Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

VIOLET

I experimented with new flavors all week. I still hadn't come up with something that could be purple. The only option I found online involved yams. There was no chance my clientele would go for that.

I bought the local favorite, Berger cookies, with its soft vanilla cookie and generous chocolate icing. I broke the cookies into large chucks and mixed them into vanilla ice cream. But it was too bland. It ended up tasting like vanilla ice cream with crumbs. Next I tried swirling the fudge icing into vanilla ice cream, then dropping in the chunks of cookie. That was better.

The store was closed on Monday, so I spent the morning cleaning it from top to bottom until it shined. I didn't have as much time for a deep clean the other days of the week. Then I pulled out the ingredients and supplies we'd need for my class with Faith.

I realized at the last moment we'd never exchanged numbers. If Ryder needed to cancel, he had no way of getting in touch with me. If we had exchanged numbers, would we be talking over text in between visits?

When the knock finally sounded on the front door, I let out a sigh of relief.

Ryder stood on the other side of the glass with his hand on Faith's shoulder. She was watching him with a slightly bored expression. He was probably reminding her to be polite and respectful. Maybe even telling her to thank me. I loved watching Ryder in his element as a father. He was a good one.

I unlocked the door, then opened it, listening to the tinkle of the bell above us. "Thanks for coming."

Ryder grinned as he stepped inside, a gust of wind ruffling the notices on the community bulletin board. "Faith has been excited about this all week."

"Dad," Faith whined as if she was embarrassed he'd admitted that out loud.

"Sorry, did I embarrass you? I never know." Ryder's tone was light.

Faith rolled her eyes.

"What did I tell you?" Ryder asked sternly.

Faith faced me. "Thank you for taking the time to show me how to make ice cream."

I clasped my hands together, barely able to contain my excitement. "I'm showing both of you, and I can't wait. Most people enjoy eating the ice cream but have no interest in how it's made."

They followed me into the kitchen where the counters gleamed. Everything we'd need was set on the countertop, including the recipe card. I kept the recipes in a pretty wooden box I'd found in one of the local shops.

"You handwrite your recipes?" Faith examined the card that was dotted with the occasional spill.

"I don't want to get cocoa powder on my laptop. And I prefer paper."

"What flavor are we making?" Ryder asked.

"I was hoping you could help me make a big batch of my newest flavor. Berger cookie."

"Oh, I love those. Vanilla cake and chocolate icing?" Ryder sounded like a kid.

I wondered when the last time was that he'd even eaten Berger cookies.

"I've never heard of them," Faith said, reminding me that she hadn't grown up here.

I opened the package and handed her one. "Take a bite."

Her eyes closed. "So good."

"What do you taste?" I leaned a hip against the counter.

She opened her eyes. "Vanilla and chocolate."

"What do you think we could use to make it?" I asked, testing her creative thinking skills.

Faith thought for a few seconds. "I would think vanilla ice cream, chunks of the cookie itself, and swirls of icing."

"Yes! You're a natural. It's the icing that makes the cookie. We couldn't make the ice cream flavor without it. But I don't think it will be enough. Swirls in the vanilla will make it as close to the real thing as we can get."

Faith looked from me to her father. "I'm excited to see if it works."

I didn't tell her I'd already tried a few batches and knew what would work. Because she was spot on with her assessment. "You're a natural at this."

I helped her add the ingredients to the vanilla ice cream, then showed her how I mixed it. She listened intently, biting her lip as she concentrated on the task.

Next I showed her how I packed the ice cream into cartons and where we stored them in the deep freezer until we needed them out front.

"Do you think this will be a popular flavor?" Faith asked when we were done.

"I've never served it before, so we'll see. I don't make a lot of a new flavor until I've given it a test run."

"You aren't worried about wasting money on a flavor someone won't like?" Ryder had mainly observed us work, his gaze keeping my blood at a low simmer.

