by Amber Lynn
“Come on, Lisa. You haven’t seen him, but I think I have a better chance of taking this one home.”
“Get out of my way.” Lisa was tired of standing around. Gawking at Ryan wasn’t going to do anyone any good and if someone didn’t get out there to serve the customers, their boss, Kevin, was going to be all over them.
It was hard to miss the pout on Rachel’s face as Lisa pushed through them and left the safety of the kitchen. The smell of onions and garlic were the strongest odors following her out the door. She put on her brightest smile, even though her nerves were eating up her stomach.
The second she walked out the door, Ryan stood up and started walking towards her. Dylan put out a hand to stop him, but Ryan gave the other man a glare that told him his arm was getting ready to be broken. Dylan shook his head and let Ryan go.
Lisa froze in place at the sight of Ryan in daylight. Casey and Dylan’s place was light up like an airfield, but the light wasn’t the same as seeing the rays of sun around the edges of Ryan’s body. Rachel was right that she had a better chance with him as far as romance went, but the smile on Ryan’s face was solely for Lisa.
“Hey, beautiful. I know I said I’d wait patiently for you to call, but I’m tired of waiting for that next date.”
Seeing his joy at their little reunion was enough to make Lisa’s day. She wasn’t expecting him to wrap his arms around her and give her small peck on the cheek.
“Ever since Dylan mentioned you worked here, I started envisioning what you’d be wearing. My imagination clearly isn’t very good,” Ryan whispered in her ear.
Lisa felt her cheeks flush. She hated having to wear the get up with the above-knee skirt and shirt that exposed the tops of her breasts. It didn’t exactly flatter her body type, but Ryan seemed to be blind to that fact.
Ryan stepped back to get a better look at the woman in his arms. Lisa had concentrated on keeping eye contact, so she hadn’t really noticed what he was wearing or anything else. When they’d been close to each other, she’d noticed his hair was wet and a mixture of cologne and shampoo assaulting her nose.
He wore a pair of jeans that looked like they were molded to his body and a maroon t-shirt. If anyone looked good in their outfit, it was him. The way he made something so ordinary look like it belonged on a runway was a crime.
“I really don’t want to be that guy, but I can see why Tim was such a slimeball when you met him.”
Lisa should’ve taken offense to that statement. If it came from anyone else’s lips, she would have. Ryan hinting that he wanted to do more than hug her caused the fading flush to intensify.
“From what I understand, Tim would’ve made the offer to anyone with boobs, so I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“You can see I’m a little out of practice when it comes to making compliments. Do me a favor and don’t tell Dylan I said that. The guy has driven me crazy for the last hour about what my intentions are for you and why I’m not making any friends. I don’t know what bee got in his bonnet, but I’m just thankful he finally got me here.”
Ryan took her left hand and they started walking the thirty feet it took them to get back to the table Dylan was patiently waiting at. Lisa saw that patiently probably wasn’t the right word when she got a look at the hesitation in Dylan’s eyes. She assumed he knew she hadn’t contacted Ryan after the date, so he was taking a risk of her blowing up when she saw him there. Not that she was known for blowing up, but she could pretend to be dramatic if she thought the situation warranted it.
“Look who I found wandering around. I was starting to think you were pulling my leg about her working here.”
“Hope you don’t mind me bringing him over. He’s been playing like crap since you two haven’t spoken after the other night, and you know I’m all about making sure my players are focused on the game.”
Ryan hadn’t taken his seat, but as Dylan spoke he tried to get Lisa to sit in the chair next to where he’d originally sat. When Lisa resisted, he raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her.
“I don’t wear this outfit for fun, Ryan. I’m at work, which means I need to ask you what you’d like to eat.”
Dylan’s comments were momentarily forgotten as Lisa and Ryan entered sort of a standoff. The man couldn’t think she’d be able to sit down for social hour when she was on the clock. She didn’t run over to the bench during his games and try to start a conversation, so he’d better not think he could come to her job and pull something like that.
