I hadn’t had a chance to fully process what happened with James, and God knows I didn’t want to be left alone with my own thoughts. Had I misread the moment? Was Jamesnotabout to kiss me? I’d never spent so much time analyzing a situation. I’d never misread a chase like that. Lucky for me, Dani saved the day, texting me just as I dropped off Hannah at her house. Once we agreed on a place to meet for lunch, I drove into town to meet her.
In a rare occurrence, the sun was out. While itwas still cold, the added warmth was a welcome sensation, and led to us sitting outside the restaurant at a metal table positioned under a parasol to keep the bright light from blinding us. Dani smiled and waved as I approached, holding a fruity cocktail in her other hand. Pink and purple accented waves fell over her shoulders, her face glowing against the pale sweaterdress she wore. A matching jacket draped over the back of her chair.
“I take it you’re feeling better,” I said, taking the seat across from her.
“Much.” She gestured to her drink. “Want one? I’m buying.”
I hesitated, then shook my head. “I have to work, and after last night, I don’t think?—”
“Pause.” She held up a finger. “A: James won’t care if you have a drink with your lunchhoursbefore your shift.” Another finger, followed by leaning forward with an eager expression. “And B: what happened last night?”
I caved, getting a whiskey alongside my burger and fries. After Dani ordered nachos, I dropped my head into my hands, peeking through them at her. She was practically bouncing on the edge of her seat.
I took another deep breath. “You’ve worked with James for a while, right?”
She nodded. “A few years.” I opened my mouth to begin, closed it, then opened it again, no words escaping. She laughed. “I know you like him, Ryder.” My heart skipped a beat. Dani waited for our server to set our food down, then continued. “You’re smitten with the boss—so what? We’ve all been there.”
I groaned. “I told myself I wouldn’t do itagain.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” I admitted. I pushed the basket between myself and Dani as I saw her eyeing my fries. We dug in, and I winced as the hot food burned the roof of my mouth. I relayed the whole Raleigh situation from start to finish, Dani watchinglike she was glued to some trashy reality TV show. “I feel like a serial offender here,” I finished. “But last night… I don’t know.”
“What don’t you know?”
I told her everything. When I mentioned Luke walking in, she made a face. But her eyes lit up with every word when I started talking about what happened with James in the kitchen. The more I talked, the more it felt like a bad romcom—and the more invested Dani became.
“I’m mortified here!” I said as I joined her in laughter. “You could look a little less happy about it!”
“I’m sorry! It’s so cute!”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“Pretending you didn’t enjoy every bit of it makes you even more adorable. So what happened to make it weird?”
I took a bite of my burger while I thought about my response. Should I tell Dani the truth?Iwasn’t entirely sure what to make of what I saw.
“My daughter showed up drunk.”
Dani’s brows damn near hit her hairline. “Daughter?” I nodded. “Wow, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Yeah, me neither. I only found out about her a few months ago. Either way, her arrival at the bar put a wrench in… whatever it was we were about to do. I’m worried it’ll be weird between us now.”
“Only if you make it that way.”
I shrugged. “I tried being weird once. It didn’t stick. I’m just too popular.”
She rolled her eyes. “There you go. People feed off each other’s energy; if you go in acting awkward, he’ll be awkward right back.”
“Fair enough.”
“What time are you in tonight?”
“Six.”
“Go home and get some rest. James is a chill guy. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
I nodded, and after some arguing over who was going to cover the bill, I left.
