Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) (9 page)

"Oh, chill. He didn't even look at me." She dismissed me as she headed back into the bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Ryder as I waved him into the room. I could smell his soap as he walked past me. I discreetly inhaled the familiar scent.

"Scarlett called and said your car was at the bar and you weren't answering your phone," he explained.

I quickly looked around the room and found my phone on the desk. I never plugged it in last night. "It's dead."

"How did you get here?"

"We walked. Were you worried?" I asked, tilting my head to look at him. He sure looked concerned to me.
 

He clenched his jaw, apparently unwilling to answer me. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said gently.

"Because you still care," I returned. It wasn't a question. I knew he did. I just didn't know what he would do about it.
 

Chloe came out of the bedroom, so Ryder didn't have a chance to disagree with me. She flopped on the couch and strapped on her sandals.
 

"I was going to go shower," I said, pointing in the direction of the bedroom. "Wanna wait?"

"Sure," he said, staring at the door to the bedroom. I hoped he was thinking what I was. "You need a ride to your car?"

"Or you could just take us to your place," Chloe offered with a devious smile. "We're going to the bonfire later, right? I’m assuming we won't be driving back here after."

I knew where she was going with this. Wing-woman. I arched my eyebrow at him. "Sure," he nodded.
 

I left them alone and took a quick shower. I picked out a matching black and baby pink bra and lace panties. I wore jean capris with a pink, one-shoulder top. I packed a small bag in case I wanted to change and made sure to grab a hoodie for tonight. I let my hair air dry, applied some make up, and then grabbed a pair of white, low heels as I walked into the main room.
 

Chloe was typing away on her phone while Ryder leaned against the desk. His hair was dry now and stuck out in different directions. His toned arms were bare in his tight shirt, and I wanted to run my hands up them. I stood there, taking him in. He looked like he’d gotten bigger since I last saw him. Not gaining weight, just muscle.
 

"What do you want to do until Scar gets off?" he asked, smirking at me. He obviously caught me checking him out.
 

"Can we check out this diner that Kallie worked at?" Chloe asked quickly. "I have to see this uniform."

He laughed. "Sure thing. Shall we ladies?" He smiled his breathtaking smile that did me in that first night at Hank's. He held out his elbow for Chloe, and she wrapped her arm through it. When I approached, I took his other arm and he escorted us down to his truck. He opened the door for us, and Chloe joked about how much of gentleman he was. It was clear he had already won her over. A BFF's opinion always matters about a guy.
 

I rode between them on the half an hour drive back into the small town. My skin tingled where Ryder was almost touching. I fiddled with my bracelets to keep from touching him. I hated having him so close, yet so far at the same time. It was bordering on awkward. Chloe rattled on about work and her family, filling the silence.
 

"You weren't joking," Chloe said when we pulled up to the single intersection. "One red light."

"Yep," Ryder and I said at the same time.
 

The flowers were starting to bloom in the pots that lined the street. The brick sidewalk was already alive with people, wandering and socializing. I smiled at the serenity and peacefulness I felt watching the scene before me. I was used to concrete everywhere, people filling the sidewalks, and heavy traffic. I didn't realize how much I missed the small town life.

We easily made it to the diner and parked a few shops down. As we walked, we passed an antique store. A necklace in the window caught my eye and I stopped walking. It was on a long chain that was darkened from age. The turquoise stone was uncut, giving it an imperfect shape. It was set in a silver frame designed to look like lace. The silver was tarnished, almost appearing black. A matching ring sat on the velvet display next to it.
 

I spotted an open sign in the window, so I went inside. A bell announced my entrance as Ryder and Chloe followed behind me. The place was cluttered and dark. It smelled of a mixture of incense and mildew. It was filled with heavy wooden furniture, old tin photographs, and marble vases. A glass counter near the window housed the jewelry. All antique and unique. I gasped and ran my fingers along the glass.
 

A woman with long white hair came out from a curtain in the back of the shop. She smiled warmly at me and pretended to arrange a set of wooden candleholders as I browsed. I examined all the pieces in front of me, getting excited about the beauty in it all. Everyday I looked at rings, necklaces, and bracelets. All uniform and plain. Every piece here had history, and there wasn't one that looked like any other.

"How much for the turquoise ring and necklace set in the window?" I asked her, running my fingers across the large stone.
 

"Five hundred," she answered. "One of a kind."

"I'm sure," I agreed, ignoring the gasps from Chloe. I knew the stone alone was worth it. You can polish the silver and rid it of the black, but I kind of liked it like that. "Do you take credit cards?"

"Cash only, dear," she said.
 

I nodded and backed away from the jewelry case. I promised myself I would hit an ATM and come back for it. I just had to have it. We browsed the small shop for a little longer before making our way to the diner. When we walked in, the entire staff bombarded me. Questions of where I had been and how I was doing were coming from all directions. Minnie almost squeezed the life out of me with one of her signature bear hugs.

"You are welcome to come back and work whenever you want, dear," she told me with a huge grin.
 

"I just may need to. We have a wedding to plan," I winked.

The entire dinning room gasped and stared. The random customers stilled and stared openly at us. It was then I realized how that sounded. "Scarlett," I clarified, mortified. The diner filled with groans and sympathetic faces. Tiffany eventually sat us and took our orders.
 

"So, will this Adam be at the fire tonight?" Chloe asked.
 

"Doubt it," Ryder grumbled.
 

"You don't like him?" she asked him.