"It's always a risk. That's why I don't make a lot of it. Now with s'mores, I knew I was on to something. Chocolate is my best-selling flavor by far, and I knew marshmallows would be a hit with the kids."

"Where do you get your inspiration from?" Faith asked while I cleaned the counter and placed the bowls in the sink to wash up later.

I smiled. "I eat something I like. Then I wonder if I can make it into ice cream."

"That's it?" Faith asked incredulously.

"The more you do it, the better you get at predicting what people will like. The more creative you get. The imagination is like a muscle: the more you work it, the better it is."

"Dad must not work his imagination muscle at all because he has none," Faith teased him.

"Hey!" Ryder swiped some sugar out of the bag still resting on the counter and threw it in her direction.

Faith squealed and covered her face before blindly reaching for the bag of sugar and snagging a handful.

Ryder held his hands up. "We can't mess up Violet's shop."

"You started it!" Faith exclaimed as she looked in my direction, and at my nod, let lose with her sugar.

I joined in the fight. I should have been upset about how dirty the kitchen was getting, but I was having too much fun. Faith was squealing with laughter, her eyes bright and shiny. Even Ryder was getting into it, ducking and diving behind the counter to avoid our onslaught.

Eventually, Ryder grabbed me with an arm around my middle and pulled me against him. The air rushed out of my lungs with a whoosh, and my body heated. When I stopped struggling, I realized that my ass was cradled against his dick. I felt every hard inch of him.

As if Ryder realized the same thing, he let me go. "Truce?"

My face was flush, and my skin overheated, but I nodded. "Truce."

"This place is a mess," Faith said, wiping the flour off her face.

"Let's get cleaned up. Then we can tackle the kitchen." We washed off as best we could in the bathroom sink, then cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. I couldn't believe all the places sugar could get into.

When we were done, my back ached, and my feet hurt.

"I'm starving," Faith said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

Ryder raised a brow. "You want to get pizza?"

I felt a pang that our evening was over. But I resigned myself to seeing them later, across the room at the cooking class.

"Yes!" Faith said.

"Don't forget your ice cream. I'll put it in a freezer bag, and it should keep while you're at dinner."

"Can Violet come with us?" Faith asked as I got a carton of Berger cookie and one of s'more's out of the cold freezer.

"I suppose it's only fair to pay for dinner after we messed up her store, and she made us ice cream."

I waved him off. "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude. I'll see you later at our cooking class."

"Nope. You're coming to dinner with us. We'll take you to the class and drop you off here before I take Faith home."

I looked at both of their hopeful faces, and I couldn't say no. "Okay. Pizza sounds great right about now."

I was so pleased with how Berger Cookie came out; I added it to the list of flavors offered on the chalk board before we headed out.

"If I worked here, I'd eat all the ice cream," Faith said as we walked to her dad's truck.

I shared an amused look with Ryder. "That's a challenge for sure."

Once we were settled in the cab, Ryder walked around the hood, and Faith said, "That was fun. Thank you for letting us make ice cream."

I turned slightly in my seat so I could see her. "You're welcome any time."

Ryder climbed inside, looking from me to Faith. "What are you two conspiring about? Sugar fights in my house?"

I grinned. "No, but that's a great idea. We should plan an ambush. What do you think, Faith?"

"I think I don't need two girls ganging up on me. It's bad enough that this one gets whatever she wants." Ryder threw a thumb over his shoulder as he backed up.

"I do not."

Ryder gave her a look in the rearview mirror before pulling out into traffic. After a beat, he said to me, "It seems like you enjoy your job."

"I love creating new things and even more when I see how happy it makes people. Even if no one eats it, it's that smile when they see something, like Fruit Loop ice cream. It's something they don't expect."

"You have unique flavors, and I loved getting an inside view of how you create them."

