white house.
His patio door was open. But no Ryan. Angela chewed her cheek. She glanced down at her running shoes. She bent at the knees and re-tied each one while casting glances up to his place. When she’d stalled as long as she felt appropriate, she fell into a jog, watching the house for any sign of movement as she went past. She set her sights on her new target, the giant sea green and dark green sign at the end of the beach. It read, 1954, Fresh Caught Seafood. In smaller letters, it touted, Best in the Business Since 1954. It was her favorite restaurant on the island. The establishment’s colorful history only added to its charm.
After the two-mile run up the beach and back, she neared Ryan’s house again, this time from the opposite direction. She sped up when she saw a red swatch of material and figured it was a T-shirt. Close enough to make out a shape, her heart lightened. Instead of jogging past, she angled and jogged right up to his steps. “Morning, Ryan,” she said, and yes, even she could hear the excitement in her voice.
A wide smile spread across his face. “I was afraid I’d missed you this morning.”
She’d been afraid of that too. “Am I to assume you didn’t want to miss me?”
He took a few steps toward the back of his patio. “I look forward to seeing you. You want to come in and check out the house?”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Honestly, Angela hadn’t expected an invitation. She ignored the fact that he’d said, “I look forward to seeing you,” and instead, concentrated on the idea of going inside. Should she? No. Definitely not. She didn’t really know Ryan. Coffee on the patio, maybe, but inside?
Ryan brushed a hand across the top of his railing. The motion drew her attention. Was he nervous? “I’m sorry, Angela. That sounded kind of cheesy, didn’t it? I’m not used to uh—I don’t know, flirting? I mean, is this flirting? One thing eyesight helps with is knowing where you stand with someone of the opposite sex.”
Angela didn’t know how to answer. Fact was, she had been flirting with Ryan. Whether he knew it or not. She’d assumed he hadn’t, but he’d known all along. “I—well, I—”
He leaned back a little. “Oh, wow. You don’t have to explain. My mistake. I thought the signs were there, you mentioned being divorced.”
“I was flirting,” she blurted, a little on the loud side.
The embarrassment that had been on Ryan disappeared, replaced by a long, slow smile. “You were?”
She tipped one shoulder in a shrug. “Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“At least let me enjoy the moment. It’s been a while since anyone flirted with me.”
She took the