“In person?” André asked matter-of-factly.
“Over email.”
André nodded. “So are you going to sit here the rest of thenight and pretend your new nanny isn’t a total smoke show? That it never once occurred to you?—”
“I’m not blind.” Ryan tipped his glass and sipped the dregs.
André let out a relieved sigh, putting a hand on his heart. “You worried me for a second. I thought we weren’t going to be able to talk about it.”
Ryan held out his hands. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Polk snickered. “Right. You, the guy who hasn’t gone on a date in three years, is spending the entire summer with a Jennifer Aniston doppelganger and there’s nothing to talk about.”
Ryan shot him a look. “Can you not?”
Polk held up his hands. “Hey, I’m just saying. If I had a nanny like that, I’d be working from home a hell of a lot more often.”
Country laughed. “You already do work from home.”
“It’s a euphemism.” André grinned. “He has to bale hay and chill.”
Ryan raised a hand to the server making rounds and ordered another beer. “How long do you think ‘til this is out of your systems?”
Sean grunted. “This one’s going to have a long half-life. Settle in.”
Ryan fingers tightened around his empty glass, the condensation slicking his palm. He glanced over to the dance floor to see Jenna and Kelty had joined the others. They laughed and danced, carefully staying in their group so there wasn’t room for the men who circled them like piranhas to cut in.
The Dusty Rose was packed, and yet he had zero problem finding Aelin in the crowd. She spun, her hair fanning out around her, and Ryan swallowed hard.
André forced him out to the floor to line dance. He normally would’ve put up more of a fuss. Kara always wanted to go dancing, and he’d never made the time. It felt wrong to do it now without her. But this was a matter of survival. The momentaryguilt was easier to handle than the looks he got anytime Aelin raised her arms over her head and shook her hips.
When he got back to the tables, the girls were doing a second round of shots. He tried to notice anything other than the way Aelin’s lips glistened in the lights or how her skin was dewy from dancing.
He successfully avoided her until an hour later when he walked out of the washroom.
“Ryan!”
He turned and found Aelin resting against the rail next to the bar. She waved, and the alcohol in his system convinced him he didn’t want to be rude. He walked over to her. “Having a good night?”
She nodded, her smile loose and relaxed as she leaned in to make her voice heard over the music. “Just waiting for Rhonda and Megan.”
“In the washroom?”
“Yep. Wardrobe malfunction.”
He wasn’t totally sure what that meant, but he smiled. “I’m surprised you haven’t been accosted yet.”
She gave an amused grin. “By who?”
“Every guy in here. They’ve been staring at you all night.”
Aelin rolled her eyes. “Not true.” Her shoulders curled, making shadows shift over her collarbone and a gap form along the top line of her shirt. Ryan tried to keep his eyes up and failed.
Aelin sighed. “I don’t care about guys anyway.”
“No?” He wet his lips.
“This isn’t really my scene.” She swayed and put a hand on his chest to steady herself.
