The Good Ones

by Jenn McKinlay

  Chapter Nineteen

  AS impulse decisions went, this was definitely one of Maisy’s better ones. It was supposed to last for only a moment, just the press of her lips against his, because, well, the bookstore sign, and his smile, the twinkle in his eye, and the way he was with George and Perry and everyone else.

  But as soon as her mouth met his, Maisy lost control of the kiss. Using his free hand, Ryder cupped the back of Maisy’s head and held her still while his mouth moved over hers in a surprise takeover of all her senses.

  There was nothing tentative about the kiss. It was a statement, an acceptance of the awareness that had been snapping between them since they’d danced. Ryder kissed her as if it was an inevitability between them. That no matter what their intentions were, the pull between them, made stronger by every moment spent together, was just too potent to ignore.

  Maisy felt the same way. She hadn’t desired anyone like Ryder, well, ever. And she didn’t want to pretend that she didn’t. She slid her hands up his shirt front and pulled him in closer. Her mouth opened beneath his and she felt herself free-fall into a swirling crazy heat of want that she had never experienced before. She felt as if she could never get enough of him, of this, of them.

  The heat, the connection, the instant burn that hit her low and deep, all of it made Maisy realize that of all the kisses she’d ever been on the receiving end of this one obliterated them all in its intensity and finesse. Gracious, this man knew how to kiss.

  Yeow! The high-pitched cry broke through Maisy’s lust-filled haze and she pulled away from Ryder and blinked. King George sat in Ryder’s right hand in a football hold, held up against his side. With one tiny paw, he reached out and bopped Maisy on the nose.

  She looked at Ryder, whose breathing was as irregular as hers, and burst out laughing.

  “I think someone is jealous,” she said.

  Ryder lifted up the kitten and kissed his head and Maisy’s heart went squish.

  “Well, he is used to being the center of attention,” Ryder said.

  “Hey, kids,” Hannah greeted them as she appeared on the landing. “How’s our boy today?”

  Maisy hopped back from Ryder and George. She felt her face get warm, but she hoped the dim lighting in the hallway would give her cover.

  “Great!” she said with much more enthusiasm than the question warranted. She glanced at Ryder and he looked like he was trying to get it together and failing.

  “Come on in,” Maisy said. “Can I get you some sweet tea, water, coffee?”

  “I’m good, but thanks,” Hannah said. “I had lemonade downstairs. Speaking of which, did I tell you what a brilliant idea the bookstore is? I mean, truly, a romance bookstore! Genius!”

  “Thanks,” Maisy said. “It’s still more an idea than a reality, but I appreciate the support.”

  “I can’t believe there aren’t more of them,” Hannah said.

  “Given that romance novels account for more sales than any other genre, it is surprising,” Maisy said. “Then again, small businesses are always dicey, so it’s a gamble. Failure is a distinct possibility.” She felt her anxiety spike.

  “Yours won’t,” Ryder said. His absolute confidence checked Maisy’s fears and she almost kissed him again in gratitude.

  “He’s right,” Hannah said. She reached out and took George out of Ryder’s hand and sat on the couch. “It’s going to be a phenomenal success. You’ll see.”

  She popped open her medical bag with one hand and pulled out a stethoscope. She made kissy noises at George, who looked up at her with his green eyes as if she was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.

  “Hey there, kitty baby,” Hannah cooed. “Look at you. Who’s a big boy?”

  Maisy sat on the couch beside Hannah while Ryder stood off to the side and, from beneath a furrowed brow, watched George’s examination. Maisy had the odd thought that they were like anxious parents having their baby examined.

  “He’s been eating like a champ,” Ryder said.

  “And he’s begun to use his litter box,” Maisy said.

  “His ears are popping up, too,” he said.

  “And his eyes are tracking really well,” she added.

  “Uh-huh,” Hannah said. She ran her hands over the kitten. Checked his ears, his teeth, his privates, and his paws.

