Page 12 of Unlucky in Love
Emma let the silence stretch for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. Quiet I can understand. This town is practically allergic to excitement.”
Ryan almost smiled. Almost.
She studied him for another beat before her expression shifted, sly now. “Speaking of coffee…you ran into Taylor the other day, didn’t you?”
His stomach tightened, but he kept his tone casual. “I saw her.”
“And?” Emma prodded.
“And nothing. She was working.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “That woman practically grew up in our house. Us three were inseparable growing up. You are not seriously telling me you had nothing to say to her after all this time.”
Ryan leaned back against the counter, playing it off with a shrug. “She looked the same. Maybe a little more tired. Still running circles around everyone else in that place.”
Emma’s mouth twitched. “She doesn’t give herself enough credit. That café would collapse without her. I keep telling her to finally bite the bullet and go to Spain like she’s always wanted. She’s saved up enough for it, but she’s afraid everything will fall apart without her.”
“Right. I forgot she was so fascinated with that place.” Ryan sipped his coffee, keeping his face blank. “She seeing anyone?”
The question dropped out of his mouth more abruptly than he meant it to. Emma’s eyebrows shot up, and Ryan cursed inwardly for sounding too interested. He quickly added, “I mean, she is twenty-six now. Surprised nobody has snatched her up.”
Emma folded her arms, smiling like a cat who had cornered a mouse. “Why are you asking?”
Ryan kept his expression bored. “Just making conversation.”
“Sure.” Emma rocked the baby, eyes gleaming. “Taylor has never been one to date much. She keeps her guard up. I think she had a few boyfriends here and there, but nothing serious. And honestly, she likes things safe. Predictable. She doesn’t exactly put herself out there.”
Ryan felt something twist in his chest. The thought of Taylor keeping herself hidden away, never letting anyone close, tugged at him in a way he didn’t want to name.
“Why so curious?” Emma pressed.
Ryan kept his voice steady. “I’m not. Just asking. You brought her up.”
Emma tilted her head. “Right. Because you’ve always been so fascinated by her love life.”
He scowled. “Drop it.”
She grinned, clearly satisfied. “Fine. Dropped.”
But the knowing look in her eyes lingered, and Ryan hated how it made heat creep up the back of his neck. He turned away, staring out the small window at the street below.
Emma shifted the baby in the sling, smoothing the blanket. “You know, for someone who claims he wants quiet, you sure seem restless.”
Ryan didn’t answer. He couldn’t tell her the truth, that the quiet only made the noise in his head louder. That sitting still gave the memories room to crawl out of the dark. That sometimes the only thing keeping him from drowning in it was the sound of Taylor’s laugh, sharp and unexpected, like it had been yesterday when she called him a broody statue.
Emma pushed off the couch and slung the diaper bag over her shoulder. “All right, I will leave you to your moody brooding. But Ryan?”
He glanced over, wary.
“She’s not a kid anymore. Try to remember that.”
With that, she kissed his cheek, muttered something soothing to the baby, and left.
Ryan stood alone in the silence of his empty apartment, coffee cooling in his hand, and let Emma’s words sink into the hollow place he had been avoiding.
* * *
The apartment was too quiet after Emma left. Ryan stared at the closed door for a long moment, then set his half-empty coffee cup in the sink. He rubbed the back of his neck, rolling the tension out of his shoulders, and tried to shake the weight of his sister’s words.
