“Do you mind if I poke around?”
“Be my guest.”
The two of them veered off toward the elevator, and Ryan went back to work, mulling over the conversation he’d overheard. Spoiled Little Rich Girl had a secret. He should leave her alone, but he wasn’t going to. Torn between curiosity, attraction, and self-preservation, he walked back to his workbench with fresh coffee he didn’t want.
An hour slid by before Paige reappeared. She gravitated his way, dragged a stool over, and plopped down to watch him update the website. Occasionally, she’d make a suggestion or point out something. He understood her sense of ownership since she’d created the site, and he welcomed her suggestions. She knew her stuff—that much was clear.
“Paige, how about I take you to Jenny’s diner for lunch?” Ted put his sandpaper down and stood up to stretch. “I know she and Harlen would love to see you.”
“Oh, I’d love to see them too.” She moved away from Ryan. “How is your aunt doing?”
“Still cancer-free, knock on wood.” Ted rapped his knuckles against the workbench. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her leather jacket from the hook by the door and tossed it to her.
Ryan had to fight the urge to snatch her back to his side. The thought of Ted taking her anywhere didn’t sit well. Something ugly coiled in his gut and sprang free before he could check himself. “Don’t you think Paige is a bit out of your league, pup?”
“My league?” Ted glared. “I suppose you see yourself as being in her league? Man, you’re not even on the same planet.”
Probably true. No. Absolutely true. What planet was he on, anyway? “Maybe I’ll join you for lunch.” Ryan rose from his stool. “I could eat.”
Ted moved closer to Paige. “I don’t recall asking you to join us.”
“And don’t think I didn’t notice that lapse in manners, kid.”
Paige gasped and glared his way. “What is wrong with you?”
“Post-traumatic stress disorder. Irritability. Hostility. Aggression. All part of the package.”
She’d moved to stand toe-to-toe with him. “That’s no excuse. Noah has PTSD, and he doesn’t act like a prick.”
This close, there was no mistaking the anger he’d caused. He was no stranger to shame, but this was different. He’d acted like a jerk toward Ted for no good reason, and she’d called him on it. That laid him low. A painful lump formed in his throat. “Your brother is a far better man than I’ll ever be.” His voice came out a hoarse rasp, and her mouth formed an O. All the anger he’d glimpsed turned to pity. Damn, he didn’t know which was worse.
“I don’t have a league, Ryan,” she replied softly. “And Ted is family.”
“Trust me on this, darlin’, the kid here is not looking at you like you’re family. He’s looking at you like—”
“Fuck you!” Ted snapped and guided Paige away from him toward the door.
“Exactly,” Ryan muttered as he watched them leave. Bad move. Very bad move. He paced around the room and pulled at his beard. He’d look like a total idiot if he showed up at the diner now, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Ted making a pass at her. Whatever brought Paige to Perfect, he’d seen the vulnerability. What red-blooded male wouldn’t move in on that? “Not good. Not good at all.”
“What’s not good?” Noah stepped off the freight elevator and looked around. “Where did Ted and Paige go?”
“They went to Jenny’s diner for lunch. You hungry?” If he showed up with Noah, he could pass it off as being the boss’s idea. He wouldn’t come across as such a schmuck. Noah studied him like he was some kind of new species of one-celled pond life he’d discovered under a microscope. Several seconds passed.
Noah smirked. “Sure, let’s go eat. How about the truck stop outside of town? They have great burgers.”
“I was thinking the diner might be nice.”
“Of course you were.” Noah barked a laugh, shook his head, and headed for the door. “You’re in for it, buddy.”
Don’t I know it.
Paige seethed. She hadn’t been able to keep her eyes off Ryan Malloy all morning, and that ticked her off. She’d developed some kind of obsessive fascination with the hairy guy. Was it because his smart mouth didn’t match up with the vulnerability she glimpsed in his gorgeous blue eyes? Maybe. Most likely, the attraction stemmed from the fact that she’d never met anyone like him before in her entire life. Not up close, anyway. That had to be it. Seeing him naked sure didn’t help matters much. He certainly was well proportioned. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, his lean, muscled torso…the dark-blond chest hair leading her gaze farther south to his…Stop it!
