Chapter Six
Ryan pushed the grocery cart down the aisle of the refrigerator section and paused to grab a container of sour cream before moving on. He glanced at the list in his mother’s neat handwriting to see what he was still missing. Yogurts and juice. “They should be somewhere around here,” he muttered.
When his cart sideswiped the open cooler door, the impact jolted him to attention. “Oops, sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
An older man in a gray suit turned, holding a six-pack of beer. “Ryan, how are you? I heard you were back in town.”
“I’m fine. It’s good to see you, Mr. Brewster.”
Mr. Brewster shut the cooler door and reached across the cart to shake hands. “Call me Waylon. You aren’t a kid anymore, for heaven’s sake. I hope your mother’s recovering from her accident. Damn inconvenient having a broken arm, I’m sure.”
“She’s healing, although not as quickly as she’d like. How’s Pete? I haven’t seen him since I returned to town.”
“Busy making sure our clients get what they deserve. My boy always was a dynamo. He’ll be taking over the reins at the law office when I retire in a couple of years.” His smile reminded Ryan of a shark. “If you ever need solid legal advice, you know where to come, right?” The attorney gave him a slap on the shoulder.
Ryan controlled the urge to roll his eyes. His memories of Waylon Brewster were of a parent determined to bail his son out of every mishap from playground fights to speeding tickets to bribing teachers into changing Cs to As. Apparently nothing much had change over the years.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Good.” He tucked the six-pack under his arm. “I’ll be sure to tell Pete you asked about him. Are you planning to go to that silly time-capsule opening tomorrow night?”
Ryan nodded then edged around the man to pull a bottle of orange juice off the cooler shelf. “Yeah, it should be fun to see old friends.”
“Leah Grayson organized the reunion. I remember you two dated back in high school.” Waylon scowled. “You’d better watch out for that one. Ever since she burned poor Brock in their divorce settlement, I hear she’s on the prowl for husband number two.”
Ryan leaned against his cart. “Oh?”
“A woman like that can’t go long without a man. I don’t know where she got her shyster lawyer, but—”
“I take it you represented Brock in the divorce?”
“Pete handled it. They were good buddies before Brock left town, thanks to that little . . . uh, never mind.” Waylon produced another blinding grin.
The man must spend a fortune on whitening products.
“Just figured I’d give you fair warning. Maybe you’ll throw a little business our way in exchange.”
Ryan responded with a noncommittal smile. “Nice talking to you, Waylon, but I should finish my shopping.”
“Tell your mom I said hello.”
“Will do.” Ryan tossed a few yogurts in the cart without checking the flavors and bolted toward the produce section. Much more of Waylon Brewster’s good-old-boy routine and he’d puke. He’d never liked the man, and his son was even worse. Sounded like Leah had been smart enough to look further afield for legal representation.
As for her being in the market for a new man . . . Is that why she wanted to go hiking with me?
Ryan shook his head. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the implication that the independent woman he’d spent the previous Sunday with needed a male to . . . do what? Open jars for her? She had a steady income, a home she loved, good friends, and a dog for companionship. That left only one thing a man might provide. Sex. He ran a hand beneath the collar of his T-shirt as he set a bag of apples in the cart. As free-spirited and sexy as Leah was, he was pretty certain she wasn’t hard up in that department. At least she hadn’t given him any indication she was interested when she’d left him at his Jeep with no more than a thank-you and a smile. Certainly not an invitation to extend their day to include dinner or anything else.
Maybe Leah simply wasn’t interested in him in that way. He’d never forget the warm summer night they’d loved each other in the dark, down on the beach, young and oh so eager . . . But he’d be the first to admit he hadn’t had a clue what he was doing. With a sigh, he picked up a bunch of bananas to set beside the apples. He sure hoped to God his technique had improved since then.
He finished his shopping, paid, and then carried the bags of groceries out to his Jeep. Driving home, he spotted a pink cruiser bike up ahead. Only one person he knew in Siren Cove had hair that long, streaming out behind her like a flag fluttering in the breeze. A jumbo-sized bag hung over one shoulder to tilt her sideways, but the curve of her ass was still as sexy as ever. He slowed and rolled down the passenger-side window as he drew even. “Heading home from work?”
Leah glanced over and smiled. “Hi, Ryan. Actually, I’m meeting Nina and Paige for drinks. Hey, pull over so you don’t block traffic. I have a question for you.”
He did as she requested, parking along the curb in the first empty spot.
She coasted up beside him a moment later and stopped. “How’s your mom doing?”
“Better. I was just grocery shopping for her.” He rested an elbow on the steering wheel. “What’s up?”
