Page 9 of Falling for Mr. Wright

Ryan grabbed his drink and downed it.A lot of thinking, my ass.

That night, he’d hopped into his Nissan and driven straight to Westbrook because, as far as he was concerned, their conversation wasnotover. When he’d turned for Melanie’s parents’ place, he’d passed by Jeff’s one-story ranch house and immediately hit the brakes.

He must have stared out his windshield at Melanie’s white convertible parked in Jeff’s driveway until the sun came up. Having the real answer to why she’d called off the wedding, he’d turned his car around and driven his broken heart back to New York City.

It took some time, but the pain had eventually subsided. He’d made no effort to contact Melanie. He’d simply moved on.

He set the card down on the coffee table. Ten years ago, he’d thought he’d be well into their marriage with kids and a dog. Now, she was just a stranger.

Seeing Melanie and Jeff together wouldn’t be a big deal. He’d say a few polite words to Melanie and Jeff, then move on. His former classmates were another matter. Growing up the way he did, he’d had to work harder than anyone to earn their respect. And then Melanie had dumped him. The Westbrook gossip mill was probablystillon fire.

He grabbed a crab rangoon and pulled it apart. His life had turned out pretty fucking fantastic, despite all of that. He should throw on one of his Armani suits, drive up to Westbrook in his BMW, and prove it.

Except, he wasn’t sure his lifewasfantastic. Sure, he had a great job and a successful career, but at thirty-two, he was living in a cramped, high-priced apartment with his sister, and his BMW had been bought used with high mileage. He wasn’t even dating anyone.

Sarah immediately popped into his head. What he wouldn’t give to take her. Someone he could honestly introduce as his friend, and let the small-town gossip ignite.

Shedidsay she’d be willing to do anything he asked…

A humorless laugh left his lips. Sarah would probably agree to it, knowing Logan would be at the gala, which would ultimately defeat the purpose of her getting to know Ryan better. Or would it? Driving two hours each way together might be enough time to prove they had more in common than she did with Logan.

He tossed the invitation on the table and watched it slide across the dark wood. This was quite possibly the worst plan in the history of plans. There was almost zero chance of success.

But when had he let a little adversity get in his way?

He grabbed a notepad and pen out of his briefcase. Thinking back to their conversation in his office, he jotted down all the answers he could think of, chuckling at his responses to the final two. When he was satisfied, he set the notepad on his lap.

Tomorrow, Ryan would convince Sarah to go along with the unconventional game plan to win over Logan, and just maybe, show her that it wasn’t the CEO she wanted, but him.

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