“What are you still doing up?” She set her backpack on the floor and sank into an overstuffed club chair. Working two jobs tuckered her out.
“Reading. Waiting on you. How’re you feeling? Long night, long day. Did you hear what I said about the celebration?”
“Ryder was in the diner when his boss called to tell him. Guess he’s the star of the show.”
“Is it true you ran into his arms when he came out of the fire?” Granny appeared from the kitchen with a plate of homemade buttered toast and a cup of hot tea for Elizabeth. She sat next to Pops with a sly grin.
“Is nothing sacred in this town?” Elizabeth sighed and took a bite of toast. “My friend survived a big blaze. What was I supposed to do? Shake his hand?”
“Have you thought any more about what I told you?” Pops said.
“No.” Elizabeth buried any other replies with a sip of tea. “Why is everyone trying to redesign my life? I’m not interested in love right now. End of story.”
“Your pride is tougher than I thought. I’m going to double my prayers.”
“God is not interested in my love life, Pops.” Elizabeth laughed and waved a piece of toast at him. “I’m heading up. Going for a long soak in a hot tub.”
“Church in the morning,” Pops called as she dashed upstairs. “I’ll stop at Java Jane’s on the way.”
In her room, she closed the door with a looming sense of dread. She set her tea and plate of remaining toast on the desk. What was bothering her? Ryder? The way he backed off his confession? Was it Wharton? Lying to everyone about being wait-listed? Lying to herself about her feelings for Ryder?
Pulling out her phone, she checked her email. Nothing. Of course they’d not notify her on a weekend.
Sitting back, Elizabeth considered the shortsightedness of only applying to one grad school. She was tired from only five hours of sleep. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get sick again. Yet everything felt off. She just had to get back to the mindset she had while fighting Epstein–Barr and regaining her health. Graduating from MIT and Wharton were her motivations. If she had a plan, her health issues didn’t seem so in command.
Wharton may not have emailed, but her little brother Jonathan sent a quick note telling her tales of his summer antics as a camp counselor in Wisconsin. Elizabeth smiled through the stories, then hit reply, writing one short sentence.
“I think I’m falling in love with Ryder Donovan.” Then she clicked delete and headed for that long soak in a hot tub.
15
“How’s it feel to be the town hero?” Travis, aka Captain, settled in his wide desk chair, a dubious tone in his words.
“Uncomfortable, to be honest. And it wasn’t just me but the whole crew.”
“I’m giving you room on this refurbishment budget deal, but let me tell you, Ryder…” Travis angled forward and pointed his fat finger at the ranger. “I’ll turn your hero reputation into that of a reprobate overnight if I figure out you’ve been pilfering the money.”
Ryder tossed the USB drive onto Travis’s desk. He’d gone over them again when he came home from Ella’s. He didn’t need Elizabeth or anyone else to find proof of his innocence. It was on the thumb drive. “My records.”
Travis palmed the device and walked around the desk. “If I hand over your files, this turns into an official investigation.”
“Bring it. I didn’t steal or forge anything.” He felt and sounded defensive but sensed the same presence he’d felt at the tower. Humble up, dude. “Travis, I appreciate the predicament this mess puts you in, but I can’t confess to something I didn’t do. The files are yours. If it becomes an official investigation, I’ll cooperate.”
Travis’s hard exterior softened with surprise. “We’ll get to the bottom of this, I’m sure. In the meantime, get with your crew, see what you discover about the fire. As for the commendation ceremony,” Travis said, “false humility is as bad as pride.”
Ryder absorbed the man’s cloaked praise with a twist of wisdom and headed out.
If Wharton kept her on the wait-list, she’d get a different job that made her a better candidate for next year’s application.
Elizabeth spent her lunch hour the next week touching base with recruiters and headhunters she’d talked with during her final semester at MIT, emailing some of her classmates, letting them know she was looking. She also circled back to the Fortune 500 company she’d interviewed with in Boston.
Taking a bite of her ham and turkey sandwich, she thought about school, which made her churn. She dismissed it as nervous energy. Otherwise, why would the idea of school feel like a drag?
“Beth, do you have the quarterly report?” Will asked from her doorway. “We’re meeting with the board of directors in half an hour.”
“I do except for a final number…Hold on.” Elizabeth filled in the information, then hit print.
“We’re going to miss you when you leave.” Will paused at the door. “Ethan said everything runs smoother when you’re around.”
