Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I didn’t know if Ryder was in that circle yet, but he wouldn’t wait for an explanation about my odd behavior for too long. I wanted him to want me for me, not because he felt like he needed to fix me. That or he just wanted to sleep with me and add a notch to his bedpost. I knew how athletes worked after seeing Tori date a few over the years. I wasn’t willing to be a casual fling and never had been.
After his return from the away games, he asked me to come to his place for dinner. Ryder explained that he’d been practicing hard and wanted to relax and see me tonight. I knew what this could lead to, but I’d been thinking about how crazy his life was going to be. I did want to spend some time with him and agreed to go there after a pep talk with Gloria.
I got off work and went home to take a shower. I wanted to wash the smell of work from my hair even though I did like it. I just thought my sweet perfume was better for a date. I let my hair dry into natural loose curls as I put my make-up on, listening to music. I was playing the songs I remembered my mom listening to so many years ago, finding it a way to keep her close to me. I so badly wished that she was here to give me advice, but she left too early for any of that. It wasn’t like Dad wanted to talk about things, and I worked through it all by myself.
I did my eyes with a simple black liner and mascara to make them pop. I had always leaned toward this style in general, and I just glossed my lips with a simple plum balm. They were full and drew attention no matter what I was wearing.
I slipped into a mini denim skirt that wasn’t too short and a gauzy dark pink shirt over a simple black lace camisole. It was casual, but I thought it looked good as I turned to look at myself in the full-length mirror propped against my bedroom wall. I ran a hand through my hair and took a slow breath to calm my heart before grabbing my purse to leave. I locked my door and checked that the porch light was on before heading to my car.
“Elyse, how are you?” I glanced up when I heard the familiar voice of my neighbor Perry. He was a sheriff and one of the men who helped me after Mom died. I felt like half the force adopted me after that.
“I’m great. How are you and the family?” I smiled and glanced down the empty street before leaning against my car to chat for a moment.
“The twins are trying to make me crazy, and Kelly is threatening to pack and move to Paris. Otherwise, everything is great.” His smile told me that he was joking about everything since I knew he loved his family. “Where are you headed?”
“Just to hang out with some friends. Nothing big.” I smiled, pushing away the resentment that he had a steady habit of trying to protect me all the time.
“Is one of them Ryder Bellamy? I saw him leaving the other night.”
I froze as I considered the possibilities of that conversation. “Umm, yeah. He’ll be there.” I blinked and licked my lips as I rocked from side to side slowly. “Did you talk to him?”
“We said hello. I’d never tell him anything, Elyse. That’s not my place. I might have told him to be nice to you.”
I closed my eyes and laughed. “There’s no reason for that. We’re not anything serious. Just friends.” I shrugged, and he nodded as he looked at my face for a long moment.
“Take care of yourself. Come for dinner this weekend. Kelly’s been asking about you.” He smiled as I agreed and watched him drive away.
I got into my car and started the engine. I turned on Spotify through my phone and tried to get the courage to do this. I punched in his address and pulled away from the curb. He lived about twenty minutes away in a luxury condo complex. As I pulled up to the gated parking lot, I was relieved to know that Ryder had called ahead so that I was on the admittance list. I looked around as the gate slid open, taking in the buildings as I searched for his number. It was towards the back, and I parked in an uncovered space and stood up, stretching my arms above my head.
Why was I so nervous?
I walked up the stairs and tapped gently on Ryder’s door. I heard music as he opened it with a relaxed smile.
“Hello,” I said.