“I hope you find that someday, too, honey. Or maybe you have? Have you heard from Ryan since he left?” her tone was hopeful, but braced for disappointment.
We’ve been in touch, mostly by text message. He’s called a few times, too.” But they never talked for long. Ryan was always running off somewhere, putting out fires or getting on planes. It made Barbi tired just hearing about it.
“Is he coming back anytime soon?”
“Hopefully this weekend, if all goes well. He’ll fly in Thursday and out on Monday.”
“That’s a short visit. Better than nothing, though, right?”
“Yes, it will be good to see him.” She was nervous about it, too, unsure if he was having second thoughts. His calls and texts had been friendly but hard to read. She hoped that he was as eager to see her as she was to see him.
“How’s the yoga studio going? The house seems quiet without you there. But, I’m happy for you, honey. It was time for both of us to have our own space, I think.”
“I agree. It’s going really well. It’s been an adjustment for me, too, but a good one. I love the house. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? We can order pizza and watch a movie or something?”
“I’d love to. But it’s Saturday night, honey. Don’t you have something more exciting you’d rather do?”
Barbi laughed. “No, no plans. I’d love to hang out with you, if you’re up for it.”
“I’ll bring a bottle of wine.”
“Oh, and the yoga studio is going better than I forecasted, thanks to a suggestion that Ryan made.”
“What was that?”
Barbi told her about his monthly membership idea. Most of her students, the ones that came regularly, preferred it, and she liked the steady monthly income. It wasn’t enough to live on yet, but she was hopeful that if the growth continued, she’d eventually be able to do it full-time, especially if she added more products, like the clothing, accessories and DVDs. She was also thinking about doing some yoga retreats and vacations, possibly some kind of a package with the ranch. She needed to bounce that idea off Lily since she managed all the events.
“Maybe one of these days, I’ll try a yoga class,” her mother said.
Barbi smiled. “You should. You have a free lifetime membership!”
“Someday,” her mother promised.
Chapter 23
Ryan felt unsettled. He’d been feeling that way ever since he left Riston. He’d been non-stop busy ever since he arrived back in Boston. Fortunately, the disaster at the flagship restaurant in Boston wasn’t as bad as he’d initially feared. Most of the water damage was in the back of the restaurant, in the storage rooms beyond the kitchen and dining areas. So once they got the water pumped out, they were able to clean up and reopen in two days. He was still dealing with a mountain of paperwork for the insurance companies, though. And one of his top managers had unexpectedly given notice. She had a good reason, though. She was dealing with a high risk pregnancy, and her doctor ordered bed rest immediately. She’d talked to her husband and they decided that they could manage on one salary so she could stay home with their children. This would be their second. Ryan was sorry to see her go but understood. He assured her that if she ever wanted to return, once the kids were older, he’d be happy to have her back.
He was looking forward to heading back to Riston for a long weekend and was cautiously optimistic about Barbi. He was feeling torn between a childlike joy to see her and see where things would go and a heavy doubt that her feelings were real. She’d never gone all-in with anyone before, always ending relationships before they got too serious, starting with him. So, it made him naturally hesitant. She seemed sincere when she said she realized that was a mistake, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was how she really felt and was likely to happen again? He knew it would crush him. But still, for now, the feeling of joy was winning. He couldn’t wait to see her, to kiss her, maybe even take another nap with her. He grinned at the thought.
He thought of all his past relationships and how at a certain point they shifted from being easy and comfortable to slightly stressful when he realized that the talk was coming— the need to ‘define the relationship’ and take it to the next level. He’d always been happy to keep things as they were, but once the talk happened, they were never the same.
There were expectations and hurt feelings and he always hated that. Even though he thought he was clear up front about what he wanted and was capable of, it was never enough. Though he supposed that he understood that. There had only ever been one person that he’d wanted to ‘take things to the next level with’. His only concern when Barbi brought up having a long distance relationship was if she was really willing to go there. Could he trust her not to change her mind?
He’d been hearing from Sophia, too. The more he tried to make it clear that he wasn’t looking to rekindle any old feelings they shared, the more she pushed for him to come earlier and let her show him around Chicago. She was sure he would fall in love with it there as much as she had. He knew what she really meant, as Sophia was far from subtle, but he tried to discourage her the best he could and even told her that he had gotten back together with Barbi. She only laughed at that.
“You can’t be serious about that waitress? I know she was the one that got away, but that was high school. You’re an adult now. She doesn’t fit into your world.” The implication, of course, was that she did. Ryan simply told her that he had to go and would be in touch as the time drew near. It was comments like that that confirmed why he would never want to date Sophia again, no matter how attractive he found her.
There was nothing wrong with being a waitress. Ryan had never cared about things like that, what people’s titles were or how much money they made. Happiness was all that mattered and being nice. It had worked for him, and he saw it working for Barbi, too. She enjoyed waitressing. She was naturally social, but he knew that her passion was yoga. She loved teaching the classes and building her business. He’d been glad to hear that she’d taken his suggestion on the yoga memberships and that it was paying off.