“Can’t you take a break or something and just sit down for a few minutes? I saw at least one other person who could take care of the ordering and such.”
It was odd to see a touch of hurt in Ryan’s eyes. Lisa was having trouble figuring the guy out when she only had their interactions from dinner to work with. The hugging and clear desire for her to join them only made things harder.
“It’d look bad if I started taking breaks only an hour into my shift. It’s slow right now, so I can probably make sure you have the most attentive server you’ve ever had.”
Lisa didn’t want to bring up the fact Rachel was more than willing to fill in for her. She took the notepad out of the half an apron tied around her waist, so she could take their order.
“If you’re not going to sit and eat with us, how late are you working? Maybe we can go to that movie we talked about.”
Rachel managed to walk up to the table with two glasses of water right as Ryan asked the question. The look on the woman’s face was priceless, with her eyes bugging out and her mouth falling open. Lisa couldn’t blame the other waitress. It was hard for Lisa to accept that Ryan was asking her out on a legitimate date.
“I actually took tomorrow off in case you still wanted to do something. I should’ve probably texted you before now to let you know, but I guess it’s better late than never.”
Lisa hadn’t really considered that Ryan may already have other plans, at least not consciously. There was sure to be a part of her that delayed on purpose so that he would have to turn the date down.
Rachel had put the waters down in front of Dylan and Ryan, but she didn’t rush back to the kitchen. The recent application of ruby red lipstick on her lips told Lisa she was out there for more than just water delivery. Ryan’s eyes hadn’t moved away from Lisa, even when Lisa had looked away to see what Rachel was up to. She could feel them burning into her, making the minimum clothing she had on feel invisible.
“Really? You’re not just making that day off up because you feel sorry about blowing me off?” There was laughter in Ryan’s eyes, so Lisa knew he wasn’t too upset about her lack of communication.
“I knew you were busy last night and Sunday, and I was already committed to working all the days in between, so Friday seemed like the first time there may be a few free hours in our schedules. I mean, I can’t say I know exactly what your schedule is, but I know you don’t have a game.”
“Let me check with my boss real quick and see if he thinks I can get the night off.” Ryan looked like the Cheshire Cat as he rotated his head towards Dylan to ask him. “What do you say, boss? Do you think I can take the night off so I can take Lisa to the movies?”
Dylan had taken a sip of his water and was in the process of putting it down on the table. As soon as the water was down, he took his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. Lisa assumed he had to deal with more mouth from his players than most people did in their lifetime. The look of mild frustration that flashed in his eyes made it pretty clear that was true.
“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t planning on inviting you over for tea and crumpets.”
Lisa laughed at the thought of the muscular men sitting around drinking tea from little cups. She could see Dylan having a tea party with his daughter, but adding Ryan to the mix probably didn’t happen.
“Perfect,” Ryan said as he clapped his hands together. “Do you have any movie preferences? You can imagine I have some favorite genres, but I’ll leave the choice up to you.”
Her self-sabotaging habit led Lisa to wanting to say something about romance, but she bit her tongue. She wanted a little more private audience to work out the fine details of the date, so she put her waitress hat back on.
“How about I text you later and we can work it out. Have you had a chance to look at the menu? I really should get your order back to the kitchen before I get in trouble for too much talking.”
Ryan briefly stuck his bottom lip out, but his smile didn’t stray far from his face. “I’d prefer if you call, but I’m happy to work out the details later. As far as food choices, what do you recommend? I just came from practice, so I could probably eat a full buffet line.”
Lisa had seen games and practices, so she didn’t doubt Ryan had the ability to put food away without batting an eyelash. The diner’s breakfast menu had a ton of hearty items on it, but Lisa saw Ryan as a burger guy and the diner was locally famous for some of its burgers.