"My grandmother bought me an ice cream maker for my birthday when I was ten. It was a toy more than anything, but I was hooked. I played with different ingredients. None of them were edible. But I got better as the year went on, and Grandma got me a real one the next year." She'd understood my passion in a way my parents hadn't.

"Thank you for letting us play with your ice cream maker. It was a treat." Ryder glanced over at me with a grin.

"I'm sure it's not as exciting as your job."

Ryder sobered. "My job can be fast-paced and exciting, but it's also stressful. Then other times, it's boring."

"It must be. Otherwise he'd talk about it," Faith grumbled from the back seat.

"You know I can't talk about my job," Ryder said to Faith.

It must be hard to relate to his daughter when he couldn't share a large part of his life with her. It was understandable for adults, but a child might not get it. Especially when it was his job that moved him away from her. It put Ryder in a difficult situation.

We fell silent until we reached the pizza place in town. Ryder found street parking, and we walked to the small restaurant on Main Street.

Inside, the hostess directed us to a booth in the back, near the arcade games. Ryder handed Faith change so she could play while we ordered.

"Half cheese, half pepperoni?" Ryder asked me.

"Sounds good." I didn't care what we ate. I just wanted to spend more time with Ryder and Faith.

After the waitress took our order and menus, silence fell over the table. Ryder kept one eye on Faith who was playing a game, and there was a kid on the console next to her, talking to her.

When Ryder returned his attention to me, he said, "Thanks for allowing us to see what you do today. It was neat."

"I make ice cream." I waved a hand in his direction. "You do whatever it is you do—protect the world."

"It's a lot more complicated than that. But it doesn't make what you do any less important. You make people happy. They come to the shop to celebrate a day touring the town, or a win."

"It feels good."

Ryder reached across the table to squeeze my hand. "That's why we do what we do. Even though the purposes of our jobs are vastly different."

I nodded, enjoying that he'd compared his job to mine, making it no less important than his. When we both knew it was. "Did your ex-wife work?"

"She's a paralegal. She enjoys the social aspect, going into the office, and seeing people. She was bored when she was home on maternity leave."

As much as I was curious about Stacy and why they broke up, I didn't want to know the details.

"Is there a reason why you didn't have more kids?" As soon as it was out of my mouth, I waved a hand in his direction. "Sorry. It's none of my business."

Ryder cleared his throat. "It's okay. She had some postpartum depression. Not that we understood that's what it was right away. She improved when she went back to work, and I think she didn't want to go back to that emotional place."

"Did you want more?"

"Not at the expense of Stacy's mental health, but yes, I wanted at least one more. But I understood that it was hard for Stacy. Back then, I worked long hours. She was doing the heavy lifting herself. If I ever have another, I'd want it to be different. Since we had Faith, the department has issued a paternity policy so we can take eight to twelve weeks off, paid. But I want to be around more."

"Wow. That's amazing." I was impressed that Ryder recognized his shortcomings and wanted to do better.

Ryder nodded. "I wished it had been in place when we had Faith."

This time, I was the one who squeezed his hand. "Faith is a happy girl. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just wished I was more involved."

I glanced over at her, where she was laughing with the boy. "You still have time with Faith now. She's only twelve."

"I think the divorce was a good thing. It made me reevaluate what I was doing, and what kind of a father I wanted to be."

Ryder wanted to grow and get better. It was a good sign. My parents had been so stuck in their ways. I couldn't get them to budge on their expectations for me and Danielle.

The pizza arrived, and while the waitress cut the slices for us, Ryder waved Faith over. We dug in, starving from working up an appetite.

When we were done, Ryder took care of the bill.

"I could have paid for my portion. I had cash," I said.

"I always pay when I'm out."

I don't know why I liked that so much, but I did. I'd been out with plenty of guys who had no problems letting me pay at least my portion if not the entire bill. Ryder's whole chivalrous vibe was attractive. He took care of the people in his life, and I liked it a bit too much.

On the way to the cooking class, Faith talked nonstop about what it would be like. It was obvious she enjoyed making things, especially when it related to food.

