Today had been an all-around shit show.
It started off with Ryan calling to cancel our morning fishing plans—which, in the grand scheme of what he was dealing with in regard to Bowen, I understood. Sure, it'd been disappointing, but I'd also been worried and hoped they were able to deal with the lingering grief surrounding Liam and Thea's deaths.
Then, as I went to leave for work, I noticed one of the tires on my bike was flat, which caused a frantic search for the air pump I'd stored away. When I'd finally found it, fixed the tire, and pedaled as fast as I could, I ended up being over fifteen minutes late.
And while it hadn't bothered June much at all, it'd thrown my mind off center.
I ended up spacing in and out periodically, and of course, had knocked into June as she brought out the last batch of muffins before she left for the day, sending them all tumbling to the floor. Thankfully, no customers had been around to witness my embarrassment, and as I cleaned up the mess, June was nice enough to whip up another batch and get them in the oven before heading out.
As if that wasn't enough, about half an hour later, when two customers exited the store in a hurry as it started to rain, a bird managed to make its way inside. A fucking bird. I'd immediately yelped, coming out from behind the counter and trying to wave it back outside, but the bird decided to cause some chaos first. Knocking products off the shelves, flying in circles, and frazzling me to my wits end before finally soaring back through the door.
And of course, that meant I hadn't heard the oven timer go off and the muffins June had put in ended up overcooked and charred. Wafting a slightly burnt smell throughout the store.
By some dumb luck though, with the rain becoming heavier as the afternoon drew on—pelting against the windows and clearing out foot traffic along the beach—the store was slow. So nobody was around to witness my disastrous day. I spent the remainder of the day staring out the window, willing time to speed up. And in the back of my mind, I knew I could close up early if I wanted to. After all, I was the owner, but something in me fought against doing that until around ten to six, when I headed back into the kitchen to start cleaning up.
I was ready to be done with today and just wanted to get back home. To change into some sweats, maybe order a pizza, and collapse onto my sofa to indulge in a good show and a lazy night.
Though when I heard the front door open, I froze. Being in the back, there was no telling who it was, and their footsteps stopped almost immediately. With the way today had gone, my first thought was that it was that Romano guy, back again to try and push his agenda of buying the store. And that was someone I wasn't ready to deal with at the moment. He was equally infuriating and terrifying, what with the corporate vibes he'd given off, piled on top of his ego and the gall he had to think he just throw money at me—at my family—and we would just hand over the store for him to completely tear down and ruin the waterfront by resurrecting a condo in its place.
Not a chance.
Slowly tiptoeing over to the door that led to the front of the store, I pushed it open with bated breath, peeking my head through to see who was there.
Thankfully, it wasn't him. Instead, the face I saw was that of a familiar boy less than four feet tall, and I couldn't help but grin at the way he waved enthusiastically once he saw me.
"Bowen," I said, my hand on my chest as I blew out a breath of relief, "what are you doing here?" Realizing he was indeed alone though, I quickly followed it up with, "Where is Ryan?"
He ran over to me, throwing his arms around my waist before looking up at me with no cause for concern in his features. "He's just outside, but I'm sorry about this morning."
It felt as though something tightened around my heart hearing his apology. "Oh, no. Don't worry about it," I replied softly. I would've never blamed him for the cancelled plans. Reaching my hand up to ruffle his hair, I said, "We can go fishing any morning, so whenever you want to, just let me know."
He nodded enthusiastically. "How about tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me," I mused.
And when the door opened once more—the hiss of the rain drifting inside—it was no surprise to see Ryan there, shaking off slightly before he met my gaze with a sheepish expression.
"I promise I'll clean that up."
A laugh escaped me, and I waved it off, telling him not to worry about it. "Where did you park? Your car isn't out front."
"Just around back," he replied. "I hope that's okay. I figured you wouldn't want me parked out front if you're technically closed."
"Totally fine, but next time, don't worry about using the lot. We let other businesses use it for overflow parking in the evenings if needed, so it's no big deal," I explained before quirking a brow. "Though I am curious to know what brought you guys here."
"Well," Ryan started with a drawl, bringing my attention to the pizza box in his hand as he jostled it slightly, "since our plans this morning got cancelled, we figured we'd try to make it up to you."
"By bringing pizza!" Bowen exclaimed, taking a step away from me as he bounced with excitement.
