Page 18 of Falling for Mr. Wright

Chapter Five

Sarah fastened her gold heart charm necklace and stepped back, glancing one final time in her bathroom mirror. “You did good,” she murmured.

She’d gone with her emerald green minidress that, with her matching, strappy stilettos, elongated her body and showed off her cleavage, which normally she wouldn’t do, but all was fair in love and war when competing with Mary Beth’s boobs.

She wasn’t expecting miracles, but she hoped that her boss would think she looked pretty tonight, or at the very least be touched that she was there to celebrate his accomplishment.

A knock at her door brought her out of that sweet thought. It was probably Ryan. She raced to the door, leveling her eye to the peephole.

The civil engineer looked mighty fine in his black suit coat and green tie, his black wool coat draped over his arm and his blond hair slicked back.

She grinned. They hadn’t planned it, but his tie matched her dress perfectly. She unlatched the door and swung it open. “Howdy, handsome. You ready to have a little fun?” she asked while batting her eyelashes for full effect.

His eyes went wide. “Sarah, you look…”

“What?” Suddenly feeling more than a little self-conscious, she took a couple of steps back, smoothing her dress. “Is it too short? I have a longer one in my suitcase. I could change.”

His throat worked, but then he gave her a warm smile. “No. It’s perfect, but I have some bad news.” He held up his cell phone. “I got a call a few minutes ago from Logan.”

“Is he running late?”

“He’s not coming.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Why not?”

“His plane was grounded because of bad weather. He and his mom are stuck in Florida. He won’t get back in time.” Ryan shoved his phone in his pocket. “I told him I’d accept his award on his behalf.”

Her hopes for the night wilted a bit. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. I know you’ll do a wonderful job.” She grabbed her velvet clutch and beige wool coat off the bed where she’d left them. Not that she needed the coat. It had been unseasonably warm since they’d left New York City.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Dragging you up here.” He frowned and looked away. “I know it’s not worth it for you now.”

Her heart fell. Had she made him feel that insignificant? “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I’d have come regardless.” When he didn’t look up, she reached for his arm.Wow. Holy tight bicep.Her cheeks heated, but she shook off the surge of attraction. This was Ryan, king of no commitments. Even if he ever saw her as more than a friend, any sort of future wasn’t in the cards. “So… Are you ready to give your former classmates something to talk about?”

He met her eyes—finally—and gave her a little smile. “Let’s do it.” He opened the door, holding it for her. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

He adjusted his tie as they walked down the hallway for the elevator. “Yeah? I did my best.”

“I have a feeling Melanie isn’t going to be too happy once she realizes what she missed out on.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He pushed the elevator’s down arrow, a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, she’s not the one I’m worried about.”

Wait, what?Sarah searched his face, but he didn’t give anything away.

The ride to his former school where the gala was taking place only took ten minutes. Ryan drove them through the center of town, pointing out the arcade that he and Logan would often hang out in on the weekends and the drugstore that Ryan had worked in part-time throughout high school. She listened and asked questions in all the appropriate places, managing to enjoy the small-town charm in everything he showed her, but she couldn’t shake what he’d said at the hotel elevators.

Questions raced in her mind: Who was he worried about? Was there someone he hoped to impress at the gala? And why did it bother her so much?

Time to steer the weekend back to where it was supposed to be taking her.

She cleared her throat. “So, um, did Logan have a part-time job?”

That question got a hearty chuckle in response as Ryan turned into the school parking lot and slid into an empty space.

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