She was a girl after my own heart. I almost wanted to buy her an ice-cream maker for her mother's house, but that would be overstepping several lines. I was a friend. If I could even be categorized as that.

I'd run into Ryder and Faith a few times. We'd shared a meal together. But I wasn't sure what this was.

At the library, we followed the signs for the new kitchen which was in the basement. There were eight smaller stations in front of a large counter in the front of the room. The instructor had a projector that reflected her table to the class.

I went to a table, and Ryder and Faith took the one in front of me. It wouldn't make sense to make it a threesome. Besides, I always came to the class by myself.

This was their father-daughter time. I shouldn't be intruding, no matter how much I wanted to. When the instructor went through the safety rules, Faith looked over her shoulder at me. "This is so exciting."

I returned her smile, but she'd already turned back to the front of the room. I didn't miss Ryder's wink he shot in my direction, sending tingles through my body. This was going to be a long class.

My view was Ryder's ass in those well-worn jeans. I'd never get enough of it. I just hoped I wouldn't ruin the Italian risotto we were supposed to be making.

I forced myself to listen to the instructor and carefully follow her directions. But it was hard to focus because Faith kept looking up at her father, asking questions, and commenting on everything. He was patient with her, taking the time to answer any questions she had. And I loved that he insisted she take lead on the work.

This was her passion after all.

By the time we were done, my risotto looked okay, but Faith and Ryder's was questionable.

"I don't know if it's edible," Ryder said as we covered our dishes, then walked out.

My lips twitched. "It's your first attempt. You'll get there."

"The class might have been a bit advanced for us."

"We should have taken the kids' class," Faith said, looking a little deflated.

"We can cook something a little simpler at home. I've picked up on a few things since I've been coming here."

"Why are you taking cooking classes?" Ryder asked when we were inside the cab of his truck and headed toward my shop.

"First, it was something to fill my time. But now I really enjoy making new things. Similar to the ice cream, I guess. The only problem is that it sucks cooking for one."

"We'll have to do it together sometime," Ryder said lightly, keeping his gaze on the road.

Faith was engrossed in a book in the back of the car, using a book light to illuminate the page.

Was he asking me out? He couldn't be, because why would he keep including Faith in our outings? He must view me as a friend he didn't have to shield his daughter from.

I worked to hide my disappointment. "That sounds nice."

When we reached my car, I was eager to get out and regulate my emotions. I was all over the place, pleased with how the day went, and wanting more. I said goodbye to Faith, who smiled distractedly at me, then returned to her book.

Ever the gentlemen, Ryder got out with me and walked me to my car. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Thanks for spending time with us today. It was the best day I've had in a while."

The lights from his truck illuminated his face.

"I had fun too."

Ryder's expression turned contemplative. "Can you text me when you get home? I'll feel better knowing you're safe."

"I don't have your number. I realized that earlier when you were supposed to meet me at the shop." I hoped he hadn't noticed how fast my heart was racing as I offered him my phone.

"Oh, right." He input his information, then sent a text to his. "Now you can let me know you got home okay."

I smiled, feeling nervous. This felt like the end of a date, but it wasn't because his daughter was in the truck. He wasn't going to kiss me in front of her, so why was I so anxious? "Will do."

He opened my car door, and I got inside. "Drive safely."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not looking forward to the drive, but it's worth it to get a few more hours with Faith. She's chatty in the car when she's not reading or listening to music."

"I love that. Father-daughter bonding time." I couldn't help but compare his situation with mine growing up. My parents hadn't seemed like they wanted to spend time with me. We didn't have much in common.

"Thanks for the perfect day, Violet. I'll see you around." Ryder carefully shut my door.

He waited for me to pull out before he did the same.

I felt a little shaky as I drove home. I admonished myself for thinking today was anything more than a nice time with a guy and his daughter who I was becoming friends with.