He was looking forward to staying in her guest bedroom. Aunt Rita’s house was plenty big enough for both of them and he’d felt very much at home there during those few weeks. Ryan walked across the living room of his Navy Yard condo and stared out the window at the harbor and at the city lights of Boston. It was a view he’d always enjoyed.
Charlestown was so close to Boston, yet far enough that he could see the whole city skyline from his living room. Yet he realized that he’d never really felt at home there, in this condo. It was luxurious, with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows, thick white carpet and convenient location, but the Navy Yard, with it’s cement walkways everywhere and lack of green trees, always felt a bit sterile to him. The best part of it was the view. It wasn’t homey like Aunt Rita’s lavender old Victorian. That house was lived in—roomy and cozy at the same time. He was looking forward to relaxing there soon.
Chapter 24
“Are you picking Ryan up at the aiport?” Lily asked.
It was Wednesday night, and Lily had stopped by to visit after work. It was Barbi’s usual night off, but she didn’t feel like going out. Lily picked up some Chinese food takeout on her way over and they sat in the kitchen, gabbing and eating.
“No, I’m working tomorrow night. He wants to rent a car anyway, so he can go see his parents while he’s here.”
“Are you still excited to see him?” Lily asked. Barbi figured she deserved that, as her track record wasn’t the best.
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. A little nervous, too, though.”
“Because he’s staying here, with you?”
“Well, sort of, though I actually am glad about that. I’m just worried that he might have changed his mind. Gone home to his big city life and realized there’s no place for me in it.”
Lily studied her closely. “You really have it bad. I’ve never seen you so worked up about someone. My gut say
s you don’t have to worry, though. You looked good together, like you belong together. I’m usually right about these things, you know.”
Barbi smiled. “I know, and I appreciate that. I hope you’re right.” Lily did seem to have an uncanny knack of reading people. She was very observant. Maybe that was why she was such a good songwriter.
“Is Jess still helping you fine tune your songs?” she asked.
Lily laughed. “Not so much. Not since she got married. She and Jake are so busy. Owning and running their vet clinic takes a lot of time.”
“I can imagine.” Barbi had a better understanding of that now that she was trying to grow her own business and she saw how all-consuming it could be at times for Ryan.
“Speaking of which, I referred a few new people your way for the yoga studio. Two women came up to me after my last show and asked me how I got my arms so toned, and I told them.”
Barbi chuckled. “Thanks for that. We missed you in class yesterday, by the way.” Lily usually made it to at least two classes a week but she hadn’t seen her yet this week.
“I’ll get in there soon. This week has been crazy, and you know the early morning classes are out of the question.”
“I know. I don’t ever expect to see you in one of those.”
“Oh, I meant to mention this earlier. There’s a yard sale on my street tomorrow. I talked to the neighbor who is having it and she said there will be a lot of furniture. You might want to stop in and see if there’s anything you could use.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks for the head’s up.” Barbi was in good shape with upstairs furniture but she wanted to keep her eye out for a decorative sofa or some funky chairs for the yoga studio so students would have somewhere to sit before and after class if they felt like it.
After they finished eating, Lily went on her way and Barbi climbed into her pajamas. She curled up on the sofa and pulled the fleece over her. She kept expecting Jasper to jump up and curl up by her feet. She really missed her mother’s cat. Maybe she would see if Ryan minded if she adopted a cat.
Chapter 25
An unfamiliar car was in the driveway when she got home the next night. Ryan’s rental car. Barbi went inside and upstairs. She could hear the TV on in the living room. When she reached the top of the stairs, Ryan was there to greet her and pulled her in for a hug and a quick peck on the lips.
“It’s good to see you. Busy night?”
“It was steady all night. The bar was busy.” Barbi took her sweater off and hung it in the closet.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked. “I just opened a beer.”
“I’d love that. I’m going to go change real quick and get out of this uniform.” She went to her bedroom and peeled off the polyester pants and top and tossed them in her hamper. She pulled on a soft pair of navy sweat pants and a comfortable but flattering gray, long-sleeve tee shirt. When she returned to the kitchen, Ryan handed her the glass of wine.
“You look much more comfortable now. Want to take this in the other room?” She followed him into the living room and they settled on the sofa. The cool, white wine felt good on her dry throat as she took a sip. She needed to remember to drink more water on busy nights. Otherwise her throat sometimes felt scratchy at the end of a shift.
“How was your flight? Did you see your parents for dinner?” He’d said he was planning to go there straight from the airport.
“I did, they’re good. My dad has lost about ten pounds and his blood pressure is down. He’s been walking every day.”
“That’s great!”
“It is. I was really worried about him for a while. He seems like he’s on the right track now. Said his doctor has given him a thumb’s up.”
“I have a question for you. It’s something I forgot to ask when we were discussing the lease terms.”
“Oh?”
“How do you feel about cats?” she asked.
“Cats? I like them. Why?”
