Page 10 of Love Unwrapped
Midnight? That was sixteen hours away. Andi wanted to be home before noon. Yeah, the positive morning vanished in a sea of I-don’t-want-to.
Four hours later, Andi’s fingers cramped, her back hurt, and she was just all-around tired of hearing Bree and Ryan chatting happily with music too loud to even think over. She hadn’t seen Blake other than when he’d popped in to see if they needed any other supplies. She swiveled around in her seat, letting out a giant yawn while getting to her feet. Thank goodness for today’s tennis shoes and stretchy blue jeans. Now all she had to do was loosen her back and shoulders, which had become sore from hunching over the table. She walked around the room to get circulation going again, stretched her hands to the ceiling, and rolled her neck. In one swing, she caught a glimpse out the cracked prep room door as the taco street truck rolled past the front window.
“You hungry, Bree?” Andi asked, stopping their conversation.
“Yeah,” she said as if that was a given.
“How about you?” She didn’t want to ignore Ryan entirely.
“I gotta see if I am,” Ryan said and slid off the seat, making no sense.
“I’ll go to the taco truck, Bree. You get us a couple of water bottles. I’ll meet you outside.” Andi hung her apron, reached for her purse, and made a beeline for the door. The sunshine felt amazing and she reached for her sunglasses in the side pocket of her purse—their correct spot, solidifying the perfection of her world.
Well, as perfect as it could get by still being in close proximity to the bakery.
She took her place in the back of the line and lifted her face to the sun, letting its warmth soothe away the aches and pains in her body. It took several minutes to get to the front to order. When the guy leaned out the window and asked what she’d like, the wheels that had been spinning in her head stopped and tuned her in to the moment. She ordered, hoping she remembered Bree’s order correctly from the previous day. When she reached for her wallet to pay, a twenty-dollar bill came over her shoulder, placed with a slap on the counter in front of her.
Ryan said, “I’m paying, and add two loaded beef tacos.”
“No, I’ll pay,” she immediately argued and tried to hand her credit card to the cashier. Ryan’s gruff stance won out over her petite, hard-edged tone and the cashier ignored her and took the cash.
“I hate when people bulldoze over me,” she said and stepped away from the counter without her food. Of course, any friend of Blake’s would think she was hilarious instead of serious, and she got a bark of laughter, much like he’d done to her all morning. The situation was entirely too reminiscent of the way Blake had treated her growing up. What was up with that type of man? Did they never outgrow it?
She left him there to wait on their food, going for one of the empty benches lining the street. If he wanted to pay for it, he could wait on it and carry it over.
“Hang on! Don’t be mad. Blake told me to pay for y’alls lunch for volunteering.”
“Isn’t it funny how you made it all worse by saying that?” Andi took her seat in the middle of the bench, and Ryan came in right next to her, hip-bumping her to make extra room. She had no choice but to move as she refused to sit touching him in any way.
For the first time that day, Ryan looked at a loss for words. His mouth hung open then closed again. Good, he’d finally stop talking, but was now holding the tacos prisoner in his lap. “I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a female say anything negative about Blake.”
“You clearly haven’t known him long.” She looked pointedly at the brown sack resting on his thighs.
“That I have a ready answer for. We met in boot camp ten years ago.” Ryan snapped his fingers, drawing her gaze up. “Instant friends.”
“When did he get kicked out?” she asked. The question slipped out accidently, because no matter how much she wanted to know, she didn’t really care. Finally, Andi reached over, taking the sack from Ryan and digging inside.
“You don’t have the best opinion of him, do you?” he asked, and for the first time that day, the fun-loving guy hardened into something more serious. She could feel his gaze on her, and she refused to give an inch. She had promised herself while dressing this morning that she would stay strong and firm, no matter what.
“Smarter than you look,” she said, trying for a cocky tone, eyeing two veggie tacos and pulling them out before handing the sack back to him.
Ryan ignored the outstretched hand, leaving her to place the sack between them as he turned very serious. “He didn’t get kicked out. He had a bomb explode on him about three years ago. We didn’t think he’d make it. Another team member didn’t.”
She stopped mid-motion of unwrapping a taco and took a good look at Ryan to see if he was lying.
“I suspect you’re the sister,” Ryan said and shook his head, dismissing some memory or thought before reaching for his lunch.
“I have a sister, Nat,” she confirmed, not really understanding the direction of Ryan’s thoughts. “She had a relationship with Blake many years ago. What makes you say that?”
“He’s not ever that surly with anyone.” Ryan held his taco like a burrito and took a big bite. “Except you.”
“Ha! One thing about Blake is he’s consistently aggressive since the first day I met him freshman year of high school.” Andi’s tummy rumbled, drawing her back to the food in her lap. She opened her taco and took a bite, seeing Ryan staring at her as if he wanted to say something more. “What?”
“Some things aren’t what they seem.”
Before she could question him further, Bree came forward, plopping down on the concrete sidewalk in front of her and handing a water bottle to Andi. The silence had Bree looking between her and Ryan. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No, not at all. The more beautiful women, the merrier.” Ryan’s humor was back in an instant. He laughed then laughed again like he’d said the most hilarious thing when he glanced at her expression.