  “Well?” Ryder asked as if he couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you think he’s thriving?”

  Hannah didn’t say anything and Maisy felt her heart constrict. What if there was something wrong with George? What if, after all this, they lost him because he wasn’t strong enough to survive? What if his mama had abandoned him because she instinctively knew there was something wrong with him? Maisy looked at the sweet little face staring up at her and felt a fear she hadn’t known was possible. How had this little guy wrapped her around his paw so tightly in just two weeks?

  Hannah let go of George’s front paw and checked his back ones. In response, he flopped down on the couch cushion and waved his feet in the air. Maisy rubbed his striped tummy, and he wrapped his paws around her hand as if he’d hold on to her forever. She felt her throat get tight and she glanced up at Hannah, afraid to hear bad news.

  “I think it’s safe to say that this little guy is going to be just fine,” Hannah said. She rubbed his head and he purred. “He is more than thriving. He’s exceeding all growth and wellness expectations. I mean, look at these feet. He’s going to be huge.”

  Ryder let out an audible sigh and when Maisy looked at him in question, he struck a nonchalant pose and said, “I knew she was going to say that. My man George is a warrior.”

  “Yes, he is,” she said.

  “And now you’ll be starting his gruel phase,” Hannah said.

  “Gruel? What’s that?” Perry asked. She entered the apartment and joined them by the couch.

  “Like grits but runnier,” Ryder said.

  “Ew.” Perry made a face.

  “Agreed,” Hannah said. “You’re going to want to mash up some canned kitten food and formula and feed it to him in a bottle to start. You’ll need to cut the nipple wider, or if he takes to it you can try to get him to lap it up from a spoon.”

  “So, he’s doing well?” Perry asked. Maisy glanced at the girl and saw the same concerned expression her father had had a few moments before.

  “Thriving!” Ryder said. He held up his fist and Perry gave him a solid knuckle bump.

  “We did it?” she asked. “He’s going to make it?”

  “Given his growth and alertness and the lack of health issues,” Hannah said, “I’d give him a very optimistic prognosis.”

  Perry collapsed into her father’s side. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head.

  “We still need to get him eating solid food,” Hannah said. “But given how he took to the kitten replacement formula and his substantial growth, I think he’ll take to kibble and canned food, no problem.”

  “Did you hear that, King George? You’re going to be all right, buddy.” Perry crouched down by the couch to be nose to nose with the kitten. He reached out a paw and bopped her on the nose and she giggled. “I love you, silly boy.” She bounced back up to her feet and said, “I’m going to go tell Co—Savannah. She’ll want to know.”

  She glanced at Maisy, who knew she had been about to say Cooper. Maisy gave her the hairy eyeball and asked, “Is Savannah outside?”

  “Yes, she is,” Perry said. “Can I go?”

  “Sure,” Maisy and Ryder said together. Maisy looked at Ryder and said, “Sorry, I’m used to answering students when they ask.”

  “No worries.”

  “I’ll be right back, Georgie.” Perry kissed the kitten’s head and dashed from the apartment.

  Hannah put her things back into her bag and rose to her feet. “I need to go open the clinic. Call me if you have any
questions.”

  “I will,” Maisy said. She picked up George and followed Hannah to the door. “Thanks for coming by.”

  “Are you kidding?” Hannah asked. “Anything for King George.”

  She reached out and scratched his ears. George gave a sleepy purr. Maisy shut the door behind her, feeling gratitude for her friend and for the fact that George was doing so well.

  “Do we have any canned kitten food?” Ryder asked.

  “No,” she said. “I didn’t realize he’d be transitioning to big-boy food so soon.”

  “Well, that’s no problem,” he said. “We’ll pick some up on our date tonight.”

  “Sure—wait—what?”

  “Date,” he said. He looked as if the idea had just popped into his head but he was going for it. “You, me, dinner, and a conversation. What do you say?”

