"Actually, I don't – have it, I mean. The bike's Maisie's so…" She never did finish the sentence. Instead, she tucked thenametag and purple bottle back into the gift bag before moving toward the bike.
Carefully, she placed the bag into the front basket likeIhad less than thirty minutes ago.
It didn't feel like thirty minutes. It felt longer, like too much had changed too fast. I wanted to say something, but everything in my head sounded wrong – and wouldn't sound any better if I spoke it out loud.
Plus, she had asked me to drop it.
I was no Evan Carver.If she wanted me to back off, I could do that.
I wouldn't like it. But Icoulddo it.
So I watched silently as she pedaled away, leaving me staring after her.
58
Not Counting (Except I Was)
Tessa
Nine days.That's how long he'd been gone.
Not that I was counting.
Except I totally was.
When I'd ridden away from him over a week ago, I hadn't thought it would be forever. I'd just figured that both of us needed a breather – some time to cool off and collect ourselves before saying something we'd surely regret.
But breathers were supposed to come with an end point.Weren't they?
Apparently not.
Call me crazy, but somehow I'd expected to see him at the coffee shop the very next day – maybe during my shift, maybe after, maybe even before.
This was Ryder, after all. Until our argument, he'd been popping up all the time.
Not anymore.I hadn't heard from him either. No calls. No texts. No nothing.
I hadn't even run into him on my bike.
Correction – Maisie's bike.
But the point remained. It seemed that Ryder and I were officially over, which really sucked, because other than a few stolen kisses, we hadn't even begun.
And whose fault was that?
Honestly, I didn't even know.
From inside the coffee shop, I stared out through the big front window. The rain was coming down in torrents, and I hadn't had a single customer in at least an hour.
Of course, this wasn't a complete surprise. The place was getting deader every day even in the best of weather, and my income from tips had dwindled accordingly.
So, why was I staying on?
Maybe I still hoped to spot Delaney. Or maybe I was just being stubborn, refusing to quit because that would mean Ryder was right. But mostly, I had nowhere better to be.
Sure, I could find another job, but who except for Skip would forego the usual paperwork?Nobody with a conscience, that's for sure.
The thought had barely crossed my mind when I heard his voice from somewhere behind me asking, "What are you staring at?"