“I was thinking.”
“Always dangerous.”
“Witty as usual.” Leaning in through the window opening, she met his gaze. “I was wondering if we should dig up the time capsule tonight instead of at the reunion tomorrow.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because we’ll be dressed in party clothes not conducive to tromping through the woods. We won’t open the box until we’re at the reunion, but there’s no reason the whole class has to be present for the actual excavation.”
“Makes sense.”
“I intend to ask Paige and Nina their opinions then go get a shovel if they’re on board. What do you think?”
He nodded. “Seems like a smart idea. Since we moved the capsule when they built the patio at the school, it isn’t in the original location, anyway.”
“True.” She backed up a foot. “Well, great. I’m glad you approve.” She hesitated for a moment. “Would you like to join us for drinks? Paige mentioned Quentin Radcliff arrived in town a few hours ago and will be hanging out with us tonight. Do you remember him? He moved away the summer after fifth grade, but he and Paige stayed in touch.”
“Didn’t he live next door to her? The two of them were always attached at the hip.”
Leah nodded. “That’s right.”
“Sure. Sounds like fun. I have to take the groceries home first, but I could bring a shovel back with me.”
Leah’s responding smile made his chest ache a little.
“Terrific. That’ll save me a trip out to my house.” She hopped up onto her bike seat. “We’ll be down at Castaways.”
He shifted the car into gear. “I’ll see you there.” Pulling away from her, he turned onto the street leading into his neighborhood a moment later but kept his gaze on the rearview mirror as Leah pedaled straight toward the main drag, hair flying. He smiled then refocused on the road.
He’d put away the groceries then go meet his old pals. And pretend a decade plus hasn’t changed us all forever. Maybe the years that had passed wouldn’t matter much, but the most important differences were glaring. At the end of the evening there’d be no make-out session with Leah in her driveway before she went inside. No softly spoken words of love. Just memories of broken promises and shattered dreams.
There could be no going back to what might have been. He was too smart to make the same mistake twice.
* * *
The door to Castaways opened for the fifth time since Leah sat down, and for the fifth time, she glanced toward the entrance. Not Ryan.
Nina touched her arm. “You’re jumpy as a cat. What’s up? Paige texted me they were on their way.”
“It’s not . . . uh, I asked Ryan to join us.”
Nina’s perfectly arched brows shot up. “Oh?”
“I ran into him on the way here.”
“Interesting.”
Leah could feel her cheeks heating. “He’ll be in town until his mom’s arm heals, and it’s not like he has anyone else to hang out with . . .”
“So you asked him out of kindness and charity, not because you had a good time on your hike?”
“How did you know—”
“I bumped into him on the beach last weekend, and he mentioned you’d made plans.”
“Oh. We did have fun. The camaraderie was still there once we got past a few awkward moments, but at the same time, being together seemed odd.”
“No kissing and groping like in the good old days?”
The heat in her cheeks deepened, but she answered honestly. “I’ll admit I was tempted. Ryan never used to have all those muscles, that’s for sure. But, I’m not interested in starting something I might not be able to finish. Neither one of us has changed much. If anything, our differences have only intensified over the years.”
Nina sipped her drink. “I thought opposites were supposed to attract.”
“Maybe, but I’ve had enough conflict in my life. At this point, I’d rather have a smooth path to romance without any bumps.”
“Sounds boring.” She glanced up. “Here come Paige and Quentin.”
“And Ryan’s with them.” Leah sat up straighter and pushed her hair over one shoulder.
“Great. We can get this party started, although I feel a bit like a fifth wheel.”
“Why? Ryan and I certainly aren’t a couple anymore, and Paige and Quentin were never romantically involved. They’re just best buds, despite the fact he lives in Seattle.”
“True, although I’ve often wondered why there’s no chemistry between them. Quentin is smokin’ hot if you like the GQ casually elegant look. He pulls off jeans and a suit jacket with panache.” Nina’s lips curved. “Then there’s Ryan, straight out of an L.L. Bean catalogue in flannel.”
Leah pressed a hand to her mouth to cover a snort of laughter. “Shh, or he’ll hear you.”
Greetings with hugs all around followed before everyone sat, and the new arrivals ordered drinks when their server appeared. Leah couldn’t help comparing the two men, who were so very different in looks and attitude, as they caught up on their respective careers. Quentin’s joie de vivre bubbled forth like a fast-flowing brook when he described his expanding chain of high-end restaurants. His blond hair was combed back in the latest style, and those odd, aqua-blue eyes of his flashed with animation. By contrast, Ryan’s dark brown hair was cut short and neat, and his deep blue eyes radiated a calm intensity. Both men looked like they hit the gym regularly, but Leah was willing to bet all Ryan’s strength had been acquired rock climbing, not lifting free weights.
