by Cara Roman
"I'm not the girl he left behind, I'm a grown ass woman who owns a business now." Leigha told her friend.
"I found you leaning up against the wall and shaking like a leaf." Dani reminded her gently.
"True. But its not like I expected him to walk in here. It was kind of a gut punch. Now that I know, it won't happen again." Leigha said with determination.
"How much of that did you hear?" Dani asked with a worried look on her face.
"Everything." Leigha said. "How did he look Dani?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. The words poured out without Leigha even meaning for them to.
"Honestly? When hasn't Ridge looked great? But there is a hard edge to him now that I'd not seen on him before." Dani said. "But I've seen it in the mirror a time or two myself. Divorce will do that to you."
"Oh, honey." Now Leigha pulled Dani in for a hug. "Giving you up was the stupidest thing Jason ever did."
"Thanks Leigha, I know I'm better off, honestly I do. But its really hard not to be disappointed sometimes that I picked someone who let me down so bad." Dani said wisely.
"I highly doubt Ridge feels disappointed that he picked Suzy." Leigha said, and even to her own ears it had the sickening ring of bitterness to it.
"Nothing is ever exactly what it seems." Dani shrugged. "Do you want to get out of here and drop off those cookies?"
"No, you go on ahead, its on your way to pick up Silas from the sitters anyway." Leigha said. "You've got the kitchen cleaned, all I really have to do is count down the till, since Tina usually cleans out front. Go, I'll be fine, really I will. Although you did make a rather fine knight in shining armor, my dear." Leigha said with a wink.
"Anytime you need me I'll saddle up my trusty stead." Dani joked as she picked up the boxes.
They walked out front together and Leigha helped Dani load all of the boxes into her car. Leigha waved at her best friend as she pulled away from the curb and walked back inside. She turned the lock behind her, and flipped the open sign hanging from the door over to closed. Tina rattled on about how exciting it was to have Ridge back in town as she swept and mopped the floors. Leigha tried her best to tune the girl out. She understood that Tina was only 8 when Ridge left, so to her he was just someone famous who used to live there. The whole town was probably in a right tizzy about it. And why shouldn't they be? It wasn't their heart he had forgotten about all those years ago. To everyone else Leigha was just the girl Ridge used to date back in high school.
As Tina left for the day, her phone was already up to her ear excitedly talking to her friends about seeing the Ridge Bradley at work. Leigha took out the till, and shut down the cash register for the night. Carrying the till back to the office she sat down at her desk to count it out. Leaving only enough money in it to be able to make change the next morning she carefully tucked the rest into the zippered bank pouch. Locking up she grabbed the small box of cookies she had set aside earlier and walked out to her SUV.
Leigha drove the block and a half across town to the bank. Going through the only stoplight in town, and it wasn't even the kind with three different colors, it was only a blinking four-way. She made it a habit to make small deposits every day after work, that way there was never any money sitting around the shop. After she deposited the days earnings, and made the expected small talk to everyone she headed out of town to the house she had grown up in. As soon as she walked up the familiar front steps her Mom opened the door and hugged her.
"Oh, baby how are you? I was grocery shopping earlier and Ridge being back home was all anyone could talk about." Her Mom asked pulling away to look in her brown eyes, and reading everything written in their depths. "You saw him already." Mom's always knew everything.
Leigha walked in and set the box of cookies down on the kitchen counter. She told her Mom all about Ridge stopping in her shop earlier. "I couldn't even make my feet carry me through the damn kitchen door Mom. I ended up hiding from him like a loser." Leigha yanked the elastic out of her long hair in frustration.
"Well I'm sure it was quite the shock. There is no shame in needing a few minutes to absorb it all, and catch your breath." Her mom said trying to ease the pain.
"At least I didn't lose it in front of him." Leigha said running her hands through her hair.
"Would that really be so bad though? If he had to face how much he hurt you?' Her Mom asked quietly.
"It doesn't matter anymore Mom. And I definitely don't want him to think I've been holding on to him, pining away all these years while he moved on and had this full happy life without me." Leigha said, her voice catching. "I haven't been waiting around for him to come back, I haven't. I gave that up about a decade ago."
