Chuckling, I finished up arranging the tables that had been messed up, then got to work fixing the mess Emily left behind when she rifled through the clothes. No doubt the changing room would be a mess.
“So, I heard you had a visitor the other night,” she hedged, not really asking for more, but giving me an opening if I wanted to share.
“Ryder came by. He insisted we talk.”
“And?” her eyes lit up.
“And I didn’t share. He stayed on the couch, thinking he could pry the information out of me. And when I got up in the morning, he had some cereal, and then told me he was going home. So, I guess that’s that.”
“Oh…So, no phone number or anything?” she asked, the disappointment evident in her voice.
“No,” I laughed. “And I wasn’t expecting it either.”
“But you’ve been seeing a lot of him since he’s been home.”
“Yes, running into him at the bar. That’s not exactly a date or getting together for coffee.”
“Still…it might have been nice.”
“Delaney, in what way would it have been nice? If we’re to believe the rumors, he just got out of a relationship. That’s hardly the type of man I need in my life.”
“No, but it could have been fun,” she smirked. “Ryder looks like the type of guy who’s very gentlemanly.”
“And you think that’s what I want? A gentleman?”
“Well, I bet he’s very respectable in all ways.” A slow grin spread across her lips. “But I bet he’s very unrespectable in the bedroom.”
“God,” I laughed, tossing a shirt at her face.
“What? It’s a valid theory! You’ve seen his tattoos, right? And those muscles?” She fanned herself. “I mean, when I saw him walking around in a t-shirt, I nearly expired, and so did some of the old ladies. I’m telling you, if he was still in town, I would beg you to take him to bed just to tell me all the juicy details.”
“I’m hardly one to kiss and tell.”
“Maybe not, but you could give me measurements.”
“Delaney!”
“Shoe size!” She exclaimed. “There is nothing wrong with telling me how big his shoes are!”
“And even if I slept with him, which I can’t because he’s gone, I would not tell you his shoe size!”
She sighed heavily. “You’re no fun.”
A police car drove by, sirens blaring. Delaney popped up, a worried look on her face. “Why do I have a feeling they’re headed to my store?” she asked, bolting for the front door.
“I told you not to leave River in charge!”
“Waiting on another date?”JR asked, popping an umbrella in my drink.
Beaming up at him, I took a sip. “It tastes so much better with a little pink at the top.”
Rolling his eyes, he started cleaning up from making my drink. “So, who is it this time?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “Some suit.”
“Wow,” he muttered, sighing heavily. “You sound really excited about this date.”
I shrugged, taking a long sip, trying to be enthusiastic about meeting someone new, but my mind was still on Ryder. I shouldn’t be disappointed he was gone, but over the last few weeks, running into him at the bar had become the highlight of my week, and now that was gone.
