Chapter Twelve
Ihave a detour for us on the way home,” Ryan told Emma the next morning after they’d checked out of the hotel.
“Oh yeah?” She climbed onto the bike behind him, ready to go pretty much anywhere he wanted to take her. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
The engine roared to life beneath them, and she hung on for the ride. In the past month, she’d become just as addicted to motorcycle rides as she had to the man giving them. Ryan guided them out of the hotel’s parking lot and down South Boulevard, past a string of storefronts including House of Ink. They merged onto the highway, the morning air crisp and refreshing as it whipped across her skin. After about ten minutes, they left the highway and meandered through a business park on the outskirts of Charlotte, all but deserted at this hour on a Sunday.
And Emma officially had no clue where Ryan’s detour was taking them.
He guided the bike into a big, empty parking lot in front of a rather nondescript four-story office building. Her gaze caught on a sculpture in front. It was silver and made up of moving pieces, like the figure had been carved into dozens of horizontal slices that rotated back and forth. A fountain sprayed from the front of the sculpture into a large pool.
Ryan parked and turned off the bike. “Cool, right? It’s calledMetalmorphosis.”
Emma stared at the moving sculpture, mesmerized. “I love it.”
“When the pieces all line up, it’s the shape of a man’s head.”
“Oh.” She watched the pieces move. “Yeah, I see it now.”
He held his left hand out, as he always did to help her off the bike. She gripped it and climbed off. Together, they walked over to the sculpture and stood watching it. The pieces were shiny, almost like mirrors, reflecting the water below.
“You were having trouble coming up with an idea for the memorial,” Ryan said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “So I thought we could ride around this morning and see some interesting structures. Maybe something will give you a nudge in the right direction.”
Wow.Her heart squeezed, filling her up with warmth. “That’s really sweet of you.”
He gave her a comical look. “Whatever you do, please don’t call mesweet.”
She leaned in and kissed him. “Fine, but I really appreciate this.” And it might be exactly what she needed. This sculpture was way too trendy for the Town Planning Committee’s taste, but seeing the way the light played off the metal, reflecting the water, was definitely sparking something in her imagination.
After they leftMetalmorphosis, Ryan took her to several more landmarks, everything from an old church to something called theReclining Bulls Statue, which was as odd as its name suggested but oddly inspiring. By the time they rolled onto the highway headed for Haven, Emma’s mind was buzzing with ideas, and she owed it all to Ryan.
Oh yeah, her crush was rapidly blooming into something bigger. Much bigger.
They got to her house just after one o’clock. Ryan had to hurry straight to Off-the-Grid for an afternoon of scheduled rock climbing lessons so Emma went inside to round up the girls and dish about her night in Charlotte. Except…she and Ryan hadn’t discussed what would happen once they got home. Were they keeping things private or were they officially dating now?
Dating? Or just hooking up? Crap. She slapped a hand to her forehead. She was so bad at this, but whatever it was, it wasamazing, and screw it, she needed to share with her friends.
Girls’ night?she texted Gabby, Carly, and Mandy.
I’m in! When and where?Gabby replied almost immediately.
My place. I’m thinking Magic Mike XXL, pizza, and ice cream?Emma texted. She’d been out last night. Tonight, she just wanted to curl up on her couch and hang out with her friends.
Yessss, Mandy texted.I’ll bring the ice cream.
Within minutes, they had the whole thing planned. Emma fist-pumped the air, then went to her room to freshen up and change into a stretchy cotton skirt. The tattoo had been sore ever since she put her skinny jeans back on to ride home from Charlotte. Overall, it wasn’t bothering her too much, though. Ryan had only let her take a quick, lukewarm shower this morning, telling her to avoid hot water until it had healed, which was a bummer, but it would all be worth it in the end.
She stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, letting the skirt sit low on her hips so that she could admire the little red poppy on her skin. She loved it even more than she’d thought she would, and the way Ryan had looked at it…
Phew.
They’d shared one of the most memorable nights of her life. Wherever their relationship went from here, she’d never regret a single moment they’d spent together.
With a happy sigh, Emma went into the living room, Smokey at her heels. She sat down on the couch with a notepad and pencil to start sketching out new ideas for the memorial, and…the next thing she knew, Smokey was meowing in her face. She blinked, glancing at the clock.
It was a few minutes past five, and apparently she’d just slept away the whole afternoon. Her neck protested as she got up, kinked from dozing in an awkward position on the couch. So perhaps she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night…