  “Yes,” she said. The kiss! It had to have been today’s kiss that broke through the reserve he’d been maintaining. Well, she was happy to keep on chipping away at it. She smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “Excellent,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  He stepped forward and kissed her quick and then he was out the door and headed down the stairs before she could fully process what had just happened.

  * * *

  • • •

  “LET me get this straight, after weeks of I can’t get involved with my client, you asked Maisy out, just like that,” Joaquin Solis said. He was standing in the doorway to Ryder’s bedroom with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Ryder pick a shirt.

  “I had to,” Ryder said. He shuffled past the blue, paused on the pale yellow, nah, and then settled on a pale-gray dress shirt, yanking it off the hanger. “I . . . it’s just . . . she’s . . . I’ve never . . . the woman jacks my radar.”

  “Like an incoming missile?” Quino asked. Tall with dark hair, eyes, and skin, Quino was all lean strength and roped muscle. Ryder had met him years ago when they were both young men working on a construction crew in Texas. With a shared love of horses, hot women, beer, and brawling, the two men had forged an unbreakable friendship that had lasted through the sudden death of Quino’s parents, the surprise arrival of Perry, and Ryder’s recent divorce.

  “No, she’s more like a shooting star,” Ryder said. He knew the ever-romantic Maisy would love that and it was true. Catching sight of her in the bookstore during the day when she was flitting from one crisis to the next, pausing to make everyone smile or laugh with a kind word or a bad joke or with one of her Ideas! made him feel like he was catching a glimpse of something purely magical.

  “Oh, you should see your face. You’ve got it bad,” Quino said.

  “You have no idea,” Ryder said. He ran his hands through his hair as if he could erase the impact of Maisy’s kiss from his mind. He couldn’t. Her mouth was shaped perfectly with that slightly larger upper lip that fascinated him until he was almost stupid with the longing to kiss her. Gah! “That’s why at dinner tonight I’m going to lay it all out for her.”

  Quino shook his head like he was sure he’d misheard. “Lay what out, exactly?”

  “That I’m not relationship material,” Ryder said. He picked a black tie with gray flecks and began to shape it into a half-Windsor knot. “I’m not great at expressing my feelings, and by that I mean lousy, and Maisy is totally a word girl. She’s the type who needs to hear the words. I can’t do the words.

  “Plus, I’m leaving soon and she’s about to open a bookstore here. We’re a terrible fit. I’m just not interested in getting involved with anyone right now, and I don’t want any commitments. Perry is the only thing I care about, and as much as I like Maisy, this thing between us is doomed. It’s got to stop.”

  “Which is why you shaved?” Quino said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you’re pathetic,” Quino said. He pushed Ryder’s fumbling fingers aside, taking over the tie. “A dude does not shave to give a woman the heave-ho, he doesn’t put on a suit, and he definitely doesn’t take her to dinner. He ignores her, hopes she goes away, and if forced, he shows interest in another woman to make it clear that he’s not interested.”

  “Well, that’s shitty,” Ryder said. “I could never do that to her.” He imagined the hurt he’d see in her big brown eyes and it gutted him.

  “Which is why you’re going to fold like a house of cards tonight,” Quino said. “You’ll make her your girlfriend tonight, bank on it.”

  “Because you know so much about relationships?” Ryder asked. “You haven’t gotten serious with anyone since you moved back to Fairdale to take care of Desi.”

  Quino’s face went dark and Ryder immediately regretted his words. Quino had left Texas ten years ago to race home to take care of his little sister, Desi, after their parents were killed in a car accident, because that was the sort of guy he was.

  “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean—”

  Quino barked out a laugh and he tightened Ryder’s tie until it almost choked him, then he tossed the ends up over his face. “It’s cool. I know I haven’t dated anyone seriously in a long time, but that doesn’t mean I’m not looking. When I find her, and I will, that’s it. I’m going all in.”

  “Good luck with that,” Ryder said. He shook his head at his friend’s cockeyed optimism. Didn’t he get that relationships weren’t that easy? Love didn’t just fall from a tree like an apple. It was messy and complicated and mostly disappointing.