“Earth to Leah.” Paige jogged her elbow. “You mentioned something about the time capsule when you texted us to meet you here.”
“Oh, yeah, I . . .” Leah dragged her gaze away from Ryan, who was laughing at something Nina had said, and focused. “I was wondering if we should dig up the box tonight instead of at the reunion. Seems kind of silly for the whole class to drive to the school to watch us shovel dirt then back to the restaurant, when we can simply bring the time capsule with us and open it there.” She glanced around the table. “What do you all think?”
“Excellent idea.” Nina leaned back in her chair and swirled the ice cubes in her vodka cranberry. “I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner.”
“Because we’re idiots, apparently,” Paige said. “I was considering wearing my low heels tomorrow simply because I knew we’d be tromping through the woods.”
“What—the three-inch ones instead of the five?” Quentin looked over at her and winked.
Paige punched him on the arm. “Don’t make fun of me. If you were barely over five feet, you’d wear heels, too.”
He grinned. “Why do you think I like hanging out with you? I’m not tall, but next to you, I feel like an NBA center.”
“Funny. You aren’t short, either.” Paige planted an elbow on the table. “So, should we go get a shovel?”
“I have one in my Jeep.” Ryan thanked their waitress when she delivered their drinks. “Leah mentioned her idea when she invited me to join you this evening.”
“Way to plan ahead.” Quentin took a swallow of his beer. “Can I dig, too?”
Paige eyed him up and down. “You’re too pretty to get dirty. Better let Ryan do the honors.”
Quentin choked. “Pretty? Really?”
“You two crack me up.” Leah sipped her wine, then set down her glass and flexed her arm. “Maybe I’ll dig. Drink up, people, and we’ll go get started.”
Paige raised her cocktail. “Cheers!”
They finished their drinks amid a lot of chatter and reminiscing. Every now and then Leah caught Ryan watching her, and she couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking. His expression gave nothing away, but after they paid their tab and left the table, he walked toward the door with a casual hand on her back. Habit? Maybe, but the contact sent a dart of heat straight through her, and every effort she made to ignore the fluttering feeling failed.
Nina stopped beside her Mini Cooper. “I’ll see you up at the school.”
Paige tucked her hands in her jacket pockets. “What’re you all doing this evening? The Fall Festival starts tonight, and the carnival was setting up rides at the fairgrounds this morning. We could relive our youth by riding the Tilt-A-Whirl.”
Quentin gave his keys a toss. “Count me in.”
Nina scrunched up her nose. “Those rides make me nauseous. Anyway, I need to wrap the paintings I’m selling at the art auction on Sunday for transport, so I’ll pass.”
“I’m game if . . .” Leah glanced up at Ryan.
“Sure.” His voice held a hint of self-deprecation. “My only plan was to hang out with my mom and watch endless repeats of Murder, She Wrote.”
“Wow, you really know how to live.” Leah pulled her pink cruiser out of the rack near the bar door. “I rode here—”
“You can hook your bike on the back of my Jeep.”
“Great.” She gave the others a wave as she followed Ryan down the sidewalk. “See you guys in a few minutes.”
When they reached his vehicle, he strapped her bike to the rack then opened the passenger door for her. “Hop in.”
“Thanks.” Leah slid onto the seat and shut the door. After he climbed in, started the engine, and pulled out onto the street, she glanced over. “Shouldn’t you be driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or something else equally indicative of your success?”
“I can just see a low-slung sports car trying to make it up some of the off-road tracks to my favorite climbing spots.”
“I guess the Jeep is more practical.”
“By far. Anyway, I’ve no interest in acting pretentious.”
“No, you’re still the same down-to-earth Ryan you always were.” She settled back as they turned onto the road leading to the school. “Do you really want to go to the carnival later? I don’t want you to feel coerced—”
“I don’t, and I wouldn’t have agreed if I wasn’t interested.” He pulled into the lot in front of the school and parked next to Quentin’s black Jaguar. “Hey, Quentin has a cool car, even if I don’t. I haven’t seen him since he moved out of town back when we were kids, but he seems like a good dude. Are he and Paige—”
“Nope. They’re just friends, have been forever.”
Ryan studied her for a long moment in the glow from the overhead lights. “Apparently there’s a lot of that going around.” He opened his door. “I’ll get the shovel.”
Leah stepped out of the car and shut the door. Paige and Quentin had strolled over to join Nina, who waited at the edge of the woods. She smiled at the group. “Let’s go dig up that time capsule.”