“Is it too early for spicy? I guess the real question should be is if you can handle a little spice to begin with. We’ve got a jalapeño popper burger that can put hair on your chest and fill your stomach at the same time.”
It wasn’t a selection Lisa usually recommended, but it was her favorite thing on the menu, other than a butterscotch milkshake. The two options often made up a meal for Lisa. Rachel sputtered next to her, knowing that the burger came with warning labels.
Ryan paid no attention to her and nodded his head. “If it’s something you like, I’m sure I’ll love it. I’ll have to report back on whether the hair on your chest claim in fact turns up being true.”
Lisa copied his nodding gesture and turned to Dylan. “You want the usual?” The diner served the same food regardless of time of day, and Dylan seemed to always like getting steak and eggs with a side of pancakes.
“That’d be fine, Lisa. I’ll try to keep him in line, so you don’t get in trouble with us eating up all your time.”
“Thanks, but it seems like just threatening to call off our date tomorrow might be enough to make sure things don’t get out of hand.” Lisa picked up the menus off the table and thought about how funny that sounded.
She ignored Rachel on their way back to the kitchen. The teenager was going to grill her about Ryan. There was no way for her to escape that, but at least it was something that could be done in the kitchen where the man involved wasn’t listening in.
Chapter Seven
After a week of waiting, Ryan finally got his wish for a date with Lisa. She’d texted him the night before, causing him to immediately call her instead of the more impersonal mode of conversation. He wanted to know what she was doing, and a person could really say they were doing anything while they were texting. They could say the same while they were talking on the phone too, but at least Ryan could listen to the background noise to make sure she wasn’t out partying or something. Not that she seemed to be a party girl.
They had gone back and forth about exactly what they’d end up doing for the date, with Lisa claiming they’d be mobbed if they went out and did anything in public because he was famous. Those were her words, not Ryan’s. He actually had a pretty good laugh at the thought of him being famous.
No matter what he claimed, Lisa was stuck on trying to do something private, which normally wouldn’t be an issue. He was afraid to be alone with her, though. Seeing her at work in her uniform had put all sorts of naughty thoughts in his head, and it didn’t help his late-night dreams of them being featured in a wedding.
As a compromise, Lisa was coming over to Ryan’s apartment and bringing her dog along as a chaperone. She claimed Pepe didn’t like strangers, so they’d be assured Ryan would keep his hands to himself. Lisa seemed more confident than Ryan was. She didn’t exactly balk when he’d brought up the specifics about why he didn’t think hanging out alone was a good idea.
The doorbell ringing brought Ryan out of his thoughts and his scrubbing of his kitchen counter for the tenth time. He hadn’t brought much in the way of luggage when he got traded, keeping the house he’d owned intact for when he moved back to it at the end of the season. That meant he didn’t have a lot to straighten up, but he wanted to make sure to make a good impression.
“I’m coming,” he announced as he grabbed a dishtowel to dry his hands. A quick yip let him know she hadn’t forgotten to bring the dog.
Ryan had never had a pet, but he didn’t have a problem with dogs. They usually piled on him when he went to people’s houses who had them. Cats were another story, one he thankfully didn’t need to think about.
Before opening the door, he looked down to make sure he didn’t have his fly open and that his shirt was still tucked in. It was a quiet evening at home, so he didn’t need to dress up, but he put on a button-down shirt and a pair of dressier pants. The no shoes or socks on his feet had to do for keeping things casual.
As he opened the door, he was relieved to see Lisa wasn’t in jeans and a t-shirt. Her white dress with bright red flowers wasn’t something from a runway, but it was cute and fun, much like the woman wearing it.
“And I thought your work uniform gave me crazy dreams. That dress looks amazing on you.”
The small Chihuahua in her arms started growling as soon as Ryan started talking. The dog wasn’t even as big as one of Ryan’s thighs, but the way he squinted his eyes and barred his canines made him seem like a legitimate threat.
