She studies me a moment before she refills her glass again. “My turn. I’m going to get you this time.”
I give her a cocky look. “We’ll see.”
Rylee points a finger at me. “I have one older brother. My father lives in Ireland. I have a younger sister who lives in Maine.”
Oh, now this is tricky. I consider the three “facts” one by one, but they’re all related and seem potentially true. This is going to be a shot in the dark.
“Uhhh, your father doesn’t live in Ireland.”
Something crosses her expression - a flash of pain that’s there and gone so fast I can’t decipher it. She’s somber, but then quickly masks her shift in demeanor by clearing her throat and putting on a sarcastic smirk.
“Wrong-o, laddy,” she says in a faux-Irish accent. “Bad luck there. Drink.”
I take my shot of Sprite, but I don’t take my eyes off her. There is something about this fact that is hitting a nerve.
“Daddy issues?” I ask.
She sighs. “Oh, you know, tale as old as time. Girl meets boy. Girl and boy have a one-night stand, which leads to a surprise pregnancy. Girl and boy get married out of obligation and try to make it work. Have another baby. Marriage doesn’t work. Girland boy divorce and boy goes back to Ireland, leaving behind his children and abandoning his family. That’s about it.”
Well… shit. She’s putting on a brave face, but I can tell this is something that weighs on her. I can’t imagine what I would feel if one of my parents abandoned me. Devastated. Heartbroken. Bitter.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her softly. “That had to be rough.”
She shrugs, trying to put on a nonchalant attitude. “It is what it is. I had my mom, and she’s great.”
“Still… I’m sorry you went through that. It sounds like you have a lot of good in your life, though.”
Regarding me a moment, she lets out a small chuckle and shakes her head. “Yeah, sure, but I also have this shitty ex situation. Ghosted me and cheated on me. Taught me a good lesson and now I have a zero tolerance policy for liars and secrets.”
“Understandable.” Fuck, she’s kind of been through the ringer. Is this shitty ex the Kodiak guy she was thinking about the night we hooked up? Part of me hopes so - because fuck that guy. No wonder she’s a little wild. Knowing all this about her makes me feel a lot more sympathy for her, but I know she wouldn’t want me to show it. She’s too proud for that. “Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I… ”
Her hand suddenly slips and she knocks the can of Sprite over, spilling it across the island and onto the floor.
“Fuck!” she gasps.
She grabs more paper towels and I go for a dishtowel at the sink. We both start cleaning up the spilled soda.
“Sorry,” she grumbles, her cheeks pink.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I chuckle.
Suddenly, we’re both lowering ourselves to the floor to clean up the Sprite. It’s like a scene out of a damn movie. Our fingers brush and we look up, realizing our faces are just inches apart.
Wow. Her eyes are so green. So…fucking stunning.
I get momentarily lost in them. Mossy and deep. They make me think of rolling grassy hills.
Slowly, as if an invisible force is pulling me in, I lean closer to her. I want to know if her lips taste the same as they did the night of the wedding… like sun, salt, and tequila…
Before I can kiss her, though, her eyes go wide and she jerks back.
Oh, fuck! What was I thinking just now? Why did I… ?
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, pushing to her feet, looking flustered and flushed. “I, uh, I need to get some work done. I should go.”
“Okay,” I whisper, standing up as well. I don’t know what to say to her… honestly, I don’t know what I’m feeling at this moment.
Without another word, she turns and hurries back down the hall to her room. I hear the door shut and I slump back against the island, rubbing a hand down my face.