She shook her head, disgusted with herself. No matter where she’d managed to hide out in the building, all she’d wanted to do was head straight for him. Had she learned nothing from her most recent disaster?
Stay away. Get your act together, and focus on your career.
Plus, he’d behaved like such a prick. Again. He’d been so sweet with Lucinda and Sweet Pea. He’d even been fun to talk to while they worked together. Normal one minute, primo-jerk the next, and intensely attractive in between—to her, anyway—which should have been a big clue to stay clear. “I wonder what he looks like under all that hair?” she murmured.
“What’s that, Paige?” Ted asked.
“Um…nothing.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “How’s school coming along?”
“It’s tough. Between work and school, I don’t have much time for anything else.” He flashed her a wry grin. “It’s temporary, though. If I want to keep half ownership in the business, I have to finish.”
“My brother is brilliant, and he wants the best for you. I hope you know that.” She hooked her arm through his and turned her face up to the sun’s warmth. It had been chilly and overcast when she’d left home. Here, spring had already begun, and the temperature was a balmy seventy.
“Yeah. I know.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “What about you? How’s the new job?”
“Eh, I’m not real happy there. I’m trying to come up with a new plan.” She looked away. Telling lies and half-truths all morning made her stomach hurt. She bit her lip and tried to come up with a way to turn the conversation in another direction. “What’s with your newest employee?”
Ted let out a heavy sigh. “Ryan served under your brother in Iraq. I guess he was in the same Humvee as Noah when they got hit.” His jaw tightened. “Noah has this new mission. He wants to save all the veterans he can, and I’m afraid all of them are going to end up working for L&L.”
She frowned at him. “You see that as a bad thing?”
“Not in principle, no. It’s a worthy cause. I’m just not happy about how he excluded me from the hiring process. I didn’t have any input. I didn’t even get to meet Ryan before he was hired, and I’m supposed to be a full partner.” He glanced at her. “There are limits, or there should be. You saw how Ryan behaved. Noah says I have to put up with it until he’s got the guy on the mend.”
“Noah thinks it’s his job to fix Ryan?”
Ted nodded. “He feels responsible for what happened in Iraq, so he also sees it as his job to make it right. He has this funny notion about Perfect holding some kind of healing magic for veterans.”
Paige smiled. “I think he got that from your aunt, and anyway, Noah has always been like that. He’s always been the one to step in to fix things for others.” She shrugged. “You gotta admit, though. Despite the crazy, Ryan seems to have skills that lend themselves well to L&L.”
“Yeah. Enough about him. Here we are.” Ted opened the door to the diner and ushered her in.
Delicious smells, warmth, and welcome enveloped her the moment she was through the door.
“Oh my goodness! Will you look at who just walked through our door, Harlen?” Jenny headed straight for them, menus tucked under her arm.
Harlen smiled her way from behind the cash register. Paige couldn’t help but notice how content the two of them looked. Jenny’s hair had
grown back to its usual length, with a lot more silver and a lot less blonde. Right now, it was busy trying to escape from the clip she wore at the crown of her head to hold it up. Lord, it was good to see her so healthy and happy. Jenny was one of the lucky ones. She’d survived breast cancer.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Paige.” Jenny threw an arm around her and gave her a squeeze.
Paige had the urge to put her head down on Jenny’s shoulder and confess all of her troubles. Instead, she returned the hug and blinked away the sting in her eyes. “It’s good to see you too.”
“Come on. Have a seat. Do you two want a booth?” Jenny led them through the filled tables and the curious locals staring Paige’s way.
“Sure, a booth would be good.”
Ted placed his hand at the small of her back. She was startled by the touch, and Ryan’s words echoed in her head. No, Ted was just being a gentleman, that’s all. She slid into the side of the booth facing the door, and Ted sat across from her.
“What’s the special today, Aunt Jenny?”