  “Not gonna need it,” Quino said. He led the way into the kitchen, where he helped himself to a beer.

  “Do me a solid and keep an eye on your goddaughter for me, would you?” Ryder asked. “She’s been weird lately.”

  “Did you tell her about your hot date tonight?”

  Ryder frowned. “No, because it’s not going to amount to anything and you’re not to say anything, either.”

  “If you say so,” Quino said. “She and Desi made me promise to take them to see a movie in town.”

  He made a face and Ryder asked, “Chick flick?”

  “Worse, it’s some historical drama. Bleck.” Quino took a big swig of beer as if it would help. “Just once I want to go to a movie where stuff gets blown up and people get beat up, but my sister and your daughter only want smart films. Shoot me.”

  Ryder hid his smile as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He knew tonight was going to be awkward between him and Maisy, but at least he didn’t have to sit through an artsy movie.

  * * *

  • • •

  “I CAN’T go,” Maisy said. “I have nothing to wear. Nothing. I looked up his ex-wife, and because life is cruel and unfair, she’s tall and thin and blond, with a perfectly upturned nose and enormous gray eyes. Honestly, how am I supposed to compete with that?”

  “Well, given that they’re divorced, I’m thinking you’re not really competing,” Savy said.

  “I even watched her show,” Maisy said. “She’s good, really good, great comic timing and all that. She’s a gourmet meal and by comparison I’m forgotten leftovers shoved to the back of the fridge. Ack! I can’t do this.”

  “Yes, you can,” Savy said. “Stop being an idiot. It’s you he’s interested in, not her. Now relax.”

  “How can I relax? All of my clothes are either workout clothes or professor clothes. There is nothing in this sad closet that says hot mama or even tepid mama, for that matter.”

  “Well, I don’t think mama of any sort is something you should be looking for in there,” Savy said. “How about sexy lady? Do you own anything that says that?”

  “Not unless neon green yoga pants and a matching sports bra count,” Maisy said.

  “Uh, no.” Savy shook her head. She was reclined on Maisy’s bed, watching her rip through her closet while George burrowed in the pile of discarded skirts, blouses, and
jeans on the bed.

  “I don’t even know where we’re going,” Maisy said. “He said something about dinner and conversation.”

  “Fairdale is a foodie town,” Savannah said. “With over fifty eateries, you could literally be in for anything. Here’s what I want to know—what happened?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When did you crack him?” Savy asked. “He went from being very hands-off for the past week to suddenly asking you out. What gives?”

  Maisy shrugged. “N . . . no idea.”

  Savannah narrowed her eyes. “Worst liar ever.”

  “If you must know, we were taking care of George and I, well, I kissed him,” Maisy said. “It was just supposed to be quick but then he . . . and we . . . and it was not quick. Honestly, I’ve never been kissed like that in my entire life. I need to text him. I don’t think we should see each other. It could ruin everything.”

  Savy snorted. “Ruin what exactly? The way you two stare at each other when you think no one’s looking?”

  “We don’t. Well, I do, he doesn’t.”

  “Yeah, he does.”

  Maisy felt that fluttery feeling again. Oh, man, she was falling so hard. Suddenly, she knew that she had more on the line than she’d ever had before. This man had the ability to absolutely crush her. She didn’t know if she was brave enough for that.

  “I can’t do this.”

  “Yes, you can,” Savy said. “Here’s where I get to be the hard-nosed friend who calls you on your bullshit. Ryder is awesome. He’s kind, funny, charming, smart, and fully invested in your dream, not to mention freaking adorable when he takes care of George.”

  “So, why don’t you date him?” Maisy asked. A spurt of petty jealousy bubbled up inside of her, which made her even crankier. She hated feeling small.

  “Because there’s no spark between us, but, boy howdy, there is between you two,” Savy said. “M, you can’t let something this good pass you by. You may never find anything like this again. You have to give this a chance.”