Page 108 of The Wedding Ranch
“Wh—what?” Diane straightened. “Okay. I didn’t expect that.”
“You’re right.”
“Of course I am, but this is the first time you’ve said that.” Diane sat up straighter, showing off a toothy smile. “I do like to hear you say it. Can you repeat it one more time?” She leaned forward, pressing her hand to the back of her ear. “Please?”
“You’re. Right.”
“It really has such a good ring to it.” She wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. “You know, you are much easier to be around these days.”
A slow smile replaced the quit-giving-me-a-hard-time look. “It’s easierbeingme these days.”
“She’s nice,” Diane said.
He nodded his head slowly. “She sure is.” They both knew they were talking about Lorri.
“And you’re not going to hold this Bloom connection against her. Are you?”
“It may have bugged me for a nanosecond, but no. It’s a lovely graphic, and it’s her job. She’s good at it.”
“Very. You know, she sent a whole packet of graphics over for the scholarship. Did you decide on the Lisa Scholarship as the name of it?”
“She and I talked about it. I like it.”
“I do too,” Diane said. “The logo is gorgeous.”
“I knew you would appreciate the symbolism. You always said theeurema lisasightings meant good change was coming. A symbol of hope. It’s perfect,” he said.
“Just like she seems to be for you.” Diane’s brow arched.
“There’s no such thing as perfection. You know that,” he said.
“No, but you’ve been your old self. Even the kids have been talking about it. We’re happy for you, Ryder. Don’t fight it.”
“We’re friends. Or we were.”
“You mean maybe more than friends?”
“It’s complicated, Diane. More so than you could imagine.”
“Then uncomplicate it.”
He looked at his sister. She’d been just as broken by all of this. For a split second he considered not telling her, but she deserved to know. “Lorri’s brother was the one driving the car that morning in Raleigh.”
She cocked her head. “Jeff Pike?”
“Yes. She said she’d put it together and had to tell me.”
She held her hand to her mouth, then let out the breath she was holding. “I can’t believe it. I bet you were stunned. I am.”
“Honestly, I wish she’d never told me,” he said. “It changes things.”
“It doesn’t have to, Ryder.Shedidn’t do it.” Diane folded her arms across her chest. “Just like you not driving didn’t allow it to happen.”
It had taken him a long time to accept that. Still felt guilty for it some days.
Diane went on. “We don’t have to figure out the past. There aren’t answers. We know that.”
She wasn’t wrong about that.He got up and dumped his coffee in the sink. “I’m not really comfortable with this conversation.”
