Out of The Blue

Chapter 28

Ten minutes later, I'd brought back the last of the racks to fill with our more standard desserts—chocolate muffins and oatmeal raisin cookies—when I heard the bell above the front door sound. Then Eric's voice perked up as he said, "Hey, welcome to—holy shit!"

My eyes widened and I immediately abandoned the treats, shuffling quickly back to the front of the store. "What's happening?" I asked, the words tumbling out in a mumbled rush as I pushed through the swinging door, only for the air to leave my lungs as I skidded to a stop and locked eyes with who'd just walked in.

Ryan.

"Dude, you're Ryan Nyberg," Eric said, oblivious to me freezing up beside him as he gawked at the man I couldn't stop thinking about. The one I'd also been avoiding, knowing he was in town this weekend to pick up Bowen, because I knew that the moment I saw him, my feelings would be written clearly across my face.

And despite those around me telling me that it was obvious he felt the same, the nerves crawling through my system couldn't quite let me believe it.

Ryan chuckled as he tore his gaze away from me, allowing me a few moments on the sidelines to calm my racing thoughts. "I am, and you must be Eric. Sloane mentioned she'd hired someone new."

Eric's wide-eyed stare shifted my way. "You know Ryan Nyberg?"

"You follow hockey? And cheer for the Knights?" I tossed back at him with a curious expression. "Didn't you say you were from New York?"

"Born and raised in New York, but I went to college in Boston," he explained. "I'd never been that big into sports, but my roommate was a die-hard Knights fan and managed to pull me onto the bandwagon." He turned back to Ryan. "You're a legend, dude. You've been a star in the net since I started watching, and I can't wait to see when you and the rest of the team finally get to lift that cup."

"Hopefully you won't have to wait too long," Ryan mused.

"What are you doing here though man? Hasn't training camp already started? Shouldn't you be in Boston?"

The words training camp—the ones I'd dreaded thinking about all summer, knowing that was when he'd been set to leave Neptune Bay, and me—felt like a punch to the gut.

"I grew up here, so I was visiting family for the weekend," he replied, answering Eric's nosy questions with ease before his eyes flicked back over to me. "But I also had to make sure to deliver a message to a certain someone in person."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that someone was me.

Cue the butterflies.

"Okay, well then," Eric said, clearing his throat, having picked up on the obvious tension sparking between us, "I think I'll take my break now. Leave you two alone to chat." He stayed still momentarily, looking back and forth between Ryan and I, before finally shaking himself out of it and scurrying past me and into the back.

A beat passed and nothing was said. Then another.

Finally, I swallowed, pushing down my jitters and asked, "W-what are you doing here?"

"Like I said," he said softly, taking a slow step forward, "I have a couple things I wanted to talk to you about." Another step closer. "I drove by your house, but when I noticed your bike wasn't there, I figured I'd find you here." One more step. "I didn't want to head back to Boston without getting to see you, especially with how we left things."

With two more steps, there was only the counter separating us now. He was so close, and while a part of me was leaping in joy, another was too hesitant to hope.