“Would you mind if I got one? I was thinking of adopting an older cat, maybe five or six. My mother said it’s harder for them to be adopted at that age. That’s how old her cat Jasper is and I didn’t realize that I would miss him being around as much as I do.”
Ryan smiled. “We can go tomorrow if you like?”
“Really? You don’t mind? I’d love that. And I’d love you to come help me decide.”
She leaned over and kissed him and it wasn’t just a peck. When they came up for air, she said, “That was a thank you, in case you were wondering.”
“You’re welcome. Feel free to thank me again, if you like.” And she did.
When they stopped kissing, she snuggled against him on the sofa and he clicked over to the news. She absentmindedly began to rub her left ankle, which had been aching all night.
“What’s wrong with your foot? Did you hurt it?” he asked.
“They bother me sometimes when I’m on my feet a lot. I probably need to get new shoes.”
“Swing your foot over here. Let me see if I can help.” She did as he asked and then sighed as he expertly kneaded and massaged her aching feet, giving special attention to the left foot that was bothering her the most. When he finished, her feet were stretched and thoroughly relaxed and so was she. She suddenly couldn’t stop yawning.
“Sleepy head, you should go to bed. Get a good night’s sleep. I’m about ready to turn in myself. Funny how sitting on a plane can be so tiring.”
Barbi slowly stood up. Her glass of wine sat on the coffee table, still full. She’d had two sips of it. That was okay—she’d put it in the refrigerator and have it another time. “I think I will head to bed. There are clean sheets on your bed and extra blankets in the closet if you need them.”
Ryan stood and pulled her for a quick good night kiss.
“See you in the morning.”
Chapter 26
The next morning, after Barbi taught her class she met Ryan in the kitchen for coffee and one of his famous omelets. This one was completely different as he tossed in leftover Chinese food, which had her laughing until she took a bite. It totally worked.
“I will never laugh at you again when it comes to food,” she promised.
“I’ll remember that. It was good, though, wasn’t it?” After they finished eating, she insisted on doing the dishes, since he’d cooked, and then she went to change before they headed out to the cat shelter. It was a warmer than usual day, almost seventy, and she decided to wear one of her favorite outfits. The skirt was a stretchy black fabric, similar to her yoga pants, and the top was a floaty, sleeveless tank made of soft cotton and was an antique cream shade with ruffles along the bottom. It was very feminine and girly, and it suited her mood perfectly. She pulled on her faded brown cowboy boots, ran a brush through her hair and then she was ready to go.
Ryan smiled in appreciation when he saw her. “You look great.”
He drove to the cat shelter, which was on the outskirts of town in an old house that someone had willed to the charity. It was a no-kill shelter, and each bedroom housed several happy cats waiting for homes. Angela, the shelter manager sat down with them to find out more about their cat history and what they were looking for. They also had to provide references from their local vet.
“We want to make sure that anyone who takes one of our cats will ensure that they are properly cared for and that they have a relationship with a local vet.”
Her mother took Jasper to Jess and Jake’s vet clinic, so they gave Angela that information.
“I’m interested in a slightly older cat, maybe five or six if you have any that age?”
Angela smiled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. We have two kitties that age. They were surrendered together when their owner passed away recently. Oscar and Felix are close, and we’d prefer that they are adopted together, but given their age, we’re also flexible on that. If you follow me, you can meet them.”
She led them to a small room that had about five cats, all roaming freely.
“Tha
t darker one is Oscar, and the smaller one is Felix.” Barbi walked over to the two cats and bent down to pet them. The smaller one, Felix, rubbed against her cowboy boots, and the bigger one threw himself down on the ground and rolled over, watching her all the time to see her reaction. She rewarded him with another pat and scratched behind his ears, which started the purring.
“They’re both so cute.”
“They’re Maine Coon cats. Very affectionate and sweet. Felix can be a bit of a talker. He’s the chattiest cat we’ve had in a long time.”
Barbi turned to Ryan. “How would you feel about two cats?”
“It wouldn’t be right to separate them,” he said as he bent down to pat Felix. The little cat purred and then started talking, and they all laughed.
“See. You’ve heard the expression ‘Chatty Cathy?’ We call him our ‘Chatty Catty’.”
“I want both of them.”
“Wonderful. Let’s go do some more paperwork. We’ll check your reference, and if you like, you can stop back tomorrow to pick them up?”
“Perfect.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later, they were on the way back to the house when Barbi remembered the yard sale that Lily had mentioned.
“Do you mind a quick stop for a minute? There’s a yard sale right around the corner, on Sullivan Street that I wanted to check out.”
Ryan looked amused. “Sure. I didn’t know you were into yard sales?”
“I’m not usually, but Lily said there might be some good stuff at this one and I’d love to find a cute sofa or something for the studio. Oh, it’s right up ahead. The house with the balloons.” Ryan pulled up to the curb and Barbi jumped out and ran over to something that had caught her eye. It was a funky red velvet sofa, sitting right on the lawn. It looked perfect. She sat on it and leaned back, kicking her boots in the air as Ryan walked over.
Charming Chef (River's End Ranch Book 7) Page 8