"Of course you did honey. Just remind me again, how long has it been since you went out on a date with a man?" Her mom asked tilting her head to the side.
"Not as long as you think. And its because nobody has interested me enough to bother. Not because I'm crying into my pillow over my stupid high school sweetheart." Leigha sighed. It had been at least six months since she'd gone out with a man, and that date hadn't been much to write home about. Watching her date check his phone all night for the football score and not bothering to pay attention to their conversation, so much so that Leigha had spouted off nonsense just to see if he would notice. He didn't. But the final nail in that coffin was when he walked her to her car after dinner and tried, rather forcefully, to kiss her anyway.
"I'm not sure anyone ever gets over their first love, and yours burned brighter than most." Her Mom said patting her hand sympathetically.
"You never had to get over yours." Leigha said with a smile.
"And thank God for that." Her Mom laughed. "Are you staying for dinner honey? I'm making meatloaf tonight."
"Nah, I've got to get home, but give Dad my love please, and make sure he shares some of those cookies with you." Leigha said with a wink knowing her father's sweet tooth, and stood up pressing a kiss to her Mom's cheek before leaving. Talking to her Mom hadn't fixed anything, but it still made Leigha feel better.
Chapter 3
Ridge had been in town for a full week now and Leigha really tried to be grateful to have avoided running into him around town so far. But with each passing day it felt more like a ticking time bomb waiting to detonate, and it had her on edge. She knew it wasn't a matter of if she would see him in a town this small, but when. The constant wondering if this was the as she time she walked into the gas station, or the grocery store, left her thinking it would be infinitely better to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. He was the most exciting thing that had ever happened here, and now that he was back his name was on the tip of every tongue. Everyone who came into Caffeinated Sprinkles asked her if she had seen him yet. The first few times she shook her head no, but that seemed to make people uncomfortable. Feeling like she was going to end up being the talk of the town, 'poor Leigha still waiting on Ridge' she started answering that he had been in, and loved the shop. After all, it was technically true. Ridge had been in, and he had told Dani that he liked what they had done with the place. Leigha just conveniently omitted that she wasn't a part of that particular conversation. The answer seemed to satisfy everyone who asked, and then thankfully, the conversation could turn to other things.
Mrs. Bowman was holding court, as usual, in front of the window, telling anyone who would listen that Ridge had stopped by her house for a visit. Leigha caught herself smiling as the old lady happily chatted about what a good boy Ridge had always been, completely glossing over all of the mischief he had gotten up to as a young boy running around town. The gossip turned to speculation on why Ridge was even back in town in the first place. There was never a father in the picture, and his mother had moved away to live with her sister shortly after Ridge left to chase down his dreams. Nobody blamed Diana Bradley for leaving, there was nothing left tying her here anymore. With nothing holding him to this town, someone said they thought Ridge was back home to nurse his wounded heart after the
public divorce. Which had made Mrs. Bowman tip her head back and laugh before shaking her head at the silly notion.
But the thought stuck in Leigha's head, Ridge's heart being so shattered that nothing could heal like the home he left so long ago struck a nerve deep within Leigha's chest. Knowing how bad her own heart ached not to long ago that wasn't something she would wish on anyone. Lost in her own thoughts, the rest of the day flew by. Tina wasn't scheduled today, which left Leigha to handle the cleaning up at closing time. Dani's domain was the kitchen, and she always left it completely immaculate when she left. Leigha closed out the cash register and shut all of the machines off. She put all the chairs up on the tables, and cleaned the floors. Untying her apron she hung it from the hook and headed back to the office while the floors dried to count out the day's earnings.
Her phone buzzed, looking down she saw a text from her neighbor inviting her over for dinner. That was the last thing she needed. Ty had been trying to make a move on her for quite awhile now, and she just couldn't think of him that way. He was a dependable man, hard working, funny, and devastatingly hot. In another lifetime it would be a complete no-brainer. But all she could see when she thought about it was Ty standing next to Ridge laughing in his varsity jacket by the bank of lockers in high school. Or sitting next to Ridge in the bleachers, his arm slung around her, both of them cheering as they watched Ty win his wrestling match. They were all friends in back then, and in her mind, no matter how much she tried to, she couldn't extricate the memory of Ridge from their dynamic. Picking her phone up she replied back "maybe some other time." If her Mom knew she was brushing off another eligible man she would never hear the end of it, but Leigha would worry about that later.