“Pepe, knock it off. He can dream about me in different clothes all he wants.” Lisa shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Sorry about him. He’s a growler more than anything, but I’ve never really introduced him to someone like you.”
Ryan opened the door wider and ushered the pair in. Pepe hadn’t stopped giving him the evil eye, but his growling had quieted.
“What about me makes me different than anyone else he’s met?” It was a curious thing to say, but then everything about Lisa was curious to Ryan. The extra-large bag she carried on her right shoulder was definitely a curiosity. It was big enough for a week’s worth of clothes, and as far as he knew, they hadn’t talked about her staying over.
“That probably wasn’t my best phrasing,” Lisa started to explain as she took in the view of Ryan’s apartment.
He was quick to give it another look to make sure he hadn’t forgotten to stuff something under the bed. It wasn’t a ritzy apartment, but he was comfortable enough with it that he didn’t mind having a date over. His house was more appropriate for trying to impress someone, but the one-bedroom apartment had some of the best views of the city you could get.
Lisa had walked in and gone straight to the floor-to-ceiling picture window on the south side of the building. There was always something going on out there that drew his eyes, so he didn’t mind being ignored. It gave him a chance to check on the snacks he’d set out and grab the bottles of water he’d been chilling.
Wine would’ve been more date appropriate, but Lisa was adamant that she preferred water. Ryan had stood in the beverage section of a nearby grocery store for about five minutes trying to decide if he should be daring and pick up sparkling water or something a little fancier than just plain water, but he was trying to play things safe.
“The views out of my whopping three windows in my apartment are all the sides of brick buildings. This place has to cost a fortune, but I suppose since you make a fortune each year that makes sense.”
Lisa pulled herself away from the window and looked around at the rest of the apartment. There wasn’t a ton to look at. The couch and entertainment center were what Ryan considered modern. The couch was bright green, with a low back and had a lounge on one side. The entertainment center was metal and glass that supported a sixty-inch television. Ryan didn’t really care about the looks of things. The stand supported the TV and the couch was surprisingly comfortable.
“I honestly don’t think that couch would fit in my apartment. I don’t know how much you’ve picked up from Dylan, but I’m hoping you realize I don’t make millions of dollars waitre
ssing tables.” Her eyes drifted down to the coffee table that was full of food.
Ryan stepped forward and put down the bottles of water, wondering if his choices would meet approval. Since Lisa seemed to have a spicy tooth, he had chips and salsa, jalapeño poppers and some crushed black pepper onion rings. He also had various other savory items and some sweet items, but overall everything could be eaten without utensils.
“I know you may not eat a single bite with me in the room, but please tell me I did okay picking things out.” Ryan ignored the comment about how much she made. All he cared about who she was and the draw he felt to her.
“Do you really have to ask? There are very few things I won’t eat.”
She looked over to the couch and then down to the dog in her arms. Pepe had decided the food laid out before him was more interesting than trying to intimidate Ryan. Remembering that he had gotten something to try to win the dog over, he turned and hustled back to the kitchen.
The kitchen wasn’t a separate room, so Ryan kept the conversation going. “Eventually I’d love to hear what things you don’t like, but for tonight I’m happy to hear there’s a chance you’ll eat something.”
Ryan found the bag of dog treats he’d picked up from a gourmet dog store Dylan had told him about. They were supposed to be all-natural or something. They looked like peanut butter cookies to Ryan, but he had no desire to test how much they tasted like the real things.
He walked them back to the living room, shaking the bag from side to side. “These may be too big for him, but I thought he’d like to have a treat while we watch the movie.”
“I’m sure we can break them up into smaller pieces. It was sweet of you to get him something. I don’t know that it’s going to buy him off though.”
Ryan smiled, hoping she was joking, but at the same time laughing at himself for thinking he could possibly use treats to get on the dog’s good side. Pepe was looking at the bag in his hand, somehow already intrigued even though it hadn’t been opened.