“You’re in luck. Lasagna with a Caesar salad and garlic toast.” She laid menus in front of them and fixed her speculative stare on Paige. “What brings you to Perfect?”
Paige studied the menu. “I needed a niece-and-nephew fix. I haven’t seen them since Toby’s baptism.” She risked a glance upward. Jenny wasn’t buying it—that much she could tell.
“Things happen for a reason.” Jenny patted Paige’s shoulder. “You’re right where you’re supposed to be. You have something to accomplish in Perfect.”
She and Ted both watched her walk away.
Ted shook his head. “My aunt is a little bit freaky sometimes.”
“No kidding.” The front door opened, and her heart tumbled over itself. Ryan and Noah snaked their way toward them. Ryan got there first and scooted in beside her. Noah frowned and took the seat next to Ted. She knew her brother preferred to sit facing the door, preferably with his back against a wall. Did Ryan have to do the same?
“What’re y’all having?” Ryan stretched his arm out across the back of their seat and threw a smug look Ted’s way.
“Behave,” she gritted out. Ryan’s brilliant blues fixed on her, and heat spiraled right down to the tips of her polished toenails. This close, she could smell the laundry soap he used, mixed with his own unique masculine scent. Why the hell did he smell like temptation? She tried to move away.
He followed, leaned in, and whispered, “I’ll behave if you will, darlin’.”
Noah shook his head and chuckled low in his throat.
“You couldn’t pick somewhere else to eat?” Ted muttered.
“And leave you alone with my girl?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think so, kid.”
“Your girl?” Paige sputtered. “I’m not—”
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Johnny Appleseed.” Jenny placed four plastic glasses of ice water down in the middle of the Formica table, along with four straws.
“I see Lucinda got to you too.” Ryan grinned. “How’re you doing today, Mrs. Maurer?”
“I’m doing fine, and quit with the formality. Call me Jenny.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She watched Jenny’s glance touch on Ryan’s arm across the back of the booth. His hand dangled dangerously close to touching her shoulder. Paige sighed audibly. “It’s not what you think, Jenny.”
“Why, sure it is.” Ryan dropped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her up next to his side. “She’s already seen me naked.”
“It’s true. I did. By accident, not by choice.” She handed her menu over. “I’ll have the special, and you’d better bring Ryan a double order of the same. There’s nothing to the boy but skin and bone.” Paige shoved at him. “Let me out. I have to use the restroom.”
Ryan moved out of her way, a triumphant look on his face. “Hurry back, sweetheart.”
“Oh, I will,” she murmured and made her escape to the rear of the diner. Once behind the closed door, she let out a growl of frustration. He wanted to goad her into reacting—that much was clear. But why? She turned on the faucets and washed her hands. He had no idea how competitive she was. She wasn’t about to let him get the best of her.
The door to the small two-stall restroom opened, and Paige’s eyes widened. Had Jenny followed her? “Hey, did I mention how great you look?”
“Thanks. I feel good, and I couldn’t be happier.” Jenny smoothed her apron. “Don’t let Ryan fool you, honey.”
“Fool me?” She frowned.
“That young man is in a world of hurt.”
“I get that. Noah was too, remember?”
“I sure do, but Noah dealt with it differently. He wanted desperately to connect with people again. Ryan is trying real hard to drive you away. He tries to drive everyone away.”
Paige shook her head. “We don’t even know each other, and I’m only going to be here for a couple of weeks. Why work so hard to annoy me?”
“You don’t know?” Jenny chuckled. “Give it time, and it’ll come to you. He’s a good man. Try to see through all the bluster and the bull.”
“If you say so.” Paige reached for a paper towel. “I’d better get back out there before he has time to think up some new form of torture.”
“That’s the spirit.” Jenny patted Paige’s cheeks. “Don’t let him push you away. None of us are going to let him do that anymore.”
She watched Jenny leave, blew out a huff of air, and squared her shoulders. Yep. She could give as good as she got, and Ryan Malloy was about to have his ass handed to him on a diner plate—a freaking blue plate special.