Grabbing her purse, and tucking the zippered bank pouch holding the daily deposit safely inside Leigha walked out of the office. Even dropping the money off at the bank it took her less than fifteen minutes until she was pulling into the driveway of her house. It was a cute little single story brick ranch tucked on a side street in town, that had been painted a quiet cream with cool brown trim. There was a little garage, and a big front window overlooking the postage stamp sized front yard. Unlocking her door she walked from the garage to the cozy kitchen and set her purse down on the counter top. Pulling her hair out of the elastic she gave her head a shake, letting it fall where ever it wanted. Her cat Finn weaved in and out of her legs demanding attention. Bending down she picked up the slim orange tabby. Nuzzling his face a moment before she scratched behind his ears just the way he liked.
"How was your day Mr. Finn?" Leigha murmured. Finn rumbled his response, purring happily in her arms.
Walking from the kitchen into the living room Leigha settled down on the couch with Finn in her lap. Sitting there long enough that Finn drifted off into a contented nap Leigha contemplated what to make for dinner. She understood why Ty invited her over, cooking for one was moderately depressing most of the time. If that was all it was she would have gladly accepted just for the company. But Leigha couldn't pretend she missed the look in his eyes. He was being patient so far, but he was definitely looking for an opening. Tucking one leg up under the other she wondered why she couldn't just be happy with that. The answer was plainly clear though, she wanted a love like Ridge made her feel when she was eighteen. Settling for someone just because he would fit nice into her life would never be enough. How could it? She knew what it meant to be consumed by the feelings burning inside of her. To look into someone's eyes and forget how to breathe. And no matter how broken he left her heart in the end, when Ridge had held her close she knew he felt it back then too.
Running her hand through her hair Leigha sighed and wished, not for the first time in her life, that she could turn it all off and not feel things so deeply. Finn stretched and crawled off her lap to walk to the other end of the couch and give himself a bath. Leigha walked back into the kitchen and pulled the door to her refrigerator open surveying the contents inside. Pulling items out she stacked them on the counter. A green pepper, some mushrooms, an onion, the carton of eggs, and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese. She was just opening the cupboard for a frying pan when there was a knock at the front door. Walking back out to the living room thinking it was probably Ty coming over to see if he had better luck with his invitation in person she didn't even glance out the window before swinging the door open. And all of the breath left her lungs in a whoosh as she saw Ridge standing on her little front step. His hands were tucked into the pockets of a pair of faded blue jeans, he had on scuffed boots, and a plain black t-shirt. She blinked silently at him for a couple of seconds before her mind would actually form thoughts.
"Hey Leigha." He said softly. There were lines etched into the corners of his eyes, and his jaw looked sharper than when he left. But his brown hair looked like he had forgotten to get it trimmed, just like it always had.
"Ridge." Leigha said. "What are you doing here?"
"In town?" He asked with a tilt of his head.
"No, at my door." She replied. Seeing him there in front of her after all these years instead of hurting like she thought it would, just felt kind of strange. Like it was happening to someone else and she was watching it play out.
"Would you believe me if I said I was in the neighborhood?" Ridge said with a lopsided smile. Leigha shook her head. He went on, "nah, didn't think so. I guess I just wanted to see you."
"Well, here I am. Pretty hard to lose me, I've been here all along." Leigha said. Ridge winced, he covered it up quickly, but she had seen it before he smoothed his features out again. Something about that unguarded expression surprised her, and before she could think better of it she stepped back. "Are you hungry? I was just about to make myself an omelet."
"That would be good, thanks." He said stepping inside, the surprise clear on his face. She saw him glance around taking in her space before she turned away and headed to the kitchen. Finn jumped off the couch eager to make friends. "Hi there fella." Ridge said squatting down to pet her cat.
