ANNA: It feels like torture… But a little time apart is good too. Make sure this is what you really want.
Ryan frowned at Anna’s text. What the hell did she mean time apart is good? Time apart was terrible. It led to constant obsessing about Anna, and about his feelings. He was not used to this new level of emotional awareness, and it seemed the only time he could quiet the doubts in his mind was when she was in his arms.Not exactly healthy if she’s the only thing keeping you from being a crazy person.He grimaced, but it wasn’t as if he could stop his feelings from happening. At least that was the excuse he gave himself when he decided he was done with only connecting over text messages and pocketed his phone before turning to Jake who was reviewing the last month’s numbers with him.
“Look, dude, I know we need to go over this, but I want to go and pick up Anna for her shift.”
Jake looked up in surprise. “Seriously? Come on, man, we need to finish this.”
“I know we do.” Ryan let out an exasperated sigh. “I get that you’re probably pissed, but I have to see her. These fucking feelings are messing with me.”
A knowing look came over his friend’s face as Jake pushed back from his desk and folded his arms across his chest. With an arrogant smirk he nodded. “Yeah, yeah, go. But the next time you try to give me a hard time for acting sweet around Callie I’ll remind you of this.”
Not caring how immature his response was, Ryan simply gave Jake the middle finger as he pulled on his jacket and headed out.
Once he was in his truck, driving on autopilot toward Anna’s house, Ryan started to wonder if he would be welcome there unannounced. Maybe she was having second thoughts about being with him… Was that why she said time apart could be good? Was he making a mistake ignoring her wishes like this? What if his mom was bullshitting him and he really was destined to be an asshole to women? He could never live with himself if he disrespected Anna.
Ryan was so lost in his spiraling negative thoughts he didn’t realize he had pulled into Anna’s driveway until he heard a dog bark. Looking up he saw Anna standing on her porch, a curious yet inviting smile on her beautiful face. He quickly jumped out of the truck, giving Samson a quick pat on the head before he walked up to the house.
“Hey, I hope you aren’t upset that I just showed up. I just, ah, really wanted to see you.”
Ryan jingled his keys in his hand, suddenly overcome with nerves. He was not used to feeling insecure, especially not around women, but Anna was different. She meant so much more to him, which meant the stakes were that much higher. Trying to hold on to his mom’s reassurance that he was nothing like his dad, he stopped at the bottom of the steps to the porch. He needed her to make the first move. Her smile went a long way toward making Ryan feel better, but when she skipped down the steps and threw her arms around his neck, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
“Of course I’m not upset, silly, I’m happy you’re here. Honestly, I thought I was going crazy missing you after only two days.” She drew back, searching his face for answers to an unknown question. “But I meant what I said in my text. If some time apart helps you to feel certain that you want to be with me, then I’ll survive.”
Ryan smiled fondly down at her. “You might survive, but I don’t know if Iwould. If you want me, even knowing about my dad, then I’m all in. I told you I might not be very good at this, but I’m hoping you’ll help me.”
Ryan hoped she could hear how earnest he was. He truly wanted to make things work with Anna. He just didn’t know if he could.
“I’ll help you, Ryan. I don’t think you need me to, but I promise I will.” With that, Anna pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, removing any further doubts—for the moment.
“Now, are you here to give me a ride to work? My boss hates it when I’m late.” With a wink, Anna pulled her coat on, put Samson inside and locked the door before walking down toward the truck. A smile crept across Ryan’s face. Yes, this woman was worth facing his fears for.
* * *
That night The Lucky Strike was packed with exuberant customers, Ryan was busy pouring drinks all night long, Jake had even stepped behind the bar to help several times. Anna was out front working hard along with two other servers. The busy bar didn’t stop Ryan from flirting with her every chance he could. She felt the sparks fly between them with every touch, every smile. Anna didn’t dwell on whether it was appropriate for him to behave that way at work, figuring since Jake knew they were together, and he was in charge, it must be alright.
Everything changed, when she dropped off drinks at one of her tables and paused in the back hallway for a moment of rest. Tracy, one of the other servers walked up to her with a judgmental glint in her eyes. Anna didn’t know much about the other woman but had seen the flirtatious glances she often gave Ryan, so had her suspicions that Tracy was attracted to him. Standing up straight, Anna tried to steel herself for the attack she instinctively knew was coming.
“I have to say, I’m surprised. Ryan doesn’t normally lower himself to sleep with staff, he prefers the drunk bimbos that come in here each night and throw themselves at him. What makes you special? You must have been one hell of a good fuck for him to have given you a job.”
Anna was frozen by the horrible things Tracy implied about Ryan and their relationship, as well as by her cruel tone. Before she could gather her thoughts to form a response, Tracy’s name was called by someone at the bar. She rolled her eyes at Anna before she stalked off down the hall. Anna sagged against the wall, blindsided by what Tracy had said. She knew that her job was in no way a result of her romantic relationship with Ryan. Yet she wondered if Tracy’s obvious displeasure was a sign of a bigger problem. Was she fooling herself to think it was okay for them to be together, especially at work?
As Anna’s thoughts sent her careening into despair, Jake stepped out of his office. Embarrassment flooded Anna’s mind as she realized he must have heard everything. He beckoned her into his office and closed the door. Fidgeting with her hands, Anna wondered what Jake would say.
“Anna, are you alright?” Concern was evident in Jake’s voice, and when she looked up, she didn’t see criticism on his face, just friendly compassion. “I heard what she said. I want you to know she was totally out of line. Tracy has wanted to hook up with Ryan ever since she started working here. He’s turned her down repeatedly, I guess she doesn’t like that. I’m sorry she took it out on you.”
A wave of relief crashed over Anna, instantly followed by regret. It was irresponsible of her to flaunt their relationship at work. It didn’t matter if Ryan didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, he was still technically one of her bosses, and it was totally inappropriate for them to be flirting and touching each other.
“Thanks, Jake, but I’m the one who should apologize. We should have never—”
Jake put his hand up to stop her talking. “Anna, it’s fine, you haven’t done anything wrong. Yeah, I guess some people might think it isn’t cool that Ryan is your boyfriend and boss, but he isn’t really in charge, I am.” Jake winked. “And, we all know you aren’t taking advantage of him or anything. Most importantly he’s happy, so I’m happy. I hope you know that you would have a job here no matter what happened between you and Ryan.”
He walked over and put his arm loosely on Anna’s shoulders. “Now, what should we do about Tracy? We don’t tolerate disrespect here, and she had no right to speak to you in that way. I don’t want to fire her, that seems a bit over the top, but I do think Ryan and I need to talk to her about her behavior and make sure she understands that your personal life, and Ryan’s, is none of her goddamn business. You okay with that?”
Anna was left momentarily speechless by the way Jake had instantly come to her support and alleviated her discomfort over her relationship with Ryan. When she had gathered her thoughts, she looked at Jake who waited patiently for her response. “Your support means so much, I truly didn’t mean to cause any trouble and I am sorry for this uncomfortable situation. I wish we didn’t have to tell Ryan; I don’t want him worrying about me anymore, but I understand that you both need to be involved with whatever you say to Tracy. It’s just so awkward.”
“Hey, she made it awkward, not you. I’m going to go back out there. Tracy’s shift is almost over so I’ll send her home early if you think you can pick up the slack for a bit. Then Ry and I will talk to her tomorrow.”
Anna nodded. “Okay, that sounds manageable. Thanks again, Jake.”