My features softened, touched by their thoughtfulness. It didn't matter that it was such a simple gesture. It meant a lot.
When I didn't immediately respond, however, a flash of worry crossed Ryan's expression as he presumably thought he'd done something wrong. Leaving the pizza on one of the tables and instructing Bowen to take a seat, he strode over to me. "Hey," he whispered, tipping my chin upward so our gaze met, "I'm sorry if I stepped over a line or something."
I shook my head, stopping his train of thought before it spiraled further away from the truth. "No, no, no. It's okay. It's great even. I just—" I paused for a moment to breathe. "—I haven't had the best day. It was horrible actually, and I'll tell you about it later, but this? This is amazing, honestly."
The corners of his mouth lifted. "It's only pizza."
"It's not just the pizza. It's the company, too," I said, unable to completely get into words how sweet I thought this was. "And I know you said this was to make up for this morning, but like I told Bowen, no apology or grand gesture was needed. I get that he's your main priority."
"Yes, Bowen's a priority for me—" He lifted a hand and caressed his thumb along my cheek. "—but so are you."
Those words caused a fluttering in my stomach and made me all too aware of the little space that separated us. Unable to stop myself, I brought my hands up to cup his cheeks—feeling a jolt of electricity flow through my veins at the contact—lifted onto my tiptoes and planted my mouth on his in a slow series of closed-mouth kisses. He hummed against my lips, smiling, and kissed me back, though when I heard the scraping of chair legs against the floors, I pulled back, having forgotten we weren't alone.
My cheeks flushed and I pulled my lower lip between my teeth in embarrassment as I peeked around Ryan to see Bowen's eyes on us, having already opened the pizza box and taken a slice of his own.
"What?" he asked nonchalantly. "You guys can kiss. I already know that you guys are boyfriend and girlfriend."
Ryan chuckled as he turned to his nephew, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and hugging me to his side. "Oh, you do?"
"Mhm," he replied confidently, covering his mouth as he spoke after taking a bite.
"Well, in that case," Ryan said before leaning down to kiss me again, keeping it brisk and sweet. When he pulled back, his arm fell down to his side and he squeezed my hand gently. "How about we enjoy dinner?"
"Sure, let me just lock up."
Walking towards the door, I pulled the store keys from the front of my apron—which I hadn't even realized I was still wearing—and locked up, making sure to latch the top of the door as well. Then, after scurrying over to hang my apron up and wash my hands, I pulled out the seat next to Ryan and immediately felt the warmth of him as he scooted his chair closer to me and placed his pizza-free hand on my thigh.
And while I may not have realized it immediately, this was the first time in over a year I found myself sitting around Wilma's after closing with a grin on my face. Because with Ryan and Bowen here—lifting my spirits after a disaster of a day—there was nowhere else I'd rather be.
***
Keeping my promise to Bowen, I was up early the next morning and ready to go fishing. Though seeing as I was meant to drop by my dad's, I'd coordinated things with Ryan so that he'd pick me up from there around seven thirty.
So, after pouring myself a to-go mug of coffee and packing a backpack with a few snacks, sunscreen, and bug spray, I plopped a bucket hat on top of my head and made my way to my dad's on foot, knowing it would only take a bit longer than biking and I didn't want to cause a hassle with having to get my bike home later.
It was just after seven when I reached his place, waving to Amy as she pulled her car out of the driveway and left for the nursing home after having been around to check on my dad. Knocking on the door as a curtesy, I then opened it and stepped inside.
"Good morning," I called, and before I could take my shoes off, my dad rounded the corner with two plates of eggs and toast in his hands. My brows rose. "You made breakfast?"
"I'll have you know I'm very capable of making my own meals," he quipped in response. Which I knew, obviously. He lived alone, and other than the times I came over—where, 99% of the time, I was the one who cooked—he tried not to let the fact he had cancer stop him from living. There was no putting a restraint on his determination.
"I know you are."
"Besides, you mentioned you weren't staying all that long today, so I figured I'd have breakfast ready when you got here, and we could eat out on the porch."
Well, I couldn't argue with that.
"That sounds great, dad," I said, reaching out to take the plates as I backtracked out the front door and settled into the seat across from him.
"So, how's my beautiful daughter been?" he asked a few minutes later, looking at me expectantly before digging into his eggs.
