50. Ryan

Chapter 50

Ryan

It kills me to be this close to Kayla and not run straight into her arms, but something she said in the summer has been playing on my mind.

We've never had a chance to date or get to know each other outside of winters, and I want to give her that experience. Want to prove to her we're so much more than festive friends-with-benefits. In my heart, I know she's the one, but if this plan is going to work, I need to let things happen at her pace.

Unfortunately, my girl is stubborn and competitive. She probably knows I'm up to something and is determined to win, even if she doesn't know what game we're playing.

Sitting at home waiting for Kayla to knock on my door every night quickly gets boring, and if I wanted to spend every waking hour attached to my computer, I would have stayed in California. So I do the same thing everyone does when they’re new in town. I pick up a bar job.

We’ve been coming to Rico’s since we were old enough to pass for the legal drinking age, but seeing it from the other side of the bar is something else. Nights aren’t as busy as they will be once the snow arrives, but the music and cheap drinks still draw people in.

It only takes a couple of weeks to figure out who’s here long term and who’s passing through. Familiar faces become friends, and a few guys invite me to go mountain-biking with them sometime.

That I don’t own a mountain bike doesn’t seem to be a problem. Someone’s always got a spare to lend a friend.

It takes longer than expected for Kayla to come in, which has left me wondering how she spends her evenings, and with who. I hear her first, her warm laugh pouring out of her when she strolls in with a group of friends.

She looks hot as fuck in a short skirt and ankle boots, her tight white t-shirt accentuating her curves. Her hair flows over her shoulders in loose curls, and there’s a slick of pink lipstick painted across her pretty mouth. If I wasn’t already head over heels for her, I’d be falling right now.

The other women are dressed similarly, a group keen to start their night with a bang, not one desperate for refreshment after a day of hiking. Kayla doesn’t notice me as she leads her friends to the table across from the bar, and only stops laughing when she glances up and catches me staring at her. She hops off her stool and eats up the space between us in seconds.

“What are you doing?”

“Serving drinks. What can I get for you, miss?”

“You work here?”

I pluck at the white Rico’s logo on my black t-shirt, the same one all the staff are required to wear. “Sure looks that way.”

“Why the fuck are you working in Rico’s bar, Ryan? Why are you living here and wandering around the town like you belong here?”

“What can I say? I’m living the dream.”

“Hollywood is your dream,” she spits out, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her this pissed off .

I lean across the bar and stroke a line from between her eyebrows to the tip of her nose. “You are my dream, Kayla. Since forever. Now, did you want something to drink, or can I serve someone else?”

She storms off without ordering, and I bite back a smile. I’m not trying to make her angry, but I’m not here to put any pressure on her, either. I know in my heart this is the right move.

She can ignore me all she wants, but I’ve always known we’d be endgame if only we lived in the same place. Well, now we do, and I’m prepared to put in the work and show her how serious I am, no matter how long it takes. I’ve waited a lifetime, I can be patient.

Even on quiet nights, there’s plenty to do behind the bar, and from the corner of my eye I see her friends laughing and joking while she does her best to stay in a bad mood. A short brunette ignores Kayla’s attempts to yank her back to the table and saunters over.

I’ve never met this woman before, but she looks like a lot of fun. “Welcome to Rico’s. What can I get for you?”

“Five pale ales, please.”

“Coming right up.” I get to work pulling their drinks and try not to laugh at the way she keeps looking back at their table.

“Are you sitting with my friend Kayla over there?” I ask.

“Yeah. You see that tall blonde in the middle,” she says, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb. “She and I are getting married next month. We went to school with Kayla and this is our big send-off.”

“Ah, then these are on me.” I nod my head in their direction. “Congrats to you and your lady.”

She bursts out laughing. “Kayla said you’d try to give us free drinks, and I’m not supposed to take them.”

“Oh, did she now?” I smile, then lean across the bar and lower my voice. “Maybe this can be our little secret?”

She winks at me. “You’re Ryan, right? ”

“In the flesh.”

“I’m Allie,” she says, offering me her hand. While we shake, she squeezes hard and doesn't hide the fact she’s giving me the once over. “Fuck, I get it now.”

“Get what?”

“Why she waited for you.”

“What do you mean?”

She just laughs and nudges three beers into a triangle so she can carry them to her table.

“Let me give you a hand.”

“You’d better stay put if you want to make it through the night. I’ll come back in a second.”