Taking Chances

Chapter 8

At six-thirty on Tuesday evening, Ryan said goodbye to his mother and drove to Jen and Bec's flat. On Tuesdays, Ryan dropped off cooked meals for his mother so she didn't have to cook for a few days – and to make sure she was eating.

He cooked enough for Bec and Jen, too.

As he drove through the streets of Brooksdale, he thought fondly of Bec. She seemed to have some drive and determination about her. He knew she had just left a bad relationship and he himself had been recovering from a divorce. "Don't be foolish. You're both vulnerable now," said Ryan out loud.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from a momentary daydream.

Jen fussed about tidying up. "Ryan's going to think we live like animals!"

Bec was clearing off the table. "Relax. You've been friends with Ryan for ages, right? He'll be fine. It's like having a brother over for dinner."

Jen put her hands on her hips. "No, it's not like that. Besides, Ryan's bringing dinner."

That was part of the deal. Ryan does dinner, Bec does the website. A pretty good deal for Ryan, thought Bec.

There was a solid knock on the door. Bec swung the door open and Ryan stood there in blue jeans, a brown double-breasted winter coat, and scarf. On Sunday he was the construction worker, on Tuesday the academic.

Ryan interrupted her thoughts, "May I come in?"

Bec took the bags of food from Ryan, stepping back as she did so.

"Wow. You two have this place looking really nice," said Ryan.

Jen replied, "No! It's a mess. I've just been so busy lately that it's hard to keep up with the work."

Ryan laughed. He hung is coat and scarf then went to the kitchen. "I'll heat up the food. Don't get too excited. It's just a beef casserole."

Jen said, "Anything someone else makes is good for me."

Ten minutes later, the trio were sitting down with full plates of casserole. Bec poured wine for everyone and started to eat.

"Ryan. This is the best casserole I've had in a long time."

"This is a mainstay at my place. So, Rebecca, how're you finding Brooksdale, Rebecca?"

"Please, call me Bec. I like it so far. I wasn't expecting people to be so open. You know, small towns have a reputation."

Jen added, "Yes, and she has already found a date."

Ryan raised his eye-brows then rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Fast work."

Bec felt heat rise in her cheeks and she shot daggers at Jen, who added, "With Steven James."

Ryan put his fork down and coughed.

"Another glass of wine?" She didn't wait for an answer and filled everyone's glasses.

The rest of the meal passed in small talk. Bec poured more wine, but Ryan refused, citing his two-by-two rule. Bec shrugged and continued to drink.

Ryan said, "I'll make coffee." He went to the kitchen and banged around looking for coffee-making implements.

Jen rolled her eyes and grinned, "Ryan, I'm afraid we've only got a simple coffee maker. The coffee is in the top cupboard."

"I can live with a basic coffee maker, but this coffee? Jen, you'll get better flavour if you grind your own beans."

Jen giggled and Bec smiled. The mood had lightened again. Jen said, "Ryan here is our resident coffee expert."

"That's right," replied Ryan. "Despite what people say, you can get good coffee in Brooksdale. The Flat Rock Café has a great selection and they'll grind it for you."

Ryan brought three steaming cups of coffee to the table. Bec sipped hers. "Wow! Is this really the same coffee I've been drinking?"

Ryan chuckled.

"Well, you two have work to do. I'll clean this lot up," said Jen.

With the table cleaned off, Ryan sat shoulder to shoulder with Bec as she showed him the work she had done so far. He felt stiff and uncomfortable. The mood had changed. He realized he was a little jealous.

Bec pointed to the screen, "This is what I'm thinking. A blog and a landing page. We do a little advertising on social media, send people here, they sign up, and we send them update and reminders to sign the petition. We can even do an online petition."

"It's that simple?"

"Pretty much, but you're the word-smith, Mr. Anderson. You have to write the words and I'll put them in."

They spent the next forty-five minutes filling in pages on the site. Ryan told the story of his father, at the time a successful business man who donated the land the youth centre was on.

"That's a pretty amazing story," said Bec. "Where's your father now?"

Ryan kept his eyes on the screen. "He passed away not long after he donated the land.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Bec put her hand on Ryan's shoulder.

With the website filled out with the history of the youth centre and social media accounts set up, Ryan felt it was time to leave. He thanked Bec and Jen for their time and walked out.

As he got in his Ford, he felt a twinge of loneliness.