I realize I’m surprised I hadn’t even told my mom about Ryker yet. With everything going on, it slipped my mind, and our paths haven’t crossed enough times to talk about it. Or maybe it’s the fact that I do everything I can not to think about him. One thing’s for sure, I didn’t mention his offer to invest to my mom. Probably for fear that she’d make me reconsider accepting his money.
When I don’t offer an answer, she claps her hands impatiently. “Well? Aspen? Who is it?”
“Ryker Miles,” I whisper.
“Nooo!” Her eyes grow into saucers, and then she playfully grimaces. She remembers his mother. How could she forget?
“Yes! And can you believe, he came in last week, and he basically told me how much he hated me. Then, we had it out at the Crossbow Dixie, where he told me he blamed me for his parents’ divorce, and I set him straight on how ridiculous that was. After that, he apologized for being a bully when we were in high school. And, well, I apologized for my behavior in high school, too.”
My mom’s jaw drops. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me this yet.”
I grab a fork and napkin and pick up Ryker’s plate. “I know. I’ve just been so busy. And really, it means nothing, so there wasn’t anything to say.”
“Then honey, why is he staring at you like he wants to whisk your eggs with his…”
“Mom!” I cut her off. She giggles at her joke.
“He’s a jackass, that’s why. And, if you haven’t heard, you will soon, since he’s back for the summer, and people here love to gossip. Apparently, he’s a billionaire. With a B.” Her serrated knife slips off the tomato she’s cutting and almost snags her finger. “Holy shit, seriously?”
“Swear jar,” I say, not offering to pay for her this time. “Yeah, he got involved with Bitcoin back in high school, and it paid off. Big time. He tried to tell me I was partly responsible for his success, because he never would’ve gotten into it if I hadn’t made his parents split.” I shrug.
“Billionaire?” she whispers, still in shock.
“Yeah. Too much money, and he doesn’t know what to do with it. He tried to take Robert’s place and invest when he heard I’d lost the investor.”
“So why didn’t you take it?” Her mouth opens, slack.
“Because! I’m not taking his money!” I whisper as loudly as I can. “He offered it like ten seconds after he told me how much he hated me. He’s a nutjob. And besides, he’s waaay too handsome. I can’t be having dirty thoughts about my investor.” I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand. I can’t believe I said that.
Even though Mom and I share everything, I didn’t want to voice my attraction to Ryker out loud.
Then we both laugh. “You should go for him,” she says, and a cold wave washes through me. I see the look on my mom’s face, and I know what she’s thinking. Because he has money.
Disappointed, I turn to leave the kitchen, and I snap over my shoulder to her, “I’m making it on my own, Mom. I don’t have time for a man. I definitely don’t need one.”
Feeling strong, I throw my shoulders back and walk over to Ryker. I set his plate down in front of him, along with his fork and napkin.
“Thanks. Looks great,” he says.
I walk into the dining area and wipe down the tables, and Popster asks, “Aspen, are you working on a website for the hotel?”
“Crap. I need to get going on that right away. Maybe I can hire the same girl who did the website for the bistro, but it’ll cost money.” I stop cleaning for a minute. “I could probably figure it out myself, but I don’t know where I’d find the time.”
I sigh as I walk back to the counter to get a clean towel, and I’m overwhelmed with all the things on my plate. But gratitude, and the joy of striving toward my life goal, are also pumping me full of adrenaline and excitement, so I feel energized. I see many long nights ahead of me.
“Aspen?” Ryker calls me, and my heart skips a beat. I confess, I love the sound of my name on his lips. Momentarily forgetting my long list of things to do, I take a deep breath.
I turn around and step closer to him. I smile when I see he’s licked his plate clean. “Yes?”
“You didn’t bring me any pie.”
“I didn’t think you actually meant pie.”
“Of course I meant your pie. What else would I mean?” He smiles and raises a single eyebrow.
My damn heart flutters.
I don’t want my damn heart to flutter!
I look down at my chest, and I will my heart inside… to stop fluttering!
I turn around and go get a slice of cherry pie and a clean fork. I return and set it down in front of him.
“What’s with the suit?” I ask him, partly because curiosity gets the better of me, but mostly because I feel like talking with him.
“I lost a bet with my dad. I have to work at his law firm for two months,” he says, shaking his head and laughing at himself. He picks up the fork, ready to dig in, and stops. “Let’s celebrate about your hotel tonight. I’d like to take you to dinner.”
I snap my head up at him and give him my best “are you crazy?” expression.
“What?” he asks innocently.
“No freaking way!” I say, maybe a bit too quickly, and sharply, and loudly… so, I soften my tone. “Sorry to be harsh, Ryker, but I don’t want to go out with you.” I put my hand up to my mouth, and bending over the counter, I whisper with my nose scrunched up, “Plus? I don’t really like you.”
“Of course you do,” the cocky bastard says, then takes his first bite of the pie. “Damn, Aspen,