My mouth quirked upward. "Alright. The store's been doing well, and June is really stepping it up with her baking ideas. Though yesterday's downpour definitely put a damper on sales, on top being the backdrop to an absolutely chaotic day." I took a few minutes to explain the ins and outs of the previous day. "And then when I finally called it quits, I stepped into the back and heard the front door's bell go. For a second, I'd thought it was that asshole developer I told you about, back to try and swindle me some more, but lucky for me, it wasn't."
"People like that don't understand the beauty of small towns." He shook his head. "We get by just fine without major corporations and condo developments worming their way into town."
"Exactly," I agreed. "But trying to get that through a suit's head is easier said than done. I'd rather spend hours attempting to convince a dog it was a cat than deal with him."
"Now I would love to see that," he chuckled before reaching over and patting my hand. "I know you'll figure something out to get him off our backs," he said. "But honey, I did ask how you were doing, not the store."
"Oh, uh, good," I stammered, momentarily thrown and not having realized I'd focused my initial response around work. "I've been talking with Mara more frequently these last couple of weeks, as well as the rest of the girls, and actually making plans most nights instead of staying in. Usually just hanging out with Ryan and Bowen in some way, but I feel like I've definitely been less of a home body."
"We'll talk more about Ryan in a second," my dad drawled, which I expected. I'd told him we were seeing each other after our first date, but hadn't shared all that many details other than that. "But I just wanted to say that the person who recommended you start living your life again must be one smart cookie."
I rolled my eyes in amusement. "Yeah, he's the best."
He chuckled in response, clearly pleased with himself. "Back to the Nyberg boy though," he said after a few bites, "how is he? I haven't seen him in ages. Not since you were friends as teenagers if you don't count the times I've tuned into a Knights game over the years."
"He's good," I replied, my gaze dropping down to my food momentarily as I felt a flush of color creep up my neck. "He's obviously still dealing with the grief of Liam and Thea's deaths, and how it affected his own life regarding Bowen's guardianship, but he's taking things day by day. He's been doing great with his nephew, but he's also making the time for me as well. Like yesterday, when he showed up with pizza at the store around closing to make up for having to cancel out morning plans." A smile pulled at my lips at the memory. "While he may have bulked up because of his job, he really hasn't changed much since we were close as kids. The only thing different is we aren't just friends anymore. We're... more."
"Well, by the sounds of it, he's got your feelings all tied up in knots," he mused, happiness shining in his eyes, "which means he has my seal of approval. Just be careful, because if he ends up on the road again next year with hockey, I don't want you to get your heartbroken."
"I'm well aware of his situation, dad, don't worry."
He nodded, pointing his fork my direction. "Then when you can make it happen, I'd love to have you both, and Bowen, over for dinner."
I grinned. "I'll see what I can do on that front and get back to you."
As if he knew we were talking about him, the gravel in the driveway crunched beneath the wheels of Ryan's car as he turned in and parked.
"I guess our time together is up for today," my dad remarked.
With both our plates pretty much cleared, I nodded, and said, "Did you want me to bring these inside before heading out?"
He waved off my offer. "Don't worry about it."
Stepping out of his car, Ryan strode toward the porch with a grin and waved at my dad. "Hi Mr. Montgomery, how are you?"
"Good, good," my dad replied. "I trust you'll make sure my daughter doesn't fall into the lake today?"
"Dad!"
Ryan chuckled, digging his hands into his pockets as he stayed at the bottom of the steps. "I'm assuming that's happened before?"
I rolled my eyes. "Once. When I was like, seven."
"Still counts," my dad chimed in.
"Well, rest assured," Ryan said, eyes alight with amusement, "I'll make sure she stays safely on the boat today."
"Good to hear."
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as I stood up and leaned over to kiss my dad's cheek. "Have a good day. And remember, just because we're out on the water, that doesn't mean you can't still call me if there's an emergency."
"I'll be fine," he reassured me. "Now go. Have fun on your date."
Picking up my backpack from where I'd left it, I bundled down the stairs and without a second thought, fit my hand into Ryan's as he used his other to wave goodbye to my dad.
"Ready for a morning out on the water?" Ryan asked as we headed to his car, where I could see an excited Bowen through the windshield, strapped into his car seat in the back, Scout right next to him.
I squeezed his hand before letting it drop to hop into the passenger seat. "Totally."
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