CHAPTER THREE
RYAN SLID OUT OF THE booth to let Paige back in, bracing himself for a look of loathing or another hissed expletive. It would hurt, but the brief pain was necessary. It never came. Instead, she scooted back into her place with a sexy sideways glance that stopped his poor heart.
“If your ‘she saw me naked’ remark was meant to embarrass me, Malloy, you gotta do better than that. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before, and nothing stood out.” She grinned. “Oh, wait. Something stood out.”
Damn. Stunned again. Not good. Try harder. “Nothing but skin and bone, you said. I guess I’d better put on a few pounds.” He rubbed his stomach and winked at her. “Don’t want the little woman unhappy with the goods.”
“Oh, I never said I was unhappy with…‘the goods.’” Paige let her gaze roam all over him, meeting his eyes with a smoldering challenge in hers.
His faced burned. He tried to reply, but his brain refused to connect with his mouth. Did she mean she liked what she saw? Confusion clouded his ability to reason.
“Score one for the spoiled little rich girl.” She canted her head and raised an eyebrow. “It’s a tie. Give it up. You can’t win.”
“She’s right. You can’t.” Noah shook his head. “Paige grew up with two older brothers, and we were brutal. You can’t faze her.”
Ryan blew out a breath and leaned back against the vinyl. He needed to regain his equilibrium, and Ted’s fuming glare from across the table didn’t help. He checked out, let his mind go. Unfortunately, all he could think about was how good it felt to have Paige’s warmth and soft curves tucked up against him. He relived the smoldering once-over she’d just given him. What did it mean? Could this flutter in his chest be the small stirring of some kind of twisted hope? Naw. His jaw clenched, and reality tossed a bucket of ice water in his lap. She was just messing with him to get even.
“What kind of advertising have you done?” Paige asked as salads and a basket of fragrant garlic toast were set before them by a server.
“We haven’t really done any advertising.” Ted reached for a piece of toast. “Our website and social media are pretty much it. We can afford to do more; it’s just that Noah and I are already stretched thin between production and admin stuff.”
“While I’m here, can I do some marketing for you?” Paige stuck her fork into her sal
ad. “You should get a few print ads out there. We can start with regional magazines. I’m sure a city Evansville’s size has a local upscale spotlight magazine. Let’s place a few ads, wait and see if sales rise, and then you can make a decision about whether or not to aim for the better-known national magazines.”
“Absolutely.” Noah nodded. “You can do the search and copy, and Ryan can put the graphics together. That’s one of the reasons we hired him.”
Whoa. They’d have to work together. She’d be close. Dangerous. On the other hand, he’d have the opportunity to ferret out her reasons for hiding away in Perfect. Plus, the thought of creating ads appealed to him. “Sure. A few ads would be great.” He glanced at Paige and reached for garlic toast at the same time she did. Their hands touched. His pulse went off grid. Fight it, soldier. She’s not for you. Keep it professional.
She was only going to be here for two weeks, tops. He could keep it together for fourteen days, and Noah would appreciate knowing what was going on with his sister. He caught Noah studying him again. Ryan cleared his throat. “You know, seeing as how Paige is only going to be here for such a short time, why don’t I start driving myself into work? You two can have some brother-sister time in the morning.”
“Sure.” Noah’s mouth twitched like he was trying not to smile. “If you think that’ll help.”
Ryan sat on the couch with the sketchbook on his lap. A picture of Sweet Pea took shape beneath his hand. He’d head into Evansville soon for Cray-Pas and colored pencils. Once he added some pigment to the dog’s portrait, he’d mat and frame it for Lucinda. Maybe he’d even sign it “Johnny Appleseed.” He smiled. Yeah. That’s what he’d do. Lucinda would like that.
Johnnie Walker stood on the coffee table, along with his pistol, the letter, and pictures—the ultimate way out, his macabre version of a security blanket. He didn’t take a drink. Drawing required a steady hand, and J.W. would mess with his artistic muse. Ryan sighed, put the pencil down, and leaned his head back against the leather to stare at the ceiling.
The Difference a Day Makes (Perfect, Indiana: Book Two) Page 4