"He's okay. He's good to her, makes her happy, and it sounds like he's pretty successful in life. She deserves that," he said, glaring at me.

"How do we know he's successful?" I asked without thinking.
 

"He owns a few oil change business across the state."

"Well, you would think he would buy her a better ring," I mumbled, distracted and aggravated.
 

"It's huge," he said, clearly confused.
 

"It's fake."

"What?" Chloe and Ryder asked at the same time.

"Cubic Zirconia. Surgical steel band."

"How do you know?" Ryder growled, sounding a little offended.
 

I gave a him a look, challenging his question. "Seriously? I may suck at life, but I know diamonds, gemstones, and precious metals. I can't keep a boyfriend or make someone love me, but I can tell you how many carats are in that woman's earrings. They are square cut set in white gold, not silver. Twelve carat."
 

They both turned to look at the woman I used as an example. They wouldn't have been able to tell if I was right or not, but I think I made my point. It's what was force-fed into my mind from the time I could walk. The business side I never enjoyed, but the art side was the reason I came in each day.
 

"Why would he lie?" Ryder asked. I sensed he wasn't that surprised, but unhappy he now had a confirmed reason to dislike the guy.

"Let's find out," I said.

"Why are you paying for this if you don't think it's right?"
 

"Because I hope I'm wrong. If not, I want her happy for as long as she can be," I shrugged.
 

"So, let me get this straight," he said, putting his hands on the table and demanding my attention. "You told her you would pay for her wedding, but meanwhile you will be trying to prove her fiancé is a piece of shit."

He struck a nerve then. He had the guts to look at me like I was the one being manipulative and uncaring. "No. I want her to marry the man of her dreams. I want her to live for the rest of her life in love and have lots of little babies I can babysit. I just want to be sure that he is the one that can give that to her. If he's not, I can't let her marry him. You want her to find out years later, after they have kids or something, that he's the wrong one?"

A range of feelings displayed on his face. I hated to bring up his own father, but I hoped that's what he was thinking. I hoped he wanted to shield her from going through that pain again. He finally settled on a look of determination with some anger underneath.
 

"So, you're wasting your money?"

"Nope," I said, sitting back in the booth. "We're all still going to Hawaii either way."

Chloe giggled as he shook his head and laughed softly. We finished our meals with some easy conversation, and I tipped Tiffany generously when we left. I paused at the shop window again on the way back to the truck. I thought of how nice the necklace would look with a black dress. I reluctantly pulled myself away from the window and smacked into a hard chest.
 

Ryder stood over me, looking down at me. I heated with the closeness of our bodies. I didn't care to stop myself when I placed my hands on his chest, feeling the firmness and heartbeat beneath. I let the feel of him seep through my hands. His heartbeat quickened, and I felt the steady thumping under my palms. I ran my fingers lightly down to his waist. Hooking my fingers through his belt loops of his jeans, I pulled him forward slightly while pushing myself up on my toes.
 

I pressed my lips gently to his. I just let our lips touch; I didn't push or open up to him. I savored the little taste that I had and the tingling that buzzed between us. I pulled away slowly, lowering back down to the ground, and let go of his jeans. His face stayed frozen, his eyes searching mine. I smiled, stepped aside him, and continued walking to his truck.

Ryder

She's evil. Pure, bad-to-the-bone, I-will-torture-you, kind of evil. She makes me worry, calls me out on it, and then kisses me. Now, her and Chloe return with me to the apartment like she didn't just punch a hole in my chest. The kiss was on the chaste side, but I knew it was more than that. She made the first move. That's something she rarely did, especially sober.
 

I could already tell the party tonight would be interesting. I had little control over myself around her, and then I have to consider Kallie into the mixture, who has apparently forgotten the boundaries. I knew I needed to protect myself, but she was testing my limits. Once we got back, the girls took over the living room with more wedding planning. I hid out in my room to get away from the giggling and constant chatter.
 

"Ryder?" Kallie called from outside the door.

"Come in," I called out and sat up in my bed. Kallie came in, looking almost nervous. She spun the clamp around her wrist. "What's up?"

"Scarlett said I had to ask you if you would be okay with seven days in Hawaii. "She looked everywhere but at me as she asked.
 

"Um, that should be fine," I guessed. I felt like I was agreeing to more of a romantic getaway with Kallie rather than my sister's destination wedding.
 

"Who would you like to room with?"

"Room?"
 

"I am booking the rooms, but to save on money, and so we can actually get enough rooms, there will be two to a room," she explained.
 

Was she asking me to room with her? That was the worst idea in the history of terrible ideas. I would never make it out of that room without having her a dozen different ways. If I didn't room with her though, who would she stay with? Heck, who would I stay with?

"Logan and Caleb are invited, too. I can give you the guest list if you want to look," she explained after I was quiet for too long.

"Logan," I answered. She nodded and left the room without a question or argument. Did that mean I just left her to room with Caleb? That would be the only other guest she would know, and I would hate to have to kill him. Caleb also loved to make me jealous whenever it came to her. Prick.
 

I came out to the living room to eavesdrop on the girls. I rummaged through the fridge, pretending to make a grocery list. Chloe was on Kallie's computer, while the other two told her about the things they would need to pay for. The list was going on and on.

"Okay, so here is your budget," she announced, turning the screen to the girls. Chloe told me earlier that she had a degree in accounting and worked for a large newspaper back home as an accountant. She must be the financial leader of the wedding. "These are just estimates. If you spend more on something than allowed, we can take away from somewhere else. Travel expenses are already deducted."