"That's Finn." She called out.
In the kitchen Leigha took a deep breath, grabbed a knife out of the block and started chopping the vegetables. Ridge walked in and leaned against her counter watching. Doing her best to ignore his eyes on her, she turned the burner on under the pan. Leigha cracked eggs into a bowl, and whisked them briskly, adding in just a touch of milk. Judging the pan to be hot enough she slid a bit of butter in, and picked the pan up sloshing the melting butter all over the surface. Satisfied she poured in the eggs. Turning she caught Ridge's eyes as she grabbed the silicone spatula out of the ceramic pot on the counter. Steeling her nerves she turned back to the stove and watched as the eggs cooked. Judging them ready she sprinkled in the chopped veggies, added some cheese before folding the top of the omelet over. Picking up the pan with one hand she grabbed a plate down from her cupboard with the other. Sliding the omelet onto the plate she handed it to Ridge without looking.
"Silverware is in that drawer there." She gestured, before turning back to make hers. She heard the slide of the drawer opening and closing. Then she heard the scrape of the chair at her little table as Ridge sat down. "Do you want a beer?"
"If you're having one, sure." He said.
Leigha repeated the same actions making her omelet. Once it sat steaming on her plate she set the pan into the sink. Grabbing two bottles of beer out of the refrigerator she walked over to the table. Setting her plate down across from Ridge she noticed he hadn't touched his food yet waiting for her, and had set silverware out for her too. Fighting a smile at the manners his mother had all but pounded into his brain, she held one of the bottles out to him. His hand brushed hers softly as he took it, sending little chills up her arm. Ignoring it, Leigha stepped back quickly and sat down. She watched as he twisted the top off and took a pull from his drink, and found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the muscles working in his throat as he swallowed.
"How did you know where I lived?" Leigha asked a few minutes later.
&nbs
p; "Mrs. Bowman. I didn't ask, if that's what you're thinking. She basically filled me in on all the happenings in town she thought important. Your address was on the list." He shrugged and brought his fork up to his mouth taking a bite of food.
"Of course she did." Leigha said thinking she probably should have figured that out when she heard Mrs. Bowman had Ridge over for a visit.
"Jason left Dani?" Ridge asked sounding surprised. He was surely remembering back to school when Jason followed Dani around like a lovesick puppy dog.
"Yeah, a few years ago. Ran off with some woman he met online leaving her to raise Silas all on her own." Leigha explained eating her own dinner.
"Shit. Does he send her support at least?" Ridge asked, knowing what it was like to grow up fatherless with a single mother.
"About a year after he left she got a check for a hundred dollars. But when she tried to deposit it in the bank they told her he didn't have sufficient funds to cover it." Leigha said feeling angry all over again. "CS is doing well now though thankfully, so they're not hurting financially."
Ridge nodded his head understanding what she wasn't saying. They were making it without Jason's help, but that didn't mean there weren't struggles. "Seems like you've got a real good thing going with that coffee shop."
"Thanks, we're pretty proud of it." Leigha said.
Their food was finished and Leigha stood up from the table to take care of the plates. Ridge stood up too, and picked his up before Leigha got the chance to grab it. Leigha didn't argue, he wanted to carry his own plate to the sink let him. She turned the water on and ran her plate back and forth under neath the spray rinsing it off. She felt Ridge standing behind her as he reached around and set his plate under the water. He wasn't quite touching her, but he was close enough that the heat from his body was making hers feel empty as it ached to reach out for his warmth. She watched as he turned the water off, and with his hands lightly on her hips he turned her around to face him. Looking up into his green eyes Leigha could see his plans written in them. As his head leaned slowly down to hers she tried to step out of his arms, but her traitorous feet refused to move. His lips touched hers softly, tentatively at first, unsure of their welcome. Leigha opened her lips on a gasp and he took full advantage. His tongue swept into her mouth, tasting exactly the same way it had all those years ago. Unable to fight it Leigha slid her arms up his neck and into his hair. Gripping the strands in her fingers, she held on for dear life and kissed him back.